Heat by Heat Results - April 1975

A first away fixture, and a first win on the road in 1975, as Halifax hung on to defeat the Vikings.  Solid scoring throughout eased the Dukes into a 6 point lead early on, although that was soon reduced when Hiftle was excluded for bringing McMillan down, and Plant then fell in the re-run.  But with Pusey looking the intended number one the Dukes had signed, and a valuable contribution from Dave Gatenby, in for the injured Kroeze, Halifax pulled away again, with Plant sealing the win in heat 12.  Hull, boosted by the inclusion of top Swede Johansson, reduced the arrears in the final race, with the match already over.

Halifax's first home league opponents were defending champions Exeter, but the Dukes sent out a message with a solid 8 point win.  The Falcons were heavily dependent on Mauger, but Monk, Plant and France did what they needed to do, as Halifax overcame an early deficit to pull away.  Kroeze was back from injury and managed a heat win, whilst Chris Pusey put in the ultimate team performance, backing his partner in every race.  France and Monk secured the win in heat 12 over the impressive Autrey, before Mauger completed his maximum in the last race.

Halifax fell to defeat in the Northern Trophy at Sheffield, with a lack of race winners their undoing.  France, Pusey and Plant managed only 3 between them, with two of those coming as tactical substitute rides.  With Kroeze still nursing his ankle, the Dukes gave a debut to youngster Steve Finch, but with Hiftle and Cartwright struggling, the top four Dukes had too much to do.  Reg Wilson was unbeaten for the Tigers, with Doug Wyer only beaten by Pusey in heat 11.

Swedish star Tommy Jansson racked up a superb 17 points, but was powerless to stop his Dons side falling to defeat.  Graham Plant defeated the Swede in a thrilling heat 9 to end Jansson's maximum hopes, and Plant duly completed his own maximum in the final race.  Dave Gatenby stepped in for the unavailable Cartwright, and took his chance well with paid 10 points, pushing Barry Briggs close in heat 8.  France and Pusey weighed in with valuable points, with Pusey being unlucky to not add to his total, breaking down whilst chasing the magnificent Jansson in heat 7.

The Dukes chalked up another home win, this time coming from behind to eventually get the better of Oxford.  The top four Dukes were now fully functioning, with France and Pusey impressive with 11 points each, and Monk and Plant adding a further 7 each.  Henny Kroeze was starting to look more like himself, whilst the returning Cartwright won the reserve race.  Oxford were indebted to guest Reg Wilson, but otherwise they had little to sustain their challenge to the end.

Halifax completed their Northern Trophy fixtures with a heavy defeat in Manchester, as the Aces took the trophy.  Mike Hiftle was dropped after his recent poor run, but replacement Gatenby broke down on the way and failed to arrive.  The Dukes looked competitive early on, as France and Cartwright won the first two races, and they held the Aces to a 6 point lead when the returning Pusey won heat 6 on his old track.  But then it fell apart, with a 3-3 for France and Monk in heat 11 being as good as they could manage for the rest of the match.  Predictably, Collins was unbeaten, as were Wilkinson and Morton as the Aces proved dominant.

Halifax got the Aces defeat out of their system with a solid victory over a Phil Crump-inspired Newport. Crump, and fellow-Aussie Herne were the only resistance, as France and Pusey hit double figures, only defeated by Crump.  Gatenby and Cartwright impressed from the reserve berths, with only Kroeze failing to get in the points.  The margin of victory would have been higher, but for Charlie Monk having mechanical issues, stopping from second place in heat 3 and being down on power in his next outing.

The Dukes made the long trip to Sussex for a Sunday afternoon potential banana skin against Eastbourne in the Inter-League Cup.  But in a display described by Eric Boothroyd as "totally professional," Halifax ruthlessly swept their lower-league rivals away, with Ian Cartwright having his break-out performance.  Chris Pusey was unbeaten, whilst only Dave Gatenby failed to get in the points after a second race fall.  The Eagles kept the scores close early on, but the Dukes took complete charge in the latter stages to kill off any chances of a shock.