Heat by Heat Results - October 1984

The Dukes slipped to another heavy defeat, this time at Coventry, despite the efforts of Neil Evitts. The Dukes skipper battled hard for his 11 points, in a match which was lost in the first 6 heats. The Dukes provided the last place rider in every heat, as the Bees eased to victory. The Dukes cause was hampered by a poor night for guest Les Collins, who could only manage 3 points. Steve Baker managed a heat win but little else, and Wyer, Hansen, Finch and Monaghan were all way off the pace.

Thanks to brilliant guest Alan Grahame and Eric Monaghan, the Dukes staged a remarkable comeback to snatch an unlikely win at home to Reading. The Racers were 8 points ahead after 6 races and in total control with Shirra and Andersson leading the way, but Grahame won 4 of the remaining 7 races to help the Dukes turn things around, including a last bend swoop around Shirra in heat 11. Monaghan combined with Wyer for a 5-1 to take the lead, but the 2 point cushion was all Halifax had to take into heat 13. But Grahame and Wyer combined to seal the win. Steve Baker took a nasty fall in heat 10, whilst the second half races saw a debut at The Shay for promising Middlesbrough 16 year-old Gary Havelock...

Steve Baker was a late withdrawal following his crash the previous night - the Dukes were planning to use rider replacement for Carter, but now had to promote junior Gordon Whitaker instead. Unsurprisingly, the outcome was a heavy defeat, but the star of the match was Neil Evitts - who scored the highest total by a Duke for over 2 years. His 16 points - way over half Halifax's total proved it could be done - but apart from a fighting 6 points from Eric Monaghan, the rest provided nothing. Evitts won 4 races, including a re-started heat 11, when Kent and Richardson tangled.

A rare 1984 night where everything went right for Halifax! The Dukes saw off powerful (although top heavy) Oxford comfortably, with solid scoring from all 6 riders. Guest Andy Campbell led the way with a storming 13 points, beaten only by Wigg and Nielsen. Evitts, Monaghan, Wyer and the returning Pendlebury all weighed in with big scores, as the match was won by heat 11 when Nielsen packed up whilst leading. With European Under-21 Champion Cox struggling with engine problems, the Cheetahs had no back-up to their powerful top two. The win was the Dukes' biggest since June.

A second meeting in 24 hours saw the Dukes take a draw with Coventry in a lively encounter. Dukes' guest Simmons led the way with 14 points, including a win in the vital final heat. Halifax needed a 5-1 to win, but lost Wyer to a tapes exclusion. However Nikolajsen then also touched the tapes, and the Bees were denied a replacement, as Hawkins had already had his maximum number of outings. Guglielmi kept out Hansen to secure the draw. Halifax lost Pendlebury with leg injuries after he clashed with Knudsen in heat 8 - this would prove to be Pendlebury's final ride for the Dukes.

Halifax were now down to only 3 riders remaining from those that started the season - but a stunning performance from guest Tommy Knudsen almost saw them pull off a surprise result against Wolverhampton. Although Knudsen received support from fellow Bee Jorgensen, and Dukes' skipper Evitts, the bottom end of the team once again proved the difference, as Wyer and Hansen both struggled, whilst junior Peter Clegg was given a first outing at reserve. And it was ultimately the reserve positions that made the difference, Wolves outscoring the Dukes 13 to 1, with Americans Pfetzing and Lucero impressive.

Neil Evitts finally got his reward - a first full maximum for the Dukes - in the final home league match of 1984. His full-house seemed inevitable as soon as he powered away in heat 1 with the returning Baker to leave Crump trailing. Baker was clearly still not fully fit, but fought well, back Evitts up in their 3 races together. Guest Alan Grahame proved reliable as ever, and with Wyer back to form, the outcome was never in doubt. It was Eric Monaghan's turn to have mechanical issues, but he still weighed in with 2 vital third places.

The final action at The Shay for 1984 saw Neil Collins of Sheffield take the Yorkshire Star Trophy. Collins was joint top scorer with home star Evitts, who had won his first 4 rides, only to come 3rd in heat 15 behind Campbell and Steve Baker. In the final, Collins made no mistake, pulling away down the back straight, whilst Evitts could not find a way past Campbell, who took second. It was a good evening for the Dukes riders, with Hansen, Monaghan and Baker all in the points - only Doug Wyer had a night to forget.

Most Dukes fans probably didn't realise this took place - or if they did, they have probably blanked it from memory. The Dukes finished off their disastrous 1984 campaign with a humiliation at King's Lynn - albeit with no Carter, Baker, Finch or Pendlebury from the team which started the season, and including both Peter Clegg and Gordon Whitaker. With Neil Evitts and Doug Wyer both having mechanical problems, there was little to cheer. Evitts won heat 1 from former-Duke Louis, but then failed to beat an opponent. The highlight was a fighting 4-2 from Monaghan and Hansen in heat 8 - which may have kept the pair of them in the reckoning for 1985...