Heat by Heat Results - May 1977

The new averages saw the Dukes start May with a change in the riding order, as Godal dropped to reserve, freed from his assessed 6 point average - but he failed to score.  Halifax otherwise had control, with the Vikings proving below-par compared to previous recent visits.  Plant, Kroeze and Pusey were all unbeaten, whilst both Lohmann and Cartwright had a win in their 6 point hauls.  Ex-Duke Drury took the Vikings' only heat win in heat 2 as Hull faded badly from thereon.

The Dukes went down by 18 points at Exeter, but despite the score, this was an improved performance, with Halifax hanging on early in the proceedings, and a late flourish from the Falcons making the score look more impressive.  Henny Kroeze led the way with a 12 point haul which included two wins, whilst Lohmann and Cartwright had their moments.  Lohmann and Plant had got the Dukes off to the best start, when Titman was excluded in the first race, but once again, Plant faded on an away track.  Chris Pusey was also not competitive as the Dukes away day blues continued.

The Inter-League Cup intrigue was to see if any of the National League teams could shock their more illustrious opponents.  It had happened a couple of times in the previous 2 seasons, and Halifax went close to being another National League victim, as they edged home at Coatbridge in the final race.  Ian Cartwright was the hero, winning the vital heat 13, with joint top scorer Plant grabbing the all-important third.  But the Dukes lost Mike Lohmann to a broken collar bone in a heat 1 crash, and his absence made things a lot harder.  The Halifax management were impressed by Aussies McKeon and Janke for the Tigers, and made immediate moves to sign McKeon on loan for the rest of the season...

After a season without any World Championship action, the Shay staged one of the 4 British quarter finals, won in style by home skipper Chris Pusey, who edged Doug Wyer by a point.  With only 8 riders going forward to the semi finals, any slip up could prove costly, and so it proved for Graham Plant - an engine failure whilst third in heat 13 put him in a run-off for the final spot with ex-Duke John Jackson, and the National League star sensationally beat Plant to claim his place in the semi finals.  Subsequent injuries would see both Plant and Steve Finch get a temporary reprieve however...

A gutsy performance from Chris Pusey saw the Dukes go down to a creditable 10 point loss at champions Ipswich.  Halifax kept the tie level for the first five races, but the Witches broke the match open with successive heat advantages in heats 6 and 7, and with the Dukes unable to get to the flag first, they were unable to claw the gap back.  Pusey and Cartwright's 4-2 in the final race came too late, whilst Mick McKeon had a promising debut at reserve.

Halifax defeated a poor Leicester side, with Ian Cartwright having a career-best performance, with 4 wins in his 13 points.  With Plant and Pusey also showing more liking for their home surroundings, and with reserves McKeon and Finch also in the points, the result was never in doubt, although Godal continued to find points hard to come by.  Henny Kroeze was riding in a World Team Cup qualifier for Holland in Germany, but the Dukes didn't miss their star man on this occasion...

Other than the Dukes' woeful form for much of the season, the other oddity of 1977 was the charge to the league title by unfancied White City.  The Rebels thrashed the Dukes to stay top of the league, with the Dukes management the latest to complain about the use of rider replacement for Dag Lovaas - who never set foot in the UK all season, having refused to return to ride for the Rebels.  The extra rides afforded to Gordon Kennett particularly proved crucial on numerous occasions.  Here, however, the Dukes were probably authors of their own downfall, with only Pusey and Cartwright remotely competitive, and with Plant having another mechanical nightmare.

With a blank Saturday night in the calendar, a combined Halifax/Sheffield "Yorkshire" side defeated a depleted London Select in a meaningless challenge match. Reg Wilson and Graham Plant went unbeaten, with Cartwright dropping his only point to London's sole threat Kennett.  The London team was not helped by Tony Davey's non-arrival, and Mitch Graham, pencilled in to replace Barry Thomas, blew his engine in the pits before-hand, and packed up.  The Dukes management got the opportunity to view Merv Janke around the Shay for the first time.

Drawn against Reading in the first round of the Cup, the Dukes gave themselves little chance of progressing as they fell to defeat at Smallmead on Spring Bank Holiday Monday.  With Kroeze away in the Continental Semi-FInal, and with Plant and Lohmann on the injured list, the Dukes were short-handed, and had to enlist the services of Weymouth pair Geoff Swindells and Sean Willmott.  Chris Pusey scored a battling 14 points, but with no heat-leader support, the outcome was inevitable.