For a leading speedway rider, Hereford's Paul Fry has become something of an authority on the World Cup, but then he has had plenty of time on his hands in recent weeks. Fry broke his leg when riding for his team, the Mike Manning Somerset Rebels, and has spent the last four weeks at home in the Tupsley area of the city, so the remote control and the relative merits of the Costa Rican back four have played a more important part in his life than they might otherwise have done: "I don't think I've ever watched so much football! "I've enjoyed it; it's a shame England went out, but I think even the best sides have gone out.
 | | Paul's scar |
"The Germany game [against Italy]; that was a bit unfortunate but, yes, I've definitely been watching a bit more football." Paul says he's pleased with how the broken leg is coming on; it promises to be at least another month before he can contemplate a return to competitive racing and he freely admits to not being the best of patients: "I've still got another couple of weeks in which I can't weight bear, but it is on the mend. "The doctors have assured me it is coming on well; the top six inches of the scar have completely healed. "It's just the bottom bit, where the joints are; that's still got to heal a little bit but they assure me it's coming on fine. "I've just got to grin and bear it; the only problem is that, like all sportsmen, I'm very impatient. "I just want to get mobile and back on the bike." | "I just want to get mobile and back on the bike." | | Paul Fry |
Fryer, as he's known to Rebels’ fans, has been closely following his team’s progress during his enforced lay off. Such have been the advances in the coverage of the sport that by logging into the internet, Paul has been able to keep in touch from his living room: "There's quite a lot of speedway available on the computer nowadays; I have live updates on what's happening at the meetings. "I'm still interested in what they do this season; I'd still like to see them get into the top eight and into the play-offs. "It's still possible and I'd like to see them go as well as they can even without me." There is a steely determination in Paul Fry; he will be back and, as far as he is concerned, the sooner the better. With speedway riders, broken collar bones are much more common than broken legs, so Paul Fry can consider himself more than a little unlucky to have picked up two such injuries. He says he won't be concerned at all about getting back on to a bike: "You ease back into it, but you've got to try and put it all behind you and forget about it. "Last time, I think I did and just got on with the job." | 
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