POPULAR Tigers reserve Lee Smethills is to have surgery next week after sustaining a broken collarbone in Thursday's final meeting of the season.

Smethills crashed heavily with his Sheffield team-mate Joel Parsons, who is battered and bruised after the accident.

And in more bad news, we are sad to learn that Byron Bekker is in hospital after suffering a fractured sternum.

The news has come as a surprise as we were hopeful all three riders had escaped relatively unscathed after such a serious accident - and naturally all at Sheffield Speedway would like to offer their best wishes to the riders concerned.