DEESIDE & NORTH WALES
with Paul Jacobs
FROME 1
I’m getting bored writing about all this gorgeous weather now, I can’t wait for it to cool down a bit and get a bit fresher. With all these east winds our birds are coming from races from all different directions and they are finding it very difficult to land as the way our lofts are situated these winds tend to blow the birds straight into our lofts. This week we decided to send just the cocks as we noticed the way they had been exercising. They were absolutely bouncing and it was a pleasure watching them perform their acrobatics in the sky. I was sending just the cocks with a bit of trepidation as I like to at least send a few of both sexes as when you fly on the roundabout system sometimes the cocks might be a little bit off form and you always have the hens to back you up and vice versa. Anyway, we stuck by our decision and basketed 16 cocks on the Friday night and pooling four right through and I thought to myself that they were in good condition and had high hopes for Saturday.
Saturday dawned just like the previous four races with hardly a cloud in the sky and a light east wind blowing. After completing all our jobs around the loft, word came through that the birds were liberated at 11.35am in a north east wind. This was a little bit later than expected but there was a lot of haze about and it took it’s time to clear. With a north east wind prevailing, I plumped for a time of around three hours for 140 miles which would give me an eta of 2.35pm but I would be waiting long before that, although my mate, Jeff Lawless, mentioned to me on the Friday night that there will be a touch of south in the wind but I didn’t believe him!! At 2.12pm we were waiting in the garden with everything prepared but not really expecting anything just yet when over my head went a blue cock with his wings in the air clapping, I noticed that he was our pooler and he swung around once and landed on the house roof and then tried to land on the loft when the wind caught him and off he went again, he only went around once then he landed on the roof and came straight down this time with no hitches. We clocked him in at 2.13.18 and I thought that he wouldn’t be far off the mark as I call this cock the “Frome Cock” as he has many prizes from this point without actually winning. We sat and waited for the inevitable rush of pigeons but it wasn’t to be as we never had another one until 2.22, 9 minutes after our first! Thoughts went through my head, have we got a good one? We would have to wait and see. The rest of our team came very poorly with us eventually having our fourteenth bird at 5.50pm with two birds missing. I received a phone call from CLM lofts which revealed that they had a very good race with 29 out of 31 by 3.00pm but didn’t time until 2.18pm. This concerned me as our birds struggled today and I thought they should have done better. At clock checking we weren’t far away in the end and finished up 3rd Club behind a very good hen of Lenny Wilkes and brother Reuben Wilkes who both clocked at 2.12pm to take the first two positions.
The Deeside Amalgamation of Federations had 162 members sent 3,680 birds and a good race for Amal Secretary John Rixon of the West Cheshire Fed who finished up 1st and 3rd on 1583.97 and 1580.18, 2nd – C. & C.D. Jones, West Cheshire 1580.50, 4th – J.A. Paton, West Cheshire 1580.12, 5th – Micky Locke, West Cheshire 1579.18, 6th – J. Millington & son, West Cheshire, 7th and 8th – R. Tudor, West Cheshire, 1578.66 and 1575.97, 9th – A. Atkinson, Deeside 1575.65 and finally 10th – R. Wilkes 7 son, Deeside 1573.63. I must mention a fantastic race from Roy Sandland of the Willaston who ended up 12th, 15th, 16th, 19th, 20th and 23rd Amal. Top class flying mate. West Cheshire again dominated proceedings with 25 out of the 30 available positions. West Cheshire Fed leads the Deeside Fed by 3 races to 2.
Deeside and North Wales Federation saw 62 members send 1,065 birds and another top notch performance from the “Slayer” with his second Fed topper in as many weeks. 1st and 5th – Alan Atkinson, Sandycroft 1575.65 and 1560.05, 2nd – R. Wilkes & son, Shotton 1573.63, 3rd – Reuben Wilkes, Shotton 1568.92, 4th – V. Jacobs & son (Bin bag boys), Shotton 1563.70, 6th – J. Evans & grandson, Shotton 1548.36, 7th – Jeff Wynne, Shotton 1544.03, 8th – Derrick Jones, Hightown 1542.08, 9th – J. Jones & son, Sandycroft 1541.85 and 10th – D. Morris, Shotton 1540.00.
Around the clubs now and as always we go the Federation winning club which this week is again Sandycroft HS. 6 members sent 160 birds. Alan Atkinson makes it five out of 5 and this week takes 1st and 2nd Club with his winner, a blue yearling hen taking her first card. Her sire is direct out of his 1st Deeside Amal Niort winning hen a couple of years back when paired to a sister of his famous “National hen” who won a multitude of prizes in Club, Fed, Amal and MNFC, his second is another hen, a half sister to his “National Hen” which again is winning her first prize, these hens are raced on the roundabout system, 3rd position went to J. Jones & son who are flying a very good bird this year, their prize winner is a Luc van Coppenolle x Mick Collins hen which I believe is winning her first prize, 4th went to M. Pulford but we have no info regarding this bird. Thanks Alan and well done again.
My own club, Shotton HS had 30 members send 418 birds and in the winners enclosure this week and making it five separate winners from five separate races this year is R. Wilkes & son (Lenny), Lennie’s winner is a blue hen that was second club last week, so that makes it 2 x 1sts, 1 x 2nd and 1 x 3rd for this hen. According to Lennie, this hen has been first to the loft in every race this year and because of this and a little persuasion from big friend Albert Gelder, Lennie pooled the hen all the way and promptly won the lion’s share of the pools, well done Len, it’s nice to see the worker’s reaping the benefits, 2nd went to brother Reuben Wilkes with a 2 year old widowhood cock whose sire was bred by Derek Fenwick and the dam is a “Parkside Superman” hen off birds from the late Brian Williams, this cock obviously likes the widowhood system as he scored a second prize last year, flying well is Reub, 3rd went to ourselves, V. Jacobs & son with a blue Janssen van den Bosche cock raced on the roundabout system, he has been a big winner for us by winning 3rd Club 4th Fed 17th Amal Frome – 3,680 birds, 4th Club 4th Fed 11th Amal Frome – 3,110 birds, 4th Club 6th Fed 6th Amal Frome – 3,263 birds, 4th Club 6th Fed 15th Amal Messac – 776 birds, 4th Club 23rd Fed West Bay – 728 birds plus lots of other prizes. He is a son of our top Janssen De Klak cock, “Klacker” who has bred 15 x 1st Club including 5 x 1st Fed winners when paired to “Harwood’s Hen” who was a winner of 2nd Fed 3,212 birds and 3rd Fed 1,610 birds when coming with the Fed winner both times, she was bred by Fred Harwood of Chester from his superb Ken Darlington Janssen VDB family and was a super breeder for Fred and ourselves. 4th and having a really super season with their small team of widowhood cocks are Joey Evans and grandson, Joe. They were fourth with another Willy Thas cock which has won lots of prizes in Club and Fed. The Thas pigeons originate from Jim Lavery and have done the partnership proud. Well done to you both.
Saltney HS had 8 members send 183 birds and making it five out of five was Ray Powell again. Ray took 1st and 2nd with a cheq pied yearling Gevaert hen winning her second red card. She also won as a youngster and is a very well bred hen. Her sire is a winner of 3 x 1sts for Ray whereas the dam was a winner of 4th Chester 2B Littlehampton and 1st Club 13th Fed Fougeres, second for Ray was his super 3 year old Gevaert hen with a host of prizes such as 1st Club 1st Fed 1st Amal Hereford, 1st Club 1st Fed 5th Amal Hereford, 1st Club 9th Fed Hereford, 1st Club 14th Fed Chepstow, 2nd Club 13th Fed Chepstow and 3rd Club 4th Fed Wincanton, 3rd – Ray Newell & son with a 2 year old Busschaert x Janssen cock who has previously won 1st West Bay, 3rd Truro, 3rd Club 9th Fed Fougeres and 2 x 24th Fed prizes, finally 4th went to Eric Rose with a 2 year old Rietvink Janssen bred by Dave Lewis of Neston and won a 3rd prize last year. Thanks Ray.
Finally we go to Hightown HS. 9 members sent 176 birds and revving up the gears is Derrick Jones who claimed 1st and 2nd positions. The first is a FVW who is a daughter of his “50” cock” who won 11 x 1sts and has bred many winners, his second club winner was bred by the “Sandycroft Slayer” Alan Atkinson and is called the “Lettuce Cock” and he scored as a young bird, 3rd and 4th went to J.R. Morgan with two red cheq Janssen cocks which have both won and scored before for Roy. A note at the bottom of the page from Eileen wishes a very happy 15th birthday to grandson Luke. Happy birthday mate.
Billy (Coppi Cock) Halliwell holding his 1st Fed Hereford winner from 1,121 birds.
Roy Jones holding his winner of 1st Club 4th Fed Chepstow (2) 1,170 birds.
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
22/5/07
