Heat by Heat Results - April 1984

Two weeks before, the Dukes were easy winners at Newcastle, as a Carter/Evitts pairing proved unbeatable. This time was different - as Evitts' van broke down en route to Tyneside, and he failed to arrive. Without Evitts, the Diamonds took their chance, and there was little Carter could do about it. Rod Hunter prevented Carter getting a maximum in a very quick heat 5, and with Monaghan and Pendlebury having engine problems, 6-man Halifax were up against it. Doug Wyer won 2 heats, but after Monaghan won heat 2, he failed to beat a home rider again. Steve Finch scored 8 points a fortnight earlier, but failed to repeat that sort of form.

The Dukes were made to work hard by a depleted Tigers side, lacking the injured Jan O Pedersen, and still awaiting the signing of Neil Collins. Shawn Moran beat Carter in a fast heat 1, and was only denied a brilliant maximum when Carter got his revenge in heat 10. Steve Baker seized his engine in heat 3, and borrowed a bike from Neil Evitts for the rest of the meeting. But a good all-round team performance got the win, with Carter helping both Baker and Pendlebury get points. Pendlebury pulled out of his last race suffering from the effects of flu.

Halifax went down weakly at Sheffield as the Tigers eased to a comfortable win. The Dukes were unhappy with the state of the Owlerton track, and failed to take a heat win all night. Kenny Carter managed two heat victories but by the time he won heats 11 and 13, the match was well and truly lost. The Tigers were boosted by the return of Jan O Pedersen after injury, and he team-rode with Dave Morton to a 5-1 over Carter in heat 5. Doug Wyer provided limited back up for the Dukes skipper but the rest offered little fight. Shawn Moran and Morton were both unbeaten by a Halifax rider.

A 5-1 in the last heat made this look more comfortable than it was, as an all-round Dukes performance kept them in the match until the end. The Dukes were unhappy about the refereeing, with Evitts being harshly excluded in heat 6, and several "unsatisfactory" starts being let go by the referee. Eric Monaghan was the star for Halifax, with 2 wins in his 10 points, although Carter was a little off the pace, failing to win again after heat 1. Pendlebury failed to trouble the scorers, and Baker faded after a promising start. The Bees all-round strength saw them home.

Halifax dispatched the League Champion Heathens, although they were taken to a last heat decider despite being seemingly in control throughout. Solid scoring from Baker, Carter, Finch and Wyer nullified the Heathen's top two of Gundersen and King, and with usual Shay specialists Collins and Grahame failing to win a heat, the Dukes were always just in front. The final race was stopped for an unsatisfactory start, with Baker and Finch in front, and promoter Eric Boothroyd was fined £25 following his protests to the referee! In the re-run, Baker led all the way from Grahame, whilst King crashed trying to pass Finch on the last lap. Evitts was plagued by mechanical issues all match.

A strangely lacklustre Dukes were torn apart at Hyde Road on a track which offered plenty of good racing - just not much of it from the visitors. Carter won heat 1 by a distance, but then failed to follow it up. Most of the Dukes were down on power with Monaghan and Wyer the most affected, and with only Evitts and Baker managing to add to Carter's heat win, Halifax were out of touch as early as heat 5. Chris Morton scored a maximum for the Aces, but it was far from a one-man show, with the hosts not having a single last place in the entire match. Young reserve Andy Smith was particularly impressive, scoring 2 comfortable heat victories.

Easter Saturday - undoubtedly the night which changed the Dukes' fortunes for 1984 - and possibly for ever - due to the accident in heat 1 which ended the Dukes' season for Kenny Carter. The skipper overcooked the first turn and before he could scramble clear was hit by team-mate, the entirely innocent Craig Pendlebury. Carter was stretchered from the track and was soon on his way to hospital with leg injuries. With their leader and inspiration gone, Halifax unsurprisingly folded to the powerful Cradley side, failing to take a heat win or advantage all night. The Heathens top 4 all scored maximums as they eased to a comfortable win - but the Dukes had their minds on other things...

With a lack of guest-availability on Easter Monday, the Dukes started the rest of their Carter-less season operating rider replacement - and succumbed to one of their heaviest ever home defeats. There was little sign of what was to come as the first 2 heats were shared - but then six 5-1s in the final 11 heats for the Aces saw the Dukes wilt. Halifax failed to provide a heat winner until Finch (followed by Baker) won heat 11, but the Aces responded with 10 points from the last 2 races to leave the Dukes reeling. Larry Ross and Peter Collins both collected easy maximums, with every one of the Aces winning a heat or being paid for a win.

The Dukes' hopes of progressing in the Knockout Cup evaporated at Owlerton as the Tigers hit seven 5-1 successes to open a 20 point lead. Halifax had guest Chris Morton to thank for keeping it that close - his 3 heat wins giving the Dukes 3 of their 4 heat advantages on the night. Steve Finch won the reserve race to edge Halifax in front early on, but after that it was one-way traffic. Shawn Moran eased to a 12 point maximum, and was well supported by Les Collins, Jan O Pedersen and veteran Reg Wilson. But it was a frustrating night for most of the Dukes who never looked like keeping them in contention for the second leg.

Team Manager Eric Boothroyd insisted enough was enough after the Sheffield beating, and the team responded as Halifax returned to winning ways on the final Saturday of a turbulent April by defeating a disappointing Wolves side. The impressive Steve Baker (3 wins) edged the Dukes into a lead in heat 3, ably backed by Pendlebury, and the home side pulled away surprisingly easily. Neil Evitts looked to have put recent issues behind him, and guest Shawn Moran led by example, dropping his only point to Eriksen in heat 6. For the visitors, the excellent Sigalos was unhappy with Evitts' tactics in heats 7 and 11, and refused to ride in the second half.