Heat by Heat Results - July 1983

Champions-elect Cradley tore Halifax apart, in a completely one-sided match. Only Carter and Famari managed to beat a home rider all night, and in the case of Famari, that was two third places over National League loanee Stan Bear. Even Carter ran out of steam, suffering 5-1s to Wigg and King and then to Gundersen and Collins. With Wyer and Finch suffering mechanical issues, and Boocock and Dixon not in touch, the Dukes gave up nine 5-1s to the hosts. Whether Steve Baker, absent for his Under-21 semi final, would have made any difference, is doubtful.

Halifax predictably went weakly out of the Knockout Cup to Belle Vue. A 4 point lead from the first leg was wiped out as early as heat 2, and the Aces then consigned the Dukes to their second 34 point defeat in a week. With England having to compete in the Continental Final of the World Team Cup in Germany, Carter for the Dukes and Morton and Collins for the Aces were absent - but the home side didn't seem to notice. Only Dixon and Finch put up any resistance for the Dukes, in a match where the track record was equalled an incredible 4 times, before being broken by guest Shawn Moran in the last heat.

On a cold night in March, the Dukes surprised everyone by grabbing a win at Coventry. 4 months on, the tables were well and truly turned, as the Bees rolled Halifax over by 30 points. It took the Dukes until the final heat to register a heat winner, with Carter finally getting a win - but nobody else came close, as the Bees rattled off 11 heat victories. Carter took a tumble trying to round the impressive Bees guest Andy Grahame, and was forced into last place in heat 11 after being passed and then re-passed by reserve Rick Miller.

After recent away batterings, the Dukes restored a degree of pride with a narrow defeat at Hackney. Carter put his frustration at Coventry the previous weekend behind him with a perfect 15 points, and received excellent support from Martin Dixon. But with Baker absent for the European Under-21 final in Italy, the Dukes were always short. Boocock and Pendlebury failed to beat a home rider, and Finch faded after a first race win. Needing a heat advantage from heat 12 to keep in contention, Wyer suffered another engine failure, to put the match out of reach.

Not for the first time this season, the weather intervened in a home match against Cradley Heath. A 5-1 from Finch and Dixon in heat 3 had edged the Dukes into an early lead, despite Carter being beaten by Simon Wigg in heat 1. But with rain already falling at the start, proceedings were halted when the rain turned torrential as Gundersen crossed the line in heat 4. Although the riders waited for the weather to clear, the rain left the track waterlogged, and the referee had no option but to abandon the match.

A solid performance at The Shay saw the Dukes overcome a Swindon side who had won at Halifax in recent seasons. The Robins cause was certainly not helped by the non-arrival of guest Gary Guglielmi, booked in to replace the injured Bjorn Andersson, and Swindon had to track junior Dave Smart in his place. Steve Baker returned from his Under-21 success to a hero's welcome, and enjoyed a good night with 2 wins. Carter was beaten twice by Phil Crump, and the Australian was only denied a maximum by mechanical problems in heat 6. Worryingly for Halifax, Boocock was again struggling, only managing 1 point.