1980 Miscellany

Four-Team Tournaments:

In addition to normal team v team encounters, the Dukes were involved in a large number of 4TTs during 1980 - partly due to their participation in the Inter-League 4TT, from which they qualified for Finals day, but also due to the large number of open dates in many teams calendars. Details of individual meetings and race results can be found in the Archive pages for 1980, but below are the details of the 4TTs Halifax were involved in during 1980.

The Frank Varey Northern Trophy:

The curtain-raiser for the new season, the Northern Trophy was competed on a league basis between the four Northern British League sides - The Dukes, Belle Vue, Hull and Sheffield. The Dukes won 5 of their 6 fixtures to lift the trophy. Details of individual meetings and race results can be found in the Archive pages for 1980, but the final league table for the 1980 Northern Trophy is below.

Other Meetings During 1980:

In addition to normal meetings, the following events took place at The Shay during 1980:

27/4/1980 - World Championship British Quarter Final. Ipswich's Mike Lanham was in a class of his own, as he eased to a 15-point maximum, to head the qualifiers for the British Semi Finals. There ws no local interest, although Paul Sheard and Kenny Young were called upon to fill in after Dave Perks withdrew during the meeting. Details of the heats and scores are detailed below.

Other Individual Meetings - during the season, Halifax staged a further three individual meetings. The 1980 Dews Trophy (28th June, Meeting 15), the Northern Riders Knockout Trophy (12th July, Meeting 17) and the Autumn Classic (19th October, Meeting 31). Despite quality fields, all 3 were won by Kenny Carter. Details of individual scores and race results can be found in the Archive pages for 1980.

National League Pairs Championship:

The Shay held the prestigious National League even on Saturday 19th July (Meeting 18) whilst the Dukes were in action at Coventry. After 24 heats, involving 16 pairs of riders, and then 2 semi finals and a grand final, Mark Courtney and Steve Wilcock of Middlesbrough were crowned champions, beating Guglielmi and Hollingworth of Boston in the final race.

The Juniors/Second-Half Riders: During 1980, the following riders took part in various junior matches for the Dukes and second half outings - those who rode for the main team are not included in this list, but will have their own biography in the riders archive - many thanks to:

Lyndon Hayes, G Webber, Geoff Wilson, G Joynt, Harry Pol, Ronnie Kroeze, David Mitchell, R Williamson, R Saunders, S Smith, R Congreve, Adrian Dews, Norman Chitryn, K Stephenson and Wally Hill.