Lee whizz! (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Lee whizz!

HOME track hero Lee Richardson climbed off his sickbed to magnificently guide Great Britain into speedway's World Cup Final last night then admitted: ''I nearly didn't ride at all.''

Swindon star Richardson, shrugged off a stomach bug to storm to an amazing 15-point maximum as the host nation marched into Saturday's final in Poland in emphatic fashion in front of a patriotic 4,000 crowd at Blunsdon.

The 26-year-old's heroics came just 24 hours after he was forced to pull out of Robins' Elite League defeat at Eastbourne following a severe bout of vomiting.

And he said: ''If I'm being totally honest, if there had been somebody else available I probably would not have ridden.

''I wasn't feeling very good when I got up this morning. I woke up and could not eat anything because I could not keep anything down. Without being too graphic, it wasn't too pretty!

''I threw up at Eastbourne after my third ride and that was why I had to pull out of that meeting, I just couldn't go on.

''I was really struggling, but I managed to come here and feel a little bit better and help the team.

''To be in front of my own fans on my home track and for it to go like that is great. I had a good night and I'm very happy. And the team won as well so that makes it an even happier night.''

The Brits claimed the sole final place on offer by five points from the much-fancied Danes, for whom Richardson's Swindon teammate Charlie Gjedde rode, who must now go into a race-off in Wroclaw on Thursday evening.

Sweden, Australia, Poland and Germany race in Sweden tomorrow night, the winner automatically joining Great Britain in the final and second and third heading to the Thursday race-off with Denmark and the Czech Republic.