LIONS RECALL THOMPSON

LEICESTER have handed a recall to Joe Thompson in their Rising Star berth after Dan Gilkes was ruled out at the start of the season.

Gilkes suffered a knee injury last year and will not be fit for the Lions’ initial fixtures, so Thompson – who took over from Gilkes for the majority of the campaign – once again steps in for his local club.

Manager Stewart Dickson said: “We’re all absolutely gutted for Dan, especially after the hard work he’s put in to get back to racing.

“But at the same time we appreciate his honesty in being clear with ourselves and also Poole that he isn’t ready at the moment.

“We’ve brought in Joe for an initial 28 days, and we’ll reassess the position before our league matches when we should know more about Dan’s situation.

“We’d like to welcome Joe back. He will now be one of the more experienced Rising Stars in the league, and I’m sure it will also help him to have his brother in the same team.”