The 1984 Season

The year of the Miners Strike, "Frankie Say" T-Shirts, Band Aid and the Olympics being marred by a confrontation between the American favourite and a Brit in the L.A. Coliseum (sound familiar?)  A turbulent winter had seen the league boosted by the addition of Oxford, Wolverhampton, Exeter and Newcastle, to replace Hackney and Leicester in the top flight, boosting the British League to 17 teams.  But...best laid plans.  On the eve of the season, doubts arose as to whether Birmingham were still afloat, or even had a track - and the Dukes were due to meet the Brummies in their first match...

The team was built around the returning Kenny Carter, who, after initial rumours that he would be moving on, signed for another season.  Steve Baker, Doug Wyer and Steve Finch were all retained, and Cheshire-based Eric Monaghan signed for Halifax after being surplus to requirements at both Sheffield and King's Lynn.  Martin Dixon was sold to the Stars, after a disappointing 1983, leaving the Dukes 2 riders short.  Craig Pendlebury was earmarked to fill in, although in a limited capacity as he sought a National League berth.  And young Dane Kurt Hansen, who had been recommended to Halifax by former number 1 Mike Lohmann, looked likely to fill a reserve spot after some impressive rides at the end of 1983.  But the Dukes still needed something else.

Another change in the Dukes' line-up was the departure of team managed Dennis Gavros, to concentrate on business commitments.  Promoter Eric Boothroyd announced there would be no replacement - he would undertake the role.

Days before the first meeting, Birmingham withdrew from the league.  The Dukes re-arranged their first fixture to a challenge match against a select team, headed by new Oxford signing Hans Nielsen, and took advantage of the Brummies demise by signing 19 year old Neil Evitts on loan.  Not exactly the heat leader the fans were hoping for, but...

A promising first few challenge matches were tempered by the loss of Hansen - injured in the second half at Newcastle before he had ridden in a competitive race!  The injury would keep him out until June, and gave an extended run in the team for Pendlebury, who rode in all but 2 of the Dukes' League cup fixtures.  Evitts started well, top scoring in a narrow loss at Wolverhampton, but Carter was down on power and looking frustrated - not a single maximum in the first 10 matches, as the Dukes went to Cradley Heath on Saturday 21st April...

Carter gated well in heat 1, but overcooked the first bend, and fell to the track, into the path of team-mate Pendlebury, who had no chance to avoid him.  The result was the Dukes number 1 being stretchered from the track and on his way to hospital.  The Dukes lost the match heavily, and the news on Carter was bad - a broken right leg in 4 places, with early reports suggesting he was done for the season.  Two nights later, the Carter-less Dukes were thrashed at home by Belle Vue, and any slim chance of progression in the League Cup was gone.

Without Carter, the Dukes had to rely upon numerous guest riders, but with Carter's average near the 9 point mark after his poor start to the season, the top riders (Nielsen, Gundersen, Sigalos, Andersson etc) were out of reach.  They lost both legs of the Knock-out cup match with Sheffield, and were forced to continue their season in the hope that Carter might recover.  Remarkably, Carter took to the track in his World Championship bid - amazingly coming through a tough British Semi Final at Oxford, and then famously winning the British Final at Coventry!  But no Dukes comeback seemed likely.

The Dukes introduced Dane Erik Knudsen, on loan from Eastbourne, at the bottom end, but he failed to make an impression, and was released when Hansen was fit again.

In the league, the Dukes enjoyed a typical season - often winning, but never unbeatable around The Shay - they lost to Wolverhampton, Belle Vue, Ipswich and Sheffield, and additionally were held to draws twice - but on their travels, were often dependent on whichever guest they could get, plus the efforts of Evitts, who had developed into an able heat-leader.  They managed a draw at Poole, but otherwise, had little to show.  Evitts missed a month with a hand injury, the legacy of a crash in the European Under-21 Final at King's Lynn, and Doug Wyer also missed a month, being injured in the second half of a challenge match at Exeter - a crash which ended his record of consecutive appearances.

Eric Monaghan proved a good signing, and was an ever present, and formed a useful pairing with Hansen, although he ended up in the main team.  Steve Finch disappointed, although an ever-present until October, his league average dipped to 3.62 as his scoring plummeted, and he was eventually dropped in the final weeks of the season.

In the end, the Dukes won a mere 9 matches all season in the League, finishing a disappointing 14th out of 16, only Exeter and Newcastle below them.  They also finished bottom of their League Cup group, albeit on the same points as Coventry, Sheffield and Wolverhampton, and only 2 points from second!  Carter's comeback never materialised - despite his heroics in the British Final, he went out of the World title race at the penultimate stage, and the only sight the Halifax fans had of their number 1 at The Shay was an appearance in the Halifaxapolis in June - which he won.

In total, the Dukes used 36 guest riders to cover Carter's absence, plus that of Evitts for a month.  And with Evitts only averaging just over 7.50, and Baker's average falling from 1983, it was clear that something would be needed for 1985 - a returning and fit Kenny Carter would certainly be top of the list.

The heat details, scorers and reports for each meeting through the season can be found by clicking on the pages for each month.