YORK City Knights' injury hoodoo during the Academic Ashes has continued as new signing Ian Kirke suffered damage to a hand in the second Test.

However, the club are hoping the injury is not serious and were awaiting results of an X-ray today.

The second-row cum centre was a substitute for the Great Britain and Ireland Academic Lions in their 20-4 defeat by their Australian counterparts on Sunday, a result which saw the Aussies retain their hold on the series.

Kirke, who studies at Hull University, helped to set up the Lions' only try with a powerful charge upfield but then sustained a hand injury which required hospital tests.

His blow followed the horrendous ankle injury suffered by centre Chris Spurr in the first Test last week. Former Featherstone and Batley star Spurr, who had only returned to action late last season after a long injury lay-off, broke a tibula and dislocated an ankle 15 minutes into the Lions' 18-14 defeat. He underwent surgery to screw and pin the ankle and will be out for a few months at best and perhaps the entire season.

Knights coach Mick Cook said: "We think he (Kirke) may have broken a bone in his hand. The hospital tests may have found something. There was a bit of swelling and the GB Students physio thinks it might be a small bone and doesn't envisage it to be a big problem."

The Knights are hoping Kirke will be out for no more than three weeks. Cook added: "We'll only know after the X-ray results. It also depends where it is and how it affects the player."

The injury to Spurr meanwhile led to the Knights withdrawing Yusuf Sozi from the GB squad for the second Academic Test.

The prop played in the first Test, along with former Knights team-mates now at Doncaster Chris Langley and Craig Farrell, who study in York, and ex-York Wasps winger Matt Mulholland, who scored a try.

But while that trio retained their places for the second clash, Sozi was pulled out "as a precaution" - with Craig Forsyth on holiday for a month, the Knights would be low on front-rowers ahead of the January 3 friendly against Leeds should Sozi have suffered an injury.

New team-mate Neil Thorman also played in the first Test, and while he was in the squad for the second match, did not make the team.

Cook explained: "After what happened to Chris Spurr, injuries are already nibbling away at us - we may already have lost a key player for the season in a position we haven't got a lot of cover for.

"We have cover in the positions Ian Kirke (back-row) and Neil Thorman (hooker) play so an injury to them could be absorbed, but with Sozi it was a bit different. It's a key position, up front, and it's such a big part of your game, to start looking for another prop would be a hassle."

Former Knights loanee Jonny Wainhouse has joined National League Two rivals Keighley Cougars from Leeds Rhinos Academy. The hooker played four games on loan for York last season during Jim Elston's injury lay-off.

Updated: 10:26 Tuesday, December 21, 2004