SOMERSET Rebels are hoping it is a case of ‘second time lucky’ as they look to stage their Salt Express sponsored Christmas Cracker meeting on Friday – the original staging of the event falling foul of the torrential rain that hit the West Country over the Christmas period.

Meeting co-ordinator Garry May explains, it has not been a straightforward task in arranging the line-up: “It would have been great if all of the original 16 riders were able to ride in next Friday’s re-staging of the meeting, but that just wasn’t to be as work and other commitments for some of the original field meant we had to find some replacements.

“An added attraction is that they are hoping to extend the pit-bike racing into a full ‘demonstration’ event prior to the main meeting getting underway, probably at around 6.30pm with them running something like eight races or so, but because of that, the pits will be closed to the public from 6.20pm.”

One of those new riders in the revised line-up is someone who is well known to fans at the Oaktree Arena, having not only ridden for the Rebels, but will also forever be a part of the club’s history in that he was a member of the quartet that won the Premier League Fours in 2005, Somerset’s first ever trophy at Premier League level, namely Ritchie Hawkins.

The turnstiles open at 5.30pm, with tapes up on heat one at 7.30pm, the rider parade taking place 20 minutes prior to that, the meeting still being over 20 heats with the top four scorers lining up in the Grand Final.

The revised Salt Express Christmas Cracker Line-Up: Ricky Ashworth, Ben Barker, Lewis Bridger, Ryan Fisher, Richard Hall, Ritchie Hawkins, David Howe, Lewis Kerr, Simon Lambert, Ashley Morris, Kyle Newman, Lewis Rose, Jacob Thorssell, Steve Worrall, Charles Wright, James Wright, Brendan Johnson (res.)