Panthers are trumped by the awesome Aces

Peterborough Panthers suffered a sobering 54-36 home defeat to Belle Vue as the Aces completed a quickfire earlyseason double.

Panthers were limited to four race wins and were made to pay the price for a disastrous first half, where they conceded three 5-1s in the first five races.

Michael Palm Toft did his best to stem the tide with three race wins as he hit double figures, whilst Benjamin Basso provided plenty of entertainment and Hans Andersen picked up his best home score of the season – but overall it was a meeting dominated by the Aces.

Rising Star reserve Tom Brennan showed his liking for the Alwalton circuit as he shared in two early 5-1s and then defeated Panthers skipper Scott Nicholls in Heat 8, and German newcomer Norick Blodorn rode well on his first look at the venue.

When Kurtz and Blodorn secured a maximum over Andersen and Ulrich Ostergaard in Heat 9, Panthers trailed 17-37.

They did regroup in the final third of the meeting with two wins for Palm Toft and one for Harris in successive races, and Basso charged under Max Fricke on the last bend of Heat 11 before overcoming Blodorn and Matej Zagar for a 5-1 in Heat 12.

But Kurtz had the final say, taking Heat 13 in a Belle Vue 5-1 and securing his maximum in the last race

PANTHERS: Michael Palm Toft 11+1, Hans Andersen 8+1, Benjamin Basso 6+1, Chris Harris 6, Scott Nicholls 5, Ulrich Ostergaard 0, Jordan Palin 0.

BELLE VUE: Brady Kurtz 14+1, Norick Blodorn 8, Tom Brennan 7+2, Charles Wright 7+1, Max Fricke 6+2, Matej Zagar 6+1, Jye Etheridge 6.