The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
It’s been a ‘flaming’ June for the perfect Panthers
Peterborough Panthers completed a perfect June with a fifth straight Premiership victory, one that returned the city side to the top of the table.
Panthers have been the top flight’s surprise package so far this season and any suspicions of their form being an early season fluke were dispelled by a convincing win over pre-season title fancies Sheffield Tigers at the East of England Arena.
Steady rain throughout Monday placed the meeting in doubt, but excellent graft from the trackstaff ensured a delayed start was the only Panthers irritation on the night.
And the racing was of such a high standard, the wait was most definitely worth it with the home riders dominating from start to finish.
All seven Peterborough racers won at least one heat with skipper Scott Nicholls leading the points tally with 10+2.
Bjarne Pedersen again
managed paid double figures and while each Panther had their moments, it was teenage talent Jordan Palin who stole the show.
Fresh from qualifying for the European Under-19 Final on Saturday and producing a career best performance for Scunthorpe in the Championship on Sunday, he capped an unforgettable few days with his highest Premiership tally so far (7+1) and delivered some unbelievable race manoeuvres in the process.
It was another memorable night for Panthers, one that even surprised always positive team boss Rob Lyon.
“The night did surprise me a little bit,” Lyon admitted. We had problems with the weather and the track before the start, but it all turned out to be good and the boys just got on with it.
“It was a solid performance all the way through though against a good Sheffield outfit.
“I thought the racing would have been a lot tighter, but the team spirit helped us to an impressive win.
Palin added: “It’s been a great few days for me and my teammates.”
Panthers have staged five of their seven Premiership meetings at home so they know tougher nights lie ahead, but this is still a very encouraging start to a season that was expected to tough for an aging line-up.