“The Original” Around The Up North Combine
By Good Corn
The May weather continued to be a very poor state of affairs with the cold out of the north winds and the rain, and the previous weeks Chelmsford (1) race proved to be a very testing day for the birds. I have to admit that I thought the birds would go Friday for a Saturday race from Chelmsford and that's what happened, which was not agreeable with some members as they were saying that the forecast for Sunday was much, much better than the Saturday. If I was on the UNC weather committee which I'm not, my vote would be that if it's possible to get a race on the Saturday I would vote to basket Friday which we did from Chelmsford (1) with us also getting a Saturday race like the rest of the organisations that day. It did turn out that the wind did get stronger with a number of showers as the day moved on, some birds returned home injured while others never made it home at all, but that happens most races.
It did turn out to be a lot better day on the Sunday the day after the Chelmsford race with the wind dropping and it being dryer, the next couple of days were also ok but the weather turned again Wednesday leading up to the Folkestone National race with the cold north wind and the rain lasting all day. A lot of fanciers never exercised their birds on the morning due to the weather being that bad, while some did manage to get their birds out sometime in the afternoon. Thursday brought a better day with the wind swinging around off the land for a while and then back from the north with a touch of east in the wind at times but there was still a strong cold wind blowing. The Up North Combine weather committee submitted their vote on the Thursday evening of 9th May to decide whether to basket the following day for the Folkestone National, as it turned out 14 Federations to 7 voted to postpone basketing for 24 hours with a full review on the following day. The Friday evening voting took place with all 21 Federation that took part in the voting wanting a Saturday basketing to race on Sunday.
On Sunday 12th May the UNC Chief Convoyer Peter Maw liberated the convoy of 15,161 birds from Folkestone at 07.15 flying into a north wind. The inform Brotton H/S loft of Reg Wilson, Ray Mole & Partners timed a couple of their entries 25 seconds apart to win a brilliant 1st and 2nd Club, 1st and 4th East Cleveland Federation from a 57 members convoy of 1,041 birds. With Reg & Ray's 2y pole position Federation winner recording a top vel of 1518, while their blue card scoring 3y achieved a vel of 1516.6 to round off a very impressive performance. This was Reg & Ray's the Clubs top prize-winners in 2018 third Club winning performance on the belt and their fourth win from six races so far this season. Mr & Mrs Golly “Graham” & Linda Peirson, Tubby “Graham” Purver, Evo “Ian” Everington & Frankie Rolands had three of their squad on the clock to lift 3rd and 4th Club, 5th, 6th and 20th Fed with the green card being netted by a yearling blue Evo Van Loon x Don Gudgeon lines cock on 1516.6, the cocks brother was 2nd Club, 6th Fed the previous week out of Chelmsford. The yellow card was claimed by a 3y blue hen who touched down the same time as the green card scorer, the hen who is bred through Graham Wattis of Lingdale and John Soderlund won the Club Bird Of The Year as a yearling after winning a belting 4 x 1st Clubs. W & S Ward timed a 2y doing 1511 to lift 9th Fed and a 3y on 1501 for 18th Federation.
Bowden Bros Mick & Boss and Trevor Mitchell rack up their fifth straight win at Skelton Green after timing no less than four of their entries to win 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Club, with top spot being won by their good previous winning 2y Van Loon cock achieving a leading vel of 1517 to chalk up a notable 3rd Fed. The blue card was awarded to the lads inform and previous winning well-fancied 3y Van Loon hen making 1512.1 which was enough to lift 8th Fed; 1st £1, £2, £5 Fed Nom banking the lion's share of £142.00. The hen who is a previous Club Bird Of The Year winner and Runner-Up Club Bird Of The Year is scoring for the third race running after winning 1st Club, 5th Fed Oakham (2) out of 1,632 birds and then took 2nd Club, 21st Fed Chelmsford (1) when beaten by a loft mate that won 1st Club, 7th Fed when there was 1,536 birds competing. The yellow card was notched up by a 3y Van Loon widowhood hen and she was followed by a yearling widowhood hen to round off another notable team performance. Des Williams and loft helper Roger Wall comes into the frame in 3rd spot with the duo's green card scoring yearling Busschaert doing 1506.5 for 13th Fed. Bill Chapman, sons Steve & Colin and the late Tommy Swinburne pick up one Club point after timing a 2y dark Frans Van Wildemeersch hen to take 6th spot.
B & K Simpson's yearling chequer Louis Cooreman hen winner of 1st Club, 7th Fed Folkestone National out of 1,041 birds.
B & K Simpson recorded their third win of the season at Skinningrove H/S from a ten members entry of 251 birds with Brian & Keith's winner being a yearling chequer Louis Cooreman widowhood hen achieving a top vel of 1512.5 to score 7th Fed. The sire of the winning hen bred out of the outstanding “Cavendish” & “449” Hen” is a previous winner on the road himself and also chalking up a number of minor Club and Federation positions. While the dam of the red card winning hen was purchased for stock from Les Stevens “The Tractor Boys” of Kent fame. Sayers Bros, Dave, the late Kenny & Brian clocked a yearling doing 1509 to take 2nd Club, 11th Fed. White Bros Malc & Stuart timed a yearling cock bred by R & H Hiorns for the Loftus Championship Club Breeder/Buyer to lift 3rd Club, 17th Fed on 1503. This follows up the lad’s previous weeks 4th Club, 10th Fed Chelmsford which was netted by a 3y blue hen bred by Chapman & Son of Seaham fame for the Loftus Championship Club Breeder/Buyer, the hen notched up 4th Club, 12th Fed Burbure 2 (sub Roye) last season. Mr & Mrs I & E Purver timed a yearling to lift 3rd £2 Fed Nom pocketing £22.00.
Onto the Brotton 6 Bird Club where the 2018 top prize-winning loft of Mr & Mrs Golly “Graham” & Linda Peirson, Tubby “Graham” Purver, Evo “Ian” Everington & Frankie Rolands returned to their winning ways after timing three of their six entries to win 1st, 5th and 6th Club. With the red card being won by a yearling chequer cock through a B & K Simpson blue hen and a home bred Van Braun cock achieving a top vel of 1506.6 to go onto pocket a useful 12th Fed. The Van Brawn cock is bred off Golly's good channel cock the previous winner of 6 x 1st Clubs, with four of his wins being achieved from over the pond and his other two wins being won inland. Second on the clock was a 3y cock who is a son of Evo's 1st UNC Gold Medal winning “Evo's Lad”; and he was followed by a yearling blue cock. W & S Ward timed a couple of birds to lift 2nd and 4th Club with Bill and his grand/son Shaun's blue card scorer being the 4y Leo Heremans x Van Reet who won last week from Chelmsford. The yellow was potted by Bill & Shaun's good hen “Ruby 74”. Mr & Mrs Bob & Babs Moore are in 3rd spot with the duo's green card scorer being bred by Leach Bros for the Loftus Championship Club Breeder/Buyer.
We have a new race winner at Marske & New Marske after the partnership of Longstaff, Moore & Mackay topped the charts with a yearling blue flipey widowhood cock from Anth Moore of Guisborough who knocked up a vel of 1497 for 22nd Fed. Jimmy Reed who had won the previous five races is in 2nd spot with a 4y blue Wildermeersch roundabout hen bred from Jimmy's Lillers winning hen. Club Secretary and my info man Martin Hoggarth is in 3rd spot with Martin's green card scorer being a 2018 bred roundabout cock out of the lines of Martin's blue hen the previous winner of 4 x 1st Clubs from over the channel. Tony Hunt pots the yellow with a 4y blue Dirk Seppers/Van Gompel widowhood cock.
The late George Skidmore & grand/sons Michael & Liam Jackson timed three birds to win 1st, 2nd and 3rd Club at Lingdale with the winner doing 1511 for 10th Federation.
Moving onto the Teesside Federation starting at Haverton Hill where the loft of Stuart “ Lewie” Lewis, Amber & Coby McCabe record their second Club and Federation win of the season after timing a fancied yearling blue Appleton & Longstaff x gift bird cock recording a pole position winning vel of 1549 to win 1st Club out of 109 birds, the Club 10p pool netting £19.97 and 1st Club £10 Yearling Nom banking another £115. Lewie's winner scored twice as a young bird chalking up 2nd Club, 14th Fed Chelmsford and then netting 2nd Club, 3rd Fed, 196th UNC Maidstone National the following week. The young cocks sire bred Lewie a winner in 2018 while the chart-topping winners dam has bred a winner when paired to different cocks for the past four years, so she is more than proving herself. The inform loft of Andrew “Jappa” Appleton & Paul Longstaff timed a couple of yearlings to net 2nd and 3rd Club with the blue going to a well-fancied blue Vandenabeele cock
bred by Ali McLeod doing 1546 to win the Club £1 pool lifting £37.00, 2nd £10 Yearling Nom netting £60.00, 2nd Fed and 1st Fed pools banking another £70.00. Jappa & Paul's green card potting blue hen that was bred by Colin Atkinson of Billingham knocked out a vel of 1522 for 12th Fed. The loft of Paul Gatley, Bob Harrod & son Dale timed their good 3y blue cock to pocket 4th Club, 19th Fed on 1513. The cock who took 3rd Club, 15th Fed out of Oakham (1) won 1st Club, 1st Fed, 3rd Section 5 Rivenhall in 2017 when there was 3,783 birds competing, and then won 1st Club, 1st Fed, 4th Up North Combine Burbure (2) from a convoy of 10,689 birds in the same year.
Ali “Mac” McLeod returned to his winning ways at Billingham T U H/S after timing no fewer than an incredible ten of his squad in the space of five minutes to win a top-notch 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Club out of 114 birds, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th and 15th Federation and the Fed Nom. With the red card being won by a 2y blue Vandenabeele hen racking up a red card winning vel of 1540.5, the hen is half-sister to Ali's 1st UNC Burbure Gold Medal winning “Gaby Lou”, sharing the same sire. The blue card was awarded to a fancied yearling blue hen making 1540.0 to lift 3rd Fed Pools and £25, the hen is bred down through Mac's old number one Koen Minderhoud hen, with both parents been bred for stock. The green card was netted by a 1y blue hen doing 1531; again, she is bred down through the lad’s old number one Koen Minderhoud hen, she actually came out of the race loft from a very good Minderhoud cock. Fourth on the clock came the yellow card potting no stranger in the frame 3y blue cock on 1529; the cock who is out of a son of Mac's old cock onto a hen through a grand/son of Ad Schaerlaeckens “Sissi” won 1st Club, 1st Fed Huntingdon, 1st Club, 1st Fed Chelmsford (2), 1st Club, 1st Fed Oakham (3) and other positions when beaten by loftmates last season winning the Teesside Federation Bird Of The Year. Next came a yearling blue hen on 1528 who is full sister to “Gaby Lou”, this young hen who took 2nd Club, 3rd Fed Oakham (2) when beaten by a loftmate who won 1st Club, 1st Fed was one of Mac's fancy birds this race where she took 3rd Fed Pools and £25.00.
Finally, the Stockton West End where the loft of Stephen Bousfield & sons Mark & Stephen timed a couple of birds to win 1st and 2nd Club, 4th and 6th Tees Valley Federation out of an entry of 657 birds. With top spot being won by a 2y blue pied hen recording a chart-topping vel of 1535, while the blue card was awarded to a 2017 bred blue hen racking up a vel of 1532. The partnership of Mr & Mrs Cuthbert timed a couple of birds in the space of three seconds to chalk up 3rd and 4th Club with the green card being netted by a yearling blue pied hen doing 1530 for 8th Fed. The yellow was potted by a fancied 2018 bred chequer hen on 1529 to lift 9th Fed and £2 pool.
That's me lot for this week. Any news to Good Corn 6 Boulby Drive Loftus Saltburn Cleveland TS13 4JN. Tel: 01287 643624 or Email
