Shields quits

Adam Shields: Has quit speedway (Pic credit Fotospeedway.pl)

Belle Vue Aces have confirmed that Australian international Adam Shields has quit speedway with immediate effect.

Shields joined Belle Vue in the winter on loan from Lakeside Hammers and was signed to be one of their heat-leaders this term.

But the Aces have endured a torrid start to the season, and Shields himself has been well off the pace.

He pulled out of Friday's defeat at Coventry after just one ride and now he has announced his is quitting the sport.

Aces' boss David Gordon said: "Adam has decided he no longer wants to participate in speedway for personal reasons. We are very sorry for him and that's all we want to say.

"Our position now is that we have got to take this as an opportunity to rebuild the team after a difficult start to the season and that is what we will be doing."

Team manager Jim Lynch added: "We are working on reconstructing the team. We've had a bad start to the season for a variety of reasons but there are still 23 matches to go."

Shields is a Lakeside asset and joined the Autogate Aces on loan during the winter after the Hammers decided they didn't want to use him.

He had been out of action since last summer when he suffered a serious knee injury and had struggled to regain the form which had made him a leading rider for several seasons.