SCUNTHORPE have announced a double team change to replace the injured Zaine Kennedy "“ which has brought bad news for reserve Joe Thompson.
The Scorpions have signed Max Clegg (pictured), who was with Newcastle and Leicester last season, to take the place of Kennedy, who now looks likely to miss the whole season because of a mountain biking accident in Australia. But to accommodate the arrival of Clegg within the points limit, the Lincolnshire club have also had to release Thompson, whose place will be taken by ex-Poole rider Nathan Ablitt. Promoter Rob Godfrey said: "It really broke my heart to release Joe, because the lad didn't deserve it at all. He's put in a great stint for us and under usual circumstances, we wouldn't have replaced him, because he was performing up to expectations. "But the 28-day-facility for Zaine Kennedy started on Good Friday, which means it expired on Thursday and is not valid on Friday. We had to make a signing, or we would have been left without a facility and been forced to use riders well below Zaine's average. "If there was a like-for-like signing, so we could have replaced Zaine and kept Joe, we would have done it, but there simply wasn't a rider on the right average who wanted to do it. On the other hand, there are riders available around the 5.50 mark, so it became a case of choosing the best one, and then putting in a two-point rider in for Joe. "Max will slot in at No. 3 and push Connor Mountain down to reserve. I think Connor will be down there for at least a month or two and he'll be a real trump card. It's how we originally designed the team when we had Zaine. "Nathan is a talented young British rider, he contributed to Poole's success last season, and we know he will come in and score points."
