By Brian Dearn
Niort 2016
Where should I begin with the report on this our last old bird race of the 2016 season. With the Circle only open to 40 members and as we lost the one and only Tommy Hawkins just as our season was to get under way, put our numbers down to 39. We have in our ranks, like many other pigeon organisations an ageing membership who, from time to time miss a function or an odd race, and this drops the numbers down a little more. But this season we have missed a couple of our regular flyers in Tom Owen and Peter Latham both of whom have been under the weather health wise, but I am pleased to be able to report that both are feeling fine and are hoping to be at the top of the young bird result later in the season. The final race is always from Niort a 500 mile event for our members and as a result a number of them find it difficult to find birds capable of this distance, and again we find a few drop out. When it comes to club racing from over the channel with diminishing numbers of members and as a result diminishing number of birds, one has to ask the question would we be better off racing inland with local clubs and when flying from the channel duplicating from one of the Nationals. With basket charges being around £35 many clubs are finding it difficult to make ends meet when it comes to channel racing, and several local clubs have not been competing from over the water this season, which maybe the thin end of the wedge. Transport organisations also have to make a living and with the cost of the ferry at around £1000 mark no one is making a fortune. Other suggestions put forward have been to do away with the 500 mile race point and go to Carentan, Fougeres and Messac, and with the ever changing weather pattern this last few years this is something fanciers might have to think about.
With our new transport arrangements and the transporter having to leave at 2 00pm has seen the social side of the marking ending up a little disjointed with members and their guest having lunch at slightly different times. With this in mind it has been suggested members along with their guest that would like to have lunch make their way to the pub around 12 noon and then we start marking the birds around 1:00p.m. and the transporter can be away for 2: 00p.m. as agreed with our driver. Hopefully this will mean we can all have lunch together and the birds marked within the hour and those members who need to be away to have their birds marked at their local clubs can do so.
The race itself turned out a stiff one with the weather in France not starting off as good as we would have liked. The forecast was for improvement as the day went on and at 11:00a.m. the strings were cut and the birds up and away into a variable wind. We have all been brainwashed to think the birds must go up as soon as possible from channel races, thinking of them as a one day race. Which may well be the case with good weather and an early liberation. But as I said earlier with the ever changing weather pattern these last few years and the situation we found ourselves in at our first channel race when the birds were brought back to Cheltenham. It makes sound sense to liberate the birds later in the day providing the birds are not over the channel as it about to go dark. This situation seems to be a lot better than holding the birds for days when there is no likelihood of liberation in the foreseeable days to come.
Graham McKay - Niort winner
With no birds home on the day it was up early on the Sunday morning if you wished to see your birds home. Graham Mackay from Swinton Manchester was first into the clock at 07 58 30 flying 505 miles with a velocity of 1060. This 3 year old blue cock was sent to the first channel race but as the birds were brought back to Cheltenham did not get the chance to show his full potential, although he has a number of prize cards to his name. Graham wins the S J Kearns Trophy presented to the winner of this race along with a Parsonage Award. Following on from his third place in the last race was Alan Bamford with his single entry a 2 year old blue hen who won second on 958. Alan is having a great season with his hens, and his system has proved to be a winning one. Another fancier who is having a fantastic racing season is Eric Entwistle, Eric timed both his entries in 28 seconds the first of these being a 2 year old cock which he timed from our second race from Messac two weeks ago, when he was fourth and won the Best Two Bird Average. Sending both birds back paid off as can be seen being the only member to time both his birds in race time, we only give one prize per loft and with no two bird average for this race this gallant second pigeon just missed out. Eric also wins the old bird average and the Arthur H Todd Trophy with a velocity of 967. John Dearden takes fourth place with a 4 year old mealy cock 851 flying 510 miles into Norden, Rochdale. John has had a good season in the Circle races when you consider he is still trying to build a team as he did not breed any youngsters the other year following a spell of health problems which we are pleased are now well behind him. John was runner-up to Eric for the old bird average and wins the Dr William Anderson Trophy with a velocity of 899. Fifth place in the race went to Keith Iddon 727 with an exchange pigeon from the late Bill Ishmael. Back in 2012 Bill took his exchange birds round with the instructions to get him a prize card with one of them, that very same season Keith was 1st and 6th with the two pigeons, the 6th place pigeon being the bird he timed from Niort this year. He has been in the clock many times from over the water and can be relied upon on a hard day. The final diploma went to George Pulford in sixth place with what must have been the oldest bird entered a 7 year old blue chequer cock raced on total widowhood, a multiple prize-winner for George from over the channel.
Alan Banford 2nd Niort 2016 Eric Entwistle 3rd Niort and OB Average winner 2016
John Dearden 4th Niort and Runner-up OB Average 2016 - Keith Iddon 5th Niort 2016 - George Pulford 6th Niort 2016.
I met up with Tony Merrick this last weekend when both Anita and myself took a short break in the Lake District. Tony asked if all members and their guests who are attending the Ladies Weekend at Harrogate on 30th September 1st October of this year would be kind enough to fill in their dinner requirements for both Friday and Saturday and let me have them. Failing that to give me a call and I will take their meal requests over the phone. Anyone who has not received their menu selection and who has paid their deposit to Tony please give me a call and I will sort it out for you. The reason behind the menu selection is the hotel needs to know who is having what and the idea is to have your requirements printed on the back of your place cards, so there is no mistakes as to what you have requested, which I am doing for Tony on this occasion. Tony would also like to thank everyone who has promised to bring along raffle prizes on the night and asked if members would be so kind as to put a little though into the raffle prizes which go a long way to help keep the funds up for the entertainment and the small gifts for the ladies.
Brian Dearn
Tel. 01254 772515
