Last updated 11:06, Saturday, 18 October 2008

Somerset Rebels 52 Workington Comets 41 (98-84 agg): Workington weren’t expected to produce a miracle at the Oak Tree Arena last night – but they won back some lost pride.

Ian Thomas with Del-boy lookalike at Workington Speedway opening night in 1999

A poor display at Derwent Park last Saturday cost them dearly in the Knockout Cup final and instead of riding to defend a dozen or so points they were in deficit to start with.

Captain Carl Stonehewer had been looking for a dozen to 15 points advantage to take to Somerset but the team went there with points to make up.

In fact, early on it looked as though they would be obliterated as the Rebels raced to three heat maximums in the first four races to lead 18-6.

By heat 10 the lead had grown to 19 on the night and it was only a gritty finish by the Comets that kept them to an 11-point deficit which they would have been happy with had that been the first leg.

Team manager Ian Thomas said: “They are a good side who finished runners-up in the League and have won every home match.

“I really thought we might have been looking at a 28-point defeat they way things had started but we came back really well and over the last five races we actually won 19-11.

“If this had been the first leg we would have been going home feeling pretty pleased with ourselves.

“When you consider we were without the two guys who won the Best Pairs down there it was quite a performance.

“Jason Lyons was brilliant for us. He ran last in his first race and was then terrific and he’s put in two really good stints for us against the Rebels.

“I hope he’s still got something in his locker for tonight against Redcar.

“It will have been three hard days – not just for Jason, but for all the lads and I just hope they’ve got something left.

“We have five points to make up to beat Redcar and keep our season going for another week.”

Guest Jason Lyons was superb, again finishing with 17 points as he had done in the home leg, even though he missed the gate in the first race of the night and trailed in a poor fourth.

But he never looked back after that, earning six points from a tactical ride win; beating home ace Jason Doyle and finishing with four race wins.

That was Doyle’s only defeat on the night, lifting at the start of heat 13 and unable to catch Lyons who had made a splendid gate.

Second string Joe Haines and reserve Tomi Reima offered most support for Lyons as they each came up with eight points.

Reima blew an engine against Somerset at Derwent Park and Scott James has been working on a brand new one during the week.

Pleased with how it went at Redcar he used it again at the Oak Tree Arena and it had the desired effect.

Haines and Reima each won a race and in total the Comets earned five heat advantages.

Three of them came in the last five races as they clawed their way back to respectability with Lyons (twice) and Haines taking the chequered flag and Charles Wright (third), Haines (second) and Reima (third) providing the points’ back-up.

The Comets will be unchanged for tonight’s clash at Derwent Park when they try to pull back five points after Thursday night’s 48-43 defeat at Redcar.

Redcar are the Young Shield holders and at the same stage of the competition last year they beat the Comets.

Tomas Topinka, who would have been guesting tonight had he not been riding with King’s Lynn in a re-arranged home match, scored 18 points for the Stars last night at Edinburgh.

The Monarchs won 55-38 and King’s Lynn have those 17 points to pull back to earn a crack at Wolverhampton in the first ever Elite League/Premier League race-off.

MATCH FACTS

Somerset 52: Jason Doyle 14; rider replacement for Simon Walker; Emil Kramer 11; Stephan Katt 1; Jordan Frampton 7; Matthias Kroger 9; Brent Werner 10.

Workington 41: Jason Lyons 17; Charles Wright 4; rider replacement for Kauko Nieminen; Joe Haines 8; Carl Stonehewer 3; Tomi Reima 8; John Branney 1.