PETERBOROUGH slipped to a second successive home defeat – and a first Premier League reverse of the season – today.

The ‘T Balfe Construction’ Panthers failed to fire as they went down 53-37 to Somerset at the East of England Showground.

The hosts could only provide two race-winners and claim one heat advantage during a tough encounter against a Rebels side with a fine record at Alwalton in recent times.

The opening four races ended in deadlock before the run was interrupted by a 5-1 to the visitors in a thrilling fifth heat. Jake Allen and Josh Grajczonek got the verdict over Simon Lambert in a tight finish following a terrific battle.

Normal service was quickly resumed with another series of three shared races. Captain Ulrich Ostergaard, who top-scored with a battling paid 10, became the first Panthers rider to take the chequered flag in the first of them.

Panthers halved their arrears when Lambert inspired a 4-2 in heat nine with a tapes-to-flag triumph over Rohan Tungate, but the meeting was decided by back-to-back 5-1s from Somerset immediately after the interval as the hosts continued to look ill at ease on a patchy surface.

Grajczonek and Allen saw off Nicklas Porsing in heat 11 before Bradley Wilson-Dean and Charles Wright squeezed out Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen moments later.

Victory for Grajczonek in a shared heat 13 completed his paid maximum and sealed victory for the visitors before they secured all four available league points when Paul Starke took the flag to earn a 4-2 in the penultimate race.

And Somerset wrapped up their fourth successive victory at the Showground in style as Tungate and Charles Wright claimed another maximum in a re-run finale after the Australian had hit the deck in the initial staging.

Panthers return to action when facing a long trip to Glasgow next Sunday (May 1).


SCORES

PETERBOROUGH ‘T BALFE CONSTRUCTION’ PANTHERS: Ulrich Ostergaard 9+1, Tom Perry 7+1, Simon Lambert 6, Nicklas Porsing 5+2, Emil Grondal 5+1, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 3+1, Michael Palm Toft 2+2.

SOMERSET: Josh Grajczonek 11+1, Charles Wright 10+2, Rohan Tungate 10, Bradley Wilson-Dean 8+1, Jake Allen 8+1, Paul Starke 6, Zach Wajtknecht 0.

HEATS
1 - Grajczonek (59.2), Ostergaard, Palm Toft, Allen. 3-3, 3-3.
2 - re-run Wilson-Dean (awarded), Grondal, Perry, Wajtknecht. 3-3, 6-6.
3 - Wright (60.6), Lambert, Busk Jakobsen, Starke. 3-3, 9-9.
4 - Tungate (61.1), Perry, Porsing, Wajtknecht. 3-3, 12-12.
5 - Allen (60.8), Grajczonek, Lambert, Buslk Jakobsen. 1-5, 13-17.
6 - Ostergaard (61.0), Tungate, Wilson-Dean, Palm Toft. 3-3, 16-20.
7 - Wright (61.1), Porsing, Grondal, Starke. 3-3, 19-23.
8 - Allen (60.6), Perry, Palm Toft, Wilson-Dean. 3-3, 22-26.
9 - Lambert (61.8), Tungate, Busk Jakobsen, Wajtknecht. 4-2, 26-28.
10 - re-run Starke (60.6), Perry, Ostergaard, Wright. 3-3, 29-31.
11 - Grajczonek (61.3), Allen, Porsing, Perry. 1-5, 30-36.
12 - Wilson-Dean (62.4), Wright, Busk Jakobsen, Perry. 1-5, 31-41.
13 - Grajczonek (61.7), Ostergaard, Porsing, Tungate. 3-3, 34-44.
14 - Starke (62.5), Grondal, Wilson-Dean, Lambert. 2-4, 36-48.
15 – re-run Tungate (62.9), Wright, Ostergaard, Lambert. 1-5, 37-53.