The break-up of the Peterborough Panthers' 2021 title-winning team has continued with the departure of two star riders

Captain of that side Scott Nicholls has followed star man Chris Harris out of the East of England Arena door.

Nicholls announced on social media last night he would only be riding for Championship side Oxford in the UK next season.

Harris had already been unveiled as a new rider by new Premiership side Leicester Lions.

Harris said: “I’ve had two good years at Peterborough, but I just felt like a change and when I heard Leicester were coming up, I thought it would be an opportunity to try something new and to challenge myself.“Leicester has always been a track that I’ve enjoyed going to, even though I didn’t score as many as I would have liked there with Berwick this year, but I’ve been there in the past and scored heavily.”

Nicholls said: “Super happy to be back with Oxford for 2023. It was a fun year in 2022 with them, but we didn’t achieve the results we should have managed, so 2023 will be the year. I’m also only committing myself to them in the UK. Life is like a book & 2023 is a new chapter, new things.”

With Bjarne Pedersen retiring at the end of the title-winning season, Ulrish Ostergaard retiring at the end of the 2022 season and ‘rising star’ Jordan Palin ruled out of 2023 by injury that just leaves Michael Palm Toft and Hans Andersen at the club 14 months after a famous Grand Final win.

Panthers suffered a horrible 2022 campaign finishing bottom of the Premiership.