SHEFFIELD suffered their first loss of the 2015 campaign as they were beaten 47-43 by Somerset at Owlerton.
The injury-hit Window Centre Tigers endured a tough night as they saw their excellent run of six consecutive wins in all competitions come to an end.
Back to back Rebels 5-1s midway through the meeting left the home side reeling – and despite a determined effort they were unable to mount a late comeback after the interval.
Guesting No.1 Craig Cook put in a strong showing as a replacement for Simon Stead, whilst Andre Compton continued his fine form to add paid double figures with a determined display.
Debutant Jason Garrity started his Tigers’ career with a race win and fought hard for his seven points, whilst Arthur Sissis continued his promising development.
Australian compatriot Ty Proctor also put in a solid performance as he moved to the tough No.5 spot – but Ashley Birks and Josh Bates both struggled despite their best efforts.
Team boss Jack Lee admitted he was disappointed to see their perfect run come to an end at the hands of an inspired Rebels side.
Yet he has backed them to bounce back when they travel to Berwick on Saturday night (7pm) with Somerset No.1 Josh Grajczonek deputising for injury victim Stead in the No.1 position. Lee said: “It was a tough night, we knew Somerset would come and give us a good run and unfortunately things just didn’t go our way tonight.
“Cookie came in and did a great job at No.1, and Jason (Garrity) scored about what we’d expect, but unfortunately we were carrying two riders really.
“Ash (Birks) and Josh (Bates) both had difficult nights, and unfortunately we couldn’t really afford that against a team like Somerset who were really up for it.
“It’s a shame our winning run has come to an end, but we’ll bounce back and pick ourselves up in no time.
“We are back in action at Berwick on Saturday, so we’ll just have to lift our heads and try and make sure we are back to our best.”
SHEFFIELD 43: Craig Cook 13, Andre Compton 8+2, Ty Proctor 7+1, Jason Garrity 7, Arthur Sissis 5+2, Ashley Birks 3+1, Josh Bates 0
