Having put together a team which blended youth as well as experience, the Rebels entered the 2005 season full of optimism.
 | | Paul Fry |
Their signing of Magnus Zetterstrom certainly captured the imagination of the Somerset faithful, although the main backbone of the team was retained from the previous year - namely, Glenn Cunningham, Paul Fry, Jamie Smith, promoter Pete Toogood and Team Manager Mick Bell. The addition of Ritchie Hawkins, Jason King and Lee Smart made the Rebels one of the youngest teams in the Premier League, with an average age of just 26. Early disappointment The early season Premier Trophy campaign proved to be a disappointment for the Rebels. Their early promise petered out and, despite some good away performances, they did not progress from their Southern League section of the competition. The team's involvement in the KO Cup was over almost before it began, with defeat at the hands of Workington in the first round. Their poor form continued in the Premier League with some early home defeats, which virtually put paid to any hope of success, and made their main aim of reaching a top eight play-off slot a very big ask. Highs and lows...
 | | Glenn Cunningham |
Success, however, was not far away. The turning point of the Rebels' season came in mid-June, when Zetterstrom and Cunningham claimed second place in the Premier League Pairs Championship. This result galvanised the team, and a further honours came when Magnus Zetterstrom took top spot in the Premier League Champions Chase, defeating 31 of the top riders to claim the title. With their League form still somewhat patchy, the Somerset management decided to make some team changes - Lee Smart and Jason King were replaced by Chris Mills and Trevor Harding. The extra strength at reserve showed its worth almost immediately, as the Rebels recorded their biggest ever Premier League victory at the Oak Tree Arena in demolishing Newport. This joy was short-lived, though, as both Mills and Harding picked up injuries. We are the champions August came, and with it Somerset's greatest moment so far in the Premier League - victory in the Premier League Fours Championship.
 | | Victory in the Premier League Fours Championship |
Considered by many as a dark horse for the title, the Rebels quartet of Zetterstrom, Cunningham, Fry, and Hawkins, not forgetting reserve Chris Mills, put on the performance of their lives to lift the title at Workington's Derwent Park. They defeated the home side by a single point, courtesy of Zetterstrom taking victory in the final race. A successful season The Rebels finally finished the season in 11th place in the Premier League - their highest league placing to date. 2005 ended up as the most successful so far for the Somerset Rebels, with trophies in the Fours and Champions Chase now residing in the Rebels' trophy cabinet, together with their runners-up slot in the Pairs Championship. With attendances at the Oak Tree Arena on the increase, this certainly gives the Rebels something to build on for the 2006 season, which starts in March. | 
