A serious back injury to John Branney has put a damper on the Oxford Silver Machine Academy's bid to land the Conference League title on Thursday,.

Branney was taken to hospital after breaking three vertebrae in a crash while racing for his hometown club Workington during their Young Shield match against King's Lynn.

He is likely to miss Thursday's double-header against

Weymouth and Newport where wins would see the Academy clinch the league title.

The BSPA have now confirmed Silver Machine will face Belle Vue and Eastbourne in the semi-finals of the Craven Shield.

They will be run on a three-team tournament basis, each team staging a home meeting.

Oxford travel to Eastbourne this Saturday and Belle Vue (Manchester) next Wednesday October 12, before staging their home leg at Cowley on the following night.

Their SkyBet Elite League meeting against Wolverhampton, scheduled for the same night, will now have to be re-arranged.