Lancashire Social Circle
Following a very successful old bird series of races when the Circle held a race from Messac, followed by three inland races from south coast race points, that gave all members the opportunity to compete whether or not they had a CPH number. This led the Circle into the young birds season along with the many problems this time of the year holds for our youngsters. The health problems associated with youngsters mixing in the racing crates, bringing back Young Bird Sickness and Fat Eye being just a couple of aliments modern young bird racing throws at the fancy. But while some members had experienced these they had come through them and made their way to race marking at Alder Root Golf Club for our one and only YB race of the season, that is held in three parts. The first is when all members enter their team of four youngsters into the main event, and then the second part which is the Breeders Exchange where members have exchanged youngsters at the start of the season also enter these into the race. The third part is a Friendship Race where members receive a pair of young birds from one of the many guest or Honorary Members and race them in this final race of the season. This can give us a good total number of entries across the three events, but with the problems outlined above this is not always the case. When you consider in the exchange and friendship events just a couple of pigeons have been acquired around March, and to still have these to take part in the race in September is a feet in its self. The reason I point this out is when you see the number of entries in any one of these races one could be excused for thinking these races are easy to win, when in reality the opposite is usually the case.
As a small racing organisation in order to get our pigeons to the race points we have to be transported by a larger organisation in order to make it financially viable which is the case with many other Two Bird Clubs. The last few seasons with our young bird race we have joined forces with several similar clubs similar to ourselves and have been fortunate to have a separate liberation. On this occasion with the race point being Weymouth on the day of the race heavy mist and fog covered the whole of the south coast making an early liberation impossable. As the day went on if all the transporter were to have had a number of liberations it would have not given enough time for the longer flyer to time in on the day. So a decision was made to go with one liberation from our transporter at 10 30am into a light north east wind. From our total entry of 138 birds almost 50% made the result sheet making it a very successful young bird race to end the racing season.
A quick coverage of all the winners starting with the main event. Past President Bob Smith headed the field timing one of his Bamford Gold Ring pigeons that was his 6th home from that race where he was 1st and 4th Open along with a string of other top place from his 11 bird entry. His winner on this occasion a cheq hen doing 1381 gave him a fitting end to the season with the Circle, as he has been near the top in all the races this year. To prove just how well his team have performed the following trophies show this. Bob wins the Battersby Trophy as winner of the YB race, The Irish trophy for the Best Two Bird Average in the YB race velocity 1354, the Bill Ishmael trophy presented to the winner of the lowest winning velocity, the Woodhouse trophy for the first nom bird in the YB race, the Joe Haworth trophy best average last OB race and the YB race doing 1510, the Sir William Proctor Smith trophy presented to the winner of the Combined Averages, the Anglo Scottish Friendship trophy awarded to the Combined Average based on a points system and the Dr William Anderson trophy Runner-Up OB Average, the Brian Dickinson trophy for the member with the best average, who times a nom bird in from every race along with two Frank H Parsonage Awards.
Bob Smith First Weymouth YB Race
John Dearden was one of only two members on the west side of the membership to clock a good pigeon to take second place again with a young blue hen carrying a Bamford Gold Ring flying 207 miles to its home loft in Norden Rochdale doing 1341. Ronnie Wignall from Manchester timed a home bred cheq hen to pick up the third spot on 1333, followed by David Newson from Banks near Southport with a well fancied blue cock carrying his Woodhouse nomination on 1328. Peter Morris from Speke, Liverpool had a tidy one, a blue hen flying 188 miles on 1280. Finally Alan Bamford picked up the sixth place timing a blue cock on 1274.
John Dearden Second in the Weymouth YB Race
Ronnie Wignall Third in the Weymouth YB Race
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David Newson fourth in the Weymouth YB Race.
Peter Morris Fifth in the Weymouth YB Race
Alan Bamford Sixth in the Weymouth YB Race
In the Exchange race we had 12 members on the result from the 19 members who had managed to still have their exchange pigeons come this time of the season. Jim Kenny from Banks near Southport topped the timings flying almost 212 miles on 1257 with a cheq white flight hen bred by John Winstanley. Jim also timed his second entry a blue pied hen to pick up the 12th place on the result so great flying. Jim wins the Barrett trophy for the racer of the winning pigeon in the Exchange race along with a John Marsden Award. John Winstanley wins the Braithwaite trophy for the breeder of the winning pigeon along with a John Marsden Award. Gerry Clements was second clocking a blue hen on 1256 with a youngster from Ray Bullen. Ian Cooper from Northwich flying 181 miles collected the third place with a cheq hen bred by Malcolm Parry-Jones from North Wales 1205. President Stephen Beardmore was fourth with a blue hen bred by William Curtis 1156. Maurice Jackson from Leyland was fifth with one from Vinnie Donnelly , followed by Ray Bullen with the first of his exchange pigeons from Gerry Clements in sixth doing 1050. Ray timed his second entry in time to collect the 11th spot being the second member to clock both his entries. To fill in the gaps Alan Jones was 7th with one from Tom Owen, Malcolm Parry-Jones was 8th with his exchange from Ian Cooper, Dennis Little was 9th with one from David Hilton and finally David Jones was 10th with his exchange from George Pendleton.
Jim Kenny First and 12th in the Exchange Race & John Winstanley breeder of the winning pigeon in the Exchange Race
Gerry Clements Second in the Exchange Race racer and Sixth in the same race breeder & Ray Bullen who bred the second bird in the Exchange race and also took sixth place racer.
Ian Cooper Third in the Exchange Race & Vinnie Donnelly breeder of the third pigeon in the Exchange Race.
Stephen Beardmore with Malcolm Parry-Jones
The Friendship race proved a little more difficult to the other two races with only three pigeons making the result. The first of these being David Jones from North Wales who timed a blue hen flying 193 miles doing 1283 bred by Circle Secretary Brian Dearn from his Lambrecht family. David wins the Dave Allen/Brian Newson trophy for the racer of the winning pigeon in the race while Brian picks up the Colin Brough Memorial Salver for the breeder of the winning pigeon. Maurice Jackson was second with a blue hen from Tim Webster on 1278. Tim has provided Maurice with friendship pigeons for a few years now and has been very lucky to have been in the result a number of times, only last season this partnership was second in the same event and Tim will retain the R McLaughlin trophy for the breeder of the second prizewinner in the friendship race. David Jones times his second entry another blue hen from Brian Dearn to win the third place from what proved to be a testing race for the 11 members who entered.
David Jones who was First and Third in the Friendship Race
Maurice Jackson second in the Friendship Race and Fifth in the Exchange Race racer.
Brian Dearn. Tel. 01254 772515.
