Zibi could miss rest of season (From Bournemouth Echo)

Zibi could miss rest of season

7:00am Thursday 24th April 2008 in

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PIRATES' injury jinx returned to haunt them again last night when Zbigniew Suchecki broke his thigh above the knee during their 52-41 home league win over Eastbourne.

On a night when Adam Skornicki successfully returned to the team from a broken wrist by piling up 13 paid 15, Suchecki sustained a horrific injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season.

The young Pole, who will definitely be sidelined for at least three months, fell heavily on the second bend in heat two.

He got into trouble on a greasy track while leading and Eastbourne's James Brundle was unable to avoid ploughing straight into the Poole Castle Cover rider with his bike.

It is feared Suchecki, who spent last night in Poole Hospital, could have broken the same leg in two other places as well as his femur.

Pirates team manager Neil Middleditch told the Echo late last night: "Zibi has broken his femur above the knee.

"Paul, Bjarne Pedersen's old mechanic's brother, went to the hospital with Zibi to translate in Polish and he came back to the Stadium and told us the bad news.

"They are going to operate on Zibi tomorrow.

"I'm gutted. It's a big shame. He was a great reserve. He was doing his job at reserve.

"He wasn't scoring 15 points a meeting, but he was doing his job for us."

Middleditch, whose side have also been handicapped by injuries and illness to Karol Zabik this season, added: "It's a huge blow to Zibi and to the team.

"He's a great bloke and do you know what, he's lying on the stretcher having just broken his leg and he is telling me he's sorry."

With Skornicki, Zabik and Suchecki all previously missing Poole meetings through injury this term, Middleditch said: "We must have run over a black cat.

"It is not very good. It's a big blow to everyone. We've had a good team with strength in depth."

"It'll be difficult to find someone to replace Zibi's scoring at reserve, especially at home."

Suchecki was still riding off his 3.65-point starting figure.

So Pirates, according to new rules brought in this season, will be able to bring in a full time replacement on a lower figure, but not the same figure.

They can bring in any rider who has not started the Elite League season on their 2007 average, plus five per cent.

Brundle, who bravely got up and took part in the heat two re-run, dislocated his knee, burnt his leg on his exhaust and sustained ankle damage.

• Pirates asset Antonio Lindback has agreed to line up in Craig Boyce's Farewell Meeting at Poole on June 25.

Boyce confirmed former world champion Erik Gundersen and Malcolm Simmons would also compete in the meeting, with the Aussie also riding his bike for the final time after retiring at the end of last year.

Lindback retired briefly from speedway over the winter following personal problems.

But he has made a successful return in the German League and for a lower level Swedish League team this month.