Born: 2 November 1990, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.

After attracting interest from UK promoters with some eye-catching performances in Australia in 2009, Skidmore signed for Sheffield in June as a replacement for the injured Ritchie Hawkins.

Skidmore, who had bought equipment from Chris Louis, impressed with some excellent performances for the Tigers but his season ended early when he broke a bone in his wrist in September.

He was the first rider to agree terms with Sheffield for 2010 and he continued his progress. Despite suffering a few small injuries, Skidmore went on to achieve an average of 6.36 and Sheffield again signed him for the following year.

As well as riding for the Tigers, Skidmore agreed to ride for Belle Vue as their number eight but found his chances limited. Nevertheless, his performances for Sheffield continued to impress and he returns to Owlerton for his third full year in 2012.