Martin Dugard will ride for Eastbourne Eagles again next year.

Dugard has shelved plans to retire from speedway to skipper the Sussex squad as they bid to win back-to-back Elite League titles in 2001.

The controversial England international, who capped a brilliant season by winning the British Grand Prix and leading Eagles to the championship, had planned to quit the sport.

Now, after ending the year by capturing the Brighton Bonanza indoor title, Dugard has pledged his future to Eastbourne for at least one more season.

He said: "I hadn't planned to ride next year. I'd made up my mind after the events of the previous year that 2000 was going to be my last season."

Those events included the now infamous pits punch-up involving former team-mate Stefan Andersson during a live TV match, as a result of which Dugard faced a life ban from the sport.

"I decided if I got reprieved from that I was going to do one more year just to prove to everyone I could ride a speedway bike, then I was going to give it two fingers and say I've had enough. Goodbye."

Dugard, who will be 32 in May, has been persuaded to change his mind by Eastbourne boss Jon Cook and what he sees as a bright future for speedway.

"I'm doing it as a favour to Jon, but I also think the outlook for the sport is better now than any time since I began riding 15 years ago."

Said a delighted Cook: "Martin is a vital cog in the wheel at Eastbourne, and with him back I believe we will have a team to defend the title."

Dugard admits there is a lot of pressure on him now that he has a full-time job in IT.

"I don't think people realise how much time is involved in speedway. You are always trying for faster bikes and better equipment, and there is a lot of travelling.

"My problem is I never stop. Now that I work full-time, I come home and start working on my bikes at night. At the moment I'm working on the indoor meeting at Bournemouth in January.

"I don't know how things will work out next season. It won't be easy after winning the league this year, but I think we will be able to make a strong challenge again." Dugard joins Joe Screen, David Norris and American Brent Werner, who have already signed for Eagles.

Dean Barker is also likely to return, but under the current points restrictions there will not be room for on-loan men Paul Hurry and Petri Kokko in the 2001 line-up.