The Somerset ‘Sharp’ Rebels did the hopes of lifting the Premier League Knock Out Cup for the first time in their history no harm at all in winning the first leg of the Final at Workington by 3 points in a meeting that contained just about everything, top quality racing, tension, drama and more than a hint of controversy.
Both teams went into this first leg match with riders missing due to injuries, Workington were without their top two of Daniel Nermark and Kauko Nieminen, Birmingham’s Jason Lyons guesting in place of Nermark and the Comets utilising the rider replacement facility for Nieminen. Somerset were without long term injury victim Simon Walker and used rider replacement to cover for his absence.
Somerset hit Workington hard from the off, taking the lead in the opening heat, Jason Doyle winning in a time that was just 0.5 seconds off Simon Stead’s 2 year old track record, and with Stephan Katt slotting into second place, it looked all over that it would be a maximum heat advantage to the Rebels until Lyons used all his experience coming off the final bend to just pip Katt for second place as the pair crossed the line.
With the points being shared in the next two heats, Kroger and Kramer winning respectively for the Rebels, Somerset further extended their lead in the next two heats, Frampton winning heat 4 ahead of Stonehewer, this after Workington reserve John Branney came to grief on the last bend trying a big blast around the outside to pass Frampton, a move that was doomed to failure from the moment he tried it, Frampton’s time equaling that of Doyle’s in the opening heat.
Doyle followed up with his second win of the night in heat 6, and with Kroger picking up a point for third place, Somerset were now 6 points to the good, leading the home side 18 points to 12.
Somerset had provided the race winner in each of the first 5 races, but Lyons stopped the rot for the Comets in taking heat 6 ahead of Frampton, and with Wright scoring his first point of the night for the home side ahead of Kroger it meant that Workington had cut Somerset’s lead to four points as the meeting approached the half way stage.
The home fans joy in seeing their side secure their first heat advantage of the night was short-lived however as the Somerset duo of Katt and Kramer hit home with a maximum 5-1 race advantage in heat 7, Kramer just getting up on the line to snatch second place from Stonehewer.
A shared of the spoils in heat 8 saw Somerset maintain their 8 point lead and everything was looking rosy for the Rebels, but it was then that lady luck seemed to have deserted them as in both of the next two heats first Jordan Frampton and the Emil Kramer were to suffer mechanical gremlins that forced them to retire from their respective races whilst holding comfortable leads.
Workington took full advantage of the luck that had come their way, cutting Somerset’s lead to a mere two points, and suddenly it seemed as if it was not the Comets turn to be in the ascendancy.
Yet again, just when it seemed that their backs were against the wall, the Rebels hit back, Frampton and Doyle gaining Somerset’s second maximum heat win of the night to stretch their lead back out to six points with just four heats of this first leg tie remaining.
A 4-2 heat win for the Comets in heat 12 courtesy of Haines and Branney, Haines win being the only other Workington rider other than Lyons to win a heat for the home side, cut Somerset’s lead back to 4 points before an eventful heat 13 saw Workington bring the scores level at 39 all.
With just 30 seconds of the two minute time allowance remaining, Doyle’s bike gave up the ghost as he settled in readiness at the tapes and with no time left to bring out his spare bike, he was duly excluded from the race. Things then went from bad to worse for the Rebels as his reserve replacement in the race, Brent Werner, was excluded for a tapes infringement.
As Somerset unable to replace Werner in the race, it saw Jordan Frampton as the lone Rebel up against Lyons and Stonehewer for Workington. The Comets duo made the best of the start and blocked Frampton’s attempted run around the outside of the first turn, the resultant 5-1 for the home side given the Workington fans renewed hope of taking a lead back to Somerset for the second leg.
After Somerset suffering a run of misfortunes, it was Workington’s turn to have things turn against them in heat 14, the penultimate race of the night.
In the first running of the race, Somerset’s German combination of Katt and Kroger took the early advantage, only for Comet reserve John Branney to come steaming into the third turn, a move that was to have only one outcome, Branney crashing to the ground in a nasty looking fall that nearly took out both Kroger and Branney’s team mate, Joe Haines.
With Branney excluded from the re-run, it was left to 17 year old Haines to fight the Comet’s cause, but his participation in the race lasted all of ten metres as his bike ground to a halt, leaving the Somerset pair to romp home to a 5-0 heat win which meant that Somerset could now not lose the tie.
The nominated final heat saw Lyons and Stonehewer line up for Workington against Doyle and Kramer for the Rebels, and it was the home pair that made the better start and despite Doyle’s best efforts it looked all over that Workington would secure a 5-1 heat win that would give Somerset victory by just a single point.
They reckoned, however, without Doyle who never gave up the chase and swooped off the final bend to take second place away from Stonehewer on the line thus ensuring that Somerset line up in Friday’s second leg at the Oak Tree Arena three points to the good.
Workington Comets:
1) Jason Lyons 17 (6r); 2) Charles Wright 3+1 (4r); 3) Rider Replacement for Kauko Nieminen; 4) Joe Haines 9+1 (5r); 5) Carl Stonehewer 8+2 (6r); 6) Tomi Reima 1+1 (3r); 7) John Branney 5 (6r)
Somerset Rebels:
1) Jason Doyle 10+1 (4r); 2) Rider Replacement for Simon Walker; 3) Emil Kramer 10+1 (6r); 4) Stephan Katt 9 (5r); 5) Jordan Frampton 9 (5r); 6) Matthias Kroger 6+1 (6r); 7) Brent Werner 2 (4r)
