WORCESTER Rugby Club's centre crisis deepened last night when James Ogilvie-Bull was taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone.
The National One pacesetters are already without broken leg victim Ben Hinshelwood while David Officer is still struggling with an ankle injury which has kept him out since November.
Ogilvie-Bull played in last night's 40-13 win over a Plymouth Albion Development side in the hope of impressing coaches John Brain and Andy Keast.
He ended the night, however, in hospital as the Sixways injury curse continued. In the last three home games they have lost Mark Gabey with a broken arm, Hinshelwood with a broken leg and now Ogilvie-Bull.
Brain is hoping that a steroid injection in Officer's troublesome ankle tomorrow will speed up his progress but if that proves unsuccessful in clearing the inflammation, he is likely to bring in another centre in the coming weeks.
"A lot depends on how David reacts," said Brain. "If everything goes OK then we would hope to have him back in training towards the end of next week. However, at present he is unfit and if he doesn't improve it will leave us exposed in that area.
"We are not having much luck with injuries but, we just have to work through these problems."
On-loan star Chris Catling has eased the injury worries at centre for Brain, allowing full back Duncan Roke to step into Hinshelwood's shoes. However, if Gloucester recall their man, it would leave Worcester with another problem. And Brain is not optimistic that Gloucester will allow him to keep Catling for the rest of the season.
"I would say that situation is very unlikely at present, particularly with the form of Henry Paul at full back," said Brain.
"Chris is definitely in the mix now and I would think they would be very reluctant to let him go on loan for the rest of the season."
Meanwhile, Worcester's fly halves upped the pressure on Tim Walsh in the 40-13 win over Plymouth.
Craig Chalmers bagged a brace of tries while Jon Higgins came on to touch down in the second-half at Sixways. George Davis, Stewart Pearl and Richard Nias also scored tries in the romp.
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