WORLD Cup star Troy Batchelor is all set to complete a permanent move to Peterborough.The Panthers have agreed an undisclosed fee with Swindon that will see Batchelor, 22, in the opening day line-up on Monday, March 15.

WORLD Cup star Troy Batchelor is all set to complete a permanent move to Peterborough.

The Panthers have agreed an undisclosed fee with Swindon that will see Batchelor, 22, in the opening day line-up on Monday, March 15.

The young Australian flies home this week for a short winter break and to race in his national championship. And he will leave Britain knowing that any hitches in his transfer from the Robins to Peterborough have been overcome.

The settlement ends fears that Peterborough would have to wait until early March for an independent tribunal to arbitrate on a fee.

The deal sees the Panthers pay an initial fee and then add-ons linked to Troy's performances over the next couple of seasons.

Club owner Rick Frost said: “We are delighted that Troy will now become a full-time asset of the club as he's a young rider with tremendous potential.

“He can play a major part in our success for many years to come and he has already shown his commitment to Peterborough by insisting he wanted to join us despite approaches from a handful of other Elite League clubs.

“He's clearly someone with enormous potential to improve his average and we are quite happy if that means we have to top up his fee at a later stage.”

Batchelor was his country's Under 16 Champion and won back-to-back Australian Long Track championships in 2003 and 2004.

The Queenslander made his British debut for Premier League King's Lynn in April 2005 and quickly made his mark in this country.

Ironically he actually made his first top-flight appearance at the East of England Showground while on short-term loan to Eastbourne in September, 2005.

Since then he's had spells as number eight at Elite League Coventry and Poole before joining Swindon on a full-time basis in 2008.

He started last year with the Robins but was forced onto the sidelines with a broken elbow and lost his team-place to temporary signing Matej Zagar.

On his return to fitness he moved on loan to Ipswich and in his last seven matches for the Witches scored an astonishing 98 points, averaging 10.32 per meeting.

He comes into the Panthers' 2010 squad on a 7.01 figure and has already said he's aiming to become the new number one by the end of his first season at his new club.