Heat by Heat Results - October 1981

With John Louis having his worst meeting of the season, it was Craig Pendlebury who stepped up to ensure a famous win for the Dukes against Coventry. With the two teams inseparable after 8 races, Pendlebury teamed up with Cartwright to edge the Dukes in front. With Halifax only 3 in front, Pendlebury then repeated the feat in heat 12 with Carter to secure the points. Carter was only beaten by Bees maximum man Knudsen, although Coventry's task was made harder by the non-arrival of Ole Olsen. For once, the Dukes reserve pairing outscored the visitors equivalent.

The Dukes held a 10 point first leg lead from June, but when John Louis failed to arrive, the chance of the Dukes being able to defend that lead looked difficult. Although Carter led from the front with a superb maximum, only Cartwright gave any sort of support, and the 10 points were gone after only 4 races. Although Halifax kept it at that score through several shared heats, a 5-1 from Shawn Moran, guesting for the injured Mauger, and Bobby Beaton took the Vikings into a lead they did not lose. In addition to the absence of Mauger, Sanders was also out with a season-ending broken arm, and his R/R rides netted the hosts 9 points!

Despite slipping behind early on, the Dukes had too much strength in depth for a Birmingham side heavily dependant on number one Hans Nielsen. An uncharacteristic last place for Carter in heat 1 allowed the Brummies an early lead, but Louis and Baker combined in heat 4 to put the Dukes in front, and they pushed on from there. Carter won his remaining races, and with Louis, Pendlebury and Cartwright all scoring 8 points, the result was never in doubt. Bottom 3 Pyszny, Baker and Wyer were also in the points, scoring 12 between them. Kai Niemi provided fleeting support for Nielsen for the visitors.

A hectic 24 hours continued with a Sunday afternoon trip for some of the Dukes to compete in the Ernie Park Memorial 4TT at Ellesmere Port. Halifax were a distant last, seemingly with their minds on the evening clash with Hackney. Cradley Heath predictably won the match, with their top 3 of Gundersen, Grahame and Collins doing enough to win the meeting on their own. Belle Vue's Louis Carr lowered the track record in heat 3, whilst for the Dukes, Louis and Cartwright registered a single win a piece. Too many third place finishes and only 3 heats better than that meant that Halifax were never in contention. All back to The Shay...

Fitting the re-arranged meeting with Hackney into the schedule proved the frustration of the season, with other fixtures and rider commitments thwarting various attempts. So, the second meeting of the weekend at The Shay, straight after the trip to Ellesmere Port finally got the match over and done. The previous season, the Dukes threw away a massive lead to lose in the last heat, but there was never a suggestion of a repeat here. A maximum from Carter helped the Dukes open up a lead which they held throughout. None of the other Dukes could score higher than 6 though, with Willmott and Petersen winning 5 races between them for the Hawks.

A massive crowd packed The Shay on a Sunday evening for the double header meeting with Swindon and Cradley Heath - plus Kenny Carter's Golden Helmet defence against World Champion Bruce Penhall. The newly crowned BLRC champion defeated Penhall to keep the helmet much to the delight of the fervent Halifax crowd. The encounter with Swindon was predictably somewhat less exciting - Carter and Pyszny got the 5-1 in heat 1 to set things going, and Halifax maintained a safe lead throughout, save for a heat 8 advantage for the Robins drawing them to within a point. But a 5-1 in heat 9 stretched the Dukes in front again. The second match against Cradley Heath followed a similar pattern, from the moment Penhall was relegated to second by Carter. Halifax eased into a 12 point lead after 6 races, and although clever tactical substitutions clawed the Heathens back into contention, the Dukes pulled away again with Cartwright and Pendlebury relegating Gundersen into 3rd in heat 9. Although the Dukes predictably faded at the end of a busy night, a last heat 5-1 for Grahame and Penhall made the score look closer than the match actually was.

The last away match of the season, and Doug Wyer found the form he had only rarely found through the season, rattling off 4 heat wins. The Dukes, however, could only rely on Wyer, Louis and Carter, with the rest offering little else. The Dukes remarkably kept in contention, with 4-2 wins in heats 12 and 13 stretching the scoreline and the result for the Hawks. Another frustrating night for both Pendlebury and Pyszny who failed to score between them in 5 outings.

Halifax ended the 1981 season, and their league campaign just as they started it - with a defeat. Their home record, with the defeat to Reading back in May being the only blemish, was tarnished by a defeat to the Aces. Two factors contributed to the defeat in both camps. Carter was away on a pre-arranged trip to America, and Pendlebury was also absent, so Guy Wilson and Rob Ashton stepped in. The visitors were buoyed by an unbeatable Chris Morton, and the returning Peter Collins who had missed the entire season. A 5-1 from that pair in heat 12 proved the difference. Special mention to Steve Baker who turned in his first double figure score of the season, to probably ensure his return for 1982.