The Hammers returned to winning ways with a workmanlike rather than spectacular victory against Berwick at the Purfleet raceway.

The home side, with Savalas Clouting - on loan from Elite League Ipswich - and 16-year-old Barrie Evans replacing long-servant Troy Pratt and David Mason, were never seriously threatened although the plucky Bandits stuck doggedly to their task to contain Arena to an eight-point success.

Clouting, making his Hammers debut, looked a class act displaying his Elite League pedigree as he reeled-off four successive race wins.

He could now emerge to fill the gap in a side left by the early season injury to Leigh Lanham, ironically another Ipswich loanee to the Hammers.

Skipper Colin White was back on peak form while Jan Pedersen also delivered a double figure return and the latter's rewarding partnership with Clouting produced 13 points from their three paired rides.

Both sides used the rider replacement facility for absent second strings but the effect evened out with Arena gaining five points and Berwick six from the rides.

There was drama early on when Barrie Evans collided with colleague Jon Underwood down the home straight as he lost control coming off the last turn.

Underwood, on the inside, was pushed onto the centre-green but maintained his momentum.

Clouting took his Arena bow in heat three, winning a re-run race with ease and then he and Pedersen teamed up two heats later for another trap to line success to make it 19-11.

Matt Read threw points away in heat seven pirouetting on the top bend after a wheel-to-wheel exchange with Meldrum and the Bandits pulled back a couple of points to 25-17.

From thereon, Berwick packed in the minor places to maintain respectability to the scoreline.

Pedersen collected heat eight while Underwood was assed by Dean Felton to leave the home side eight points ahead at the half-way stage.

Pedersen and the battling Mogridge gated in heat nine with the Bandit swept wide around the turn to forge an initial advantage.

But it was new hero Clouting who earned the spoils diving through a narrow gap on the inside to take the lead and ultimately the heat win as Arena led 40-32.

Read hit the deck in heat 13 after colliding with Paul Bentley, but lone Hammer White won the return to protect his side's eight point lead before Pedersen grabbed heat 14 with an impressive ride.

A shared heat rounded off proceedings but a stiff examination awaits the Hammers next week when Edinburgh visit the Purfleet raceway in the First leg of a First Round Knockout Cup tie (8pm).

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.