ESSEX & KENT AMALGAMATION
E. J. SAINS
Ripon - May 11th 2013
An early liberation was needed in order to get the Ripon birds under way and ensure that most of the heavy fast moving showers that would be moving with the south westerly wind could for the most be avoided. Although the returns were good, there is no doubt that the front running birds did encounter showers as many of the early birds were yearlings and in many cases timed in well in front of the next pigeons in lofts and clubs all over the amal. The 4371 birds were finally liberated at 7am into a south south west wind with the winning pigeons putting up some incredible speeds, right the way across the amalgamation.
Mr Ken Papworth First open Essex & Kent Amalgamation 1st Essex Central Federation Ripon velocity 1336 ypm 4371 birds
Ken Papworth is a member of the very strong Maldon & District Pigeon Racing Society. Although this club has a wide radius with some of the most competitive & top pigeon fanciers in and around the district competing in the club, Ken has still managed to fly a very good pigeon.
The Maldon club competes in two federations, the Essex Central Federation and the Essex & Suffolk Border Federation. The week previous, Ken was 1st & 2nd club Retford flying with the Essex & Suffolk Border Federation and also 3rd Maldon & District Club 9th open Essex & Kent Amalgamation Wetherby 5496 birds. Now on the 11/5/2013 he timed in his first pigeon to win 1st Maldon & D istrict beating his second pigeon by 14 minutes to win second Maldon & District club and of course First Open Essex & Kent Amalgamation Ripon 4371 birds.
Ken said that since joining the Maldon club he has enjoyed himself immensely as the members were such a good lot of fanciers. He would also like to thank them for their praise in his success plus the text and phone messages he has received. He also remarked that it was a shock when he realised he had won such a big race, but at the same time was thrilled.
Pigeon (origin)
Ken's first bird is a Staf Van Reet pencil blue widowhood yearling cock, which originates from Keith Turner's Red Daniel strain of Reets.
Ken Papworth holding Theo, first open Essex & Kent Amalgamation Ripon.
R&R Nicholls 1st West Essex Federation 2nd Open Essex & Kent velocity 1324 ypm
Reg & Rod Nicholls are a father and son partnership. They race their pigeons on a roundabout system. Both hens and cocks are placed together in the widowhood loft and then basketed for the race. Sometimes the cocks are sent and the hens are left at home. On this occasion the hens were sent, with a little yearling widowhood hen turning up to beat the next bird home by some 25 minutes putting in another unbelievable performance on the western side of the amal, with the disadvantage of having to go head the wind to take 2nd open.
Pigeon (origin)
Reg tells me that this gallant little blue hen of theirs is half Vander Wouwer of the Kaasboer cock lines and half Van Loon. The Van Loon hen that bred her is a good producing hen and has produced winning pigeons for other fanciers.
R & R Nicholls from left to right Rod holding 1st WE Federation 2nd open Essex & Kent Amalgamation and father Reg.
Mr & Mrs G Reynolds 2nd West Essex Federation 3rd open Essex & Kent Amalgamation velocity 1323 ypm
Gerry Reynolds races a small team of nine widowhood cocks. His work commitments do not leave him with a great deal of spare time, never the less last year the nine cocks managed to top up 5x1sts. Already this year in three races they have been second twice and now third open in an Essex and Kent event.
Pigeon (origin)
Gerry’s first bird is a three year old chequer pied widowhood cock. The strains of birds that are kept are Mc Nice of Northern Ireland x Sheldon Leonard.
Mr A Bajnockzy 4th open Essex & Kent Amalgamation 2nd West of Essex Federation velocity 1319 ypm
Andrew is in the same club as Reg & Rod Nicholls and shares the fact that his bird was another pigeon that put up an amazing performance, maintaining a very high velocity right over the far side of the amal. Andrews’s pigeon was also a yearling widowhood hen. This young hen performed well as a young bird winning Newark in the club and 7th in the marking station at the London North Road Combines Scotch Corner.
Pigeon (origin)
The sire of this blue chequer white flighted yearling hen is a Belgian stock cock paired to a hen Andrew bred from two Spanish pigeons that were originally acquired from Keith Platt.
Blue chequer yearling hen winner of 4th open Ripon Amalgamation for Andrew Bajnockzy.
Mr & Mrs Ronnie Reason 1st & 2nd Stour Valley Federation 5th & 6th open Essex & Kent Amalgamation velocity 1306 & 1304 ypm
Ronnie and Sam Reason have once again taken top honours by winning first and second in their federation and also securing high positions in the Essex & Kent Amalgamation. It has been very noticeable that in almost all the Essex & Kent events over the last couple of years their name appears in the top twenty and this is with a racing team of just 12 cocks and 14 hens.
The two birds timed were both yearlings raced on widowhood. The first bird being a blue yearling Gaby hen bred from the partnership's number one pair. The second bird a yearling widowhood cock bred by Jonathan Sage. The Gaby hen was raced in every race as a young bird including the N.R.C.C. Dunbar as was the yearling cock in which he won 4th section.
Ronnie explained to me that he flies his hens to stock cocks that are always at home for when the hens return from racing. He feels that he has a better infinity with the hens as most of the partnerships wins come from the hens.
Ronnie & Sam Reason with their 1st SV Federation winner and their three little girls. The smallest Elouis born on Tuesday the 7th of May.
Mr G Watts 1st South of The Thames Federation 7th open Essex & Kent Amalgamation velocity 1302 ypm
Gary is another of the fanciers who managed to get a pigeon way over to the west of the amal, even though the wind was most certainly not in his favour.
Gary has raced pigeons most of his life, as have most of his family. Although he said he loves the sport, because of recent hawk attacks it has made him almost contemplate packing up. He has lost nine pigeons to the hawks in the past year, two of which were his favourite birds.
Gary’s flying widowhood cocks, but is also trying to get his widowhood hens going, but has not quite got to flying them yet as he is having to deal with this hawk problem.
Pigeon (origin)
The first bird was a Geerlings Hoogenboom. He purchased this strain a short while ago at the late Jimmy Deighton clearance sale and has found that although he has had them only a short while, that they are beating all his other birds home.
Gary Watts holding 1st SOT Federation 7th open Essex & Kent Amalgamation Ripon.
Mr L Stevens 1st Havering Federation velocity 1257 ypm
Les Stevens' first bird, a four year old blue white flight widowhood cock bred by Dennis & Barbara Price of Dunton, has a very interesting story to tell. This federation winning cock in the past has raced consistently both North & South roads. In 2011 Les entered this bird in one of the London and South East Classic Club's channel races and three days later at 1.30 pm the bird returned with a note in his ring saying that he had been liberated at 8.00 that morning in Holland.
L. Stevens inside his loft
Ling Bros 1st East London Federation Ripon velocity 1231ypm
Ling Bros are a partnership of three brothers - Billy, David & Henry. These three brothers are responsible for winning the Essex & Kent events no fewer than four times between 2009 & 2011. Most of their outstanding performances they put down to their M&D Evans Gaby Vandenabeele family of pigeons. David told me they purchased two late breds from M& D Evans, one from Shadow and one from Carrie. The brothers bred three hens from these late breds that were placed in the stock loft and have never looked back since, describing the Vandenabeeles as the best birds they have ever owned.
Pigeon (origin)
Nevertheless, the first bird for the partnership, a two year old blue chequer pied cock, was bred from a Roger Timmermins cock, bred by Billy Cane of Bishop Auckland paired to one of their Vandenabeeles.
Ling bros (left to right) Henry, David & Billy.
Mr Steve Fenech 1st County of Essex velocity 1226 ypm
Steve’s birds are certainly starting to show form, with Steve’s champion cock Messi topping the County of Essex Federation by 26 ypm, flying to probably the most westerly loft of all the federation winners. What a pigeon: 9x1st 4x1st federation, he has also topped the Essex & Kent amalgamation in 2012.
Several hawk attacks have not given Steve the best of starts. He told me there is nothing worse than sitting in the garden trying to fly your birds worrying that at any minute there may be a sparrow hawk hit. Nevertheless they have still started well, with a 1st 2nd & 6th federation first week and now Messi taking 1st federation.
Champion Messi - 1st COE Federation. Now marking up 9x1st 4x1st federation plus a 1st Amalgamation for Steve Fenech.
Messi in his box showing his will to win.
Essex & Kent Amalgamation Ripon 11/5/2013 Provisional Top 20.
Liberated 0700 hrs. South South West wind.
Approx 4371 birds.
1 K PAPWORTH EC 1336
2 R & R NICHOLLS WE 1324
3 M/M G REYNOLDS WE 1323
4 A BAJNOCKZY WE 1319
5 M/M R REASON SV 1306
6 M/M R REASON SV 1304
7 G WATTS SOT 1302
8 R & P THOMAS EC 1301.9
9 T PERRIMENT EC 1301.5
10 A P NEAL SV 1298
11 L FRIBBINS SV 1288
12 M/M ASHENDEN EC 1281
13 MISS R BACON EC 1274
14 M/M PITTMAN EC 1273.5
15 L FRIBBINS SV 1270
16 M/M A HILLS EC 1269
17 M CREIGHTON EC 1267
18 M JONES & SON SOT 1266.5
19 D HUNT & SONS WE 1266.1
20 P BRAND WE 1265
Fed winners
Havering - L Stevens 1257
East London - Ling Bros 1231
County - M/M S Fenech & Son 1226
