ESSEX & KENT AMALGAMATION
E. J. SAINS
Wetherby - 15th June 2013
The Essex & Kent Amalgamation once again maintained a high number of birds for its third race of the season. The approximate four and a half thousand birds got off to an excellent start at 6.45am Saturday morning June the 15th. The wind was moderate to strong West South West for most of the way, and even though it considerably favoured the East side of the amalgamation, the first 20 nevertheless were timed in from the East side right the way across the amalgamation into London, once again showing the excellence of the unbiased races held by the Essex & Kent Amalgamation.
Mr Paul Reynolds 1st 4th 5th 6th & 7th Open Essex & Kent Amalgamation 1st 4th 5th 6th & 7th Stour Valley Federation Wetherby 1443 1410.9 1410.8 1393.5 & 1393.3 ypm 4403 birds
Once again Paul managed to secure a fantastic performance winning five of the first ten positions. Yes the wind favoured the East side of the amalgamation, but what you have to consider is that this is Paul’s fourth Essex & Kent Amalgamation win since 2011 after turning back round from the South road. When you look at the very high number of birds entered in these races you certainly have to admire this man’s performances.
Talking to Paul, he told me that his birds are flying and looking in super condition and that he puts this down to a change in feeding he made this year, to help him and his wife get the birds in top form, particularly because he can’t always be there when training around the loft and feeding is taking place as his work often has to take priority, then Corinne, Paul’s wife has to take over.
Paul explained that he had brought in a new range of food that not only supplied a stable diet, but also through a pellet that was in the mixture containing all the correct vitamins for racing up to 300 miles, but also a probiotic to keep the gut flora in optimum condition. This mixture is from the Garvo range and is called G Spirit. Paul imported a pallet from Holland, remarking that the food was cheaper than you can buy here, but the price went up because of the delivery charge.
Paul’s first bird, a blue yearling widowhood cock, contains all the best of M & D Evans’ top pigeons Shadow, Devon, Saffron, Carrie, Jester etc. This line of Paul’s Gabys originate from birds purchased from the outstanding London flyer Mr Ron Tubey. The second bird, a two year old widower, was another Tubey pigeon but from a different pairing. The third bird, a blue pied yearling widowhood cock, is a son of Paul’s 2011 y/b amalgamation winning hen. The fourth bird, a two year old blue widowhood cock, is the same way bred as the first bird. The fifth bird is out of Paul’s number one pair, the Mellonby & Wheelhouse Gabys. This cock had won 20th open in the previous Berwick combine.
Paul Reynolds, grandson Nyle and the little dog Muffin
Mr Lee Fribbins 2nd 12th & 16th Open Essex & Kent Amalgamation 2nd 8th & 16th Stour Valley Federation Wetherby velocity 1439 1385 & 1370 ypm
Lee’s birds are another team that is in great form. Three amalgamations already flown this year so far, first and second open 5486 birds, 11th Open 4377 birds and now 2nd 12th & 16th Open 4403 birds.
This is a small team of twelve cocks and twelve hens kept separate but paired together, both racing to their breeding loft. To get these sorts of results your birds have to be not only in super form on the day of the race, but also be holding this sort of form for several weeks.
Lee’s method of racing is to fly both hens and cocks as he is also a believer in maintaining top quality hens; he feels this can only be done by testing the hens. His method is not the traditional method of birds moving from one section to another with the hens ending up back in their own section after trapping into the cocks’ section then being moved along to their own section. Lee’s hens and cocks, after each team has flown, are trapped into the aviary area then moved into their respective sections. On the day of basketing they are placed together for five or ten minutes in a relaxed way and they do as they please before being basketed for the race.
The first bird home, a three year old blue hen, had already won second open Essex & Kent Amalgamation as a yearling. The second bird home, a two year old blue hen, is the same hen that won 11th Open in the last amalgamation race. The third bird home is a good three year old blue pied cock that topped the first amalgamation race of the season from Wetherby with 5486 birds competing.
Lee Fribbins
Mr & Mrs Simpson 3rd & 19th Open Essex & Kent Amalgamation 3rd & 11th Stour Valley Federation Wetherby velocity 1442 1362 ypm
Mrs Josephine Simpson is a very keen lady pigeon fancier who thoroughly enjoys racing her Janssen based widowhood team of birds. Josephine, who races around 15 widowhood cocks, tells me that she does not often enter the amalgamation and combine races, so of course she was more than pleased with her performances at this race. The last time she entered one of these classic races was a couple of years ago when she entered the Berwick combine. That day there was a very strong east wind, not a wind that suits the east side of the combine, but nevertheless Josephine ended up 1st Stour Valley Federation and 44th in the combine.
Mr & Mrs A Hills 1st Essex Central Federation 8th Open Essex & Kent Amalgamation Wetherby velocity 1392 ypm
For the second successive Essex & Kent Amalgamation event the partnership of Mr & Mrs Hills have timed the same pigeon to win a top prize. This two year old blue widowhood cock that made 3rd open Essex & Kent Combine Berwick a fortnight ago has now topped the Essex Central Federation also taking 8th open Essex & Kent Amalgamation, flying to around the centre of the amalgamation’s east west radius in an adverse wind.
Mr & Mrs Hills' winner
Mr J Fenn 1st County of Essex Federation 17th Open Essex & Kent Amalgamation Wetherby velocity 1365ypm
Joe tops the County of Essex Federation with a blue pied yearling widowhood cock bred for him by the Clark Bros. This is yet another of the outstanding pigeons that have had to race to a loft around fifty miles to the west of the amalgamation taking 17th Open against 4403 birds against the wind.
Joe is an up and coming fancier who has only recently started racing pigeons, topping the federation last year in his first season with a young bird bred for him by Mr Paul Kellit. It’s good to see new fanciers starting up and to hear of such fanciers as the Clark Bros and Paul Kellit giving their best to help new fanciers establish themselves.
Joe Fenn
D Hunt & Son 1st West Essex Federation 20th Open Essex & Kent Amalgamation Wetherby velocity 1360ypm 4403
Davey has once again topped the West Essex Federation. Due to his work commitment it is not always easy to contact him, but we can certainly congratulate him on his federation win particularly when the bird has taken a 20th amalgamation from a field of 4403 birds against all the odds of living so far West in the amalgamation.
Mr A Webster 1st East London Federation Wetherby velocity 1345 ypm
Tony Webster competes in the New Eltham club way the other side of the Dartford tunnel, putting in a magnificent performance of 1345 ypm in this moderate to strong West South West wind.
Tony’s winning two year old blue hen topped the South of the Thames Federation last year after Tony had moved house, so she was racing as a broken pigeon. Tony tells me that he only races in the new Eltham club now as it became too far to travel to try to still compete in his old club. He made a point of saying that he loves race days and would not miss a race whatever the wind might be, a sentiment that has certainly proved useful by the performance of this outstanding hen, showing how good she is against all the odds.
Tony Webster
The Clarke Bros 1st & 2nd Havering North Road Federation velocity 1337 1335 ypm
Bill and his brother Mick timed two Cooreman widowhood cocks to finish first and second in the Havering North Road Federation. The first, a blue yearling cock, had already this year topped the club also taking 4th federation 29th Open Essex & Kent Amalgamation Wetherby 5486 birds in the Essex & Kent’s first event of the year. This good cock started the year off with a 5th club Retford and a 4th club Newark. Their second bird, a two year old blue widowhood cock, had also been timed in early races this year to be among the early prizes.
Clarke Bros
Gibbs & Chaplin 1st South of the Thames Federation Wetherby velocity 1317 ypm
Jim Gibbs and his partner Di Chaplin share the work put into their pigeons. The first thing Jim said to me was that he really appreciated all the work that Di put into the birds.
Their federation winner is a five year old Roland Janssen blue pied widowhood cock that has kept the partnership up in the prizes many times over the years, although this is the first time the old blue pied cock has won a first prize.
Jim like me has a problem with pigeon dust but his problem like my own has vastly improved with the use of a Brad West air cap. For those who suffer or even for those fanciers having to work in a dusty environment, the Brad West Cap is very light weight and you hardly know it’s on your head. It constantly blows air over your face, which not only stops you breathing in dust but it stops dust particles entering your eyes, which can be as big a problem as breathing the dust in. You can buy filters at ten pounds per five sets and one set lasts me seven to fourteen days depending on the amount of dust you are having to deal with. If it wasn’t for this cap I personally would have to call it a day.
Essex & Kent Amalgamation Wetherby 15 of June 2013 provisional result first 20
Lib 06.45. West Sth West wind.
Approx 284/4403
4 P REYNOLDS, 1410.9
5 P REYNOLDS, 1410.8
6 P REYNOLDS, 1393.5
7 P REYNOLDS, 1393.3
8 M/M A HILLS, EC 1392
9 F HARNETT & SON, EC 1388.2
10 F HARNETT & SON, 1388.0
11 F HARNETT & SON, 1387
12 L FRIBBINS, 1385
13 C DAY, SV 1376
14 J RICHARDS, EC 1372.9
15 J RICHARDS, 1372.8
16 L FRIBBINS, 1370
17 J FENN, COE 1365
18 A P NEAL, SV 1363
19 M/M SYMONDS, SV 1362
20 D HUNT & SONS, WE 1360
Other Fed winners
Gibbs & Chaplin SOT 1317
A Webster EL 1345
Clarke Bros HNR 1337
