By Adam Summers - Dorset Echo

Weymouth Doonan Wildcats' chairman Phil Bartlett believes Australian ace Lee Herne will prove a roaring success'. The promoter announced the signing during Saturday's 54-38 win against the Bristol Bulldogs, just seven days after losing Jon Armstrong to a broken leg in the Conference League Pairs, and he is excited about the prospect of his side's search for success being re-ignited by two brothers. Bartlett said: "Lee is Jay's older brother and he has a great pedigree. He has ridden for Trelawney, Newport and Arena Essex and the fact we have managed to get him is like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. He is extremely quick out of the gate like Jay and I am sure he is going to be a roaring success. He has ridden in the Australian Championships and he cannot wait to come over and help us."

Armstrong suffered his horrific fracture in a collision with Jay Herne but he is now out of hospital and even managed to make an appearance at the Wessex Stadium on Saturday. Bartlett said: "Replacing Jon is virtually an impossible task but hopefully we have found a good enough substitute. Lee is as good a replacement as we could find and now we will just have to see how he does out there on the track. The fact Jon made it here was fantastic and it says a lot about him. He has already said he wants to be back by August and he is going to go and see Brian Simpson in Ipswich, who is one of the leading specialists in the country, in the hope he will help speed up his recovery. Everyone at the club wishes him well and we look forward to seeing him riding back here again soon."

Revisiting the place where he was the primary cause of the accident that resulted in Armstrong's injury could have easily played on Jay Herne's mind but he responded against Bristol like any great rider by putting on a breathtaking performance. The Aussie captured 14 points from his five races, and along with skipper Karl Mason (13), ensured the Bulldogs were soundly beaten. Brendan Johnson (7+2), Luke Priest (6+2), Tim Webster (9+1) and Kyle Newman (5+1) all played supporting roles in the victory but a lot of praise must also go to Bristol's Mark Simmons who scored 20 points and only lost one of his six races. In fact had Simmons not won his tactical ride in heat seven then the margin of victory could well have been a lot greater. That cut the deficit from 23-12 to 26-18 and gave the visitors a little bit of heart but the Wildcats were in determined mood and never relinquished their grasp on an entertaining meeting.

Jay Herne said: "It was good and I certainly feel a lot better than last week. I changed bikes tonight and rode my old one that I had last year and I went well on it which was really pleasing. My dad was also helping me in the pits and that helped a lot. He and my mum are over on holiday. As for my brother coming over I must admit it is a surprise for both me and the whole club but he should do well. It might take him a couple of meetings to get used to things but he is looking forward to it. He is actually four years older than me and originally he was just coming over for a holiday but then Jon suffered his injury and he got the call. He started off racing over here in 2000 with Newport. He then moved to Trelawney before going to Arena Essex where he did very well in the Premier League. He also rode in the Australian Championships last year and his first meeting with us will be down at Plymouth on June 20. That will probably be a bit of a surprise for him because he won't have seen a track like that before. The following night he will then ride at Weymouth for the first time and I am sure he will enjoy it here a lot."