Aggregate: Somerset Rebels 89-97 Sheffield Tigers (Sheffield win bonus point)The Rebels had suffered some of their heaviest defeats at the hands of the Tigers at the Owlerton Stadium in the past. Many Somerset fans probably feared the worst when Ricky Ashworth and Ben Wilson carried on where they left off at the Oak Tree Arena earlier in the month, with a maximum 5-1 heat advantage. However, the Rebels immediately hit back when the reserve pairing of Ben Barker and Simon Walker halved the deficit Further heat wins by Magnus 'Zorro' Zetterstrom, Paul Fry and Glenn Cunningham meant that Sheffield were never able to dominate the meeting. After 10 of the 15 heats, Somerset were only trailing by six points and were still in with a chance of recording a most unexpected victory. Two further drawn heats maintained the six-point difference, but Rebel hopes of a victory were dashed when the home pairing of Ashworth and Andre Compton dealt the body blow of a 5-1 heat victory. With the meeting slipping from their grasp, Paul Fry took his second win of the night, whilst on a double-point tactical ride. But with 18-year-old Ben Barker unable to hold off the charging Sheffield duo, both the meeting and the bonus point were beyond the battling Somerset septet. With only pride to play for, Zorro and Fry inflicted a rare 5-1 maximum defeat on the Ashworth and Compton combination. So, although the Rebels leave Sheffield empty handed as far as any league points are concerned, their performance at a track where Sheffield are very rarely threatened will certainly give them cause for optimism, as they aim for a top-eight play-off place. | 
