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 KENNY Ingalls broke his leg in Saturday’s 57-33 defeat at Berwick and will miss Workington Comets’ final matches of the season.
The end-of-season injury nightmare has been mounting for the Comets with Richard Lawson and Peter Kildemand already missing, so that Workington finished at Shielfield with just four members of their regulation septet.
Team manager Ian Thomas spent Sunday looking for a reserve guest to fill-in for the injured American for tomorrow night’s return with Berwick at Derwent Park (7pm).
His only good news was that fellow reserve Richard Lawson had been given the green light to resume riding following his visit to the surgeon who carried out a shoulder operation on him last October.
“It isn’t good but we would have really been in the cart if Richard hadn’t been able to return against the Bandits.
“As it was there weren’t many options for us because of the number of teams who are riding themselves on Monday. Eight teams are involved so the choice was limited. Four riders who would have fitted the bill in the Premier League couldn’t do it even though their own teams weren’t riding.
“In the end I booked one of our former riders Luke Priest (pictured), who started last season with us. He’s currently riding National League for Newport and at least knows Derwent Park.
“Peter Kildemand has had a practice but still isn’t ready to return to the saddle so we are still going into a match without two of our regular team members,” said Thomas.
Ingalls was due to have an operation in a north-east hospital to put a rod in the broken right leg after he smashed the tibia and fibula in a tangle with the fence at Shielfield.
He had scored six points and was one of the better Workington riders who saw a good effort fade away badly after they had been in contention for nine heats. The Comets scored only seven points in the last six races.
Because Ingalls is Workington’s highest reserve on average the Comets will be able to bring in a guest tomorrow night to cover for his absence.
But from September 1 when the averages change he will be the lowest averaged reserve, so then Workington can only use a National League rider or make a new signing before the deadline of September 15.
They do have a little leeway as the next team event after tomorrow isn’t until September 17 when they ride at Edinburgh in the first leg of the Knockout Cup semi-final, staging the return 24 hours later.
If they can’t find a suitable replacement in Britain the Comets look to bring in a foreign rider on a five point average to cover for Ingalls over their final matches ion the Knockout Cup and the Top Four platy-offs or Young Shield.
Tomorrow night’s match at Derwent Park is the last Premier League meeting of the season and Workington will be the second to complete their 26 fixtures after bottom club Redcar.
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