Aggregate: Somerset 98-94 King's Lynn The Somerset Rebels grabbed a 12-point lead on the night after only four heats, but the King's Lynn Stars put up some determined resistance, and it was not until heat 14 that the Rebels secured victory. It then needed a last-heat decider to wrap up the aggregate bonus point for Somerset. The success for the Rebels was due to another impressive all-round performance with 21-year-old second strings Jamie Smith and Ritchie Hawkins weighing in heavily. Smith dropped only one point to the opposition when he was beaten by Davey Watt in heat six while Hawkins took the home rider of the night award with a score of eight (paid 10). Somerset began on a high note with skipper Magnus Zetterstrom team-riding Smith to maximum points against Tomas Topinka and James Brundle in the opening heat. Then reserve Lee Smart scored his first victory for the Rebels when he won the second heat. Experienced Paul Fry continued his excellent start to the season when he squeezed inside Kevin Doolan to follow Hawkins home for a 5-1 in heat three. Reserve Jason King celebrated his recent qualification for the British under 21 final by winning a thrilling heat four. Watt, guesting for the injured Olly Allen, was left to battle for second place with Glenn Cunningham. The Somerset man came storming through the inside on the final bend and most home fans thought he had grabbed second place in a tight finish, but SCB referee Ronnie Allan ruled in favour of Watt. By that stage, Somerset had wiped out a seven-point deficit from the previous clash at Saddlebow Road by racing into a 12-point lead on the night, but King's Lynn dug deep to battle back into contention. They gained a couple of 6-3 heat wins thanks to successful tactical rides by Topinka and Watt in heats five and nine. The Stars suffered a 5-1 reverse in the re-run of heat eight after Ashley Jones had been excluded following a fall while leading at the first attempt. King's Lynn gained their third heat advantage of the evening with a 5-1 in heat 11 thanks to a win for Brundle, with Topinka grabbing second place from Cunningham on the first lap. That left Somerset with a 10-point lead which they maintained with a couple of drawn heats. The Stars gave Brundle a tactical substitute ride in place of former Rebel Adam Allott in heat 14, in which Fry stormed to victory over Ashley Jones. Brundle managed to snatch third from Smart on the last bend to earn the visitors a 4-3 advantage and set up a last heat decider for the bonus. Zetterstrom led all the way for the Rebels to secure the extra point while Fry held off a determined challenge from Watt to take third place behind Topinka. Full marks were due to both sides to assisting referee Allan in his swift running of the meeting to complete the match before 9pm on a bitterly cold evening. | 
