THE Premier League Fours Championship held at Peterborough on Sunday was one of disappointment and heartbreak for the Somerset Rebels.

They failed to progress from their semi-final group into the 12 heat final that would decide the 2012 ‘Fours’ Champions. Rebels were eliminated from the group on count-back of race-winners after they and Leicester finished level on 12 points in second behind group winners Workington.

Things started out brightly enough for the Rebels as Claus Vissing won the opening heat, but successive third place finishes for Jason Doyle and James Wright in heats two and three meant that, as Sam Masters came to the tapes for the fourth of the eight heats that constitute the group semi-finals, Workington led the way with seven points with Somerset second on five points while Leicester and Glasgow occupied the final two group places on four and two points, respectively.

Disaster was to hit the Rebels in heat four when Masters came to grief on the final bend while battling with Leicester’s Lasse Bjerre for the lead, the Dane’s victory taking them above Somerset into second place behind Workington.

A third place for Vissing in heat five dropped Somerset to last place behind their three rival, and, with only the top two progressing through to the final to join the top two scorers from the other semi-final, things started to look bleak for the Rebels.

However, a fine ride by Masters in heat six saw him eventually finish second to Workington’s Rene Bach, the pair dicing for the lead throughout the entire four laps. This brought Somerset right back into contention for a berth in the fina.

The seventh and penultimate heat of the semi-final phase saw a tremendous ride by James Wright to storm from third to first, but he was unable to resist the challenges of Leicester’s Magnus Karlsson and Workington’s Adam Roynon.

A superb ride by Somerset captain Jason Doyle saw him take the race win in the concluding heat of the semi-finals and, with Lasse Bjerre failing to score for Leicester, it meant the Rebels were tied on 12 points with Leicester for second place behind group winners Workington.

Unfortunately for the Rebels, however, with Leicester having provided three race-winners compared to Somerset’s two, it meant it would be the Lions who would progress into the 12 heat final rather that Somerset.

The other semi-final group saw Berwick and Plymouth compete the line-up for the Final, with Berwick taking the Championship title.