Dukes' anniversary triumph

Halifax Dukes speedway team have won the Northern Junior League title, exactly 50 years after Halifax's senior side won the British League.
Halifax Dukes
Northern Junior League champions 2016.Halifax Dukes
Northern Junior League champions 2016.
Halifax Dukes Northern Junior League champions 2016.

The young Dukes, who race out of town with the Shay track long gone, clinched the silverware with a 22-14 success away to Newcastle Gems at Brough Park.

They made a less than ideal start, Sheldon Davies flying out of the gate for heat one but rearing violently and doing a spectacular back flip, landing hard on the track.

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He was excluded from the re-run but Kean Dicken managed to limit the damage and split the home pair.

Dynamic duo Harry McGurk and Jordan Palin registered one of their familiar 1-2s to gain a 5-1 in heat two, although Archie Freeman ran them close.)

Davies, still a little shaken, bravely follow his team mate home in the next race, though neither were able to conquer the Newcastle maximum man Josh Embleton.

McGurk and Palin inflicted more damage to home hopes with maximum points in heat four, making the match score 15-9.

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However, Newcastle stayed in the hunt with a 4-2 in the next race. Dicken, who had taken a nasty tumble himself at Redcar on Saturday and was still a little sore, again split the Newcastle pairing of Josh and Dale Pate.

McGurk and Palin then sealed the deal for Halifax with another 5-1, both raising a fist in victory as they crossed the finishing line, as they both acknowledged the historic moment.

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