Newcastle45

Rye House33

(Speedway Premier League)

THE Rockets not only suffered the blow of a heavy defeat at Newcastle on Monday in a meeting that was abandoned due to rain after 13 heats, but they now have injury worries over skipper David Mason.

The tone of the evening was set from the start, with it taking until heat seven for Brent Werner to become the first Rye House rider to cross the tapes as a winner, by which time the home side had already built up a comfortable lead.

In fact, a heat-11 victory for Werner, who top scored for the Rockets on the night with 12 points, and a heat 13 win for Nigel Sadler constituted the only other times a Rye House rider lead home the pack on a disappointing night.

Skipper Mason now faces a fitness battle after picking up a back injury. The Sussex-based racer was due to have an X-Ray this week to ascertain the extent of the damage, though no bones are thought to be broken.

Promoter Len Silver said: "It is very bad news for us if David is out of the side as we are limited in our options to cover for him."

The Rockets will now entertain the Swindon Robins on Saturday, before holding the double header with the Stoke Potters and the Hull Vikings on Monday.

Meanwhile, the club's Conference side, the Raiders, remain at the top of the table after a comfortable 53-35 victory over the Newcastle Gems at Hoddesdon on Saturday.

The Raiders now face one of the most important fixtures of their season this Sunday with an away trip to Newport in the semi-final of the Knockout Cup, which will be sandwich between back to back league fixtures with the Wimbledon Dons.

August 22, 2002 13:00