Oxford Cheetahs' season of struggle continued in East Anglia last night as in-form Peterborough cruised to a comfortable 63-31 win in the Elite League last night.

Four home riders completed paid maximums and Oxford were unable to provide a single heat winner as they once again conceded over 60 points on their travels.

Todd Wiltshire provided a little encouragement by being very much on the pace, at least making the Panthers' top men work for their points, and Lubos Tomicek battled hard at reserve.

But that aside, there was little to raise Cheetahs' sprits.

Skipper David Howe (pictured) endured a nightmare return to his first club as he appeared beset by mechanical trouble.

Howe failed to score a point, and was even pulled out of his last race.

Cheetahs managed to share the points ahead of Danish youngster Jonas Raun in the first race, and they were unlucky in heat 2 when Tomicek blew an engine while holding a comfortable lead.

That marked the start of three consecutive Panthers 5-1s as the home side quickly built a lead, and even the tactical ride facility was only partially successful as Davey Watt and Freddie Eriksson collected second places in heats 8 and 10.

Raun emerged unscathed from a spectacular accident when he hit the fence in heat 10.

But after Ryan Sullivan had twice got the better of Wiltshire in a re-run heat 11 the race being stopped after Richard Hall had fallen Peterborough finished with four straight 5-1s which underlined their superiority.

Peterborough: Anderson 14+1, Sullivan 14+1, Iversen 10+2, Jensen 10, Ostergaard 9+3, Hall 5+1, Raun 1.

Oxford: Wiltshire 7, Eriksson 7, Watt 6+2, Tomicek 5+1, Skornicki 4+2, Andersson 2, Howe 0.

It doesn't get any easier for Cheetahs with the reigning champions, Coventry, in town at Oxford Stadium tonight.

Oxford: Wiltshire, Watt, Skornicki, Eriksson, Howe, Tomicek, Andersson.

Coventry: Harris, Janniro, Risager, Schlein, Nicholls, Smolenski, Allen.