After a severe collision during Thursday night’s ROWE Motor Oil Premiership play-off semi-final in Sheffield, Ben Cook has avoided major injury.
The Belle Vue rider, who was hospitalized following a crash in Heat 10, raised concerns. However, on Friday morning, Cook posted on social media, saying, “After a serious concussion/head knock, all scan results have come back clear, which is a huge relief.” Today I feel a little shabby. I just need some time to heal, but fortunately, I’m not hurt. My goal is to go from the hospital later today.
The Aces had led for the majority of the first half of the game on the night before Cook went down. They had also mounted a solid defense of their 12-point advantage from the first leg.
After Cook’s mishap, the Tigers’ 5-1 victory in the rerun of Heat 10 cut the aggregate deficit to six, but the Aces persevered in the final five heats to book a Grand Final matchup against Leicester thanks to Antti Vuolas’ second place in Heat 14.
“The boys really dug deep to come out on top,” stated Mark Lemon, manager of the Aces team. “The rivalry between us is huge.”
We were aware of Sheffield’s formidable reputation; they have performed admirably throughout the year; it is unfortunate that one player must lose and their season will end.But we can battle Leicester another day, and we’re excited about the challenge. My thoughts are with Ben, though, and I hope he’s doing well. Nobody wants to witness such an accident.