SWINDON Robins rider Nick Morris reckons the enforced break for the World Cup could not have come at a worse time for him.

Australia youngster Morris has endured an indifferent season so far, which has not been helped by a nasty ankle injury he suffered in a heavy fall in early June.

However, the 22-year-old believes he rode as well as he has done in 2016 during Friday night’s 51-39 defeat at Lakeside Hammers, with that reflected on the scoreboard as Morris collected 11+1 points from six rides in Essex, including three heat wins.

Morris will be denied the chance to capitalise on his return to form as domestic leagues now head into a brief hiatus, with attention instead turning to the World Cup this week.

Alun Rossiter’s Swindon side do not race again until Thursday, August 4 when King’s Lynn Stars travel to the Abbey Stadium and Morris has been left cursing that unfortunate timing.

“I felt heaps better on Friday night. It’s just about doing the meetings, every day is better. Friday was the best I have felt all season,” said Morris.

“The break is the last thing I want. Having a busy week and then two weeks off and then having to start again is not ideal.

“I have got to try to do something. I might go practice, it’s not the same as racing but I need to do something. Hopefully I can pick up something.

“The ankle is 95 per cent. It’s perfect when I am riding but I can still feel it if I bend it and I think if I crash and hit the fence then I could be in some trouble again but we won’t think about that.

“We have got another two weeks off now so I should be 100 per cent by then.”

Swindon travelled to Lakeside on Friday with just three of their usual septet, with Josh Grajczonek, Rohan Tungate and Charles Wright all unavailable due to a fixture clash with Somerset Rebels in the Premier League and Stefan Nielsen sidelined through injury.

Team manager Rossiter had to make three guest bookings, while rider replacement was operated in Tungate’s place and Morris conceded that the Robins were always going to be up against it in the face of a Hammers side who have lost just one of 10 home meetings this season.

“It would have been difficult even if we’d had a full team, it’s such a tricky track,” said Morris.

“They are dialled in around there and you forget how hard the track is. Every time you go there at the start you think it’s going to be alright, the track looks good and then when you ride it, you realise it’s so hard.

“If you get the set-up right and get the bike to be smooth, it’s a lot better but they were really on it. Not many people beat them there, so it was always going to be a tough one.”