Heat by Heat Results - September 1968

Another poor performance on the road saw Halifax slip to defeat at lowly Poole.  The Pirates led from the moment Mudge and Fossengen took a 5-1 over Boothroyd and Gavros in heat 3, and the Dukes were never able to mount a comeback as a string of heat wins for Mudge, Smith and Cribb snuffed out the efforts of Boocock and Younghusband, who had given the Dukes faint hope by reducing the deficit to 6 points in heat 11.  But Smith and Fossengen restored the lead to an unassailable 8 points the very next race to condemn Halifax to another defeat on the road.

The Dukes got back to winning ways with a solid performance over a top-heavy Hammers, led by the inspired Norman Hunter.  Younghusband was able to beat the West Ham star in heat 1, but that was as near as anyone got the Hunter all evening.  With support from guest Airey, the Hammers were never completely out of contention, and it took heat wins from Boocock in heats 10 and 12 to finally make the result safe.  All the Dukes made contributions, with only Sharpe struggling with two last places.  The win bumped the Dukes back up to 6th place in the table with only a few matches remaining.

The Dukes were well beaten at Newcastle, in the first meeting back for new World Champion Ivan Mauger.  And Mauger celebrated in style, sweeping the Dukes aside in each of his races, leaving Halifax to feed on scraps.  Boocock and Younghusband both won 2 heats, but the Dukes had little else to offer, save for a welcome win for Sharpe over Alan Jay in heat 4.  Sharpe otherwise ran 3 last places, with Kentwell the only other Duke to defeat a Diamond when he took second place in heat 8.  

The Dukes' woes on their travels got little better at Coatbridge, as the Monarchs took Halifax apart, with three mid-meeting 5-1s for the hosts effectively ending the contest.  Persson, Eide and Collins were in a different class to the visitors, with Les Sharpe top-scoring for Halifax with a creditable 9 points from his 5 starts.  Boocock faded after a first race win, Boothroyd and Younghusband both struggled to make an impression, and Greg Kentwell had a night to forget, stopping in his first 2 races and being tailed-off in his remaining outing.

The Dukes entertained Newcastle in a challenge match and were comfortable winners, with only new World Champion Mauger offering any resistance.  Mauger reeled off 4 straight wins, but was denied a full-house by Boocock in heat 12.  All the top six Dukes registered at least one race win, with only Sharpe out of the points.  Apart from Mauger, the visitors were disappointing, with guest Airey having a rare off-night at The Shay.  It is possible a full-strength Diamonds, including Ole Olsen would have made the contest a more even one.

Halifax exacted revenge over Coatbridge for the heavy away defeat the previous week with a comprehensive victory over the Monarchs at The Shay.  It was an all-round team effort from the Dukes, with everyone in the points, including a top scoring Boothroyd, and an unbeaten Gavros at reserve.  The visitors were spearheaded by Persson and Eide the previous week but this time they received no support, especially from Hunter, who failed to beat a home rider. Both Sharpe and Kentwell were excellent value, being involved in heat advantages at key moments in the match.

Halifax were well beaten at Hackney, falling 12 points behind early on and never looking like challenging.  It was the usual story, with the three heat leaders taking most of the load, the remaining four Dukes contributing only 5 points.  Boocock was good value for his 13 points, with 3 vital wins, but was powerless to stop Jansson or Pratt in heats 5 and 11.  It was Gavros' turn for mechanical problems, stopping in heat 4, whilst Sharpe scored his only points in the same race.  

The Dukes finally got another away win with a Boocock and Younghusband-inspired victory at Cradley Heath.  Halifax's top two were both unbeaten as the Dukes overcame an early deficit to ease into a 6 point lead after 5 races.  The Heathens then took consecutive race 5-1s and this shocked the Dukes into action, with a Boocock/Kentwell 4-2 levelling the scores, and a Younghusband/Sharpe 5-1 putting Halifax in the drivers-seat.  Boocock and Younghusband confirmed their maximums and the win in the final 2 races.  It was Jameson's turn to struggle. failing to score from his three outings.

Halifax were now starting to run into some form, just as the season was about to end, and took their biggest home win of the season (to date) with a thrashing of Hackney.  Both Boocock and Younghusband were unbeaten by an opponent, but it was Greg Kentwell who stole the show with a flawless 12 point maximum, his first in British Speedway.  Boothroyd was beaten by Pratt in heat 1, but then was not headed for the rest of the night, whilst Gavros was also in the points with 2 powerful wins.