Worrall will ride through pain barrier in bid to help Diamonds win cup clash
NEWCASTLE Diamonds’ star Steve Worrall will continue to ride through the pain barrier after his brilliant runners-up spot in the British Championship Final at Belle Vue on Monday. After missing last Sunday’s home defeat by Glasgow Tigers, Worrall will return to the Diamonds’ line-up this Sunday in a tremendous feast for fans of the sport. The Diamonds take on Workington Comets twice in one day in their Knockout Cup first-round replay, the first leg in Cumbria in the afternoon and the second on Tyneside in the evening.
In both meetings, Worrall will face the man who pipped him to the title – Workington No 1 Craig Cook.
Worrall spent the day after his excellent British Final display in his local fracture clinic where it was confirmed he has a break in his scaphoid, a bone in the wrist.
However, the vice-captain of the Sapphire Engineeringbacked Diamonds has told the club they can count him in for the two matches against the Comets - a Cup-tie both sides are desperately keen to win.
Looking back at the British Final, Worrall said: “Starting off the meeting, I didn’t think it would go as well as it did.
“I had a little slip-up in one race, which I thought might cost me later, but thankfully it didn’t.
“Before Monday, I had had to sit out two meetings for Belle Vue on Saturday and Newcastle on Sunday with the wrist injury, which turned out to be a broken scaphoid.
“It honestly did not affect me, though, and it was fantastic to make the podium at the British Final.”
Sunday’s speedway extravaganza kicks off at Derwent Park with the first leg (tapes up 1.00).
After that riders and supporters will make their way across to Newcastle’s Byker stadium for the second leg at 7.30.
The replay is necessary because both sides won their home matches 49-41 in April in two pulsating tussles - meaning the aggregate score was all square at 90-90.