Heat by Heat Results - August 1969

A new month saw a shuffling of the riding order, with Les Sharpe moving into the top 5, and Dennis Gavros dropping to reserve.  The move initially seemed to benefit both, as they were in the points against a disappointing Poole side.  Boocock scored his usual maximum, whilst Kentwell equalled the track record in heat 4, but was then excluded in heat 7, in an up and down performance.  The Pirates' only resistance came in mid-meeting with Smith and Guasco combining in heats 8 and 9.

Having earlier becoming the first away side to win at Hampden Park, the Dukes repeated the process with a 4-point victory at Coatbridge.  Eric Boocock was the catalyst, with a 12-point maximum including a last heat 5-1 with Alan Jay to secure the win.  There was never more than 2 points between the teams all night, as an early Halifax lead was eventually cancelled out, and then the Monarchs lead to evaporate in heat 11.  But Boocock and Jay made no mistake in the decider to keep Hunter at bay and secure the victory.

Four days on from the Coatbridge victory, the Dukes were brought crashing down to earth with a thumping defeat by Leicester.  As was becoming common, only Eric Boocock presented a problem for the home side, with Kentwell, Gavros and Jameson failing to trouble the scorers.  Alan Jay won the reserve race, but thereafter failed to beat a Leicester rider for the rest of the night as Halifax were on the receiving end of six 5-1s, with Ray Wilson and John Boulger leading the way.

Halifax hosted their annual qualifying round of the Northern RIders Championship, with Eric Boocock taking first place with predictable 15 point maximum.  His team-mates, Younghusband and Jay proved his only real competition, with the expected challenge from Airey and Haley never materialising.  There were also good returns from Gavros and Kentwell after their poor form earlier in the week.

Halifax travelled to King's Lynn without the injured Dave Younghusband, and were left to rue the choice of using rider replacement to cover his rides.  Eric Boocock broke the Saddlebow Road track record in heat 1, but failed to get to the start when covering for Younghusband in heat 7.  Despite no other Duke winning a race, Halifax forced a last-heat decider, but Betts inflicted Boocock's first defeat on the track to seal the win for the Stars.  Younghusband's rides netted a mere 2 points, and had the Dukes been at full strength, they surely would have come away as the victors.

Halifax edged a local-derby thriller against Belle Vue despite the best efforts of Aces number one Mauger, who was unbeatable on the night.  With Younghusband still out injured, each team promoted a reserve, with Roper missing for the Aces.  Aided by Sjosten, Mauger dragged the Aces back into the meeting after they slipped 10 points behind, and even Eric Boocock was powerless to ease the nerves, packing up in heat 10 chasing the Swede.  In the end, Kentwell's second place ahead of Pusey in the decider was enough to see the Dukes home.

The Dukes' run in the Knock-out Cup came to a shuddering halt in a 9 point defeat at Owlerton.  Halifax had Dave Younghusband back, but with him struggling, the Dukes were always up against it, with Jameson and Jay also finding points hard to come by, and Sharpe failing to score.  It was left to Boocock to keep the fight going, and a 5-1 with Gavros in heat 11 kept hopes alive, but a 5-1 in reverse from Dews and Airey in the next heat saw the Tigers through to the final.  Boocock challenged Haly for the Silver Sash after the match, but was beaten.

Following the disappointment of the Cup exit, Halifax got back to winning ways with a comfortable win over Wimbledon, who were kept in contention largely due to the efforts of guest Jim Airey.  The Dukes' heat-leader trio were all in the points with Boocock rattling off his expected maximum, and Kentwell only being headed by Airey in the final heat, with the match already won.  The inconsistency at reserve continued, with both Sharpe and Jameson both winning a race, but failing to score in all their other outings.

The frustrations of the summer were finally laid to rest as Halifax demolished West Ham in a completely one-sided encounter.  Even referee John Whittaker couldn't prevent the destruction, excluding a Duke on 3 occasions for tape breaking.  Boocock, Kentwell, Jay, Younghusband and Sharpe were all unbeaten on the track, with only Gavros and Jameson actually headed by a West Ham rider.  The absence of Nygren certainly hampered the Hammers efforts, as his team mates struggled to cover his outings.  The win kept the Dukes in 7th place as they went into the final 2 months of the season.