Heat by Heat Results - September 1973

Halifax's unbeaten home record was left in tatters as the Poole Pirates shocked the Dukes with a well-deserved victory.  Halifax welcomed back Les Sharpe after his crash the previous week, and he impressed with a gutsy 9 points, as he formed a powerful reserve pairing with the equally impressive Gatenby.  But the usually dependable trio of Andrew, Titman and Monk were off the pace, and despite the efforts of guest John Louis, the Pirates deservedly took the win, with successive 5-1s involving Woryna in heats 9 and 10 proving crucial.

The Dukes got a quick chance for revenge over the Pirates, but were well beaten in Dorset.  Guest Bob Valentine was good value for 9 points, although he fell in the final race, and Sharpe and Monk also contributed vital points, but the Dukes offered little else, with Gatenby struggling and Gravningen again failing to score.  Halifax had no answer to Lofqvist and Smith who both eased to maximums, with Fossengen dropping his only point to Valentine in heat 5.  The meeting was the first half of a double-header for Poole, with the Pirates going on to defeat Cradley 42-36 following the defeat of the Dukes. 

Halifax finally completed the Northern Trophy fixtures in early September.  They needed a huge margin of victory to deny Sheffield and Belle Vue, but ultimately couldn't get the win, as Sheffield took the meeting and the Trophy.  Bill Andrew seemed back to his usual form, but without guest Bobby Beaton, the margin of defeat would have been significantly greater, as Sharpe and Titman were both affected by mechanical problems - and Gravningen failed to beat an opponent again.

The Dukes' end of season slump continued as they were embarrassed by a rampant Lions side.  Only three of the Halifax team troubled the scorers, with Titman, Sharpe and guest Malcolm Simmons scoring all 29 points, with Andrew and Monk worryingly uncompetitive.  Mike Hiftle replaced the axed Gravningen, but the jury was out as to whether he was fully fit as he fell first time out and failed to make any impression.

Another defeat on the road, this time at Oxford, saw the Dukes down to 9th in the table. Guest Terry Betts did his best to keep the Dukes respectable, but once again others went missing.  Sharpe was absent ill, and Halifax called up Eastbourne's Paul Gachet as a later replacement, but he was clearly not going to make any difference to the outcome.  Hiftle's continued recovery from injury again left him struggling, and mechanical issues in his last outing didn't help.  The only bright spot of the night was a rare 5-0 for Betts and Monk in heat 11, after both home riders crashed.  But the defeat officially ended the Dukes title hopes.

The Shay staged the second and final Test Match between England and Scotland, with the hosts securing a win to level the series after the Scots won at Coatbridge earlier in the week.  The Dukes' Mike Hiftle was included in the England side, and didn't let the Lions down with a fighting 5 points.  Charlie Monk (as honourary Scot) fared less better, running 4 last places.  Belle Vue duo Collins and Wilkinson were the standout performers, with Sheffield's Reg Wilson, in as a late replacement for Dave Jessup, also having a good night.

The late-season gloom was lifted briefly with another rare away win at Coatbridge.  Mike Hiftle was the star of the meeting, with a season-best 9 points, and forming a useful pairing with former Belle Vue team-mate Wilkinson, guesting for the injured Boocock.  Sharpe, Titman and Monk all chipped in with vital heat wins, as the Dukes scored 5-1s in the first 2 heats, and never looked like letting the Tigers back in.  Sharpe and Titman secured the victory in heat 12, making the 5-1 reverse in the final race acdemic.

Sheffield arrived at The Shay knowing they simply had to win to keep their title challenge alive, and did so in the most dramatic fashion.  The Dukes looked to be ending their challenge early on as they forged into a 6 point lead, but things started to unravel in heat 5 after Monk was excluded for unfair riding, and Titman broke down.  A lack of heat winners cost the Dukes, as Valentine, Haley and Wyer clawed Sheffield into a winning position.  However, Monk and guest Ray Wilson edged the Dukes in front with a race remaining to leave Sheffield on the brink.  But Titman broke the tapes in the decider, and Andrew and Sharpe were powerless to stop Valentine and Reg Wilson from stealing the win.