1972 Miscellany

Other Fixtures:  

In addition to a full league programme the Dukes were involved in numerous other matches during 1972.  Early season challenges against Sheffield and Belle Vue saw Halifax lose their first 3 matches of the new campaign, whilst additional fixtures against the Aces and Coventry were fit into the calendar with gaps available following the cup exit later in the year.  The Shay also staged a 4-Team tournament with the Dukes losing out to Sheffield, with Newport and Hackney also involved, and a best-pairs event at the end of August, won by home favourites Boocock and Kentwell.

The Shay also hosted two international fixtures, with England defeating Australia in the Inter-Nations Tournament, and a late season test match victory over Scotland.

The details of the above matches can be found in the archive pages for the 1972 season.

Individual Meetings:

Halifax staged a record 5 individual meetings during 1972, with Norway star Reidar Eide winning both the Northern Riders Championship qualifier in July, and the late-season Autumn Classic.  Dukes skipper Eric Boocock was triumphant again in the World Championship qualifying round, whilst World Champion Ole Olsen won the Dews Trophy in June.  The other individual event, the Shaytona, was staged to showcase the top Division 2 stars, whilst the Dukes were in away action at Coventry, and Crewe rider John Jackson put himself on the Halifax radar with an impressive win against a quality field.  Details of individual heat results and scores can be found on the respective archive pages for 1972.

The Juniors/Second-Half Riders:  

During 1972, the following riders took part in various junior and second half races at The Shay - many thanks to:

John Lynch, Mick Fairburn, Brian Loakes, Dave Kitchen, Ken Ransley, Geoff Willis, E Dillon, Mick Newton, Steve Masters, J Robinson, Dave Parkin, Alan Davison, John Jackson, Dave Morton, Carl Glover, Frank Auffret, Dave Gatenby and the returned to action Dennis Gavros!

Golden Helmet Match-Race Championship:

During the 1972 season, Dukes riders were involved in the match-races on only four occasions, with Dave Younghusband being the only successful challenger.  But Younghusband lost the title at the first defence, and a further attempt in May was also unsuccessful.  Details of the various races are as follows: