AROUND THE UP NORTH COMBINE
with Keith Simpson
“The Original” Around The Up North Combine
1st East Cleveland Federation for Tich Richards & Alice Marsay
1st Teesside Federation for Ali McLeod
By Good Corn
On the morning of Friday 26th April the Up North Combine weather committee voted 19 Federations to 1 to postpone basketing for Oakham (2) for 24 hours, with a full review on the Saturday morning. Saturday morning saw the committee vote 17 Federations to 1 to basket the birds that day but the birds would be picked up 2 hours earlier than normal, we have to understand that there will be a lot more traffic on the roads than there would be on a Friday evening, so to try and avoid any hold-ups the birds go earlier on the Saturday. The forecast for Sunday was always going to be the better day of the two and that was proved right when Sections 1 and 4 including Hartlepool and South East Durham Federations were liberated from Oakham (2) at 07.50 in a north-west wind which was going to be a very hard working day for the Combine pigeons. Sections 2 and 5 which included the Teesside Federation were up and away at 08.10 and were followed by Sections 6 which included the East Cleveland Federation who were liberated at 08.30. Before I go into the results I have to say a big well done to Chief Convoyer Peter Maw for getting the birds away when he did, it was never going to be a easy race but getting the birds up early played a big part in the out come of the race, all credit to the lad for a job well done.
Tich Richards & Alice Marsay of Skinningrove holding their yearling chequer cock winner of 1st Club, 1st East Cleveland Federation Oakham (2) 1,632 birds.
Starting at Skinningrove H/S where the loft of Tich Richards & Alice Marsay had the clear winner after timing their yearling chequer cock recording a vel of 1283.8 to win a brilliant 1st Club out of a 12 members entry of 450 birds and 1st East Cleveland Federation from a 64 members convoy of 1,632 birds. With Tich and grand/daughter Alice pole position winner being a yearling chequer hen through the brother and sister partnership of Steve & Sheila Trattles of Loftus which contains birds responsible of winning 1st Club, 1st Fed, 8th Up North Combine and 1st Club, 1st Fed, 1st Section, 1st Up North Combine young bird Peterborough (sub Maidstone) National for Tich & Alice in 2016 with “Peanuts” from a convoy of 11,967 birds. Tich & Alice have had a number of winners and good birds through birds obtained from Steve & Sheila over the years.
B & K Simpson timed five birds to lift 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th Club, 4th, 11th, 14th, 15th and 17th Fed on 1259, 1242, 1236.4, 1235.5 and 1233 with Brian & Keith's blue card scorer being a 3y previous scoring dark Busschaert natural cock, who is out of a cock who is the sire of a 1st Federation winner while the dark cocks dam is the mother of two 1st Federation winners to different cocks. The yellow card was chalked up by a 1y mealy pied Dirk Van Den Bulck widowhood cock bred out of Gary Hodkinson stock. He was followed by a 3y Louis Cooreman widowhood cock who won 1st Club, 4th Fed Newark Show Ground and also won 1st Club, 2nd Fed Bubwith in 2018. Next came a yearling Dirk Van Den Bulck widowhood hen bred by Bob Fenech of Norfolk fame, the hen netted 2 x 5th Clubs and a 7th Fed as a young bird, and she was followed by a yearling.
Sayers Bros Dave, the late Kenny & Brian timed a yearling and a 4y with vels of 1247.1 and 1235.4 to lift 3rd Club, 9th and 16th Fed. Mike Prokopowicz & son Lee timed a 2y chequer flipey hen on 1232 for 20th Fed; the hen who who notched up 18th Fed out of the Maidstone National last season is out of a cock who is the son of “410” and Wade Bros cock when paired to a hen bred by Jimmy Richardson which is a previous 1st Club, 1st Federation winner and a number of other positions.
Ian “Knocker” Brown timed a early bird at Boosbeck to win an impressive 1st Club, 2nd Fed, with Knocker's winner being a 2y recording a top vel of 1275.
Next stop is Brotton H/S where the loft of Reg Wilson, Ray Mole & Partners returned to the winners' enclosure to win 1st, 4th, and 5th Club with Reg & Ray's chart topping yearling achieving a winning vel of 1268 to score a very nice 3rd Fed. Mr & Mrs Golly “Graham” & Linda Peirson, Tubby “Graham” Purver, Evo “Ian” Everington & Frankie Rolands had three birds on the clock to lift 2nd, 3rd and 6th Club with the blue going to a 1y blue flipey John Soderlund & John Maddison x Ian Stafford grand/daughter to Harry cock doing 1247.4 for a useful 8th Fed. The green card was netted by a 3y blue cock off Evo's 1st Up North Combine winning Rietvink De Rauw Sablon cock, and he was followed by their 2nd Up North Combine Silver Medal winning 3y blue De Rauw Sablon cock, the grand/sire is brother to “Den Dromer” while the grand/dam is a double daughter to the sire “Lucky 77” a half sister to “Den Dromer”.
Onto Skelton Green where it turned out to be a clean sweep for Bowden Bros Mick & Boss and Trevor Mitchell where they won 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Club to record their third straight win. Leading the way was a 3y Van Loon hen achieving a pole position vel of 1252.6 which was enough to claim 5th Fed. The red card winning hen who is half sister to the lads 1st Up North Combine Gold Medal winning “Brexit” (same sire) is no stranger in the clock for she is a previous Club Bird Of The Year winner and also a previous Runners-Up Club Bird Of The Year. One second after the winner came the blue card scoring 1y widowhood cock who racked up a vel of 1252.4 to chalk up 6th Fed. The inform Mick, Boss & Trevor's green card scoring 2y chequer hen who netted 3rd Club, 7th Fed out of Newark Show Ground when beaten by two loftmates that won 1st and 2nd Club, 3rd and 5th Fed takes 12th Fed this time. The lads remaining three timers were a 1y Belgium bred hen, a yearling blue hen and a 2018 bred widowhood cock to round off a top-notch team performance.
The loft of Mr & Mrs Golly “Graham” & Linda Peirson, Tubby “Graham” Purver, Evo “Ian” Everington & Frankie Rolands record their second win on the belt at the Brotton 6 Bird Club after timing a couple of their six entries to win 1st and 4th Club with the red card being won by a blue cock son of Porter & Stevens double 1st Up North Combine Gold Medal winning “Village Lad” when paired to Evo's 1st Up North Combine Gold Medal winning “Evo's Lad”. The yellow card was potted by a chequer Rietvink x Koopman cock bred by Evo to round off another winning performance for Golly, Linda, Tubby, Evo & Frankie. Mr & Mrs Bob & Babs Moore had two of their team on the clock to lift 2nd and 6th Club with the blue card going to a previous winning Leach Brothers Loftus Championship Club Breeder/Buyer, while Bob & Babs second timer was bred by Brian Clennan. The son and father partnership of Kevin & Merv Brown & Sacker “Bill” Cole come into the frame in 3rd spot with the lads green card scorer being a 3y Peter Van Osch x Pieter Veenstra. W & S Ward pocket 5th Club with Bill and grandson Shaun's timer being a 3y Leo Heremans of Homer & Williams lines which are flying well for them again this season.
The inform Jimmy Reed wins for the fourth consecutive race at Marske & New Marske after filling a couple of cells to win 1st and 3rd Club with top spot being won by a 3y chequer roundabout cock bred from Homer & Williams Busschaert stock paired to his own Busschaert family. The green card was chalked up by the 2018 bred blue chequer Vandenabeele x Brown & Hunt roundabout hen that won 1st Club the previous week out of Oakham (1) and is also the previous winner of 1st Club young bird Chelmsford. Tony Hunt filled two chambers to pocket 2nd and 4th Club with the blue card awarded to a yearling blue Dirk Seppers/ Van Gompel widower who is scoring for the third week running after netting 2nd Club Newark and 3rd Club Oakham (1). Tony's yellow card potter was a 3y blue Dirk Seppers/ Van Gompel widower that has being a very consistent cock for Tony with numerous cards to his credit.
Barry “Smiler” Kettlewell wins 1st Club at Lingdale with a yearling.
Ali McLeod of Billingham T U H/S winner of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Club, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th and 19th Teesside Federation Oakham (2).
Now for the Teesside Federation starting at Billingham T U H/S where Ali “Mac” McLeod records Club win number three and Federation win number two on the belt after timing no fewer than seven of his entries to win 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Club out of 114 birds, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th and 19th Fed from 592 birds with vels of 1304, 1293.2, 1277.8, 1277.0, 1254, 1252 and 1243. With pole position being won by a yearling blue Koen Minderhoud hen with her sire being bred for stock and her dam is from Mac's number one Vandenabeele cock when paired to the same mother as Mac's good racing cock “82” making the mother half sister to “82”. The chart-topping blue hen started the season by claiming 10th Fed Bubwith when beaten by six loftmates and two weeks later she won 1st Club, 2nd Fed Newark Show Ground. The young hen could be the one to look out for this season. The blue card was awarded to a 2018 bred blue pied Vandenabeele hen who is full sister to Mac's 1st Up North Combine Gold Medal winning “Gaby Lou” from Burbure in 2015 from a convoy of 10,617 birds. Third on the clock was a 2y blue hen who is a daughter to Brian Atkinson & Keith Perkins 1st Up North Combine Gold Medal winning “Ollie” when paired to a hen from Mac's 3rd Up North Combine Bronze Medal winner paired to “82”. The green card scoring hen is the previous winner of 1st Club, 1st Fed, 5th Up North Combine young bird Maidstone National when there was 11,055 birds competing. She is a very good hen with her being in the frame many times including 2nd Club, 2nd Fed Huntingdon when beaten by a loftmate. The yellow card was netted by a 3y blue Vandenabeele hen who is full sister to “Gaby Lou” and another sister who won 2nd Up North Combine and a brother who was 7th UNC. The blue hen has being a good honest Pigeon with her scoring many times including 2nd Club, 3rd Fed Newark when beaten by a loftmate who won 1st Club, 1st Fed; in the same year she was 2nd Club, 2nd Fed, 69th UNC Eastbourne National. Next came a 1y blue Vandenabeele hen who is full sister to “Gaby Lou” and she was followed by a yearling chequer cock out of “Gaby Lou” paired to a Gust Janssen cock of Clive Lister. Mac's other timers was a 1y chequer cock and a yearling blue cock who notched up 4th Club, 19th Fed the previous race. Brian Atkinson & Keith Perkins timed a 2018 bred blue hen doing 1253 for 12th Federation.
The Middlesbrough H/S partnership of the late Wyn Cole, Ste Wheatley & grandson Connor rack up their second win of the season after timing no less than four of their squad to win a cracking 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th Club from an entry of 284 birds with the red card winning 2y blue hen knocking out a vel of 1293.3 which was enough to chalk up a notable 2nd Fed. The green card scoring yearling blue hen achieved a vel of 1277.3 to claim 6th Fed while the yellow card potting 1y blue hen took 9th Fed on 1261 and she was followed by a yearling blue cock making 1257 for 10th Fed. Keith Hodge & Dennis Potter timed a yearling blue cock doing 1277.8 to net a useful 2nd Club, 4th Fed and a 2y blue cock on 1244.3 for 18th Fed. Mr & Mrs Stephen & Jeanann Wheatley timed their 4y blue hen that won 1st Club, 1st Fed Newark Show Ground to pick up 14th Fed on 1250 and then clocked a 2y chequer hen doing 1244.7 for 17th Fed. She was followed by a 1y chequer hen on 1242 for 20th Fed; Stephen & Jeanann also clocked their fancied bird to win the Fed Nom. The late Les Wellburn & sons Les & Derek took 16th Fed with a 3y chequer hen on 1247.
Jappa Appleton & Paul Longstaff recorded their second straight win at Haverton Hill H/S in great style after timing no fewer than five of their squad to win a cracking 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Club out of 184 birds. With the red card being won by a 2y blue Vandenabeele hen bred by Ali McLeod knocking out a vel of 1276 to win the 10p Club pools netting £24.70 and 8th Fed. The hen won 1st Club, 1st Fed, 1st Section 5 banking £177.83, 3rd Up North Combine Burbure (1) winning a Combine Bronze Medal from a convoy of 10,633 and the “Captain George Trophy” for the first yearling in 2018. The blue card was awarded to a 2y Vandenabeele chequer cock bred by Ali McLeod doing 1248 to win the 25p Club pools pocketing £6 and 15th Fed. The green card was netted by a 2y blue cock who is out of a Geerinckx cock through “Primes Blue Prince” of Ian Stafford. While fourth on the clock for Jappa & Paul came the yellow card scoring yearling blue hen who is out of a cock that bred the lads top racing cock “2829”, while the blue hen's dam is a blue chequer of Eamon Kelly lines. She was followed by a 1y blue cock through P & D Lofts Van Den Bulck x Pitbull lines. Stuart Lewis, Amber & Coby McCabe wins the 50p and £1 pools pocketing £17.50.
With that I will sign off for another week. Any news to Good Corn 6 Boulby Drive Loftus Saltburn Cleveland TS13 4JN. Tel: 01287 643624 or Email
