Mark Vingoe is hoping to be declared fit for Worthing Thunder's quarter-final date.

Gary Smith's men host Coventry or Plymouth in the last eight of the NBL Trophy next Saturday.

If all goes to plan, 21-year-old Vingoe will be back in the fray after being ruled out recently by a mysterious foot injury.

He was waiting to see a specialist this week with the best hope being recovery in time for next Saturday.

Vingoe, who hails from Hertford but is studying PE at UC Chichester, said: "I have got a lump on my foot and it is hurting quite a lot. They thought I might have detached a bone in my foot but I need an x-ray before I really know when I get back playing."

Vingoe has been one of the finds of the season for Thunder but the player himself admits he was lucky to get the chance.

His girlfriend Sarah Page got talking to former Worthing coach Neil McElduff while doing temporary work.

McElduff suggested small forward Vingoe, a former Ware Rebels junior, try out with Thunder. The results have been impressive.

Smith said: "He looked okay when we invited him down in the summer.

"Then as soon as the season started we saw what he was really about. He plays hard, reads the game well and those attributes have rubbed off on the team."

Smith was delighted to open the Conference season with a 111-104 win in front of 600 noisy fans at Coventry.

Matt Collis hit five three-pointers in the first quarter for Coventry but Sean Hampton replied with 45 points and Paul Mundy-Castle (27) controlled the second half.

Gaylon Moore added 25 and Darren Cheal grabbed precious re-bounds coming off the bench.

Smith said: "We were 20 points down at one stage in the first quarter and they thought they had the game won.

"We needed to make things happen on the defensive end and we did exactly that. We were always going to win."

Brighton Cougars had no fewer than five players in double figures as they outgunned Sussex rivals Bognor Pirates 108-65 in Division Two South.

Stuart Newman hit 21, Chris Watson 20, Brian Snyder 19, Ramy Malik 18 and Bud Johnston 13. Pirates, for whom Paul Sparrowhawk fired 25, admitted they had been outshot by an excellent Cougars line-up.