Heat by Heat Results - April 1977

Halifax finally fielded a full 1-7 for the first time in 1977, but inexplicably managed to lose at home to Wolverhampton.  The Dukes were unhappy with the tactics of Finn Thomsen at the start line, who duped Plant into breaking the tapes in heat 4, and then delayed the start in heat 6, with Kroeze pulling back from the start and being excluded under the 2 minute rule.  Chris Pusey finally arrived back in the country but faded late in the match.  Thomsen had good support from McMillan, Hollingworth and young Dane Hans Nielsen.

If the defeat by Wolverhampton didn't set the alarm bells ringing, a 27 point defeat at Cradley certainly should have.  Henny Kroeze top scored with 8 points, eventually getting going after a slow start, but was excluded after the end of the final race after losing his silencer.  Chris Pusey was still off the pace, and Lohmann and Cartwright were also ineffective, as the returning Persson scored an 18 point maximum for the re-named Heathens.  

A Good Friday night to forget.  The Dukes recorded their worst ever result to date, with a complete capitulation at Swindon.  Ian Cartwright, Henny Kroeze and Mike Lohmann spared the blushes of the unthinkable 65 point total with Cartwright's second place in heat 7 and Kroeze and Lohmann combining for a 3-3 in heat 8 - otherwise it was the Robins all the way, with ten 5-1s and a 5-0 in heat 5 when neither Kroeze or Godal managed to finish the race.  All the Swindon top five were unbeaten.  Promoter Eric Boothroyd publicly said afterwards that it was just "one of those nights" but behind the scenes there must have been some serious thoughts about how to move on from this...

After the events of the previous night, a 4 point home loss to Sheffield might have been seen as an improvement, but in reality, the 1977 Dukes once again were not at the races, unable to cope with the triple threat of Wilson, Wyer and Pendlebury.  Mike Lohmann and Chris Pusey had a limited effect at getting Halifax back to winning ways, but Kroeze was still having issues with machinery, and neither Plant nor Cartwright looked like winning a race.  Geoff Pusey had a tumble in the second half at Swindon the night before, and was clearly struggling.

The Dukes' Easter of woe continued with another home defeat to the Aces.  Henny Kroeze was back in Holland for a pre-arranged domestic fixture, and the Dukes had no guest facility available.  Halifax managed to win only 3 heats all night, as Collins, Morton and Wilkinson showed their class.  Godal and Geoff Pusey were not competitive, and Cartwright was again only picking up the minor places.  Like the Sheffield match 48 hours earlier, the tie slipped away in the last 8 races, after a close start.

The management had serious words with the team after the Easter problems, and the Dukes responded with a thumping of an-admittedly weak Birmingham, for whom Ray Wilson posed the only threat.  Tom Godal was absent for a World Championship round, but the returning Kroeze finally banished the gremlins, dropping just one point to Wilson, and both Plant and Pusey scored full maximums as the three heat leaders won 10 of the 13 races.  

The Dukes went down to another heavy defeat on the road, as the Pirates, led by World number 2 and British Champion Simmons, dominated, with an exclusion for Broadbelt in heat 4 the only issue they had all night.  It was down to Henny Kroeze to save the Dukes from another "Swindon" as the returning Geoff Pusey and Godal failed to score, with Cartwright, Lohmann and Plant also not troubling the Pirates.  Chris Pusey managed a couple of second places, but again struggled to compete.

Halifax chalked up what would turn out to be their biggest win of the season against Hackney as their Jekyll and Hyde form continued.  Kroeze, Plant and Pusey all took maximums, as the difference between home and away form showed again, whilst Lohmann was also unbeaten from three rides, and Cartwright finally managed a heat win.  The Hawks were missing their Polish star Plech, and it is likely the margin of victory was enhanced by his absence, and also through an off-night for Dave Morton, who failed to win a race.

Another away meeting - another feeble performance from the Dukes, as the Aces swept to victory.  Both Peter Collins and Alan Wilkinson were unbeaten, with the latter forming a formidable pairing with Collins' younger brother Les.  Chris Pusey and Mike Lohmann were the pick of the Dukes, whilst Kroeze broke the tapes in heat 4 and lost his silencer (again) in heat 6.  Godal, Plant, Cartwright and Geoff Pusey contributed a mere 3 points between them as Halifax fell apart to superior opposition again.

Halifax lost in East London in a curtailed fixture, with the rain pouring down.  Ian Cartwright lost control in the conditions and was excluded for bringing down Dave Morton in heat 10, and when Barry Thomas slid off two heats later, the referee called a halt, with the result already confirmed.  Mike Lohmann was the only Duke who didn't seem to mind the conditions, whilst Pusey, Plant and Kroeze all managed a heat win each.

Halifax saw out a dreadful April with a morale-boosting win over league champions Ipswich.  With Henny Kroeze on World Championship duty, the remaining top order Dukes took advantage of an extra outing, with Plant, Pusey, Lohmann and Cartwright all in the points.  Halifax jumped into an early 10 point lead, as they took advantage of Louis and Sanders-less heats, and with nobody to support the Witches top two, the Dukes could hang on for the win.  Sanders was excluded for losing his silencer in heat 10, otherwise the margin of victory may well have been closer.