PETERBOROUGH delivered a battling display in their Premier League Cup Final defeat last night (Friday).
A ‘TC Harrison’ Panthers side featuring only three of their own regular riders went down 55-38 at Edinburgh as the Scottish side lifted the silverware.
That completed a 101-82 aggregate loss for a Panthers team who faced an almost impossible task at Armadale after being pipped 46-44 in the first leg at the East of England Showground last weeken
But they kept themselves in contention for much of the second leg and it wasn’t until heat 12 – ironically a race won by Panthers captain Ulrich Ostergaard – that the Monarchs’ victory was confirmed.
Panthers team manager Carl Johnson admitted: “We have to look back at the first leg last Sunday and admit the tie was probably lost then.
“Had we gone up to Edinburgh with the 10-point cushion we wanted, it could well have been a different story.
“Also things might have been different were the second leg a one-off meeting. It is hard enough going to Edinburgh anyway, but even tougher for the second part of a double-header when the home riders are already up to speed.
“We put up a much better showing than Newcastle had managed beforehand in their KO Cup semi-final and I must thank the supporters who travelled up to Scotland to get behind us.
“We managed to fill a minibus and everyone made it one piece despite breaking down on the way!
“It is a shame we couldn’t win the trophy for the fans, but the main thing now is working hard to ensure we still have a club next year.”
Panthers needed to succeed where all others had failed this season by winning at Edinburgh to lift a first trophy for seven-and-a-half years.
But they suffered the worst possible start to the second leg when being on the receiving end of back-to-back 5-1s in the opening two races.
Another Monarchs advantage followed in heat four but Panthers hit back in style as guest number one Aaron Summers made the most of a tactical ride to earn a 7-2 in the next race.
They were also awarded a 5-1 in heat 7 after Sam Masters had hit the deck as they remained five points adrift on the night, but that is as close as the scoreline got.
Panthers provided four race winners with Ostergaard twice obliging and guests Summers and Kevin Doolan getting in on the act once apiece.
Doolan, borrowed from Berwick, top-scored with 10 points. Fellow Bandits man Alex Edberg racked up 4+3 while deputising for injured Nicki Barrett at reserve.
SCORES
EDINBURGH 55: Craig Cook 14, Justin Sedgmen 10+3, Max Fricke 8, Sam Masters 7+1, Steve Worrall 6, Aaron Fox 5+2, Derek Sneddon 5+1.
‘TC HARRISON’ PANTHERS 38: Kevin Doolan (guest) 10, Ulrich Ostergaard 9, Aaron Summers (guest) 8+1, Adam Roynon 6+1, Alex Edberg (guest) 4+3, Max Dilger 2, Rider replacement for Richard Hall.