PETERBOROUGH bagged their first win of the season on a pulsating night at the East of England Arena.
Crendon Panthers edged out a strong Wolverhampton side 46-44 in a nail-biting last heat decider in their Premiership Supporters’ Cup clash.
The hosts looked comfortable early doors and even held a 12-point lead with eight races gone.
But the visitors refused to go down without a fight and three consecutive 5-1s between Heats 12 and 14 forced a last race decider.
It looked as though both sides were going to have to settle for a share of the spoils until Panthers No.1 Rohan Tungate, who picked himself up off the dirt from an awkward looking spill in Heat 13, produced a stunning cut-back on the run to the line to get the better of Wolves skipper Rory Schlein and snatch victory.
Panthers boss Carl Johnson was delighted to finally get a win on the board - on a night where club captain Hans Andersen endured a night to forget, failing to score from four rides.
“Hans really struggled tonight but everyone else put in a good performance,” Johnson said.
“We were controlling things midway through the meeting but it was a little too close for comfort in the end.
“The track slickened off a bit and we let them back into it.
“But Rohan and Charles (Wright) came up with the goods in the last one and a win is a win.
“They deserve it as well - they’ve been working really hard and it was good to see them enjoying themselves tonight.”
Peterborough return to top flight league racing on Monday (April 15, 7.30) when they host reigning Premiership Champions Poole.
PREMIERSHIP SUPPORTERS CUP PETERBOROUGH 46: Ben Barker 9+1, Rohan Tungate 9, Charles Wright 8, Aaron Summers 8, Lasse Bjerre 7+2, Bradley Wilson-Dean 5+2, Hans Andersen 0. WOLVERHAMPTON 44: Scott Nicholls 13+1, Rory Schlein 11+1, Kyle Howarth 10, Sam Masters 6+1, Luke Becker 4, Ashley Morris 0, Nick Morris r/r. PSC points: Peterborough 3 Wolverhampton 1