Stuart Calvert does not expect David Beckham to share his scaphoid nightmare.

The Keighley Cougars forward has had three operations, more than 25 weeks in plaster and two bone grafts since breaking his in June 2001 - playing only 22 minutes of rugby since.

The scaphoid became famous when the England football captain broke his against South Africa last week, but Calvert has been suffering with his for a long time.

"It's nice to have something in common with Beckham apart from just the number of women fancying him," joked Calvert, who once described himself as the "unluckiest man of rugby league".

"But I am sure he will recover from his scaphoid injury quicker than mine. I had a lot of problems with the way mine was dealt with, although I am sure he will be receiving the very best treatment.

"He will be fine again in six weeks while I have had problems with mine for two years."

Calvert, who is hoping to be back playing for the high-flying Cougars by the end of the season, has had to cope with an unbelievable array of injuries in recent years, tearing a groin and snapping his cruciate ligament alongside his hand injury.

His nightmare began nearly two years ago against Whitehaven when his swinging arm caught a Tongan's elbow.

His hand was strapped up and he played on, such is the mentality in rugby league, and it was only afterwards that an X-ray revealed he had broken the bone.

"I couldn't lift a cup, a plate or anything. I was in agony," said Calvert, who has remained remarkably cheery despite the injury problems that has beset his sporting career.

"It was in plaster for eight weeks and then they gave me this 'miracle' electro-magnetic device to help the bone heal.

"But that didn't work so I had an operation where they took some bone from my hip and pinned it in my hand.

"When the pot came off from that, they realised that the pin was in the wrong place and had to do it again."

Then two weeks ago he went under the knife once more, this time taking a bone graft form his wrist to pin the scaphoid.

Now he is in plaster once more but is hoping the problem will finally be resolved. Apart from the hand injury, Calvert has also been unlucky with other parts of his body.

He made his season debut last year for the Cougars and within two minutes came off after damaging his groin - in the subsequent operation a fist-sized piece of calcified bone had to be removed.

Earlier this year he managed 20 minutes of an amateur game before his cruciate ligaments went in his knee.