ADAM Ellis admits he is struggling to find a team place at an SGB Premiership club after being told by Pirates boss Matt Ford that his hopes of a return to Wimborne Road are almost certainly over.

A popular figure at Poole, youngster Ellis finished the season on a 5.60 average as the reigning champions reached the Elite League play-off semi-finals.

However, following a revamp of British speedway regulations, Ellis has been tagged with a 7.84 rating for the new campaign given he did not ride in the Premier League in 2016.

That places the 20-year-old more than 1.5 points higher than Kyle Newman, who he starred alongside at reserve for sections of the season. Newman rode in the Premier League for Plymouth and will therefore take his 6.31 second-tier average into the new SGB Premiership campaign, in which clubs will use a 50-point team-building limit.

Ellis’s parent club, Lakeside, have announced they will not race in the top flight next year, leaving the France-born rider to search for new employment. And Ellis admits not returning to Poole will be tough to take off the back of the best season of his embryonic career.

He told the Daily Echo: “It was a bit disappointing but it’s just one of those things. Everyone knows speedway is pretty cut-throat and that it’s all a numbers game.

“It wasn’t the situation I wanted and I think it’s going to be pretty difficult with the average I’ve got.

“I was expecting to find a team relatively easily if I wasn’t at Poole but that hasn’t really been the way. At the moment I’ve got more interest from abroad than I have in the UK.

“It’s not ideal. I didn’t really want to do the Premier League in the season just gone but if I’d have known it would have made an impact on my average for this year, I probably would have done.

“It’s just one of those things. It’s a shame the rules get changed every year so you don’t know whether you are coming or going.

“At the moment, I haven’t had any calls from any clubs. When Matt told me he couldn’t fit me in, I spoke to a couple of people but I haven’t really had much luck. It’s a difficult one.

“I’ve only had one Premier League offer as well but I’m not sure if it will be the right move for me. Struggling to find a club is not how I imagined I’d be spending November but it’s early days.”

Ellis, who is based in Ringwood during the season, is due to head back to France in the next week, where he will spend the winter.

The Hammers asset has already penned a deal in Poland and could feature elsewhere in Europe following discussions with other clubs.