Heat bt Heat Results - June 1972

World Champion Ole Olsen took the Dews Trophy for a second time with an impeccable 15 point maximum.  The great Dane secured victory after a hard-fought tussle with home-star Boocock, who could still have taken the trophy or at least forced a run-off.  As it was, the run-off was for second place, with Younghusband, which Boocock won, as the rain which had started to fall mid-meeting got worse.  The remaining Dukes, Jay, Roper and Kentwell all struggled in a class field.

The Dukes faced Poole without Eric Boocock, suffering from a broken bone in his foot, from his midweek crash at Poole.  Guest Ray Wilson scored a vital 6 points, including two team-riding efforts with Kentwell, and a crucial heat 13 victory to win the match.  Stand-in skipper Younghusband rose to the challenge with a maximum, but the Dukes middle order once again failed to score significant points, as the Pirates overturned a 10 point deficit to force a last-heat decider.  For the visitors, Langfield, Smith and Middleton showed a liking for the heavy track, recording 6 heat wins as the Pirates nearly pulled off a shock win.

Broken bone or not, Eric Boocock returned from injury with a bang, scoring a 15 point maximum at Owlerton.  But the Dukes were still well beaten by Sheffield, whose all-round scoring comfortably saw off the visitors.  Mike Hiftle battled hard for his six points, but Roper, Kentwell and Younghusband were not on the pace.  Alan Jay came good in the last few races with a valuable 5 points, but the Dukes were already out of contention by that point.

John Titman proved the unlikely hero for the Dukes, as they overcame Wimbledon by 10 points.  Forced into heat one when Dave Younghusband was excluded, Titman made the start and powered away from Ronnie Moore to set the Dukes on their way.  Boocock, still hampered by his injured foot, was beaten only once, by the resurgent Moore, but Tommy Roper again was hampered all night by mechanical problems.  Moore and the impressive new Swede Tommy Jansson kept the Dons fighting, but Halifax just had too much overall.

Halifax were dumped out of the Cup on a disastrous night at Poole.  Tommy Roper failed to arrive, it was later reported he set off too late having been working to get some machinery he could use.  Halifax slipped 14 points behind after only 5 heats, when the final blow was landed.  Dave Younghusband was sent crashing after a clash with Christer Lofqvist, and was taken to hospital with a leg injury.  With Boocock still struggling with his own injury, Halifax failed to provide a heat winner until Alan Jay crossed the line in heat 10, with the tie already over.

In the afternath of the Poole defeat and the loss of Younghusband, the Dukes slipped to their first home defeat of the season, losing in the final heat to Wolverhampton.  Tommy Roper sensationally defeated Ole Olsen on the track spare bike in heat 5, as the Dukes hit the front, but failed to score another point as his mechanical nightmares continued.  Wolves pulled level after Olsen saw team-mate Erskine home in heat 11 - his only points of the night.  Olsen and guest Paulson made sure in the final race as Roper again failed to get any speed out of his machine.