PETERBOROUGH were left to count the cost of a poor start as they went down to a battling 53-39 East Anglian derby defeat against Ipswich this afternoon.
The Readypower Panthers could not recover after being on the receiving end of 5-1s in the opening three races of this Premier League Cup clash at Foxhall.
They did respond well though by restricting the hosts to just three more heat advantages in the remaining 12 races of the Southern Group showdown with captain Ulrich Ostergaard, second string Michael Palm Toft and guest Jason Garrity all impressing.
Ostergaard and fellow Dane Palm Toft both took two race victories apiece – including a fine success in heat 15 for the latter – while Garrity always gave his all during an action-packed outing.
He picked himself up off the deck after a tumble on the final bend of heat three to pocket four points from a tactical ride two races later.
Garrity also delivered a tapes-to-flag success in heat seven during a busy shift which ended with a highest Panthers core of 11 points.
Palm Toft toasted his first heat victory as a Peterborough rider in heat eight when a 4-2 cut their arrears to eight points – and that is the way it stayed during a series of shared races.
Lewis Blackbird and Ipswich men Rohan Tungate and Luke Bowen were all able to walk away from falls in the opening two bends of heat 11 before the home side sealed their victory with a 5-1 in heat 13.
Former Peterborough man Danny King won that race on an afternoon when he collected a maximum from his four rides.
The Great Britain international received plenty of support as Aussie pair Tungate and Cameron Heeps also scored heavily along with American international Gino Manzares.
Following the postponement of the return clash at the Showground tonight, Panthers are back in action on Easter Monday when they visit Rye House (2pm).
SCORES
IPSWICH: Danny King 12 (max), Rohan Tungate 10+2, Cameron Heeps 10+1, Gino Manzares 9+1, Nico Covatti 7+2, Luke Bowen (guest) 5+1, Rider replacement for Ritchie Hawkins.
READYPOWER PANTHERS: Jason Garrity (guest) 11, Michael Palm Toft 10+1, Ulrich Ostergaard 9, Lewis Blackbird 5+2, Simon Lambert 4+1, Ollie Greenwood 0, Olly Allen R/R.