1984 Miscellany
League Cup:
The Dukes finished bottom of the Northern Group on points difference, courtesy of their 24 point home defeat by Belle Vue. The Aces lost only 2 of their 12 fixtures to top the group ahead of Cradley Heath - the Heathens finishing only 2 points above the Dukes! Both Belle Vue and Cradley Heath won their semi finals, beating Wimbledon and Reading respectively, and Cradley Heath won the final on aggregate late in the season.
Other Fixtures:
As in 1983, the number of Open dates at The Shay were minimal - partly due to fixtures being lost to the weather.
Challenge Matches:
Halifax rode in 4 challenge matches during the 1984 season - 3 of them during the first few weeks. Remarkably, in such a poor season for the Dukes, they won all 4. Nielsen's Super Seven were beaten 40-38 on opening night in a late change after the withdrawal of Birmingham. The Dukes repeated the process 2 days later easing to victory at Newcastle, with both Carter and Evitts unbeaten. And at the end of March, newcomers Exeter were the visitors to The Shay. Halifax fulfilled a return visit to Devon in June, and won comfortably, but the match was marred by the second half injuries received by Doug Wyer which ended his record-breaking run of consecutive appearances.
Three/Four-Team Tournaments:
Halifax only took part in two such meetings during 1984 - a 3TT in June where they defeated Sheffield and Wolverhampton, and then a 4TT at Middlesbrough in August, where they came a distant last to Newcastle, Cradley Heath and the hosts. Details of the scorers can be found below:
Other Fixtures:
The Shay hosted a number of other and individual meetings during the 1984 season:
Meeting 7 - 29th April - British Quarter Final - for the first time since 1980, Halifax staged the British Quarter Final stage of the World Championship, with 8 riders progressing to the semi finals. The meeting was won by Kevin Jolly of King's Lynn with a 15 point maximum - details of the heats and scorers are as follows:
Meeting 13 - 10th June - England v Denmark Test Match - England beat the World Champions by 10 points.
Meeting 16 - 16th June - Halifaxapolis - Won by broken leg victim Kenny Carter.
Meeting 18 - 18th July - Northern Riders Championship - Won by Belle Vue's Peter Collins.
Meeting 32 - 27th October - Yorkshire Star Trophy - Won by Sheffield's Neil Collins.
Full scorers and heat by heat details of all the above meetings can be found in the archive pages for the 1983 season.
The British Match-Race Championship - The "Golden Helmet."
With Kenny Carter injured for most of the season, the Dukes had no interest in the Golden Helmet during 1984. The competition reverted to a one-off match-race format for 1985 with the holder to defend the title against the top scorer from the opposition in every match.
The Tilcon/Limelite "Flying Lap" Contest.
A new innovation at The Shay during 1984, the Dukes' reserves were challenged every month (after the main match) to record the quickest time over 1 lap - from a flying start. Each reserve had one chance a month, with the whole team getting a go in the final match of the season. The competition was won by Steve Finch (with the three fastest times), who, had left the Dukes by the end of the season. The details of each rider's times are as follows:
The Juniors/Second-Half Riders: During 1984, the following riders took part in various junior matches for the Dukes - 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:
David Clay, Gary Clegg, Ian Sutcliffe, Jim Graham, Wayne Ross, Peter McNamara, Richard Beever, Lindon Warner, Mark Hepworth, Barry Gibson, Lee Edwards, Nigel Jowett, Steve Hemingway, Damon Cowell, Steve Quick, Adrian Brayshaw, Kevin Bellfield and Gary Havelock.