DEESIDE & NORTH WALES
with Paul Jacobs
Ludlow old bird race 07.04.07
Well, after all the waiting, anticipating and worrying, here we are at the first race of 2007. It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were separating the young birds last year and preparing to get them through the moult. I am lying really, it felt like an eternity! The weather leading up to our first race was a bit of a mixed bag with it being foggy for two days running, this was about ten days before the first race, it brightened up a few days after that and it gave a lot of fanciers the chance to get the baskets out and get them up the road but we had to be careful as there was a very cold easterly wind prevailing.
We only had our roundabouts cocks and hens twice each on the N.E.W & W.W. fed transporter driven by Colin Prance and the cocks were not coming as well as the hens to be honest, but at least none made any mistakes. Oh! Except one hen which Reuben Wilkes took a fancy to before one toss when he had a nose in our basket, she had took a knock on her wing resulting in her losing a couple of primaries. Don’t be picking out any more of our birds Reub, you’re a jinx! The marking night for Shotton HS soon came around and the atmosphere was buzzing as there were many faces which we hadn’t seen since last year. Twenty six members clocks were set and a total of 349 birds were basketed. After the clocks were done and all the birds were helped on to the transporter it was time for a few drinks and to watch the Everton game. The result went our way 4:1 and it was only right to celebrate with a few more drinks! A good night was had in the Labour Club and the banter was very good with everybody fancying their chances the day after.
I awoke very early without a bad head surprisingly and it was down to my dad’s where we had a few jobs to do, such as wing stamping all our young birds and the remaining racers which never went to the race. We also made sure that our young birds were basket trained with one trough for food and one for water on the sides of each basket. We will do this on every race day and will leave them in there for at least four hours as basket training young birds is a must. It was a very good forecast for the Ludlow race and so it turned out with a beautiful day on the cards with a slight headwind. They were liberated at 10.00am in a light north east wind. I was giving the birds a time of around 11.15 for the 58 mile fly but I was well out. The first birds that went over our house were on the 11.08 mark where one started clapping as we shouted it followed by three more. I didn’t think that they might be from our race as nothing else passed over until we had four together at 11.11. The first bird in the clock was a blue wf son of our good stock pair “Joe 90” and “Millward’s hen” and he didn’t waste much time as he went round the house once and then landed on my dad’s roof and came straight down to be timed at 11.11.49 and another was clocked at 11.12am, I then clocked two poolers at 11.14 and 11.15 and then enjoyed the rest of the race. It was a pleasure watching them arrive and they looked a picture on arrival which is a credit to the convoyers. Our last bird to turn up at 12.05 was a later bred 2006 youngster out of “Joe 90” and “Millward’s hen” which was only having his third race so he’s still learning the job in hand. As the afternoon wore on my mobile phone was a bit quiet but I later found out that Doug Morris of Shotton had a cracker at 11.08 which would take some beating I thought, he also had 14 dropping at 11.11! After clock checking we found out we ended up 5th Club 7th Fed 17th Amal from 3,103 birds, not a bad start I suppose. Anyway, enough of my banter and lets get down to some results.
A bumper entry to start the season for the Deeside Amalgamation of Federations saw 167 members send 3,103 birds. The Deeside and North Wales federation drew first blood with 1st position going to D. Morris, Deeside 1479.57 (congratulations Dougie!), 2nd Roy Sandland, West Cheshire 1476.82 (keep them out of the fields Roy!), 3rd V. Cooper & son, Deeside 1462.65, 4th Bob Tudor, West Cheshire 1451.40, 5th F. Molloy & son, West Cheshire 1449.57, 6th Mel Jones, Deeside 1449.03, 7th Carl Jones & Robbie Thomas, West Cheshire 1445.39, 8th L. Taylor, West Cheshire 1442.49, 9th Steve Williams, West Cheshire 1441.67 and finally 10th goes to Alan Atkinson, Deeside 1441.58. A pretty close race between the two federations saw the West Cheshire fed take 16 of the 30 positions on offer.
Here are the first ten positions in the Deeside and North Wales federation’s race from Ludlow. 65 members sent 902 birds and in 1st position was D. Morris, Shotton 1479.57, 2nd V. Cooper & son, Shotton 1462.65, 3rd M. Jones, Shotton 1443.03, 4th A. Atkinson, Sandycroft 1441.58, 5th J.W. Wynne & son, Shotton 1440.35, 6th R. Wilkes, Shotton 1436.59, 7th V. Jacobs and son, Shotton 1436.25, 8th S. Burgess, Hightown 1435.90, 9th E. Davies, Shotton 1434.35, 10th J. Evans & son, Shotton 1434.27.
Around the clubs now and on to the fed topping club which is my own club, Shotton HS. Here 26 members 349 birds. We had a particularly good race this week occupying 20 of the available 30 federation positions. In first position on a velocity of 1479 is “Deadly” Doug Morris with a blue Staf Van Reet cock known as the “16” cock. He has won other positions as well as winning this race such as 4th Club 9th Fed in 2005 and in 2006 won 4th Club 12th Fed. He is a grandson of Doug’s No.1 Van Reet stock cock which was bought from Tony Mardon in 2000. In the six seasons since Doug bought this cock, he is responsible for 24 x 1st prize winners, another grandson of this cock won 1st Club 1st Fed 2nd Amal Messac. On the dam’s side is the No.2 stock cock, the “Big wattle cock” which is also responsible for winners. The sire and grandsire of the “16” cock are winners which makes it three generations of winners. In the pedigree are such names as “Remiss”, “Reckon”, “Rustle”, “Recquit”, “Rome”, “Ragdoll”, “Toey” and “Reflex”. Thanks for the info Doug. In second spot on 1462 were Vic Cooper and son with his good cheq pied cock which is a very good racer. He is from Vic’s famous “Welshman” family when crossed with a Jim Gibbon hen which won 5th UNC from 14,700 birds. He has won a number of firsts for Vic including 1st NWCC West Bay last year. He was Vic’s first bird from the Truro race last year but sat out for a few minutes, it was only when a loft mate arrived that he went in and was timed in second, the loft went on to win 1st and 2nd fed! 3rd place was taken by Jeff Wynne on 1440 with a Doug Morris bred FVW cock, according to Jeff this cock bats for the other side as he has taken a shine to another cock! (Congratulations on also winning the midweek race as well Jeff), finally in fourth position was “The Jinx”, Reuben Wilkes on 1436, Reuben clocked a widowhood cock which is basically of Derek Fenwick’s bloodlines with a slight cross of Ayton Marshall stock from brother Lenny.
Onto Saltney now and 8 members sent 167 birds. Ray Powell showing them the way home here winning 1st and 2nd places on 1412 and 1402 with a blue Gevaert cock taking his second first prize and a blue Gevaert hen winning her first card, third place was won by Frank Kerr doing 1395 and in fourth place was Ray Newell and son on 1393, unfortunately I have no information on these two members birds. Thanks Ray.
Hightown FC and 10 members sent 147 birds. 1st and 2nd went to Steve Burgess with a yearling De Klak x Van Loon cock bred by Lol Stanbrook of Essex winning 1st place on 1435, this cock has previously won 5th Club Portland and is a son of a cock with 6 x 1st prizes. Second spot on 1417 was won by a yearling Janssen cock bred from a direct Len Hopton Janssen cock which won 4 x 1sts and was purchased at his entire clearance sale, the dam was a first prize winner as a young bird and then put to stock where she has bred 10 x 1st prize winners! Third position doing 1408 was J.R (Roy) Morgan with a Janssen which is a previous Deeside Amal winner from Frome last year, fourth was won by the same loft on 1398 and is also a Janssen but I have no other details. Thanks Eileen.
Finally we go to Sandycroft HS where 5 members sent 159 birds. Starting the season as he means to go on is Alan “the Sandycroft Slayer” Atkinson. Alan wins 1st, 3rd and 4th Club on velocities of 1441, 1417 and 1404. Alan’s first in the clock is previous Chester 2B Littlehampton winner “Young Matthew”, “Young Matthew” is also a double fed winner and is bred from Alan’s Gevaert Van Schoorisse family which originate from Pete and Terri Rodgers, third spot was filled by another super racer of Alan’s which is known as the “72” cock, this cock is a Gevaert x Demeester and is a winner of around 7 x 1sts including winning the Deeside Amal from Picauville in 2005, fourth was another Gevaert winning his first prize, second spot was won by Jos Jones and son but I have no info on this bird. Thanks Alan.
Unfortunately I have no news from Holt HS, so if anyone from the club would like to put a few notes together regarding the races, I’m only a phone call away. Well, a super race was had today and conditions were spot on, lets hope the season carries on in the same vein. See you soon.
Don’t forget you can contact me Paul Jacobs at 20, Lon Dderwen, Connah’s Quay, Deeside, Flintshire. CH5 4WG and phone (01244) 819934 or e mail at
17/4/07
