Somerset Rebels qualified for the Premier League Championship final after defeating Leicester Lions.

THE Cases Somerset Rebels 54-39 victory over the Leicester Lions at the Oaktree Arena saw them qualify for the Premier League Championship final.

Needing to win by seven points or more, Leicester certainly made things difficult for Somerset, but the Rebels applied the pressure in the second half of the match and assured of their place in the final with one heat remaining.

“Although Leicester pegged us back during the first half of the meeting, our overall strength came to the fore in the latter stages to see us through to the final,” said a delighted Rebels promoter, Debbie Hancock.

The Rebels were hit with the news that their number one and captain, Jason Doyle, will miss the rest of the season after breaking a bone in his neck after suffering a fall in the final of yesterday’s Premier League Riders’ Championship held at Sheffield’s Owlerton Stadium.

They have brought American Ryan Fisher, a rider who has always excelled in his previous visits to the Oaktree Arena, as a guest replacement for Doyle, Fisher being the current Somerset Open champion having won the title last year with a 15-point maximum score.

Somerset commence their quest of ending the 2012 speedway season with two trophies when they entertain the Ipswich Witches at the Oaktree Arena tomorrow night (Fri) in the first leg of the Premier League Cup final, with the action getting underway at 7.30pm.