JOE Screen insisted he wasn't trying to catch the eye of Poole's Great Britain team boss Neil Middleditch as he inspired a storming Belle Vue victory over the Elite Speedway League champions last night.

Middleditch has put Screen on standby for next month's World Cup, but the 31-year-old Ace is happy to leave it to the younger generation - despite turning in his best display of the season.

He won three of his six races to finish with 14 points at Kirkmanshulme Lane, and set up a deserved victory for a makeshift side that Jason Crump completed by winning the last race.

Said Screen: "This performance has been coming. I got a knock on my head in a crash at Ipswich then Steve Johnston ran into me at Belle Vue, and it hit my confidence for six.

"My bikes have been fine. The problem has just been me because I've been struggling to get over those crashes. But I had a longtrack meeting in Holland on Saturday when I went well.

Confident

"This was the hardest I've ridden for a while. I scored points and felt that my confidence is coming back. But I've told Neil Middleditch that I'm not too bothered about riding in the World Cup. There are a lot of young guys out there, and, if he wants to put them in, then put them in. If he doesn't think I'm worthy of a place then don't put me in.

"I don't think I've been riding well enough to be in the team and I don't want to go, ride badly and get abuse. This was only one good meeting. It's not as if I've had a month of good form.

"We're riding at Poole on Wednesday, where I haven't had a good meeting for a couple of years. Let's see how I do there and see what he thinks then."

It was a great win for the Aces as they were without Tomasz Jedrzejak - who is waiting for the outcome of tests for a heart murmur - and Rory Schlein, who was racing for his parent club Edinburgh, while Kaj Laukkanen was taken ill.

They seem set for a hiding when Poole led 9-3 after two heats but they were level two races later.

BELLE VUE: J Screen 14+1 bonus, J Crump 13+1, K Bjerre 8, C Watson 6+2, N Collins 4, G Stancl 2+1. POOLE: B Pedersen 12, R Sullivan 8, A Lindback 8, K Kasprzak 6, M Zetterstrom 5+2, M Ferjan 2+1, D Davidsson 2+1.