Lancashire Social Circle
The weekend of the Queens Platinum Jubilee saw the first old bird race of the season for the members of the Lancashire Social Circle. The forecast for the Saturday all along the south coast was for heavy thundery rain and most racing organisations that had booked to go to the southerly race points decided to have a race from a more inland race point. I understand many liberations from Cheltenham and Worcester turned out good races, but it is always difficult to please all pigeon fanciers and several were disappointed having pinned their hopes on a 200 plus mile race. Members of the Lancashire Social Circle under the leadership of the President Stephen Beardmore took a stronger line and put into place a race from Maidstone and held the liberation until 11 55am when the string were cut and the birds got up and away into a very fresh east north east wind. From the 39 members who entered 78 birds in this two bird race 58 pigeons made the result sheet, as can be seen most timing in both their entries, proving the decision to go off the racing line had not held the pigeons back in any way.
A big thank you must go out to Vice-President Malcolm Parry-Jones for his help picking up the race crates and bringing them to the race marking and transporting them to meet the transporter. Malcolm then went a little further by sponsoring the transport of the birds to the race point, a gesture very much appreciated by the membership.
Malcolm Parry-Jones who sponsored the Maidstone Race.
A fine performance was put up by one of the Circle's new members for this season, Brian Holland flying to the east side of the country in a brisk east wind, timing in both his pigeons that must have made it on their own for quite a long way, well done Brian. I understand he races both cocks and hens on a double widowhood system where both sexes fly out each day and back into their own compartments, with the hens only given access to the nestbox section on return from the race. Brian's first home is a pigeon out of 'Euro Diamond' when paired to a granddaughter of 'Southfield Supreme' and is a past winner over the last two years. Congratulations must go to Stephen Beardmore on winning the race, with a 2y old cheq cock with a velocity of 1511. Some might say the race point and the wind favoured the Welsh members, but you have to have a good pigeon to win, even in favourable conditions, and you might have a good pigeon on the day in unfavourable conditions as did Brian Holland. The main thing was we got a great race from over 200 miles with excellent returns and maintained the social side with an excellent lunch at the race marking, for all taking part, provided by the Circle, keeping up our tradition of a true Social Circle.
Brian Holland a great performance on the day
Stephen's winning pigeon is a result of the Breeders Exchange, the Circle run every year, dating back to 1944. In 2020 Stephen exchanged with John Winstanley who won the race that season with one of Stephen's and to put the icing on the cake John also took 5th place with his second pigeon. This year Stephen returns the favour by winning the first OB race with one of John's pigeons. This goes to prove how these exchange's benefit both parties, as over the years many great performances have come from these events. Stephen's first in the clock, was a chequer widowhood cock that has had 3 races this season prior to this one and has been one of the first birds to the loft on every occasion. Living in north Wales with big problems with the birds of prey only one training toss prior to the racing season is the norm, but plenty of home exercise is carried out with both cocks and hens. Going back a few years Stephen raced his birds in the sprint events and as a result had a small team of 12 widow cocks that competed very well for him. As time passed he decided to compete in the longer races, in particularly with the NFC a number of distance birds were purchased and tested over two or three seasons. He also changed his flying rout from the south east to a more southerly rout by joining a new federation that allowed this. He still only has a small team of 12 pars of racers and 3 pars of stock pigeons. His winning form continued a few days later when he was competing with the NFC from Guernsey when he had the first birds into north Wales in section 'W' Stephen had two drop together from the 3 birds he sent. In the LSC race Stephen timed his second pigeon, 3 minutes later a cheq yearling hen that has been a most consistant pigeon having won as a young bird, that comes from a long line of winners and is a result of a cross with his original sprint family of pigeons. Stephen wins the Briggs Trophy for winning the race and also collects the Webster Bros Trophy for the Best Two Bird Average along with a Frank H Parsonage Award and the Albert Hitchen Award. Stephen would like to thank John Winstanley for his winning pigeon and hopes there is more to come from this 2y old cock.
Stephen Beardmore Winner of the First OB Race
Still in north Wales we find the winner of second place in the Maidstone race, David Jones known to all as DL, who timed a 7y old cheq roundabout hen on 1494. Over the years she has won from several different race points inland and from Belgium and France. Her breeding is from DL's original De Weerd family crossed with the Cyriel Lambrecht pigeons that have produced streams of winners for him. This hen in particular has bred DL a number of winners and with her age is destined for the stock loft this next season.
David Jones Second from Maidstone LSC
In third place on 1449 is George Pendleton with a 2y old blue widowhood hen, that was bred by Thomas Daniels who flies in the South Road Fed in Ireland. I understand from a previous visit these Irish pigeons are Ceusters, when I reported at the time they were fine looking birds. George first got friendly with Thomas when he managed to get him tickets for a Liverpool football match some years back. This friendship has grown with visits to the BHW show in Blackpool and to the Dublin show in Ireland. George entered two Irish rung blue hens that were timed in a matter of minutes that are motivated by putting a couple of spare cocks in with the widowhood hens a couple of hours before basketing for the race. These two pigeons have been most consistant as young birds being in the clock a number of times before winning as yearlings and now as 2y olds. George has been around pigeons all his life, as his father was a pigeon man and George has been brought up with them from being a small child in Liverpool.
George Pendleton Third Maidstone
John Winstanley picks up the fourth diploma timing in a 3y old blue cock doing 1400, raced on a roundabout system along with the help of his right-hand-man and good friend Geoff Sandland. His timer a blue cock that has been in the prizes many times, and if my memory serves me right was fifth with the Lancashire Social Circle race last season from Yeovil a performance that helped John win a string of trophies in the Circle races. Like George Pendleton, John's involvement with pigeons started as a young boy around the age of eight or nine when his father who kept pigeons was always working and needed help to look after them. At first it was a bit of a chore but his interest grew and the rest in history.
John Winstanley and Geff Sandland Fourth Maidstone LSC Race
In fifth spot was Brian Walsh from Liverpool who clocked a 3y old blue hen on 1373. Brian informs me this hen is from the very best of the R & B Smith pigeons, but has a real connection to the Lancashire Social Circle. The sire is a great grandson of 'Hughie' who was bred by Hugh Higgins one of our past Honorary Members who had pigeons from one of our past Secretaries Richie Ryder. While the dam of Brian's hen comes from a pigeon called 'The Hilson Cock' that Bob and Brian purchased from George Hilson's sale of stock pigeons that is responsible for a string of good winning pigeons. Brian races 40 pairs of birds on the roundabout system, and while this hen has been steady in all the races she has been entered in, Brian feels she would be a winner if he could get her over the channel with some distance under her wings.
Brian Walsh Fifth from Maidstone
Jeff Churchill from Chester took the final diploma in sixth place timing a 3y old cheq hen doing 1367. Jeff has had a fabulous racing season with his club taking most of the top prizes so far this season, and as can be seen from this result this form as carried over to this Circle race from Maidstone. Jeff is in a rather difficult position at the moment as his pigeon are some miles away and the land where the loft is on is scheduled for building, should this happen it would mean the end for racing. Jeff's family of pigeons are Soontjen based with the originals coming from Frank Sheader from Scarborough North Yorkshire. Following the success of the first introductions Jeff returned a couple of years later and purchased a small team of youngsters. It's from these and the original stock pigeons that the family has emerged. Once again Jeff's father kept racing pigeons and this is where he got the love of our feathered friends. Sadly in today's world this is not the case, as children have other interests and are not prepared to put the work effort into a hobby like pigeons.
Jeff Churchill Sixth Maidstone with the LSC
The interest so far in the Friendship race has been very poor with only a handful entering the event and is something the Committee might have to look at going forward. The idea behind the Friendship race is members get a pair of pigeons from one of the guests and race them in the young bird race. Prizes are awarded to both the racer and the breeder at the Autumn Gathering and this has enabled guests to be little more involved when it comes to the prize presentation, and over the years has been well supported. We introduced it to replace the exchange with the Midland Social Circle, when the support from the Midland fell away with their reduction in membership.
Can I remind members the Ladies Weekend is to be held at the Clifton Arms Hotel in Lytham on the weekend of 21st and 22nd October later this year. While on the subject of dates can I also remind members and guests the date for the Autumn Gathering at the Inn On The Prom at St Anne's is on the weekend of 18th and 19th November of this year.
Brian Dearn Tel. 01254 772515.
