Josh Pickering injured after a crash against Glasgow Tigers on Saturday. Picture by Jack Cupido

Rising star Josh Pickering may miss Edinburgh Monarchs home clash with Workington Comets (tapes-up 7.30pm) on Friday in the SGB Championship.

The 20-year-old broke two fingers on his left hand when he tangled with team-mate and Monarchs skipper Sam Masters in Heat Five of the road defeat at Glasgow Tigers on Saturday.

Pickering then struggled to hold onto his bike during his last two races at Ashfield and was still in pain on Sunday and went to his local hospital for a check-up.

X-rays revealed he had broken his pinkie and flaked the bone on the next finger. There is also tendon damage.

The Australian-born rider said: “I’ll see how it goes before deciding if I’ll ride on Friday. At the moment I simply wouldn’t be able to hang on, but I’ve got a few days to let the swelling go down.”

That would be a blow as Monarchs are already minus Mark Riss on Friday. He is on his way to a Grand Priz qualifier in Slovenia. Monarchs are seeking a guest replacement.

Comets will be without former Monarchs skipper Craig Cook as he is also on his way to a Grand Prix qualifier in Italy. Former Monarchs star Stevie Worrall will deputise.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh’s captain Sam Masters has pulled out of a scheduled international match.

He was listed to ride in the Poland v Australia match in Karkow on Wednesday but Masters said: “I’ve pulled out of it as my shoulder is too sore.”

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