Newport Wasps gained their best home win of the season in their penultimate league fixture with a 55-37 Premier League victory over Arena Essex yesterday.

Wasps last home league match is against fellow strugglers Trelawny - and the wooden spoon could be at stake.

Newport, who put up a fine show at Workington on Saturday night when they only lost 50-40, carried on the good work.

It was one of their best home meetings - and not just because Wasps won. Visiting rider Leigh Lanham, who recently guested for the Welsh club, showed his track knowledge, scoring almost half Arena Essex's points. He notched 17 which included a 'golden' four where he started 15 metres back from the starting gate in heat 11 and finished in second place to gain double points behind Wasps' skipper Steve Masters.

Jan Staechmann guested for Wasps in place of the injured Anders Henriksson and his place at Exeter in the rearranged fixture on Wednesday will be taken by Welshman Phil Morris who rode in the number one slot at Workington and top scored with 11 points from five rides.

Scott Smith, his engine problems behind him, scored nine at Workington where the only rider he failed to beat was Carl Stonehewer, the home team's star rider.

Smith said: "I have got the engine back which I damaged against Reading and thanks to a sponsor I now have a new engine which I used at Workington. I have used it for the last three meetings and that's one of the reasons I have been going really, really well. In the meeting with Exeter which was abandoned when the lights failed I had to hire a machine."

There wasn't a flaw in Wasps riding with Masters top scoring on 13 points followed by teenager Chris Neath with a dozen and promoter Tim Stone said: "The younger element, Neath and Smith, won it for us. They showed a lot of aggression and determination. Staechmann came in and did a very good job but it was our second string riders who did so well - and I include reserve Carl Wilkinson in that who was on borrowed machinery." Wilkinson scored a win in the second heat of the meeting before suffering mechanical problems in heat four.

Neil Street, Wasps team manager, said: "It was a team effort, and that's the pleasing part."

There was no better example of perfect gating than by Staechmann in the meeting's opening heat which he won in style.

Reserve Rob Finlow took a tumble on the third bend of the second lap when Wasps were in a 5-1 maximum position and they had to settle for a 3-3, the heat won by Wilkinson.

Fortunately it was not a bad omen for Wasps who, while they did not completely erase the memory of a 61-29 drubbing last month at Arena Essex, turned on the style after suffering three home defeats.

Newport gained three maximum heat wins - none better than in the fifth when Glenn Cunningham came from the back to overhaul Troy Pratt and Shaun Tacey and finish second. On this kind of form it is a pity the season is coming to an end.