NEWPORT Wasps captain Craig Watson will miss Sunday's Premier League home clash with Sheffield.

Watson hits the World Championship trail, competing in the fourth quarter-final for next year's Grand Prix event at Heusden-Zolder track in Belgium on the same day as his club race at Hayley Stadium.

The final is at Poole, one of Watson's former clubs, on August 18.

And guesting for Newport in the double header will be fellow Australian Adam Shields. Tim Stone, Newport promoter, said: "It's not bad to have the Premier League riders' champion and also the pairs champion.

"While riding for Eastbourne at Ipswich in a recent Elite League meeting he scored a paid maximum from seven rides."

Watson was a key figure in Belle Vue's first win of the season at the 13th attempt on Monday night.

He scored five points from the same number of rides, gaining two second places in heats nine and 14 with the outcome on a knife edge.

Belle Vue won 45-44 after Poole had led by 11 points after five heats.

And riding for Belle Vue on Saturday night, he got nine points from five rides in a British League Cup meeting at Coventry.

He gained three second places and a crucial win in heat 14, coming in as a tactical substitute, helping Belle Vue to a bonus point.

* Cwmbran teenage speedway rider Tom Brown plans to make his track return three weeks after being beaten up in his home town.

Brown sustained a broken right wrist in the incident.

He received his last laser treatment at Ipswich hospital last Friday and he will try out his throttle wrist in the second-half at Swindon tomorrow night.

And if all is well, using a protective brace on the wrist, he'll line-up for Newport Mavericks against Sheffield Prowlers in the Conference League on Sunday.

And then he plans to appear for Trelawny at home to Swindon in the Premier League on Tuesday.

* Newport schoolboy Jamie Westacott was second top scorer for Great Britain in their 48-41 win over Germany at Stoke last night, giving them an aggregate 90-88 victory.

The 15-year-old Westacott scored nine points (paid ten) from four rides and Father Fred said: "He survived an early crash into the fence, brushed himself down and got on with it. I was very pleased for him."