Without a match for the senior side, Arena staged a Junior Challenge and a good sized crowd enjoyed an entertaining match between two well-matched sides with the Hammers obliged to their two regular first team members to ease them home.

Gary Corbett was the class act and this meeting only served to highlight the great advance he has made in his first season of Premier League racing as he was in unstoppable form in this match.

For the visitors, Simon Wolstenholme, enjoying a return to his former stomping ground, turned in a battling performance and he was well supported by Gavin Hedge who spent some time in the Hammers colours last year.

Jamie Birkinshaw failed to arrive which weakened Arena's opponents. They were forced to resort to the rider replacement facility, his scheduled rides producing six points, but the match produced some entertaining action for a good sized crowd.

Corbett's five impressive heat wins included the three fastest times of the evening, comparable to Premier League standard, whilst his first team colleague Matt Read was paid for 11 dropping one point although he was handicapped by a shoulder injury which he aggravated during the course of the match.

Former Hammers Hedge and Wolstenholme trapped to maximum points in heat three to level the scores at 9-9 and Wolstenholme was also involved in a repeat score when he teamed up with Peter Collyer two heats later although a good effort by Phil Ambrose to split the pair ended when the youngster tried to sweep around the outside but dropped to last as he lost the racing line.

A superb race in heat eight when Mark Thompson swept around the outside to take the lead pursued by Peter Collyer on the inside. The latter, going the shortest way round, nipped past his opponent on the final bend of the third lap to put his side in front by 25-23.

By heat 11 Arena were back in front but an all-action race left them on level terms at 33-33 after Thompson had slid into the fence on the first turn.

He picked himself up but up front, Read was bolding Wolstenholme at bay until the home rider made an untidy turn on the fourth bend to allow his opponent to capitalise on the error with Collyer picking up a point.

As expected, Arena's 'big two' collected a heat 13 maximum with Read having to work hard against Collyer for his second place but the Rye House Rockets adorned opponents, gained a heat advantage from the penultimate race to leave Arena in front at 43-41 entering the final race.

Corbett though was in irrepressible form to ensure the narrow victory for his side but Ambrose was unlucky when falling after a battling display had seen him pass Wolstenholme before mounting a challenge to Collyer before he departed company with his machine.

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