Defeat was a sickener for skipper

12:05am Friday 2nd May 2008

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Lee Richardson has revealed how he almost pulled out of his televised horror show before he even left Sussex.

Now the Eastbourne Eagles captain, who scored just five points back at his old home track at Swindon on Monday, has urged his side to step up a gear when the Robins visit Arlington for the return fixture tomorrow.

Something was clearly not right with Richardson when he was passed by Mads Korneliusson and Troy Batchelor and then did not emerge for heat 15 as Eagles lost 56-37 at Blunsdon.

It was an embarrassing night for Eastbourne and the captain, captured live on Sky Sports.

Richardson was struck by a stomach bug which also ruled him out of the Zlomrex Cup individual meeting in Poland last Sunday and almost put paid to his trip to Wiltshire.

In the end, the bug started to ease on Monday and he travelled to Swindon before moving on to league bookings in Sweden on Tuesday and Poland last night.

But he was close to making the call which would have left co-promoter Martin Hagon, already reeling from Brent Werner's late withdrawal through illness, with a headache of his own.

Richardson revealed: "The kids had been ill with a stomach bug and it went through the house.

"I got up to go the airport at 3am on Sunday but I was in a terrible state so I called Poland to say I wasn't going.

"I was feeling rough all day Sunday. I was going to ring Martin and say I couldn't do it.

"But I thought I couldn't let him down. I didn't have much energy on Monday, wasn't feeling myself and the meeting was really disappointing.

"I have always scored a lot of points around Swindon.

"That was the worst points I've scored there. It wasn't good enough.

"I don't think l've ever been passed around Swindon.

"It wasn't the bikes. I know the set-up you need there and I've got good engines.

"To be fair, I have been pretty consistent away from home this year. I've been hitting double figures.

"To go there, especially there of all places, and get five was a real shame."

Richardson made a brisk exit from the Abbey Stadium and headed to a hotel near Stanstead with team-mates Simon Gustafsson and Edward Kennett, ready for an early flight to Sweden the next day.

But it was a restless night.

He said: "It was driving me mad to think I had ridden that badly.

"What do you do? If I had pulled out but then gone to Sweden the next day it would have looked bad.

"I was stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea.

"It would not have made much difference to the scoreline if I had scored more but personally I was gutted."

Richardson was forced out of Czestochowa's defeat by Torun last night in Poland with a swollen hand after a fall but X-rays revealed no break and he is expected to ride when he and his team have a quick chance to make amends by beating the flying Robins at Arlington.

It should be quite a meeting and the skipper admits it is time for Eastbourne to regain top form.

He said: "Everyone has good and bad days. That's how it goes.

"But a few of the boys are having consistent bad days and we need to start turning things around a bit.

"We can't keep going the way we are going.

"Swindon are on a high. I said at the beginning of the year that their team would work if they all improved barring Leigh Adams, who can't improve any more. That's what they have done.

"We haven't improved as much as we should be doing.

"Cameron (Woodward) had a fantastic start to the year. He has now gone through a lull but that happens to everyone.

"We need to get him going the way he was. Lewis (Bridger) is having a rough time and the problem is we don't have strong reserves so the second string have got to be scoring. I think they can do it.

"Ed (Kennett) is quite consistent. He is not going to get double figures all the time but he will hit sevens and eights everywhere. He's doing a good job and riding better than his scores look sometimes.

"But the teams around us are improving. They are winning away. We have got to start improving or we will slowly slip away from the play-offs."