Oxford Cheetahs warmed up perfectly for today's crunch cup clash with Plymouth Devils at Sandy Lane (3pm) with an emphatic 54-37 victory in a Conference League match at Rye House on Saturday night.

The Cheetahs just had too much all-round strength for the home side, who relied almost entirely on the efforts of Robert Mear.

Mear picked up a superb 21-point maximum for the Raiders, but his teammates managed just 16 points between them.

Oxford held a 28-25 lead after nine races, before successive 5-1's from Danny Betson and Jordan Frampton in heat ten and Lee Smethills and Kyle Hughes in heat 11 put the visitors firmly in control.

Mear won heat 12 as a tactical ride, but a 5-1 from Betson and Smethills in heat 13 secured all three league points for the Cheetahs, who remain in third place in the league table.

New signing Scott Campos made his debut for Cheetahs, and scored two, paid three points from the reserve berth.

Meanwhile, Oxford promoter Allen Trump is hoping for a big crowd for this afternoon's cup quarter-final replay with the Plymouth Devils.

The tie originally ended in a 89-89 draw on aggregate, after a great comeback by the Cheetahs in the second leg at Plymouth in July.

Trump has made no secret that the size of today's crowd could be a major influence in whether or not the Cheetahs try to move up to the Premier League in 2008.

He is hopeful of a crowd in excess of 1,000.

Children under the age of 12 will be admitted free of charge, if accompanied by a paying adult.

Oxford: Smethills, Hughes, Bargh R/R, Frampton, Betson, Campos, Johnson.

Plymouth: Stephens, Smith, Brown, Westacott, Glanz, Webster, Hopwood.