Heat by Heat Results - July 1982

The Dukes opened July with a home victory over the Poole Pirates. Local junior Rob Tate made his debut at reserve, in place of the injured Janke. Poole took an early lead, but Halifax pulled away in the last 6 races to give the score a comfortable look. Carter took another maximum, but was forced to work hard, passing Davis on the run to the line in heat 12 in one of the races of the year. Louis and Wyer both looked sharp, whilst Baker and Cartwright also contributed well. Davis and Autrey were the only heat winners for the Pirates

Halifax travelled to Hyde Road for the first leg of the Cup quarter final, and must have been pleased to contain the Aces to a 10 point lead. Although the Aces heat-leader trio of Morton, Collins and Ross all scored heavily, the Dukes largely nullified the rest of the hosts riders, to give themselves a chance in the second leg. The Dukes actually held an early advantage through a Carter/Baker 5-1 and Dixon won heat 2 to keep the momentum going. Belle Vue moved in front with 3 heat advantages in the middle of the match, but clever tactical substitutions and reserve outings for Dixon kept the Dukes in contention.

Despite the optimism following the first leg the previous night, Halifax were unable to claw back any points on a frustrating night, and went out of the Cup to the Aces. The Dukes simply failed to get enough heat advantages to put the Aces under pressure, and too many third places cost them dear. Carter went through the card, but although Wyer won his first 2 races, there was little else to cheer. Baker and Ashton gave brief hope in heat 8, but the Aces immediately cancelled that out the next race. A Louis/Cartwright 4-2 in the final race gave Halifax a win on the night, but Larry Ross' win in heat 11 had ended the tie on aggregate.

The hangover from the Cup exit spilled into the following weekend, as the Dukes went down feebly at Coventry. Although Carter recovered well after a sluggish start, and Louis scored well early on, the Dukes failed to provide a single heat advantage, as the Bees, boosted by the return of Mitch Shirra won with plenty to spare. Olsen's 12 point maximum was the first by a Bees rider all season, but the home side had now gone 8 matches without defeat, pushing them into the title race with Cradley Heath and Belle Vue. Steve Baker looked out of sorts after a first race fall, and Cartwright looked well off the pace, perhaps with his mind on the events coming up the following day...

The stars and the crowd turned out on a warm, sunny afternoon to pay tribute to Ian Cartwright for 10 years valuable service. Some of the scheduled riders, including Americans Moran and Cook withdrew from the meeting following the fatal accident involving Reading's Denny Pyeatt the previous weekend, but a good spectacle was provided by those who did attend. Special mention was given by the Dukes management to Bo Petersen and Kevin Smith who both travelled from the south coast to attend, and both Petersen and Sigalos entertained the crowd pulling wheelies all afternoon!

The Dukes travelled to Sheffield for the first leg of the Yorkshire Cup minus Carter who was away at the Intercontinental Final in Sweden. With the Tigers' Moran also there as reserve, each team promoted a junior, so local lad Barry Shearer got an outing for the Dukes at reserve - although Rob Tate was also needed to cover the injured Janke. The meeting was marred by a nasty heat 10 crash involving all 4 riders, with Cartwright receiving a leg injury, and being (wrongly) excluded. Neither Cartwright nor Ashton were able to ride again. The difference between the sides was Dave Morton, who romped to a 15 point maximum.

Both the Dukes and the Robins promoted juniors to cover for injured heat leaders (Cartwright and Holloway) so Rob Tate partnered Martin Dixon at reserve for Halifax. The Dukes came up short in a close-fought last-heat decider, and actually led for half the meeting. A 5-1 from Crump and Yeates in heat 9 over Dixon and Louis proved the difference in the end. Carter dropped his only point to Crump in heat 5, but gained his revenge in the last heat, however Baker could not join his team-mate to force a draw. Martin Dixon was good value for his paid 7 points, and John Louis had 2 good race wins.

Promoter Eric Boothroyd expressed his extreme frustration at the bulk of the team after the Dukes slumped to defeat at home to Swindon. The result was largely of the Dukes' own design. Already using rider replacement for Cartwright, Halifax lost Ashton when he hit the fence in heat 3. In the re-run, Baker suffered engine failure whilst leading and was eventually lapped. The 5-0 gave the Robins a lead they kept throughout, despite the heroics of Carter, who for the second match in a row, dropped his only point to Phil Crump. John Louis scored well early on, but faded badly as the meeting wore on.

The Dukes miserable run of defeats ended with a 6 point victory over Sheffield, although the Yorkshire Cup was lost on aggregate. Carter was in ominous form, with the World Final only 5 weeks away, and eased to a maximum, and Wyer and Louis provided good support. At reserve, Dixon was good value for his 8 points, but with 11 of the 13 heats shared, the Dukes never looked like clawing back the deficit. Baker was lucky to escape with concussion and a bruised back after a first bend crash in heat 10.