The figures speak for themselves, with the home side producing 12 of the heat winners in racking up seven maximum heat advantages on the way to their biggest home win of the season so far. Yet again, home skipper, Magnus Zetterstrom, was in imperious form, only really being troubled on his way to a well-deserved paid maximum by Chris Holder in heat 13. The die was cast right from the outset, with Somerset racing into an early four-point lead after just two heats, and although the visitors hit back with what was to be one of only two heat advantages in heat three, this was courtesy of Paul Fry shedding a chain on the final bend as he challenged Stojanowski for the lead. The next six heats saw the Rebels record five maximum heat advantages, Holder being the only visitor to stop the rot with a race win in heat five over Stephan Katt for a share of the points. Heat seven saw Stojanowski don the black and white helmet colour in an attempt to stem the tide, but this backfired as the Pole was hopelessly left at the gate as the tapes rose, and trailed in a poor third. By heat 11, and trailing by 24 points, all that was left for the Islanders to salvage from this mauling was to try and restrict the Rebels from taking too large an advantage back to Smallbrook, when the teams meet in the return fixture. Their hopes were raised when Holder won the heat whilst on a tactical ride, but it was a case of far too little, far too late.  | | Ben Barker (left) and Krister Marsh in heat 12 |
The final four heats saw the home side extend their lead by a further 10 points, but despite the one-sidedness of the score, the fans were still treated to some exceptional racing, no more so than in heat 13. Holder, riding an aggressive first bend, emerged in front, but was soon to be a victim of one of Glenn Cunningham’s legendary outside swoops as the riders took to the fourth turn. With Zetterstrom losing ground in the first bend melee, it looked as if his hopes of a second maximum of the season had disappeared. Tenacious riding by the Swede saw him gradually gain on his opponent and picking up drive as the riders exited the final bend. Zorro just pipped the battling Aussie on the line for second place. The Somerset fans and team management alike will take a lot of positives from this performance, none more so than the form of the two reserves, Walker and Baker, who scored a paid 21 points between them. Barker only just missed out on a maximum in heat 12, and Walker continued his impressive early season form in dropping just one point to the opposition. | 
