DEESIDE & NORTH WALES
with Paul Jacobs
Chepstow 2 old bird race 28th April
After last week’s race where the birds put up quite high velocities, I felt quite disappointed as to where we ended up on the result sheet (10th Club 17th Fed) as the birds have been exercising quite superbly around the loft. So the decision was made to get the droppings checked out. I got in contact with Ian Cameron of Manor Court Vets in Tarvin and I decided to have the full range of tests which were coccidiossis, canker, worms and salmonella. The droppings and throat swabs were sent off on Monday and I had the results back on the Thursday by e mail with the analysis that they had a slight touch of coccidiossis which is a bit of a relief that there was not too much wrong with them. I would like to thank Ian Cameron for his service which was very cheap and quick and I would not hesitate to use him again. I have since treated for the problem and wait with eager anticipation to see the outcome in the next few weeks.
It was another beautiful week leading up to the second Chepstow race and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It has been absolutely superb weather this season and I for one cannot remember such a lovely start to the pigeon racing calendar. As you might be aware we race both cocks and hens on the roundabout system and we usually like to make sure that each racer has a partner to come home to. The problem we find though is you always get one or two birds which come quite well and you have to keep racing it, and their partner stays at home and doesn’t get raced which is what we don’t want as we need them all ticking over and ready for when the channel races are upon us. So what we do is send the in form birds along with their partners and whatever bird comes home first receives a partner which has not been sent to the race and when both birds return home they will then be put back together. We decided to send quite a big team this week as there were some birds which had only had one race, so we plumped for twenty seven birds (which comprised of fifteen cocks and 12 hens) to send as it was yet another good forecast with a north east wind predicted.
The Deeside Amalgamation birds were liberated at 10.15am in a light north east wind and I gave them 2 hours 25 minutes giving an e.t.a of 12.40pm. I had checked the wind on the wind map website (www.xcweather.co.uk) and found that the wind was north east at the liberation point veering easterly en route, but as we were waiting for race birds I thought that the wind had turned east south east and I brought forward my e.t.a. to 12.35pm giving a velocity of around 1375 ypm although I thought they may be faster. As we waited we seen plenty of other Federations birds go over which meant the easterly winds had pushed birds over our direction so hopes were high. But it all went down hill after that as we had a very bad trap due to the fact that we didn’t have any cut down trappers and used young birds which we thought were hungry but weren’t!! It was another very good race where the birds tumbled in although I thought that they were a lot thirstier this week on arrival, this due no doubt, to the high temperatures. We had 25 out of 27 by 12.50pm and the final two arrived at 1.35pm and 4.00pm. On hearing some of the times during the afternoon revealed we might not be as far down as I expected. At clock checking it turned out that Roy Jones and Brian Cadwallader of J. Jones & son had clocked an early bird which was one of their Walter Docx breed which have been coming well recently, and this turned out to be the winner. After the bad trap we suffered, it was nice to know we didn’t end up too far down the sheet as we finished 5th Club 12th Fed. After the clocks had been read, it was into the Labour Club for a welcome drink to discuss the race and also the abject performance of Everton who capitulated to gift the “Red Devils” an easy victory. A phone call from John “The Crow” Amos later in the evening revealed a performance from “The Slayer” in Sandycroft that took our breath away!! John let loose the fact that Alan had timed three birds three minutes before Shotton’s winner and to me; these birds would take some beating in the Federation and the Amalgamation.
The birdage for the Deeside Amalgamation of Federations increased again this week with 175 members sending 3,950 birds. The Deeside and North Wales Federation claimed the equaliser this week and made the score 2:2. An absolutely stunning performance this week came from Alan Atkinson of the Deeside Federation with his crack team of Gevaert and Demeester family. Alan claimed 1st, 2nd and 4th positions on velocities of 1422.98, 1420.14 and 1416.78 when three birds dropped together at 12.28 (super performance Alan), 3rd went to Wilcock and Lewis, West Cheshire 1419.76, 5th went to John Rixon, West Cheshire 1410.44, 6th J. Jones & son, Deeside 1404.40, 7th L. Taylor, West Cheshire 1401.41, 8th Doughty & Brown, West Cheshire 1398.93 and 10th went to D. Joinson, West Cheshire 1397.34. The West Cheshire Federation dominated again this week as they claimed 21 out of the 30 available positions.
The Deeside and North Wales Federation had 63 members sending 1,170 birds and as was mentioned before Alan Atkinson of Sandycroft HS had another good weekend by claiming 1st, 2nd and 3rd Fed on velocities of 1422.98, 1420.14 and 1416.78, 4th and 6th Fed with their first bird which won Shotton HS and their second raced in Sandycroft HS went to J. Jones & son on 1404.40 and 1389.04, 5th R. Wilkes & son, Shotton on 1394.31, 7th on 1388.91 went to our race controller Tony Peers & son, Tony has not been very well of late so I hope this result keeps your spirits up! 8th went to Hightown HS winner, J. R. Morgan on 1388.01, 9th went to one of our shorter fliers, Jones & Pugh of Holt HS on 1387.38 and finally 10th position went to Dick and Richie Piggott of Shotton HS.
Willy Wilkes skiving again!
Around the clubs now and firstly to the Federation winning club which this week is Sandycroft HS. Alan has won all of his club races so far and hasn’t been out of the first six in the Fed yet! Alan claimed a nice 1st, 2nd and 3rd club with three super pigeons. The winner this week was “Young Matthew”, a dark cheq Gevaert cock raced on the roundabout, his performances will make your mouth water, so here goes; He is a winner of numerous first prizes including 1st Open Chester 2B Littlehampton young bird race 2005, as well as this win he has won (including this weeks win) 1 x 1st Deeside Amalgamation, 3 x 1st Federation wins, 1 x 3rd Fed and 1 x 4th Fed as well as many other positions, what a super pigeon, 2nd went to another superstar known as the “72” cock, he is a Gevaert x Demeester raced on the roundabout and he is another Deeside Amalgamation winner and also has another 7 x 1st prizes to his credit, 3rd went to a yearling Gevaert x Demeester who won the previous weeks race and claimed 1st Club 6th Fed, and finally 4th Club went to J. Jones and son with a Walter Docx hen which has had a super season so far by winning 2nd Club 13th Fed 29th Amal Ludlow, 3rd Club 6th Fed 26th Amal Hereford and now 4th Club 6th Fed 24th Amal Chepstow. Thanks Alan.
Shotton HS and 30 members sent 482 birds. Making it four different winners from four races were J. Jones & son who clocked a 2 year old Walter Docx widowhood cock on a velocity of 1404.40. These Docx pigeons originate from Joe Spedding of Staffordshire and they are really starting to do very well for the partnership as they have one hen that is racing brilliantly in Sandycroft HS and others are coming to the fore as well (well done Brian and Roy, couldn’t happen to two nicer men), 2nd on 1394.31 went to R. Wilkes & son with a hen which has won 1st Club 4th Fed 21st Amal Hereford previously, this hen is bred from an Ayton Marshall cock crossed with a hen from Derek Fenwick, 3rd on 1388.91 was Tony Peers with a cheq yearling hen raced on the natural system and whose young birds had chipped out on basket night. She is bred from a Busschaert cock which won 5th Club Niort as a 2 year old crossed with a Staf Van Reet hen off Eric “Egger” Davies. This hen has been first bird to the loft in the last four races for Tony, and finally 4th on 1385.37 was Dick and Richie Piggott with a Janssen cock raced on the roundabout and has won minor prizes before for the partnership.
Egger Davies holding his winner of Chepstow (1).
Hightown HS and 9 members sent 180 birds. 1st and 3rd position with velocities of 1388.01 and 1371.56 went Roy Morgan with a cheq Soontjens cock which has won many prizes before and a Janssen cock bred from John Baker of Warrington birds which has already won 1st Club Hereford, 4th Club Ludlow and 4th Club Chepstow this season, obviously consistency is the name of the game for this bird, 2nd club went to Steve Burgess on 1376.68 with a 2 year old Lefebre Dhaenen widowhood cock bred by the Wrexham Federation champions, John and Ian Millward, this cock has won 3rd Club Fougeres and 4th Club Eastbourne previously for Steve, 4th went to the “Wizard” Derrick Jones on 1370.06 with a FVW widowhood hen winning her first prize. Thanks Eileen. Hey Eileen, I thought it was a lovely photo last week and brought out all your best qualities!!
Onto Saltney HS now and making it four out of four yet again is Ray Powell with his super Gevaert Van Schoorisse family. Ray took 1st and 2nd on 1360.41 and 1335.53. Ray clocked a 3 year old blue cheq Gevaert cock which is a previous winner of 2 x 2nd clubs and a blue yearling Gevaert cock which was winning his first card (a good start to the season Ray), 3rd position went to Ray Newell and son on 1327.42 with a yearling Van Bruane x Busschaert hen on the celibate system and was winning her first card, finally 4th place went to Eric Rose with a yearling FVW cock on 1323.69 and was raced on the roundabout system, this cock was again winning his first card. Thanks Ray.
By the way, whilst watching “Million Dollar Pigeon” on BBC2, did anybody notice the film star Mel “the Duke” Jones at one of Derek Nicholl’s sales walking past the camera a couple of times? Did you notice the camera was there Mel because I swear you were pretending not to notice!!! I don’t think they caught your best side mate!!
Finally, a note from Eileen Marshall regarding the clock setting for the Chester 2B Picauville yearling race. Eileen has mentioned that the clocks will be set during 5pm and 6pm at the Wrexham clock station on the Friday before the race. Thanks Eileen.
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
14/5/07
