Heat by Heat Results - May 1970

The end of April/beginning of May saw the UK rounds of the World Championship trail as the top British and Commonwealth riders set off on the long road to the final.  The Halifax round was won by joint track record holder Arnie Haley with a 15 point maximum, with Eric Boocock powerless to do anything about it.  Les Sharpe continued his early season form finishing second, courtesy of a heat 18 defeat of Boocock.  Colin McKee finally found the right way around the Shay with an impressive 12 points, with Younghusband, Jay and Kentwell all finishing in the top 8.

The Dukes returned to league action with another convincing home win against West Ham - which lifted them up to 4th in the league.  Sharpe recorded his first ever full maximum, with Boocock also unbeaten by an opponent.  Only Terry Lee failed to capitalise, suffering from mechanical issues all night.  For the Hammers, Olle Nygren continued his liking for the Shay track with a stubborn 10 points, and reserve Bradshaw also managed 2 heat wins.

The Dukes again went close to an away win, again going down by 2 points in a last heat decider.  The result may well have been different had the unbeaten Sharpe, and Boocock received more support.  As it was, Kentwell struggled with his ankle, and Lee was also pointless, as the Stars just had enough.  King's Lynn's reserves proved the difference, scoring paid 19 points, compared to the paid 4 of the Dukes pairing.  Ultimately, it fell to Kentwell to try and split Cole and Simmons for the draw, but he was unable to do so.  To make matters worse, Sharpe crashed heavily in the second half, and although he escaped uninjured, his best bike was wrecked.

After being denied victory 12 months earlier, Eric Boocock returned to the top step in the Dews Trophy with a dominant performance.  Four victories left Boocock needing only 2 points in his final race, won by nearest rival Olsen.  The Dane was beaten in a run-off for second place by impressive Swede Michanek, who started slowly with 2 second places but then stormed to 3 heat wins.  Sharpe struggled with borrowed machinery following his smash at King's Lynn, and pulled out after 2 races...

Despite Eric Boocock's best efforts, the Dukes slipped to an 8 point defeat on the south coast.  The skipper received little support, with no other Duke registering over 5 points, and Poole's strength in depth saw them through.  Both McKee and Sharpe had a race win, but also a fall, as the Dukes' inconsistencies were highlighted, Sharpe still having machinery issues.  Boocock eased to his maximum in the final heat, but the tie was already lost.  

Halifax welcomed league newcomers Wembley to the Shay for a challenge match, and returned to winning ways with a comfortable 14 point win.  The Lions were boosted by the inclusion of Ronnie Moore as guest, and he inflicted Boocock's only defeat in heat 6.  Both Sharpe and Younghusband appeared to have put recent issues behind them, whilst both Kentwell and Jay had a race win in their 6 point scores.

After recent near-misses at away tracks, the Dukes were brough back to reality, with a thumping defeat at Wolverhampton.  Ole Olsen showed his class with an easy 12 point maximum, aided by Vandenberg and Hunter.  Only Boocock, Jay and Sharpe offered fleeting resistance for Halifax, with Boocock unusually failing to register a heat win on one of his favourite tracks.  Younghusband was not in contention, and the form of McKee was now starting to cause some concern, as the Dukes seemed unable to cope with the Wolverhampton track.

What a difference 24 hours can make.  After the poor performance at Wolverhampton, Halifax inflicted a drubbing on Newport, who failed to register a heat winner.  Boocock and Sharpe were both unbeaten, Younghusband dropped a single point to Bill Andrew, and Colin McKee had his best return yet, winning heat 8 and partnering Boocock to a pair of 5-1s.  Greg Kentwell finally managed to get in the points too, going unbeaten from his 3 outings.  Only Andrew and Levai carried any sort of threat from the Wasps, with the match over as early as heat 8.  The victory saw Halifax end the month 6th in the table.