ESSEX & KENT AMALGAMATION
E. J. SAINS
Essex & Kent Combine Thurso liberated 7.30hrs Friday 13th July 2012
For the Essex & Kent Combine’s race advisors and convoyers, Thurso is one of the most difficult racepoints to liberate from. When the birds have to fly 500 miles plus, trying to work out where they will be after 3hrs then after 5hrs and so on, making sure their path is clear at different times of arrival in a given area is extremely difficult to say the least. This year 2012 has been so difficult that almost not a day has gone by when rain has not been falling somewhere in the country, in fact mostly it has been falling everywhere for days at a time. I myself have race advised for almost 40 years both north and south and I must admit if I had had to advise this year, I would have been having nightmares. The problem is if you hold week after week the bills become massive. If you liberate in bad weather the birds become disorientated and lost, the transporter then goes half empty and the bill becomes even bigger. So it’s nice to say amongst all the problem days, the race advisors and convoyers for the Essex & Kent Combine Thurso got the birds up on the first day and also got many birds home on the day. The weather en route was extremely complicated with winds favouring east and north through Scotland and the Midlands finishing in a west south west. At times there was a fair amount of rain, but the birds found their way in and out of it, which made for a good race.
Mr Brian Hawes. First & Third County of Essex Federation. First & Fourth open Essex & Kent Combine Thurso velocity 1443 & 1414 Y.P.M.
Brian & Karen Hawes with their winning pigeon and their puppy Titch
Mr Brian Hawes has without doubt set many records in recent years. His Leo Van RiJn family of pigeons have become known to most fanciers as birds of exceptional ability. It seems to be possible to get them fit as a team that will then fly in front of the pack, dropping together to take many early positions. So I asked Brian the question, how do you set about accomplishing such outstanding results? Brian’s answer was this. "Of course you have to have exceptional pigeons. But without the work that goes into it, you would achieve results but not the super results that these birds are responsible for. For instance my wife and I set about racing both hens and cocks on the widowhood system. Each one of our top birds are paired with birds that stay at home. This creates a lot of work but it is the only way to get the maximum out of an individual pigeon. The grains for the food are individually mixed. The birds are energized with the use of pure fruit juices from such fruit as strawberries, grapes and so on; even mashed bananas are a sauce of high energy. We use a lot of fruit because we can energise the birds without creating toxins that are created when using glucose and other sugars. If you want to win you need to be up early in the morning and leave no stone unturned. It has been very hard racing this year, with the continuation of east winds and very bad weather, but it has all come together. It’s particularly gratifying ending the season winning both the Essex & Kent Combine and the London North Road Combine from Thurso with the same pigeon."
Brian also asked if he could add a very big thank you to his wife Karen for all she puts into the birds. He said there’s no way he could find this sort of success without her help. Incidentally Karen is the K in B & K Hawes.
The Pigeon (origin)
Brian says: The combine winner is a blue yearling Widowhood hen, named Charmbrook South Dakota. She is an exceptional hen, but a very bad trapper. She won as a y/b 7th fed Newark (beaten by 6 loft mates), then 5th open N.T.T. Combine Scotch Corner 201 ml (beaten by 4 loft mates), then 6 days later 3rd open LNRC W/Castle 216 ml (beaten by 2 loft mates).
In 2012 as a yearling she has won 6th N.L. Fed Wetherby (beaten by 4 loft mates) then 39th Essex & Kent Combine Berwick (beaten by 7 loft mates), finally finishing the season with 1st open ESSEX & KENT COMBINE THURSO 494 ml, vel 1443, also winning 1st open LNR COMBINE THURSO on the same day. She will now be retired to stock.
It is only loft mates that have stopped this outstanding hen winning 4 x first combine from 201 miles to 500 miles, an unbelievable yearling. HER BLOODLINES ARE 50% SOONTJEN x 50% LEO VAN RIJN. SIRE OF CHARMBROOK SOUTH DAKOTA IS CHAMPION DAKOTA - 27-1ST CLUBS, 12 1ST FEDS, 5 2ND FEDS, 2 1ST AMALS, 2 RPRA AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST PERFORMANCE PIGEON IN THE UK 2007. DAM OF CHARMBROOK SOUTH DAKOTA IS A BLUE STOCK HEN. She is 100% Leo van Rijn, full sister TO CHAMPION CUT THROAT WINNER OF 1ST OPEN LNR COMBINE W/CASTLE 216 ML 2370 BDS, THEN THREE WEEKS LATER 1ST OPEN NTT COMBINE BERWICK 290 ML 1220 BDS, RETIRED TO STOCK AS YEARLING. ANOTHER SISTER IS LOUISANNA. AS A Y/B IN SIX DAYS THIS HEN WON 1ST OPEN NTT COMBINE S/CORNER 201 ML AND 2ND OPEN LNR COMBINE W/CASTLE 216 ML (BEATEN BY LOFT MATE). AS A YEARLING SHE HAS WON 4TH OPEN LNR COMBINE BERWICK 290 ML, 4TH OPEN ESSEX AND KENT COMBINE BERWICK 290 ML. SHE ONLY EVER HAD 3 COMBINE RACES. ALSO 3RD FED NEWARK {BEATEN BY 2 LOFT MATES), 5TH FED WETHERBY (BEATEN BY 3 LOFT MATES). SHE ALSO HAS BEEN RETIRED TO STOCK. THEREFORE THE BREEDING OF THE THURSO WINNER IS TOP CLASS. WE INTRODUCED THIS NEW FAMILY, THE LEO VAN RIJN IN 2006, AND SINCE 2008 THEY HAVE WON 11 1ST COMBINES FOR US, RANGING FROM 200ML TO 500ML. THE NESTMATE TO THE THURSO COMBINE WINNER SOUTH DAKOTA IS A BLUE COCK. HIS WINS INCLUDE 3 1ST FEDS, PLUS 11TH NTT COMBINE S/CORNER (BEATEN BY 10 LOFT MATES), 5TH OPEN ESSEX AND KENT COMBINE BERWICK AND 7TH OPEN LNR COMBINE BERWICK. HE HAS BEEN NAMED NORTH DAKOTA.
Mr Bob Fenech. Second & Fourth County of Essex Federation. Second & Seventh open Essex & Kent Combine Thurso velocity 1441 & 1385 Y.P.M.
Bob Fenech with his Thurso cock
Bob Fenech is another fancier who needs no introduction as his family of Louis Cooremans pigeons speak for him. It seems that I have hardly written an article on the Essex & Kent events without mentioning some outstanding performance achieved by one of our members with Cooreman pigeons, where either its parents or grandparents or even the bird itself has passed through Bob's hands.
Bob tells me he likes to send a few yearlings to Thurso and did so last year, where he ended up 3rd open London North Road Combine, with two on the night, plus seven out of ten by the next morning in a very hard race. The winners were the Clark Bros who won the race clocking in another game little Cooreman cock twelve and a half hrs on the wing.
This year Bob again sent seven yearlings out of his entry of 25 birds. He said he would not normally have sent so many to Thurso, but he is moving at the end of the year. In a sense he was glad he did clocking seven out of ten day birds.
The Pigeon (origin)
The first bird to be clocked is a blue yearling widowhood cock. This bird has flown consistently throughout its career, winning the fed in 2011 as a y/b. This blue yearling cock is bred from one of Bob's most successful old Cooreman breeding lines, that of Tap & Benito. Just to mention a few of this pair's successes, out of three different sons from this pair one bred this outstanding Thurso cock, another was the sire of his brother Steven's champion Bolt and another was the sire of his 2010 Essex & Kent Combine Ripon winner. The dam of the Thurso cock is a hen named Bernadette (a sister to Perfect). This is another old Cooremans line that is making a big impression in Ireland, where they have been winning out of turn. The second bird home from Thurso for Bob is a blue chequer pied yearling widowhood cock from the Cooreman Kelo line. This bird in the loft is known as Stitches because as a y/b he almost cut himself in two and needed extensive surgery. It now looks very likely that he may win the L.N.R.C. double addition trophy which is given for the best average from Berwick & Thurso.
The grandparents of Bob Fenech's Thurso cock on the dam's side.
Mr Terry Rollingson. First Essex Central Federation. Third open Essex & Kent Combine Thurso velocity 1439 Y.P.M.
Terry is without a doubt a distance man through and through. On his wall hang two pictures of two Essex North Road Combine Thurso winners. One of these pictures is of a small red cock, the bird that won Terry the combine from Thurso in 2004 and this probably was where the story of Terry’s Essex & Kent Combine Thurso bird begins. This 2004 Essex North Road Combine winner from Thurso was bred on the lines of the greater distance Lionheart family of birds (originating in Scotland). This 2004 Thurso combine winner was an exceptional bird, who was also timed in to win 2nd combine Thurso when Terry timed two birds on the night to take 2nd & 5th open Essex North Road Combine Thurso.
Terry Rollingson with his Thurso cock.
Getting back to the winner of the Essex Central federation and 3rd open Essex & Kent combine Thurso 2012, this pigeon was a two year old red grizzled widowhood cock and his breeding is a cross between the old Lionheart family and a Kirkpatrick.
Terry told me he has always liked the distance racing, particularly Thurso, although he likes to score from Berwick onwards and recently he was 15th & 17th combine Stonehaven in 2011. He said you cannot beat that anticipation you get when waiting last thing in the evening for pigeons from a long race, seeing them drop in knowing they have been flying all day. Timing in and wondering how well has this pigeon done.
Mr Jimmy Richards. 2nd, 3rd & 6th Essex Central Federation. 5th 6th & 7th open Essex & Kent Combine Thurso velocity 1399.3 1399.2 1366 Y.P.M.
Mr Jimmy Richards, chairman of the strong Raleigh club, has once again finished the season off in great form timing in four yearlings to take 5th, 6th & 11th open Essex & Kent Combine Thurso. Jimmy again is a very strong contender in the Raleigh club which hardly ever fails in getting top awards in the Essex & Kent events.
The pigeons (origin)
First bird to be timed by Jimmy was a pencil blue widowhood cock. He is bred down from Jimmy’s main line of birds, the Lefebre Dhaenen. This cock is a very consistent pigeon. In 2011 as a y/b he won 3rd club 11th federation 20th Essex & Kent Amalgamation Wetherby 4965 birds.
Jimmy’s second bird, a blue chequer yearling widowhood cock, has a bit of a story behind his being. His father, a Lefebre Dhaene,n was sold in 2006 to Ron Smithy & Keith Herrell. This pigeon became a top racer for them clocking up 5x1st plus other positions. This bird, now named Ron’s Choice, was given back to Jimmy about two years ago. In his first nest he produced the 6th open Essex & Kent Combine Thurso. The hen paired to Ron’s Choice at the time was the Ace of Hearts, winner of 2nd open Scotch Corner 2009.
Third bird home, a black chequer pied yearling widowhood cock, was bred from Lucky Jim, 1st & 2nd open Essex Combine Berwick. The dam was from the Nearly Cock, three times 2nd Welsh national flying up to 540 miles.
The fourth bird home was a red yearling widowhood cock. This bird was bred from Jimmy’s 700 mile family of reds when paired to a descendent of Pat Newell's B.I.C.C. Perpignan winner.
Mr Ken Shove. Fourth Essex Central Federation. Eighth open Essex & Kent Combine Thurso velocity 1372 Y.P.M.
Ken does not keep many pigeons. Like me he is now a senior citizen and enjoys his birds immensely. Ken normally only sends six or seven birds to a race. On this occasion he sent three to Thurso, timing in a blue chequer pied Busschaert widowhood cock to win 8th open. Just three weeks ago, Ken timed in one of his Andrew Duggin Janssens to win 8th open Essex & Kent Combine Arbroath.
Mr Ronald Reason. First Stour Valley Federation. 13th open Essex & Kent Combine Thurso velocity 1352 Y.P.M.
Ron’s Thurso bird was the only bird timed in on the Far East coast in the first twenty of the Essex and Kent Combine's Thurso result. Ron sent six pigeons and ended up timing four on the night, timing in his last pigeon at 7.55pm. His first bird was a blue pied yearling hen; this hen was his second pigeon from Arbroath three weeks ago raced as a widowhood hen. She was then paired and sent sitting five days on eggs to Thurso.
The Pigeon (origin)
As a young bird this hen was one of three pigeons that flew the N.R.C.C. Dunbar race, a distance of 316 miles, which turned out to be a very hard race. Her sire is a Geoff Kirkland cock, a grandson of the Snake, when paired to a Janssen, one of Ron’s original strain.
Mr & Mrs Ronald Reason with their Thurso hen
Essex & Kent Combine Provisional Thurso result.
13.07.2012.
Liberated 07.30hrs. Light North wind.
1. B & K HAWES COE 1443
2 R FENECH & SON COE 1441
3 T ROLLINSON EC 1439
4 B & K HAWES 1414
5 J RICHARDS EC 1399.3
6 J RICHARDS 1399.2
7 R FENECH & SON 1385
8 K SHOVE EC 1372
9 M & J HODGSON EC 1371
10 D BURNS COE 1369
11 J RICHARDS 1366
12 A GREENHALGH EC 1359
13 M/M R REASON SV 1352
14 F CRANE EC 1351
15 P WOOD EC 1350.7
16 P WOOD 1350.3
17 J RICHARDS 1341
18 T CHADWICK EC 1333
19 M/M ASHENDEN EC 1331
20 A DAVEY SOT 1330
