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Panthers win on a night of fireworks - Panthers 48 Eastbourne 42
(Elite League B)
(Elite League B)THE fireworks weren't just reserved for the close of this meeting at the Showground.
Crashes, clashes, flashes of brilliance and the craziest heat of the season were all on the menu on a night when the action threatened to become hotter than the sizzling summer temperatures.
But by the time the curtain came down and the traditional post-racing entertainment illuminated the darkening skies, the Panthers faithful had been provided with yet more evidence that the club's hopes of scooping silverware are fading fast.
The city side managed to snap a three-meeting losing streak but had back-on-song Claus Vissing not been in seriously inspired mood, the outcome could have been very different.
Vissing's obvious talent has been missing for much of the season, but a paid 19-point haul underlined his promise and pulled Panthers out of another self-imposed pickle.
Vissing even succeeded in wrestling the limelight from returning Peterborough asset Lukas Dryml who lit up proceedings with some explosive riding on his way to a 15-point haul.
Dryml romped to four heat victories (a feat which included success in the finale to earn his side a consolation point) and succeeded in upsetting Panthers' two biggest guns – Niels Kristian Iversen and Kenneth Bjerre – along the way.
"Lukas came back with a point to prove but I think he went over the edge a few times with his riding," said Panthers team manager Trevor Swales – a man who rarely got to see a decent Dryml away display despite having the rider in his ranks during four recent seasons.
"The fact that our two top riders both had cause to challenge Lukas about his riding tells its own story. Neither Niels or Kenneth are known for being argumentative or confrontational."
They aren't renowned for sub-standard, single-figure performances either, but sadly they appear to be the norm for Panthers' main men these days.
For the second successive home meeting, Iversen, Bjerre and Mads Korneliussen all fell short of double-figure returns – a problem that is currently growing from a small worry to a big concern.
As legendary Catchphrase host Roy Walker would say, this was good but it still wasn't right. Panthers undoubtedly took a step in the right direction by making a much-needed return to winning ways and climbing back into the Elite League play-off places, but that was the only one of Swales' three pre-meeting wishes that came true.
He had also demanded a convincing scoreline (something he certainly didn't get as Panthers only made sure of their victory in the penultimate heat before still allowing a point to slip away) and considerably more heat winners (another challenge that wasn't met as the home side took the chequered flag only six times compared to the visitors' nine).
The teams traded 5-1s in the opening five heats with Panthers eventually emerging from the early ding-dong in possession of a 17-13 lead.
That was largely thanks to some heat five magic from Kenneth Hansen who zoomed past Cameron Woodward and then Lewis Bridger to go from third to first during the final lap-and-a-half.
Eastbourne nibbled into the advantage when Woodward and Simon Gustafsson edged the eighth encounter, but Vissing soon sent Panthers clear during a run of three successive outings.
He came out on top in a farcical 10th race which came complete with a messy start, a messy finish and plenty of messy riding in between.
Panthers skipper Iversen ground to a halt after being shoved out by Vissing and Dryml through the opening couple of bends, only to get going again when realising that the mechanically sick Davey Watt was behind him.
The Eastbourne man soon pulled out, leaving Iversen to follow at a distance (and that really was the best thing to do) while Vissing and Dryml appeared to swap their bikes for Bucking Broncos but somehow managed to both stay upright.
But that wasn't the end of the drama as Iversen made a beeline for Dryml as the riders returned to the pits to spark a bout of jostling that passed rather too quickly for the liking of those seeking a follow-up to the Saturday scrap between Scott Nicholls and Emil Sayfutdinov.
"I would have fallen," said Iversen. "But it was so tight I didn't have room to get off the bike."
"All I could do was stop and then get going again. You can get angry in the heat of a moment and I had a word with Lukas afterwards."
Vissing remained in the groove to take the flag in the next before following home Korneliussen for a fine 5-1 over Watt in heat 12.
Iversen then succeeded in hitting the deck when piling into the third bend fence in heat 13 (another race won by Dryml) before Bjerre took issue with the star visiting turn following a frenetic final heat.
The Czech again got the verdict to ensure the Eagles headed home in possession of a point, but Bjerre made sure he departed with a flea in his ear following a minute-long finish line debate between the pair that had mechanics and staff sprinting out onto the track.
Neither of those riders will be present when the teams meet again tomorrow, but it is sure to be a spicy affair down in Sussex.SCORES
Panthers
Niels Kristian Iversen 4+1 (0, 2, 1, exc, 1*)
Rider replacement for Ales Dryml
Mads Korneliussen 7+1 (0, 3, 1*, 3)
Kenneth Hansen 8+1 (1, 1, 2*, 2, 2)
Kenneth Bjerre 9 (3, 2, 0, 2, 2)
Henning Bager 5+2 (3, 1*, 1*, 0)
Claus Vissing 15+4 (2*, 2*, 2, 3, 3, 2*, 1*)
Eastbourne
Lewis Bridger 7 (3, 1, 2, 1, 0)
Cameron Woodward 8+2 (2*, 2, 0, 3, 1*)
Davey Watt 10 (3, 3, ret, 1, 3)
Rider replacement for David Norris
Lukas Dryml 15 (1, 3, 3, 2, 3, 3)
Ricky Kling 1 (1, 0, 0, 0)
Simon Gustafsson 1 (0, 0, exc, 1, 0)HEATS
1 – BRIDGER (60.9), Woodward, Hansen, Iversen. 1-5, 1-5.
2 – BAGER (61.4), Vissing, Kling, Gustafsson. 5-1, 6-6.
3 – WATT (60.7), Woodward, Hansen, Korneliussen. 1-5, 7-11.
4 – BJERRE (60.8), Vissing, Dryml, Gustafsson. 5-1, 12-12.
5 – KORNELIUSSEN (61.0), Hansen, Bridger, Woodward. 5-1, 17-13.
6 – re-run – DRYML (61.4), Iversen, Bager, Gustafsson (fell/exc). 3-3, 20-16.
7 – WATT (61.2), Bjerre, Bager, Kling. 3-3, 23-19.
8 – WOODWARD (61.5), Vissing, Gustafsson, Bager. 2-4, 25-23.
9 – DRYML (61.6), Hansen, Korneliussen, Kling. 3-3, 28-26.
10 – VISSING (62.4), Dryml, Iversen, Watt (ret). 4-2, 32-28.
11 – VISSING (61.3), Bridger, Woodward, Bjerre. 3-3, 35-31.
12 – KORNELIUSSEN (61.5), Vissing, Watt, Kling. 5-1, 40-32.
13 – re-run – DRYML (62.2), Bjerre, Bridger, Iversen (fell/exc). 2-4, 42-36.
14 – WATT (62.9), Hansen, Vissing, Gustafsson. 3-3, 45-39.
15 – DRYML (62.3), Bjerre, Iversen, Bridger. 3-3, 48-42.
Key: * = paid points, exc = excluded, ret = retired.
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Weather for Peterborough
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North
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