Rampant Hammers underlined their domination with three successive heat maximums against a visiting Exeter side for whom only Michael Coles threatened.

Leigh Lanham stormed to victory in the first race, with John Wainwright pouncing on Exeter guest Wayne Carter's fall to snatch second place.

Then Gary Corbett won heat number two and fit-again Troy Pratt showed all his old verve to overtake Coles down the back strait to triumph in the next race.

A maximum from Colin White and Matt Read put Arena 17-7 up after four heats, and Roger Lobb was a hard-fought winner against Graeme Gordon in the fifth race.

White pipped Coles in a shared heat six, before use of a tactical substitute earned Exeter a 4-2 success.

Pratt and Roger Lobb - who just edged out Mark Simmonds - notched a 5-1 success in heat ten, before White recorded his third race win.

A re-run heat 12 - in which Pratt led in the first attempt - saw Coles steal Exeter's second and last win of the night.

However Arena closed with a triple maximum, White completing his five heat victories.

Scorers - Arena: Lanham 12+2, Wainwright 3+2, Pratt 9, R Lobb 9+1, White 15, Corbett 6+1, Read 4+1.

Exeter: Carter 3, Gordon 4, Coles 14, Harris 2+1, Simmonds 3+1, Barratt 5, G Lobb 1+1.

Swindon put Arena to the sword

SWINDON 53

ARENA ESSEX 37

Hammers' 18-point reserve pairing Corbett and Read proved crucial as Arena lost in Wiltshire, but triumphed on aggregate, to reach the Knock-Out Cup semi-finals.

White and Corbett won the third heat 5-1 to put Hammers in front, and a 4-2 haul in heat 11 for White and Lanham also helped guarantee Arena's quarter-final triumph.

Scorers - Swindon: Cunningham 12+2, Bishop 7+1, Collins 15, Allen 5, Masters 7+1, Stephens 5, Marsh 2.

Arena: Lanham 7, Wainwright 0, Pratt 4, Lobb 2, White 9+2, Corbett 8+1, Read 7+2.

Arena host Exeter in the last-four first leg on Friday, August 20, with the return leg at the County Ground the following Monday.

Arena entertain Workington this Friday at the Purfleet Raceway (pm).

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