Return of Rose is blooming marvellous news for the Diamonds

WITH just a week to go before their first competitive outing, Newcastle BTS Diamonds have completed their team with the signing of Byker favourite Lewis Rose, who returns for a fifth consecutive season.

Rose was not expected to feature for the Diamonds in 2018 as he had been approached by a club in Poland where racing takes place on Sundays, the same as at Newcastle.

However, Newcastle promoters George English and Martin Phillips were delighted to receive a call from Rose saying he has decided to put Poland on the back-burner, and would love to return to the Diamonds if there was still a place for him.

Phillips said: “It has been a long, hard winter in terms of putting a side together, but now George and I are very pleased with the seven we have on board.

“Lewis returning at the eleventh hour is a perfect last piece of the jigsaw, so we are now ready for next weekend’s opening Tyne Tweed Trophy clashes with Berwick before the Championship Shield (a new name for the League Cup) and league fixtures come along.”

Rose has failed to complete the last two seasons with Newcastle, being sidelined with collarbone injuries each time after crashes against Edinburgh, once at Byker and, last year, at Armadale Stadium.

Phillips added: “Only injury has stopped Lewis becoming a heatleader in the side over the past two years, so with a bit of luck he will make it this year.”

Rose (28) starts off on a 6.49 average which brings the team total to 41.24, a minimal amount under the 42.50 points limit. Others are Ludvig Lindgren (7.21), Stuart Robson (7.02), Rose (6.49), Matthew Wethers (5.65), Tero Aarnio (5.02), Carl Wilkinson (4.97), Ashley Morris (4.88).

Tomorrow’s scheduled practice day at Byker has been called off because there is still a lot of work to be done on the track after recent bad weather ruled out two working Sundays.