If, as seems almost certain, Eastbourne Eagles are heading out of the race for the Elite League title, then they are going out with a bang and not a whimper.

The Sussex squad raced to their biggest win of the season, 56-34, over a recently resurgent Belle Vue side at Arlington Stadium on Saturday night.

With only three matches left, the odds are now stacked against Eagles gatecrashing the championship party via the play-offs, but that did not stop them trumping the Aces in some style.

And they made sure Joe Screen did not embarrass them on his return. The rider they jettisoned to make way for Nicki Pedersen managed only five points from as many rides, evidence if it was needed that Eastbourne chose the right option amid all the furore.

Having said that, Screen might have made an immediate impact if team-mate Craig Watson had not remained on the track after falling in heat one long enough to force referee Frank Ebdon to put on the red lights.

Screen's best gate of the night had taken him into an impressive lead ahead of David Norris and Dean Barker but when the race was restarted he was outgunned by Norris and was never in front again.

Norris, who replaced Screen as captain, was again inspirational with a paid 15 points, while the rest of the team, with the exception of reserve Glenn Cunningham, all tallied up double-figure credits.

Norris posted his fastest ever time around Arlington when he clocked 55.2sec., one-tenth of a second outside the track record, in the opener.

Eastbourne, who were still without Mark Loram after he failed a late fitness test, were rampant in the early stages, going into a 22-8 lead after five heats, but the one man none of the Eagles could get to grips with was Jason Crump.

Crump struck a 15-point maximum, his five victories including a couple against fierce Grand Prix rival Pedersen and two stunning wins over Barker and Adam Shields.

Shields got close in heat six, inches off the boards at one stage, while Barker twice held off challenges from Crump in heat nine before having to give way the third time as Crump roared through a narrow gap on the outside.

Then, in heat 13, Crump again rode round the boards in spectacular style to pass Pedersen and Norris. Minutes earlier, he had smashed through the fence following a first-bend clash with Pedersen, prompting a re-run.

Joonas Kylmakorpi and Cunningham sparked the first of three Eastbourne 5-1s in the opening five races, the flying Finn's time a rapid 55.8sec.

Shields and Barker posted the next after Steve Johnston had gone down under Barker's challenge, and the same pairing scored maximum points again when they relegated Screen to third.

The final scoreline might have been a bit harsh on the visitors, because some of the racing, principally when Crump was involved, was major league stuff.

Eight of the next nine heats were shared, and there were wins along the way for Jason Lyons, who held off Barker and Kylmakorpi, and Johnston, who edged out the impressive Shields.

Eagles, however, were merciless at times, and Lyons and Johnston were on the wrong end of three 5-1s during the course of the meeting, while the luckless Screen twice finished last.

Pedersen and Norris blitzed Johnston and Lyons in heat ten, and the icing on the cake for Eagles was Norris storming through from the back to win the finale with Kylmakorpi in tandem, again at the expense of Lyons and Johnston.

Eastbourne: David Norris 12, Nicki Pedersen 12, Adam Shields 11, Joonas Kylmakorpi 9, Dean Barker 9, Glenn Cunningham 3. Bonus points: Norris 3, Kylmakorpi 3, Barker 2, Cunningham 2, Pedersen 1, Shields 1.

Belle Vue: Jason Crump 15, Steve Johnston 7, Jason Lyons 6, Joe Screen 5, Rory Schlein 1, Craig Watson 0, Neil Collins 0. Bonus points: Johnston 1, Lyons 1.

Edward Kennett will miss the world under-21 championship. Further X-rays have revealed he suffered ligament damage in a crash last month as well as a cracked kneecap, and he has been ruled out for the rest of the season.