Heat by Heat Results - March 1976

The 1976 season kicked off for the Dukes in the unlikely location of Ellesmere Port, as they accepted an invitation to send a team for a 4-Team Tournament.  Chris Pusey, Charlie Monk and Steve Finch, using his track knowledge, all brushed off the cobwebs, whilst a strong Belle Vue quartet won the meeting.  Former Dukes number 8 John Jackson had a good meeting for the hosts, who just pipped the Dukes to second place, with a weakened Sheffield not offering much competition.

Halifax kicked off their 1976 home campaign with a 2 point victory over Hull in the Northern Trophy, but the victory came at a cost.  With the meeting less that a lap old, Vikings guest Morton lost control and took Ian Cartwright into the fence.  The remaining Dukes rallied round with Monk and Kroeze looking the part, and with Chris Pusey finally scoring a paid maximum - after failing to get one the previous season.  Steve Finch battled hard for his points, but new signing Olkiewicz struggled throughout, his only point coming at the expense of the Viking's own new Polish import.

The already injury-hit Dukes went down meekly at Sheffield, with only Henny Kroeze giving a good account of himself.  Pusey and Plant both had engine problems, with the latter suffering a nasty fall in heat 4.  New signing Lohmann, Olkiewicz, Mick Newton and Steve Finch all failed to make an impact, as the Dukes looked very bottom heavy.  On the other hand, Sheffield looked very powerful, with Wyer, Haley and former Halifax second-halfer Glover all unbeaten, and with Reg Wilson dropping a solitary point to Pusey in the opener.

With the season only days old, the Dukes kicked off their Knock-out Cup campaign, against the previous year's runners-up Leicester.  The Lions knocked the Dukes out in the semi finals 6 months earlier, and a repeat looked on the cards as they held the Dukes to a meagre 4 point lead.  Henny Kroeze took advantage of the new rider replacement rule to take 7 outings, and scored a staggering paid 19 points - the highest ever by a Duke.  Pusey was denied a full maximum when his bike packed up in the penultimate race, but the rest of the Dukes failed to get going, although Olkiewicz got in the points, his partnership with Lohmann looking promising.

Halifax saw out the first month of the season with a hard-fought draw at Hull in the Northern Trophy.  Again, the efforts of Kroeze and Pusey went a long way to the result, although Andy Cusworth staked his claim for a regular team place with 9 points from the reserve berth.  Graham Plant blew his machinery before his opening race and took no part in the meeting, whilst Olkiewicz took a heavy fall in his second outing and didn't continue.  It was down to Pusey to seal the draw, having to ride heat 13 alone, with no reserve available.