A THRILLING meeting came complete with a dramatic conclusion as Peterborough pipped play-off rivals Scunthorpe in the opening chapter of their latest double-header on Tuesday night.
There was edge-of-the-seat racing throughout another East of England Showground classic which was eventually settled by star man Ales Dryml’s triumph in a final-heat decider.
The Czech ace completed a tapes-to-flag triumph for his fourth victory of the night which meant Panthers preserved their one-point cushion despite the retirement of Ulrich Ostergaard.
Skipper Ostergaard had provided the narrow advantage moments earlier when seeing off high-scoring Scunthorpe reserve Ashley Birks in a heat 14 contest which descended into a match race between the rival captains.
Josh Auty had tumbled out of the initial staging when under pressure from Ostergaard and Peterborough reserve Max Dilger also received his marching orders from referee Tony Steele for not being under power at the time of the stoppage.
The lead had changed hands on several occasions with the powerful duo of Lasse Bjerre and Adam Roynon providing the perfect start in heat one before restoring Panthers’ advantage in heat six with 5-1s.
The hosts were pegged back when Roynon had to play second fiddle to Birks in a brilliant heat eight battle but Ostergaard followed in the struggling Richard Hall for a maximum in heat nine.
That was wiped out when Hall and Nicki Barrett were on the received end of a fine display from Ryan Douglas and Birks in heat 12, but Panthers edged ahead again when it mattered most.
Team boss Carl Johnson admitted: “We really needed maximum points, but I’m happy enough just to come through the meeting with a win.
“We had three riders only manage six points between them and that is the difference between two league points and three.”
Hall’s only scoring contribution was his heat nine victory while Dilger managed just two points in a meeting where he retired twice.
Fellow reserve Nicki Barrett also struggled for speed as his sole point arrived at the expense of team-mate Hall in heat 12.
But solid scoring from the remainder of the side, headlined by Dryml, proved enough for Panthers to prevail by the narrowest of margins.
SCORES
‘TC HARRISON’ PANTHERS: Ales Dryml 14, Ulrich Ostergaard 9+1, Adam Roynon 9+1, Lasse Bjerre 7+3, Richard Hall 3, Max Dilger 2, Nicki Barrett 1.
SCUNTHORPE: Ashley Birks 13+1, Nicolai Klindt 9+1, Ryan Douglas 7, Josh Auty 6+3, David Howe 6+1, Thomas Jorgensen 2+1, Tom Perry 1.