Peterborough Panthers 50th anniversary meeting postponed due to a safety issue with the main grandstand at the East of England Arena

Panthers bosses have been advised the grandstand is temporarily unavailable for spectators due to the need for some important repair work.

Club owner Keith Chapman is, however, confident the Supporters’ Cup tie, the opening team meeting of the season, with King’s Lynn will go ahead next Thursday (March 19).

The situation with press and practice, currently scheduled for Saturday (March 14), will be clarified very soon.

A statement from the East of England Arena read:

“Due to a remedial repair requirement with the Grandstand at The East of England Arena the venue and the organisers have jointly agreed to cancel this weekend’s speedway meeting in advance of further inspections.

“The venue are arranging suitable repairs to the structure which will take place as soon as possible however the structure will be reviewed for possible part-usage during the repair period and more information will be available prior to the meeting of March 19.

“Our apologies to all the speedway fans, however safety has to be at the centre of all our planning and we should be able to update with more positive news soon.”

Chapman has also confirmed the club will look to rearrange their anniversary meeting later in the year.

All seven of the Panthers 2020 squad were to feature in the 50th anniversary individual meeting alongside former Panthers stars like current British champion Charles Wright, Simon Lambert and Erik Grondel.