LSC YB Portland & Exchange Races
By Brian Dearn
The Lancashire Social Circle young bird race was held from Portland on 7th September, the race is a mid week one with the birds race marked on Tuesday and the race itself taking place on Wednesday. Over the last few seasons for one reason or another, the birds have had to be brought back to a more inland race point or wait for the sea fog or mist to clear before a liberation has been able to take place. The question asked by many is why go to the very tip of the south coast with the low lying mist at this time of the year when a liberation could be possible from a race point a little more inland such as Bedhampton, Frome or Yeovil. As a result of the heavy mist the birds had to be held until 12:15pm when they were liberated into a strong South East wind, Keith or convoyer rang to say the birds had cleared well, I explained the weather at this end was very good and had been all morning, he explained the weather there was beautiful but not as beautiful as Diane. (this should give you brownie points Keith, if see reads this) With the wind at the start strong South East members thought the winning birds would be doing 60mph and found in the west of the country. But when the final result came out it was John Dearden on the East side of our radius that proved to be the eventual winner. John had a cracking race timing three birds in a matter of minutes, his first two being entered in the LSC young bird race while his third was a breeders exchange with the Midland Social Circle which proved to be the winner of that race also, more details of the birds a little later in my report.
John Dearden LSC Winner outside his loft
John has been in the sport for 70 years and first got involved when his father who was a farmer use to go to the cattle auction at Clough Fold, Waterfoot, near Bacup. John recalls he would have been around the age of 6 at the time and had a fascination with some pigeons in a small pen. He remembers around that time one of the best pigeon races in his locality was Billy Wallock, and it was from him that young John got his first real racing pigeons. Other members of the Wallock family were cousin Albert and uncle George all of which kept racing pigeons. George lived opposite a chip-shop and outside the shop was a old bench where George could be found most days along with other pigeon fanciers, discussing all thing pigeons. The chip-shop is still there only now it's a Chinese chip-shop but that old bench is still there inside and on the odd occasion when John goes into the shop and sees the old bench the memories of his early childhood come streaming back. It was Albert Wallock, who was a little older than young John, who took him on a double-decker bus to get his first pigeons. A little later when John had his own loft on the farm he added some birds from another local fancier Ned Schofield and it was from these pigeons he bred his very first winner in 1955, a blue chequer cock ring number NURP55J5590 which not only won the club but toped the South East Lancs Fed from Christchurch. John recalled he was so excited he didn't sleep for two nights.
The Winning Hen on her baby - John's Exchange Winner
The thrill of winning a race is still with him and his latest winner with the Circle is a blue chequer hen sent sitting but John slipped a youngster under her the day before she went to the race. At the time of my visit she was still sitting keen on her baby (see photo) she was bred by John from a gift bird he got from a good friend Frank Dixon on the Wirral when paired to a hen from Stuart Wilcox from Bristol. John races his old birds on a roundabout system and pairs them around mid January. This year he bred 52 youngsters including 12 he imported in from Belgium, and at the time of my visit which was the end of the racing season he still had 44 in the loft. With the losses that many fanciers have experienced this season I asked John about his young bird system. He puts them on the darkness as soon as they are weaned until the middle of June. Once he has them all flying well around the loft which only takes a few weeks he starts to train them, he feels this is very important to get some experience and education into them early in their young lives. John gets them all in the baskets and takes them a matter of a few yards from the loft, this give them confidence in the basket and gets them trapping. Once these first few early tosses are over the distance increases to 2 miles then around 5 miles again making sure the birds are quickly out of the baskets and trap quickly on reaching home. The distance is then increased to 10 miles where the youngsters are kept for a number of training tosses which again gives the birds confidence. By starting his training early and not leaving it until about 2 weeks before the first race as so many fanciers seem to do, makes sure, should he have a bad toss, it gives him plenty of time to give the youngsters a rest before training starts again. The young bird section is split in half down the centre with all the boxes in the back part and as a result all the youngsters perch there and John just slides the doors of the section closed and the birds are on darkness. The front part of the loft is used to feed the birds on a table like structure where John plays with them while feeding making them very tame. Also in this front section there is a wire floor where John can put a bath in without wetting the whole loft. Once the birds have had their bath boards are placed onto the wire helping to keep the loft warm. Before the birds are weaned a good layer of deep litter is places on the floor of the back section and this is never cleaned out all season, but the loft is very dry. I had a great morning with John and took along an old friend of mine from France and a past member of the Circle Brendan Cunniff who was over on a visit, John and Brendan go back a number of years and the stories coming from them both was very entertaining. John has a tremendous amount of old Toulet clocks and one in particular belonged to Dr G R White from Castleton which is near Rochdale, who was a member of the Circle. Dr White won the San Sebastian race with the Circle in 1931 and was 3rd from the same race point in 1932 with a pigeon called "Lady Fayre" and when he died in 1951 his top priced bird cost £3 5 shillings at his auction.
It's back to the race result the winner John Dearden on 1557 flying 212 miles and doing 53 mph, John timed his second pigeon just 2 minutes later and this performance wins him the Best Two Bird Average winning him the Irish Trophy on 1550. He also picks up the Battersby Trophy for winning the race along with a Frank H Parsonage Award, the Lady Proctor Smith Silver Salver for Runner-Up Combine Average and as his first bird was entered for the Brian Woodhouse Trophy he also wins that. This is a new trophy presented to the Circle last year by Brian and John was also the winner on that occasion.
Johns feeding table
In Second place its over to Manchester, to Gerry Clements, Gerry had a great race sending four birds and timed them all flying 202 miles on a velocity of 1543. The winner of this race last year Roger Sutton, was third on 1523 and Roger timed his second bird just two minutes later making him the Runner-Up Two Bird Average on 1517. Circle President Bob Smith is fourth flying 199 miles on 1503. Alan Jones from Liverpool collects the fifth place 1481, Alan has had a great season being the only member to time a nom bird in from every race winning him the Brian Dickinson Trophy. We also have a trophy presented by a number of our Scottish Honorary Members, some years ago which is presented to the winner of the Combined Average based on a points system and Alan wins this with a total of 139 points. The final place goes to Alan Bamford in sixth 1435, Alan also has a trophy to collect at our presentation evening the Cotswold Trophy for the Best Average in the second and third OB races on 1029.
Gerry Clements and daughter Alison Second LSC YB Race
The Lancashire Social Circle holds a Breeders Exchange race, as do many other clubs the only difference being ours dates back to 1944, when the late Jack Barrett and his brother-in-Law Ted Braithwaite gave two identical trophies for the exchange race. This year's winner is Roger Sutton with a black pied hen bred by David Jones flying almost 180 miles on 1584, this being the highest winning velocity on the day and wins Roger the Three Musketeers Trophy. Roger also collects the Barrett Trophy for winning this race along with a John Marsden Award.
Roger Sutton 3rd LSC YB Race and 1st and 4th Exchange Race - David Jones Breeder of 1st and 4th in the Exchange Race for Roger Sutton - Alan Bamford 2nd LSC Exchange Race - Gary Cockshott breeder of Alan Bamfords second prizewinner
The Circle also present two trophies in conjunction with the NFC Tarbes race and Roger wins both of them, the Wright Trophy and the Roy Mundy Trophy. Roger timed the second of his two pigeons in to take fourth prize a dark pied hen both these hens have not put a foot wrong this season and been in the prizes a couple of times. These two youngsters have a great connection to the exchanges made within the Circle and a little background on these birds comes from their breeder DL. Roger's first bird in a Lambrecht whose dam has topped the Fed plus many other top positions in the Fed before going to stock. The grandparents are out of stock from Brian Dearn LSC Secretary, three sisters same way bred as Rogers in 2014 won first Fed Buckingham, the second won the Gold Ring Race the following week and the third was 30th Chester Two Bird. This is a good position living one hour West of most flyers. Rogers second bird is from a full brother of his first, the sire being from Leslies Lad and Priory Pied who topped the Fed every year before being put to stock. The dam is from Chris Knowles the LSC President Elect and is a blue pied. Another sister from this pair was 2nd North section this year from Ypres with the Welsh South East National. Alan Bamford who won this race last season was second with one bred by Gary Cockshott on 1460. The breeding of this youngsters again has a slight connection to the Circle in that the sire is a blue Lambrecht cock which Gary had on loan from Rod Allen who comes as a guest of Dave Sowerby. The dam is a Kyper pigeon purchased from Louella and is a great granddaughter of Beatrix who was first National St Vincent 55,300 birds plus the winner of a car. Third spot went to Alan Jones with a youngster bred by John Dearden 1226. Tom Owen was sixth with one from Malcolm Hewitt 1139 followed by Keith Iddon on 1076 with an exchange from Brian Walsh and finally George Pulford with his bird from Graham Mackay 807.
Alan Jones with his good mate George Mainwaring congratulating him on a good days racing - Bob Smith fourth LSC YB Race
At the start I mentioned John Dearden had won the exchange with the Midland Social Circle, with a chequer cock 1498 bred by Richard Manning. This is not the first time Richard has bred the winner of this race in 2013 he bred the winner for Mike O'Hare, and it will be nice to see him back again the our Gathering in November, to collect the Colin Brough Memorial Plate for the second time in three years. John was telling be he sent this cock back to Portland on the Friday and following a one day hold over timed him to win second club with a velocity of 1700. Brian Barnes was second with a youngster bred by Mark Bainbridge flying 222 miles to St Annes on 1279. Brian has been building up his winning team of racers for close on 20 years but with failing health has decided to cut his birds down at the backend of the of the season and is having a reduction sale on the 29th October at St Annes Cricket Club, a sale not to be missed. Keith Iddon is third following his recent success in the Old Hens National with one bred by Ray Knight on 968. With only four birds timed in the final diploma goes to Bob Smith with one from Brian Garnham on 865. A number of members phoned the following day informing me they had pigeons arrive early doors but as this is only a one day race these did not count. With our longest flyer, flying 263 miles with a later liberation and the nights closing in a good pigeon was required on the day.
Chris Knowles with Ian Cooper marking the birds for the YB Race - Keith Iddon with Brian Barnes waiting to load the Birds
Brian Dearn Tel. 01254 772515.
