PIRATES have again been hit by the injury-jinx as Krzysztof Kasprzak has had to undergo emergency treatment following damage to his ankle sustained in a track crash in Poland.

Kasprzak is in a full leg plaster and will miss the remainder of the season, including the crucial Knockout Cup semi-finals against rivals Oxford and the end of season play-offs that will decide the 2003 league champions.

The recently crowned Euro-pean champion's wait on the sidelines begins tonight as Pirates face Great Britain, Sweden and a Premier League Select quartet in a Four Team Tournament Challenge.

Poole fans will have a second opportunity to see Swedish sensation Antonio Lindback in action when he lines up for Sweden. Lindback hit the headlines when he rode for Sweden in this year's Under-21 Test series against Great Britain and then made an astonishing Wimborne Road debut performance with a seven ride paid maximum for the Pirates in their British League cup match against Exeter at the end of July.

The 18-year-old is also highly rated by fellow Swede Tony Rickardsson who will also be riding against the Pirates along with Magnus Zetter-strom and David Ruud, the latter having recently been dropped from the Pirates Elite league side in favour of Czech rider Ales Dryml.

Pirates meanwhile have called Daniel Nermark up as a replacement for the injured Kasprzak and Nermark joins current GP leader Leigh Adams, Craig Boyce and Bjarne Pedersen in the Poole side.