AUSSIE Joel Parsons turned the tables on the club that sacked him last year – to inspire Peterborough to their first Elite League points of the season.
Parsons only came into the Readypower Panthers’ line-up when the move to sign Adam Roynon in a double up role fell through.
But the 24-year-old, who is also riding for Premier League Scunthorpe, was the unexpected hero of the Good Friday morning clash.
Parsons made only one appearance for Coventry last season and fell several times before being released.
But he finally showed the big band of travelling Bees’ supporters what they had been missing.
He streaked from the tapes to claim a debut race win and went on to score in his three remaining rides to finish with eight, paid nine.
And he provided British Champion Chris Harris with a shock challenge, leading him for a couple of laps before he was finally overtaken in a result defining Heat 11.
With Troy Batchelor hitting the front, Joel’s third place opened up a four point gap in a meeting in which the Panthers were never behind.
And even though critics had suggested the reserve positions would be Peterborough’s Achilles Heel it was exactly the opposite on a cold and damp league opener.
The rain stopped and then held off long enough for the meeting to go ahead but there was a dramatic staret to the first Elite League match of the season with a first bend pile-up inwhich Bees’ winter signing Christian Hefenbrock crashed headlong into the fence.
He suffered ankle and hip injuries and was ruled out of the rest of the match, leaving the visitors to cover for their hospital-bound German racer with their reserves.
And Peterborough could also have been down to six riders when Ulrich Ostergaard came off on the back straight in his opening race, twisting his knee.
He bravely continued and contributed solidly as the Panthers overcame unexpected low scores from Batchelor and Lewis Bridger.
Both were plagued by engine problems – Batch was unbeaten in the two heats he finished – and only scored five points between them, all by the Aussie, but Parsons and fellow reserve Krzysztof Buczkowski covered brilliantly.
The Pole, on his Elite League debut for the club, was pegged back into third place in Heat two but had three race wins in his double figure display.
He claimed spectacular victories over Rory Schlein and Edward Kennett as the six and seven picked up 18, paid 19, between them.
The 10 point margin saw Panthers collect their first three points of the new season and left them setting off for Brandon in good spirits.