Meeting abandoned due to Bager injury - Panthers 34 Wolverhampton 38BROKEN LEG: Henning Bager.
ON paper, this meeting had all the makings of an action packed night.
A Panthers side looking to sign off their home fixtures on a high against a strong Wolves outfit chasing the Elite League crown.
However, the small crowd was treated to a typical end-of-season affair, with the Panthers tasting defeat for the first time in the Midland League during a night soured by a suspected broken leg to Panthers' reserve Henning Bager.
The Dane came off worst in a first corner collision caused by Wolverhampton reserve, Chris Kerr, in heat 12, which forced the abandonment of the meeting and the victory awarded to the travelling Wolves.
Bager needed treatment on the Showground track for half-an-hour, before being taken to hospital with the track paramedic and with the night's curfew fast approaching, the match referee had little opportunity but to call off the night.
It was a sad end to a disappointing night for the Panthers, who were looking to continue their flawless start to the league in a bid to salvage some success from the end of a long, hard season.
However, it could have been so much different for the home side, who produced some superb gating to take an early six-point lead
Wolves, though, showed exactly why they are fighting for the title with a strong fightback, aided by some poor Panthers riding.
Wolverhampton captain and former Panthers number one Peter Karlsson was the star for the visitors, leading from the front and spurring on the rest of his team-mates.
In comparison, Panthers were inconsistent with GP star Kenneth Bjerre and captain Niels Kristian Iversen the only men to really take the fight to Wolves in a meeting the home side never looked like winning.
Premier League star Jesper Kristensen, deputising for Panthers' Andrew Tully, had an impressive first outing on Showground shale with a win in his first heat, before capitulating and scoring just one point from his next four outings.
The result means the Panthers now have the tough task of beating Wolverhampton at their own track in more than two weeks time in order to lift the Midland League crown.
The away side, meanwhile, will know in 72 hours time if they are this year's Elite League champions – how the Panthers wish those statements were the other way around.
However, as the crowd watched the dazzling fireworks to signal the end of speedway at the Showground for another season, they were left hoping for a speedy recovery of Bager, rather than the disappointing scoreline.
Source: Peterborough ET (not Mark Plummer).