Speedway: Cheetahs stars on their bikes

No 1 Leigh Adams has signed for Poole, where Lukas Dryml is set to join him, and skipper Steve Johnston has joined Belle Vue.

It appears that Lukas Dryml's brother, Ales, will not be joining him at Poole, but he, together with Brian Andersen and Todd Wiltshire, will also be seeking new clubs.

The future of speedway at Oxford is still in the balance after promoter Steve Purchase ruled out competing in the Elite League, having become disillusioned by the way it was being run.

Purchase wanted to drop down to the Premier League, but that move was blocked by the British Speedway Promoters Association.

The general consensus in the sport is that Oxford speedway will not be allowed to die, and if another promoter doesn't come in and grab the reins, the BSPA will step in.

King's Lynn promoter Nigel Wagstaffe is the current favourite to take over at Cowley.

If that was the case, King's Lynn would compete in the Premier League and Oxford would stick to the Elite League.

Meanwhile, Adams, currently ranked No 4 in the world standings, makes the move to Poole on a one-year loan deal from parent track Swindon.

It takes the Australian ace back to the track where he started his British racing career as a 17-year-old novice in 1988.

Adams has been an influential member of the Oxford side for the past two seasons, and helped steer Cheetahs to the Sky Sports Elite League title in 2001.

He is ecstatic about his return to the Wimborne Road arena.

He said: "It's great to be coming back to Poole. It's back to where I started my racing career and I can't wait for the season to start.

"I'm really pumped at the thought of riding in the Pirates' colours again and it will be nice for me to re-establish my links with the supporters and the town.

"The club has come pretty close to winning the league in the past couple of seasons, and it would be nice to help them pick up the title in 2003. The club and its supporters deserve it."