Leaders Hull had been the only other team to gain a league victory at the Oak Tree Arena previously this season. Somerset suffered a pre-match problem when Jamie Smith dropped out with a bout of bronchitis and the Rebels were forced to operate rider replacement to cover his absence. With Smith at number five in the averages, the only riders available to team manager Mick Bell were Neil Collins and reserves Steve Bishop and Simon Walker. The match began well enough for Somerset with John Jorgensen producing a thrilling burst around the outside on the last lap to beat Andrew Appleton in the first heat. That proved to be Appleton's only defeat of the evening. Maximum points from Collins and skipper Paul Fry in heat three saw Somerset establish an early four-point lead. The Rebels ran into trouble in heat four, however, when Cunningham lost a chain while running second to Matej Zagar. Cunningham crashed to the ground while Holloway, replacing the injured Chris Mills, joined Zagar in a 5-1 for the Euphony Racers. Cunningham had another chain problem in heat seven when he was leading Morris and Chris Schramm at the end of the third lap. Again the visitors cashed in with a 5-1 while Cunningham was forced to change his machine because of damage to his clutch. His second bike was not at its best around the Oak Tree Arena, however, and Cunningham finished pointless for the first time this season. Meanwhile, 47-year-old Holloway proved a more than adequate replacement for Mills, who was suffering from a broken shoulder blade. Holloway claimed four second places, following Appleton home ahead of Collins and Walker in heat eight when Reading scored a second successive 5-1. That saw the Racers open up a 10-point lead but Somerset hit back in heat 10. Jorgensen took a tactical ride and stormed home in first place while Bishop brilliantly battled his way inside Morris and Schramm for second place to give Somerset an 8-1 heat win. Zagar and Appleton replied with a 5-1 for Reading at the expense of Bishop and the unfortunate Cunningham in the next race. Schramm was excluded from heat 12 after falling on the first bend and Fry beat Holloway in the re-run. Somerset were still unable to cash in, however, with Bishop failing to pick up third place when his machine stopped. Even so, the result remained in the balance with Reading taking a six-point lead into the final three races. Appleton continued his impressive form with a win in heat 13 while Jorgensen and Zagar had a tremendous scrap for second place with the Dane inflicting the only defeat of the evening on Zagar. Bishop took a tactical ride in heat 14 and tried his best to snatch the lead from Morris but the Reading skipper held on for the race win that clinched victory for his side. Zagar and Jorgensen had another superb battle in the final race which saw the Racers finish on a high when Zagar's spectacular swoop around the outside earned him second spot behind Appleton. Some consolation for Somerset was the fact that the meeting beat the threatening rain, which eventually began falling steadily just after the final race.
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