IT wasn’t quite a birthday to remember for Swindon star Nick Morris as his Australia Under 21 side narrowly missed out on automatic qualification to the World Cup final.

The Aussies were competing in the semi-final in Germany this evening against the hosts, Czech Republic and Great Britain, with the Czechs taking the honours in a run off as Poole’s Vaclav Milik took victory over Morris after both sides finished locked on 37.

Despite suffering one fall in Teterow, Morris, who was celebrating his 20th birthday, did enjoy a decent night as he claimed one heat win and three second places, giving him nine points in total from his five scheduled rides.

The Great Britain youngsters, although eventually finishing seven points behind the winners, did enjoy a good evening as Jason Garrity, Robert Lambert, Kyle Howarth and Adam Ellis all scored well. Garrity topped the British charts on 11 from his five rides.

The Czechs move into the final, with Australia facing an anxious wait to discover whether or not they make it through as the best scoring second placed side.