HANS Andersen revealed he had turned down a place in Denmark’s Speedway World Cup side to attend his best friend’s wedding.

Poole Pirates ace and two-time World Cup winner Andersen was left in a quandary when it was announced event one in Vojens would be held on July 23, the day close pal Ronni Rosendal had set to tie the knot.

The 35-year-old, who has bumped up his Elite League average by a whopping 1.3 points in 2016, quickly informed Danish bosses that he would be unable to line up against Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

But with new coach Hans Nielsen taking an “understanding” approach to Andersen’s unenviable decision, the veteran still harbours hopes of featuring in the latter stages.

Andersen told the Daily Echo: “One of my best mates is getting married and even though speedway is my life, there are other valuable things in life you should not miss out on.

“I always felt I should be at the wedding but of course, I wanted to represent my country as I have in the past.

“It was a pat on the back that they wanted me in the team. They noticed I had been riding well, which was good, and if they want to use me in England, for the final or the race off, I will be available.

“Of course, it all depends what happens. The Danish press release said if the riders perform, they will ride in England as well but if they don’t, other riders will be available.

“When I was asked I told them I had a bit of a dilemma. I made it clear I was not saying no to Denmark, just the 23rd.

“The coach was fully understanding of my decision. It might have been different I was 10 years younger but he knows as you get older, you value other things in life as well.”

Andersen confessed he had also reflected on his country’s controversial decision to oust him from a winning team two years ago.

“I rode in event one when Nicki Pedersen and Niels-Kristian Iversen didn’t want to ride, they wanted a holiday,” he added.

“Along with Bjarne Pedersen, Mads Korneliussen and Peter Kildemand, we went straight though and all scored at least 11 out of 15 but they changed half the team for the final.

“That was in the back of my head a little bit as well. If I was to miss my best friend’s wedding and then not get to ride in the final, I would have a horrible feeling in my mind for many years.

“Denmark cannot win the World Cup in the first event. It would nice for them to get straight to the final but I don’t think the race off would be a really terrible thing.

“Not many people have experience of the Belle Vue track and there would be no better warm-up than to ride the night before.”