NICKY Smith has given a defiant "I'll be back" pledge to Hampshire team manager John Plomer after being forced to pull out of this season's Middleton Cup squad through injury.

The 37-year-old Atherley bowler was one of the successes of Plomer's first year at the helm after being promoted to skip and winning four of his five Middleton Cup games, the highlight being a fine victory over Surrey's Wynne Richards in the quarter-final.

But a serious knee problem - the result of playing too much bowls over the years - has ruled Smith out of this summer. After seeing a specialist early next month he must undergo a major operation and will need at least two months off from his job as a builder to recuperate.

However, Smith has vowed that he will be back on the green in 2004. He said: "I was really looking forward to this year. It took me so long to become a Hampshire skip and when it did come, the move certainly paid off and I loved it.

"I thanked John Plomer for putting me there - he is the only manager to have given me that chance and I proved him right.

"But now the knee has gone, several other things have happened to me and life has gone pear-shaped. The operation is a major one - the cartilage is ruined and keyhole surgery is not the answer.

"But have no fear, Smudger will return! Bowls has certainly not seen the last of me - I have every intention of coming back next year and hopefully as a skip."

What drives Smith on is his desire to complete 'the set'. To the bowls purist this is being a part of a team that wins the Denny Cup, the Liberty Trophy and the Middleton Cup.

To date he has helped East Dorset take the Denny (1998) and was a member of Peter Line's side that lifted the Liberty (1999) but the Middleton Cup remains elusive and the burning ambition of this ardent Hampshire supporter is to win the outdoor county championship at Worthing.

Smith's lusty voice and his whole-hearted enthusiasm, plus his outstanding bowling skills, have been a feature of Hampshire fixtures for many years. He has made nearly 50 Middleton Cup appearance and played in 79 consecutive Liberty Trophy matches before quitting the indoor game three years ago.

Although he will not feature on the green this summer he may add his support to the team at matches and should they reach Worthing he has declared he will be their most vociferous fan at the finals.

One change for next year is that Smith is unlikely to rejoin Atherley. It is more probable he will link up with Lymington where he has played in the past and where he lives.