Heat by Heat Results - July 1976

Halifax moved into the second half of the season with a hard-fought win over Coventry, now led by World Champion Ole Olsen.  The Dane was denied his usual Shay maximum when sensationally beaten by Plant in heat 11, although Olsen would deny Plant his own maximum two races later.  Chris Pusey was also in the points, and there was another improved performance at reserve from Lohmann.  A Dukes rider was involved in a dead-heat for the second time in a few weeks when Monk and Smith could not be separated in heat 3.

After the recent controversy at the Shay in the draw with Exeter, the Dukes travelled to Devon looking to settle a score - but were denied in a last-heat decider.  Hopes were high when Cartwright and Lohmann took the Dukes into a 2 point lead after heat 8, but the Falcons hit back immediately to edge into the lead, and the gap remained until the final heat.  Pusey and Monk needed a heat advantage, but Autrey and ex-Duke Titman took a 4-2 to deny Halifax a sense of justice.

Graham Plant won his second individual meeting of the season at the Shay, as he dominated the first staging of the Grand Prix to take the 10 points on offer.  But it was Ian Cartwright who made people take notice, scoring an impressive 12 points to take second place, with track specialist Dave Morton ending up in third.  Henny Kroeze scored an entertaining 9 points, but some of the Dukes were maybe not taking the competition too seriously.

The Dukes, without Plant, were convincingly beaten at Coventry, for whom Ole Olsen was unbeaten.  The match was effectively over after 6 races, as Halifax fell 16 points behind, and it took a mid-meeting revival led by Chris Pusey to keep the score respectable.  Henny Kroeze was inconsistent, with a tapes exclusion not helping his cause, whilst Ian Cartwright faded after a bright start.  With Cusworth and Finch at the National League Fours final at King's Lynn, the Dukes called upon Bees second-halfer Pete Adams to fill in.

Halifax moved onto Norfolk following their defeat at Coventry, and went down by 8 points after threatening a shock win.  With Pusey and Kroeze racking up the points, the Dukes led by 8 points after 7 races, but then the Stars started to claw their way back.  Three successive heat advantages took the hosts back into the lead, and Terry Betts and Michael Lee made sure in the final 2 races.  Andy Cusworth rode at Saddlebow Road for the second time in 24 hours, after helping Newcastle win the NL Fours there the night before.

Halifax got back to winning ways with a 12 point victory over the Pirates, for whom new British Champion Simmons scored a storming 16 points.  But it was Ian Cartwright who stole the show, scoring a career best paid 14 from 6 rides.  Pusey and Kroeze both scored double figures as the Dukes spent most of the match defending a 10 point advantage.  Only Charlie Monk failed to get in the points, with Lohmann and Cusworth showing good form.

The Dukes lost at home to league new-comers White City, the defeat due to an appalling start as they fell 10 points behind.  To their credit, the match still went down to the last race, but the Rebels hung on.  The fixture was memorable for the personal milestone for Henny Kroeze, who scored an unbelievable 20 points, including 6 straight heat wins - the highest score ever by an individual Duke - but that record would only stand for a few weeks...  Monk, Finch and Cusworth could only manage three points between them, and that proved the difference, with Lohmann being absent for the Danish Championship.