Heat by Heat Results - August 1976

Halifax went down by 10 points in a gripping encounter at Leicester, who had 3 maximum men, but little else.  With Eide, Teromaa and Lomas all unbeaten, the Dukes had to feed on scraps, with Cartwright and Kroeze picking up their lone victories.  Charlie Monk's form was now starting to cause some concern, as he failed to make much of a contribution again, whilst a late flurry from the Lions made the win seem more comfortable than it was.  Sheffield's Reg Wilson guested for injured namesake Ray for the Lions, but played a largely supporting role.

The Dukes managed to get home by the narrowest of margins in a comeback victory over the Vikings.  Hull were inspired by a rare appearance from their star signing Egon Muller, who threatened to take the tie away from Halifax, as the Vikins led after 8 races.  But with Kroeze and Cartwright having their own scoring flurry, and a captain's performance from Pusey, Halifax got back on terms, before Kroeze and Cartwright's 5-1 in heat 12 eased the nerves.  Pusey took the all important second behind Muller in the final race to ensure victory.

Halifax eventually overcame spirited resistance from the Robins, coming good in the second half od the meeting.  Henny Kroeze was switched to the number one position, and responded with 14 points, beaten only by Bob Kilby.  Chris Pusey scored 4 wins, but fell chasing Ashby and Hunter in heat 5, whilst Ian Cartwright continued his recent rich vein of form.  Charlie Monk' troubles continued, failing to get to the start in heat one, and breaking the tapes in heat 10, but he teamed up with Cartwright to win heat 8.  

On a night that will long live in the memory of those who were there, Henny Kroeze became a speedway legend, by becoming the first rider in British League history to score a 21 point maximum.  That the opposition from Birmingham were of little threat was of no consequence, as the Dukes faithful realised what was about to happen.  Kroeze completed his 6 ride maximum in heat 12, but then came to the tapes again for the final race, as Dennis Gavros took full advantage of the change in rider replacement rules.  Kroeze's feat completely overshadowed the result, or the fact that Chris Pusey also got a maximum of his own.  Old foes Sjosten and Valentine tried their hardest for the Brummies, but Kroeze was the hero of the night.

Yet another last heat decider went against the Dukes, as they went down by 4 points at Cradley.  Kroeze and Pusey carried on from the weekend by scoring 28 of the Dukes points, and any level of decent support would have seen them take the victory.  But with Charlie Monk citing a back strain for his absence, and Cartwright having an off night, the Dukes had no strength in depth, forced to draft in Stoke's Gerry Hintz at short notice.  Cradley guest Michael Lee underlined his growing reputation with a 12 point maximum.

The Dukes defeated Sheffield in a thriller, despite World Finalist Doug Wyer's maximum.  Halifax were once again thankful for high scores from Pusey and Kroeze, and welcomed back Charlie Monk who registered his best score for some time.  Mike Lohmann and Ian Cartwright renewed their profitable pairing at reserve, but Andy Cusworth struggled, later revealing a knee strain incurred earlier in the summer as a cause of his restricted scoring. Wyer warmed up for the World Final in style, and Reg Wilson backed him up well, but Pusey and Kroeze teamed up to secure the win in the final race.

The annual August Bank Holiday Monday challenge with Belle Vue went the way of the Dukes courtesy of a thrilling heat 13 from Henny Kroeze and Chris Pusey.  Kroeze, in the form of his life, had already beaten Peter Collins twice (Collins would become World Champion 6 days later) and made no mistake in the decider, with Pusey joining him to send the Shay crowd wild.  Special mention must also go to Ian Cartwright who scored a vital 11 points.  Charlie Monk withdrew after 2 races with his back strain, whilst the meeting was marred by heavy fall for Aces Russ Hodgson, who crashed heavily after the end of heat 8.