PETERBOROUGH completed their SGB Championship campaign with a seventh successive victory on Friday night.
The 'T Balfe Construction' Panthers eased to a 54-38 win against Edinburgh at the East of England Showground.
Captain Ulrich Ostergaard, reserve Simon Lambert, number one Jack Holder and former GP star Chris Harris all piled up double-figure hauls in a fine Peterborough performance.
“It was a great way to finish the league season,” said team boss Carl Johnson. “A team doesn’t reel off seven wins at any level of any sport by fluke.
“The boys have been terrific in recent weeks and they have showed their determination to pick up results for the fans even though we knew the play-offs were beyond us.
“We expected a tough test against Edinburgh and we performed superbly despite having a couple of riders missing.
“We still want to finish as high as we possibly can and this win lifts us up to fifth in the table. It also sets us up really nicely for the KO Cup semi-final and the challenge of winning another piece of silverware.”
Peterborough led from start to finish against an Edinburgh side who did succeed in reaching the play-offs this season.
Lambert featured in back-to-back 5-1s to open the contest – following in Holder in the opener before leading the way in heat two when reserve guest Jack Parkinson-Blackburn blazed round both Monarchs riders to secure second spot.
The visitors hit back with a 5-1 of their own in heat three, but a run of three successive advantages then left Panthers in command.
Holder and Lambert claimed a 4-2 in heat 6 when on a full house for much of the race, and another swiftly followed after Mark Riss tumbled out of heat 7.
Paul Starke and Lambert then fired in a 5-1 in the eighth instalment before Edinburgh failed to make the most of their tactical ride as Erik Riss had to setlle for second spot behind Ostergaard in a heat 9 4-4.
Holder and Harris completed hat-tricks of heat wins in the next two races, but both men saw their unbeaten records ended by an excellent Erik Riss move that earned him victory in heat 13.
That was the second of two successive 4-2s from Edinburgh which gave them hope of snatching a consolation point, but Ostergaard wasn’t about to allow that to happen.
He led in Lambert for a full house in the penultimate race before zooming clear in a finale which ended in a 4-2 after Harris squeezed round Erik Riss to grab third spot.
Peterborough return to the East of England Arena shale tomorrow (Sunday, 5pm) when facing holders Glasgow in the opening leg of a KO Cup semi-final.
SCORES
PETERBOROUGH: Ulrich Ostergaard 12, Simon Lambert 11+3, Jack Holder 11, Chris Harris 10, Paul Starke 7+1, Jack Parkinson-Blackburn (guest) 3+1, Rider replacement for Bradley Wilson-Dean.
EDINBURGH: Sam Masters 11+1, Erik Riss 11, Ricky Wells 7, Mark Riss 5+1, Mitchell Davey 2+1, Max Clegg 2, Rider replacement for Josh Pickering.