INJURED Pirate Adam Skornicki should have more idea tomorrow how long he is likely to be sidelined with a broken wrist.

The experienced Poole Castle Cover rider sustained the injury in a fall at Swindon on Thursday and could be out for six weeks.

But the break is more complicated than usual and doctors in Poland are still deciding which direction to go with Skornicki's treatment.

Matt Ford, whose Pirates side use rider replacement to cover for the Pole at Wolves in the Elite League tonight (7.30pm), said: "Adam has been for a few X-rays and had the latest one on Saturday.

"They are now considering an operation on Thursday, or he could leave it.

"It is a small bone that is broken in his wrist, and the bones in your wrist are important.

"He is considering an operation but he won't know for sure until Tuesday whether that could happen.

"They are trying to find a specific part, or pin, to put in his hand, but he won't know until Tuesday.

"If they find it, they could operate on Thursday."

Ford stressed Skornicki would have to make his own decision based on medical advice, and that the most important thing was for the Pirates rider to eventually regain full fitness.

However, Poole's chief added: "It's awful timing with us going to Wolves and Belle Vue away in the league in an eight-day spell.

"They were two fixtures we always felt we would have a good chance of winning because Adam is a track specialist at Wolves and rode at Belle Vue last season and the fact of how well he is riding at the moment.

"We have taken him away to Lakeside, Eastbourne and Swindon and Adam has beaten all three of their number ones, Andreas Jonsson, Scott Nicholls and Leigh Adams.

"This is from the guy who is fifth in our averages.

"We know how much we are going to miss him. He has proved to be an absolute gem for us.

"There aren't really a lot of options to cover for him on a 4.80 average.

"He was clearly riding like a heat leader and we are just not going to find another one with that type of average, therefore the only real option is rider replacement.

"Our number eight, Jordan Frampton, can fill in for Adam but at the moment we wouldn't go that way, especially with Freddie Eriksson's impressive form at home and away, and Karol Zabik and Zibi Suchecki's good form at home.

"Anyway, it would be unfair on Jordan, who is riding at reserve for Somerset, to put him in against Jason Crump, for example, at Belle Vue, in his first race next Monday.

"It is more the away fixtures, in particularly on the small tracks, that we will find the pinch.

"It's incredibly bad timing with two fixtures we were all looking forward to, but that is the luck of the draw and the way things happen at times.

"We have always said to win a league you need to have good luck and seemingly we are not having it at the moment."

Wolves, who have beaten Coventry and Belle Vue 53-37 and 48-44, respectively, at home in the Craven Shield, are at full strength tonight.

Wolves: 1 Fredrik Lindgren, 2 Ales Dryml, 3 Niels-Kristian Iversen, 4 Kenneth Hansen, 5 David Howe, 6 Nicolai Klindt, 7 Christian Hefenbrock.

Pirates: 1 Bjarne Pedersen, 2 Rider replacement for Adam Skornicki, 3 Davey Watt, 4 Karol Zabik, 5 Chris Holder, 6 Zbigniew Suchecki, 7 Freddie Eriksson.

Fixtures, tonight, Elite League: Belle Vue v Lakeside, Coventry v Eastbourne, Wolves v Pirates.

  • Swindon rider Theo Pijper dislocated his shoulder in three places and broke a thumb in the same crash as Skornicki's at Blunsdon.

The Dutchman will be out for six to eight weeks.