LEIGH Adams and Lukas Dryml inspired a last-ditch fight back as Meridian Lifts Pirates went down to a narrow defeat at Peterborough.

The Grand Prix aces prevented a double figure defeat by storming to a maximum in the last race.

Adams twice beat Peterborough track specialist Ryan Sullivan, while Dryml recorded a hat-trick of race wins.

But the night had not started so well for Aussie Adams as Panthers stormed to a 5-1 in the opening heat.

Sullivan made the gate and then Adams allowed Shane Parker through on the inside as Pirates got off to the worst possible start.

They hit back immediately with Davey Watt and David Ruud roaring from the tapes for a 5-1 over Chris Harris and Kenneth Bjerre.

Another Panthers maximum looked on the cards when Pirates old boys Hans Andersen and Gary Havelock made the gate in heat three.

But Dryml produced a superb ride to pass the former Word champion although he just lost out to Andersen in a fascinating duel.

Panthers stormed into a six-point lead when Tony Rickardsson suffered an engine failure when leading heat four allowing Piotr Protasiewicz and Harris through for a maximum.

Adams recorded the fastest time of the night to leave Andersen and Havelock trailing in his wake in the shared heat five.

But Rickardsson was then second best to Sullivan in the next outing as Parker left Ruud at the rear for a Panthers heat advantage.

Dryml led from the tapes to win the shared heat seven before Pirates brought in Adams as a tactical substitute in the next outing.

The move paid dividends as the Aussie was a convincing winner, but Watt proved to be the real star of the race as he held off a two-pronged attack from Parker and Harris for a superb maximum.

Pirates then began to make inroads into Panthers' lead as Rickardsson took the chequered flag in heat nine with Ruud pipping Havelock for third place.

But their charge was immediately halted in the next race by Parker, who moved Bjarne Pedersen over on the last bend to follow Sullivan and Dryml home for a 4-2.

Adams and Kasprzak team rode to keep Bjerre at the back as the spoils were shared in heat 11 before Harris was involved in a spectacular fall in the next race when he crashed into the fence.

The youngster was withdrawn from the meeting with bad bruising and Bjerre took his place in the re-run.

The Dane and Havelock made the gate but had to settle for second and third after Dryml produced a spectacular move to pass the Panthers pair.

Adams then turned in a superb ride to end Sullivan's unbeaten run in the drawn heat 13 as Protasiewicz picked up the grip to pass Rickardsson.

Pedersen and Watt then conceded a maximum in the penultimate race that secured the win for Panthers.

But Adams and Dryml put Pirates in pole position for the bonus point with a 5-1 over Sullivan and Protasiewicz in the last heat.

HEAT DETAILS

Peterborough: 1 Ryan Sullivan (3-3-3-2-1) 12, 2 Shane Parker (2*-1-1-1) 5+1, 3 Gary Havelock (1-1*-0-1*) 3+2, 4 Hans Andersen (3-2-2-2*) 9+1, 5 Piotr Protasiewicz (3-1*-3-1*-0) 8+2, 6 Kenneth Bjerre (0-2-0-2-0-3) 7, 7 Chris Harris (1-2*-0-fell inj ns) 3+1. Team manager: Jim Lynch.

Pirates: 1 Leigh Adams (1-3-3-2-3-2*) 14+1, 2 Krzysztof Kasprzak (0-0-1*) 1+1, 3 Lukas Dryml (2-3-2-3-3) 13, 4 Bjarne Pedersen (0-0-0-1) 1, 5 Tony Rickardsson (ret-2-3-0) 5, 6 David Ruud (2*-0-1-0) 3+1, 7 Davey Watt (3-1-2*-0) 6+1. Team manager: Neil Middleditch.

Referee: Graham Flint.

Ht 1: Sullivan, Parker, Adams, Kasprzak, 61.4 (5-1). Ht 2: Watt, Ruud, Harris, Bjerre, 62.4 (6-6). Ht 3: Andersen, Dryml, Havelock, Pedersen, 62.4 (10-8). Ht 4: Protasiewicz, Harris, Watt, Rickardsson (retired), 62.9 (15-9). Ht 5: Adams, Andersen, Havelock, Kasprzak, 61.0 (18-12). Ht 6: Sullivan, Rickardsson, Parker, Ruud, 61.3 (22-14). Ht 7: Dryml, Bjerre, Protasiewicz, Pedersen, 62.0 (25-17). Ht 8: Adams, Watt, Parker, Harris, 61.9 (26-22). Ht 9: Rickardsson, Andersen, Ruud, Havelock, 61.4 (28-026). Ht 10: Sullivan, Dryml, Parker, Pedersen, 62.3 (32-28). Ht 11: Protasiewicz, Adams, Kasprzak, Bjerre, 62.3 (35-31). Ht 12: Dryml, Bjerre, Havelock, Ruud, 62.7 (38-34). Ht 13: Adams, Sullivan, Protasie-wicz, Rickardsson, 62.9 (41-37). Ht 14: (re-run) Bjerre, Andersen, Pedersen, Watt, Harris (fell injured non starter), 63.0 (46-38). Ht 15: Dryml, Adams, Sullivan, Protasiewicz (fell), 63.0 (47-43).