Heat by Heat Results - September 1985

Winning their remaining home fixtures was an absolute must, and the Dukes made no mistake in this one, destroying a depleted Wolves side for their biggest win of the season. Neil Evitts carried on from the previous week, easing to a dominant maximum, and guest John Davis was also unbeaten. Eric Monaghan had his best score since the first match of the season. Wolves used rider replacement for the injured Schwartz, and guest Rasmussen (in for the injured Ravn), and were totally dependent on John Eskildsen to keep them from a complete embarrassment. The problem that the Dukes had was their away form - if they wanted to win the league, they had to get something on the road - and next up was Oxford...

Halifax travelled to Oxford on Friday 13th for a match they simply had to win. But the result probably spelt the start of the end for their title hopes - Oxford took all 3 points, and replaced the Dukes at the top of the table, still with matches in hand. Simon Wigg was the destroyer of the Dukes' hope with a stunning 15 point maximum. Neil Evitts inflicted a rare defeat on Hans Nielsen as the Dukes led after 2 races - but it was all Oxford after that. Evitts was excluded in the second attempt to run heat 5, and his actions prompted a scuffle in the pits between track staff and mechanics. Guest Kelvin Tatum - surely a safe double figure bet - had an off night, and no Duke could match Evitts heat 1 heroics. Larry Ross ended up as top scorer and had the reward of challenging Nielsen for the Golden Helmet - which he lost.

England had already won he series by winning the first 2 matches, but recent criticism following the WTC debacle was heightened as they incredibly lost the final test at The Shay on a damp Sunday afternoon. Dukes skipper Evitts rode at number 1, but after a second place behind Larry Ross, a fall next time out forced him out of the meeting. Kelvin Tatum was unbeaten, and Andy Smith provided thrilling points from the back - but England had little else, and the Dukes own Ross and Hunter, backed up by David Bargh and Mitch Shirra dominated the match.

An away draw at Wolverhampton would normally have been seen as a positive - but the Dukes needed more, and should have had more, as they squandered the win in the final heat. The Dukes lost guest Tommy Knudsen to a shoulder injury after an awkward first bend fall in heat 6, but the Dukes still managed to open up an 8 point lead. But the returning Ravn and Schwartz had other ideas as they featured in 4 of the last 5 races to salvage a draw for the hosts. Incredibly the Dukes still led by 6 points with 2 races left, courtesy of an Evitts/Ross 5-1, before the final 2 races snatched a vital point away. Schwartz defeated Larry Ross in the Golden Helmet afterwards...

Another away defeat, this time at Swindon, and the chance of the league title was now almost certainly gone. The Dukes booked Mitch Shirra as guest, but due to his low average, ended up fielding him at reserve! But although Shirra was good value for his 9 points, the rest had no answer to Phil Crump or Bo Petersen, who both eased to maximums. Once again, Halifax led early on, but failed to defend the lead, and faded as the match wore on and the opposition grew stronger. Evitts was used as a tactical substitute in heat 8 but broke down whilst leading, and was himself subbed in the final heat.

The air was by now definitely escaping a deflated Dukes - they ended September by losing heavily at home to Belle Vue - albeit in the Northern Cup. Although Evitts, Ross and Hunter performed well, there was little else, and the position was hampered by Hansen's failure to arrive until after heat 8 due to his van breaking down. An all-round Belle Vue performance (with the exception of Ingels) saw the Aces home comfortably, with Peter Collins scoring a paid maximum.