Halifax 'Dukes' v Sheffield 'Tigers' Challenge (at Odsal Stadium, Bradford) 13th August 1949
Riders0102030405060708091011121314Tot+Bp
1. Jock Shead 0 fx - - 0
2. Arthur Forrest 2 3 3 3 11
3. Jack Dawson 0 1' 2 1' 4+2
4. Bill Crossland 2 2 2 3 9
5. Al Allison f 2 f 3 5
6. Dick Seers 3 x 1 1 5
7. Jack Hughes f 1 0 0 1
8. Jerk Smith 1 1' 0 2+1
  2 2 3 1 3 2 4 3 1 3 3 3 3 4
Halifax 'Dukes' 2 4 7 8 11 13 17 20 21 24 27 30 33 37
Sheffield 'Tigers' 4 8 11 16 19 23 25 28 33 36 39 42 45 47
Ted Flannagan 4 4 3 5 3 4 2 3 5 3 3 3 3 2
1. Stan Williams © 3 3 3 2 11
2. Jack Chignell 1 f 2' 0 3+1
3. Len Williams 3 3 3 2 11
4. Jack Bibby 1 3 1 1' 6+1
5. Andy Menzies 1' f 0 - 1+1
6. Tommy Allott 2 2 3 2 9
7. Tommy Bateman 2' 1' 1' 4+3
8. Guy Allott 0 2 2
Track record: 65.4
Max Grosskreutz, July '48
010203040506070809 1011121314
68.470.271.471.870.0 70.468.870.870.269.6 71.471.069.0 69.4

Halifax v Sheffield at Odsal

TO-NIGHT you are going to see a challenge match, the like of which has never been seen on a First Division track. The Halifax "Dukes" in their first year of racing have climbed from practically the bottom rung of the Third Division League ladder to fourth position in a matter of a few weeks. And, what's more, for the last four weeks they have been without their Captain, Vic Emms, who is still out of action with a broken collar bone.

Frank Varey's Sheffield "Tigers" are top of the Second Division but that didn't bother the "Dukes." As soon as they heard that the Control Board had asked for the "Boomerangs" to race the first leg of the National Trophy Tournament at Birmingham tonight, the Halifax boys were banging away on the Odsal office door.

We could have had a "Best Pairs" match, a Supporter's Trophy or something like that, but we thought, "If these young 'Dukes' are game enough to have a go against Sheffield on a neutral track, let 'em... and good luck to them." They may win, they may lose; one thing we do know, they'll try hard and fight every inch of the way. The Sheffield boys are far more experienced - the names Stan and Len Williams, the two Tommies (Allott and Bateman), Jack Bibby and our old friend Andy Menzies with Jack Chignell (late Belle Vue), have been more or less Second Division household words ever since Speedway re-commenced at Owlerton after the war.

Neither team has raced at Odsal this year - let's see if they can give us racing as thrilling as we see with the "big boys."

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