Heat by Heat Results - June 1970

Halifax started the month of June with a bruising 18 point defeat at Wimbledon.  Les Sharpe failed to arrive, and later claimed to be suffering from hay-fever again.  As such, it was down to Eric Boocock to keep the Dukes in contention, but he scored nearly half the Dukes points and received next to no support.  Boocock combined with reserve Kentwell for a 5-1 in heat 6, but that was the only bright spot on a night the remainder of the Halifax side would rather forget.

Halifax could always be relied upon to come good around the Shay, and so it proved, as the Bees were easily disposed of in the Cup.  Dave Younghusband had one of his best nights of the season, with 3 straight wins, his only defeat coming in the final race with the match already won.  Skipper Eric Boocock also won his first 3 races, but then looped at the start-line in heat 12. Les Sharpe re-appeared after his non-arrival at Wimbledon, but looked out of sorts.  For the Bees, as usual, it was Nigel Boocock who carried the weight, although Rick France proved a handful with 2 heat victories.

Les Sharpe was again a non-starter for the Dukes at Hampden Park, although at least this time his absence was advised.  Bob Jameson stepped in as number 8, but the result was probably inevitable.  12 months earlier, the Dukes had been the first away side to win at Glasgow's new home, but this time there was to be no repeat, as Monk and Templeton took the Tigers into a lead from mid-meeting that Halifax could not respond to.  Once again, a complete lack of support for Boocock proved the Dukes' undoing, with the other 6 scoring as many points as Boocock alone in the final 6 races.

Halifax exacted a degree of revenge over Wimbledon for the heavy defeat earlier in the month, although the performance was hardly convincing.  The Dons kept things close in the early stages, and despite Halifax edging into a 6 point lead, the result was only really sealed when Boocock (unbeaten again) and Kentwell secured a 4-2 in heat 12.  Younghusband and Jay put the gloss on the win with a last race 5-1 which made the final score somewhat flattering.

With Younghusband out injured, the Dukes were forced to operate rider replacement against a rampant Aces side who had won at the Shay by 25 points only 2 months before.  The returning Les Sharpe was a positive, but despite a brace effort, the Dukes lost their 100% home record.  Signs were promising when a 4 point lead was opened up after 2 races, but the Dukes found themselves 6 behind only 4 races later, despite the efforts of Boocock, Jay and Sharpe.  Ultimately, Belle Vue's top 4 of Mauger, Roper, Pusey and Sjosten proved too powerful as the Aces marched on tin pursuit of the league title.

The Dukes returned to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Oxford.  Dave Younghusband returned although was clearly still unfit, and pulled out after 2 races, but Halifax were unaffected, as they tore the Cheetahs apart.  Colin McKee scored his fist paid maximum, alongside Boocock, with Jay, Sharpe and Kentwell all in high-scoring mood.

The end of June saw Halifax slip to a 12 point defeat on the road at Exeter.  With Younghusband out again, the burden fell on Boocock and Jay to keep the Dukes in the tie, and they were only 2 points behind after 9 races.  But with Sharpe again struggling, and a rare engine failure for Boocok in heat 11, the Falcons opened an unasailable lead.  Again, Kentwell was struggling with his weakened ankle around the big Exeter track, and only managed to beat a home rider in heat 7 when combining with Boocock.