Diamonds dealt blow as Worrall misses Tigers tie
THE Newcastle Sapphire Engineering Diamonds are looking to get back on track tonight at Brough Park and return to winning ways as they face the highly touted Glasgow Tigers in a tough SGB Championship encounter.
The Diamonds are unbeaten in the Championship at home and it’s that home form which is keeping them in touch with the play-off race as they continue to struggle on their travels. This was further evidenced at local rivals Redcar Bears last Thursday when Newcastle slid to a 55-37 defeat.
However, Newcastle’s hopes of retaining that home record have been dealt a severe blow as GB star Steve Worrall will be missing from their line-up due to a broken scaphoid sustained at Redcar. Worrall once again has been in superb form this season and will be a miss.
Diamonds team manager George English had this to say going in to tonight’s meeting: “It was always going to be a tough match as Glasgow have a number of riders that go well around our track.
“That tough test has been made harder with the loss of Steve Worrall, whom we will operate rider replacement for.
“It means we need the middle order of our side, skipper Ludvig Lindgren, Lewis Rose and Ashley Morris to step up after the struggles they’ve had lately and not just away from home.”
The Diamonds have Dan Greenwood making his second Newcastle home debut at reserve after a very brief spell with the Tynesiders back in 2014. Greenwood comes in for the unfortunate Connor Coles who was released midweek after struggling to compete in the SGB Championship.
Glasgow have a powerful Heat Leader trio of Richard Lawson who was unlucky not to be named in the provisional GB World Cup squad, Aussie Aaron Summers and Steve Worrall’s twin brother Richie, who is a former Diamonds No 1.
This trio is backed up by the exciting Finn, Nike Lunna and one of the very best young GB talents, Dan Bewley in a line-up that the injured Steve Worrall sees as a danger to his team-mates.
“It will be a difficult meeting Newcastle Diamonds’ Steve Worrall misses tonight’s Tigers clash against Glasgow. Their riders love to ride Newcastle and with the firepower they have in the lower end of the team, it will be a really tough match and surely one the fans will really enjoy. I’m just sorry that I can’t be out their to help my teammates.”
Worrall also looked back at a disappointing night at Redcar on Thursday and gave his thoughts on another Diamonds below-par effort away from home.
“I was a little disappointed with Thursday. I really thought we could go there and do some damage.
“That clearly wasn’t the case. Personally, it was a good meeting for myself up until Heat 13 when I had a crash, but with a few days rest, I’m hoping to be OK for Monday.” There’s no doubt the Diamonds will miss Worrall tonight while the “Monday” he refers to is tomorrow night at Belle Vue where the British Final is due to be held.
The Manchester track is Worrall’s home one in the SB Premiership and after coming fourth in last year’s final, he has high hopes for this year’s meeting.
Provided he passes a fitness test which is touch and go, he will be joined in that British Final by fellow Diamond Lewis Rose, with the rider who takes the British Championship crown given a wild card entry into the Speedway World Championship British Grand Prix later in the year.