ACROSS THE MIDDLE
by Gordon Braban & John Wilkie
Bourges - June 2013
Friday the 21st of June, the longest day of the year, and yes the longest day of the pigeon season for those who like to stop up and race it. Yes we are talking about Bourges, 570+ miles to most of us in the middle, 530+to the front end and 640 to the lads up the Borders, the race everybody would like to win, but this race is not for the faint hearted, 13 hours on a good day with few returns and the following day with very few birds back. For those who like flying this race it is a test of endurance for the birds and a good test for the fancier. Long days and early, it is this race point that really drains myself, lack of sleep and tired eyes, and all I want to do is sleep for a few days after. But this week is different, as us lads in the Greater Distance Club will have a 500 mile race from Le Mans as well as the Bourges race, so not much sleep is on the cards for this weekend.
The birds went away on the Wednesday, as normal for this race, with numbers down on years previous. We have tried for a Friday liberation for the past few years, hoping to miss all the European birds that are liberated in France on the same weekend, but sometimes the weather has not been favourable to help us out, so we just have to play with lady luck and get what the gods give us on the day. Hopefully this year would be different, and it was.
On the Thursday, I phoned my good friend down at Brighton, Tracy Andrews just to have a bit of a chat and ask how the weather was and how it was going to be on Friday. He told me that it had been good for the start of the week, but come the latter end the mist had been hanging around for most of the morning and early afternoon. The main question was what was Friday going to be like? He then told me that the mist was due till around dinner-time but it was going to shift. When I called him on the Friday morning he told me that it was misty and full cloud cover, but it had to get out later on in the day. Well the birds were away and there was not a lot I could do about either the weather or anything else that could spoil the race, so on the Thursday dinner time Ray Anderson called round to my house to pick myself and the 5 birds that I had given a soft chance to (or they would have been & Bourges as well) to go down to the Combine garage to race mark the Le Mans race. This race is around 480+ to my loft to me. When I was down at the garage I had a bit talk with the combine secretary, about this and that, which was most eye-opening to say the least, when we were talking about how many birds were away from the 4 organisation in the union, which are the NNA, DC, WDA and the UNC when the subject got to who would have the best birds on the combine sheet. After a bit thought, I told Pam that the combine winner was going to be up our end, either Ronny Evans or Terry Marshall as they had been flying well over the past few years from Bourges and both lofts had flown a great race from Clermont 2 week earlier {I wish I could have got a bet on at the bookies on them odds} but that's another story for another time, so the birds were race marked for Le Mans and off they went.
On the Friday the weather up in the north east could not have been better, all you could wish for, on the day, apart from the wind. Well you can't have it all your own way can you. The first phone call I got was no word till 7, that was a great start for a 570 mile race, then the next news came around that the birds were liberated at 07-45 in to a south west wind in France turning to a north west wind in this country, so I called Tracy down at Brighton to see what it was like early that morning.He told me that it was still misty but it was going to burn of about dinner time. Well after a bit of a chat I told him that I would call at about 1-30 or 2 o’clock, which was about the time the birds were due to come into this country going off 40+ mph, so when 1-30 came around I called him and he then told me that the mist had lifted but there was full cloud cover, but this was at Brighton, the rest of the bottom end of the country was all the same.
Steve Proffitt and the other lads that were over at Bourges liberated over 2,500 birds and a transporter full of birds that were heading for Kent, which I have said a few times means there is safety in numbers all heading the same way North. The ETA was around 13 hours plus, day birds were expected but how many was the question, so it was get on with the rest of the day and wait till the evening came round. The lads down at the allotment were having a barbie with plenty of gear to cook and lots to drink - lucky people. At about 9-45 I got a text message telling me that there was a bird back and guess who had it, Terry Marshall {GOOD PERFORMANCE} and there would be another 3 birds that would make it home on the night. The next birds in the UNC would belong to Leo Whitehead from Dawdon and John Wharton from Skelton. The other bird on the night was up at the WDA belonging to Stobbs bros & Morsey. All good birds to have made it home on the night. There might have been another bird home if the man had stopped at the loft, but the long wait must have been too much for him. This bird was timed in at 04-00am at Thornaby. Well that was it for the day birds and it was get up sharp at the loft and wait till something arrives home, so here goes for the brave birds that made it home on the second and third days from sections 2, 3 & 4.
Saturday 22nd June as I was waiting for the birds to come home there was a lonely bird flying over the top of my loft at about 06-10 or 11 heading up towards the Gateshead area, but not thinking to much about it I just chopped a few more logs to put onto the fire, when the phone went telling me that Alan Hirst had timed in at Wrekenton, just before 06-15, then there were other calls saying that the birds were being timed in up and down the combine, but still nowt at my loft and in my own fed, so I just stared to potter on around the garden doing little bits of jobs to keep busy. At about 08-00 I decided to check all my young birds off the list to see what I had dropped whilst training, and the phone went telling me that Hughie & Colin Jackson had timed in, so looking into the race loft just to make sure that nothing had passed me by I went in to the cabin to make a call and do his velocity and have another cup of coffee and a fag. When I went back to the young bird loft I just happened to have a glance into the race loft as you do and there was the check cock sitting in his box. My exact words to myself were I hope you have timed yourself in {with out the swear words} and when I had a look at the clock he had at 08-24 {thank god for ETS}. Well with the birds being timed in pretty regular up and down the combine now, it was just wait and see how many I was gong to get back on the second day{none, nor on the 3rd day either}.
Section 2 Gateshead fed & Newcastle West fed 111 birds.
Gateshead Fed 89 birds. Wrekenton h s. A & M Hirst was the club, fed and section winner. Alan has been a steady Bourges flyer for a good number of years now and this year is no different. He clocked a 2 year old check cock that flew 16 hours 29 mins 48 secs to cover the 571 miles and record a vel of 1015-63. This cock was probably the bird that I saw going over my loft earlier, and it also wins the 1 bird and 2 bird club in the fed. The next 2 birds in the club belonged to Tommy & Dean Gray who must have thought that the birds were going to romp home as they got 2 within 5 mins. First bird was a 2 year old mealy hen who took 22 hrs 5 mins 46 mins and the other bird was a 3 year old check hen being clocked in at 11-55-58 and their vels were 758-85 & 755-88.
Mount Pleasant h s. S Coulter clocked a 2 year old dark hen that just took over the 19 hours, 14 secs to be exact and doing a vel of 885-20, flying the 573 miles. A Wilcox was the winner at the Highfield club with a 5 year old blue hen who was 3rd fed and section doing 846-59. Colin Hutchinson was the winner down at the Dunston club, timing a check white cock in that was doing 829-44. Colin has been pretty consistent from the Bourges race over the past few years.
Over at the Newcastle West side there were only 2 birds timed in within the 3 days. The first bird belonged to A Dixon who flys in the British Legion. He clocked a 2 year old blue hen that was doing 769-15. The other bird that was clocked was {yes} a yearling and this little brave bird took 22 hrs 10 mins 15 secs and belonged to J Davison from the Westerhope club. Well that was it from the Section 2 result. A total of 8 birds, all second day birds and nothing on the 3rd day.
Section 3 Houghton fed 100 birds. Hughie & Colin Jackson were there again. These 2 lads have been very consistent from Bourges, and this year was no different timing 3 birds in. Their first bird was a yearling check white hen that was bred for them by John Rumney from Penshaw from his Jan Theelan birds. She took 16 hrs 58 mins 39 secs doing 976-31 to be 1st club, fed & section 3. Their next 2 birds were only 2 mins apart being clocked in at 09-27 and 09-29am. The first 1 of the 2 was a 3 year old red cock doing 810-20 and takes 3rd fed and section also 2nd fed champ club the 3rd bird was a 2 year old blue white cock doing 808-711.
Washington Celtic h s was won by Gordon Braban & son when he missed the check cock that timed itself in to win the club and take 2nd fed and section. This cock is a Busschaert cock that was 14th fed and 147th combine from Clermont 2 weeks earlier. This cock was doing 895-83 and wins the fed champ club and the Tyne & Wear champ club. John Graham was 2nd club 5th fed with a 2 year old dark cock at 28 mins past 11 and was doing 770-26. The Thorp bros John & Adrian timed a 3 year old dark hen at 4 in the afternoon after they had brought the bird up to mine because their ETS pads did not work, but instead of bringing all the necessary gear with him Adrian had to go back and get his pocket clock so I could time it in on my system, wasting a lot of time, but it did not make muck of a difference as they were not rattling in from this race. There were only 6 birds in race time and there has not been many dropping in in the past week either. A couple of birds have been reported in northern Holland. How they got up there I do not know, but that's a mystery we will never find out.
Section 4 North East Counties, Sunderland & Dist, Sunderland Prem, South Sheilds, NEC.
Having the pleasure of getting a pigeon home on the day from Bourges is something special. Out of the 3 birds that were timed in on the day, Leo Whitehead was 1 of those lucky few. This loft has flown some good races out of the distance. Leo topped the fed from Bourges last year and has done the same again this year. He timed a 2 year old bird that flew 13 hrs 45 mins 22 secs to cover the 561+ miles and record a vel of 1198-34 to win a combine silver medal for taking 1st club, fed, section and 2nd combine. That was the first of his 4 birds that he sent. His 2nd pigeon was clocked in flying 20 hrs 43 mins 14 secs and it was doing 795-56 and was 2nd club, 4th fed and 74th combine.
Wearside h s. L Owens was the winner with a yearling. This brave pigeon had to fly 20 hrs 34 mins 26 secs to record a vel of 805-48 to take 1st club, 2nd fed and 67th combine. This was the only bird home in the Wearside club in race time.
Murton h s. D & K Mills took top spot in the club, this is how you do it, sent 1 and get 1, job done, locked up and get some rest. This was a 6 year old pigeon flying nearly 21 hours to record a vel of 788-10 to take 4th fed and 77th combine. Mr & Mrs Harry Chappell were 2nd club 5th fed and 90th combine with a 2 year old GB pigeon doing 772-93. Naylor, sons & Richardson waited 24 hrs 32 mins for their single entry a 3 year old bird that was 144th combine {I bet the wait was worth it Andra}. There were only 6 birds in the NEC fed in race time.
Sunderland & Dist fed.
R & A Evans, Dixon & Gibbon win. After sitting in the cabin all night waiting for pigeons, eyes start to get tired, and in the distance came this little bundle of feathers and dropped into their loft just before the 8 o’clock in the morning. This 2 year old bird took 18 hrs 10 mins 32 secs to be 1st club, fed and 19th combine doing 919-01 {just 10 more to get Ron}.
Town End Farm h s. Colin Nelson took the top 2 spots in the club. The first bird was a 4 year old pigeon doing 831-00 and the next pigeon was 4hrs 18 mins later to take 2nd & 4th fed and 54th & 139th combine.
Cornhill h s. W Mooney was 1st & 3rd club, 3rd & 6th fed and 126th & 183rd combine. The first pigeon was a 2 year old doing 697-98 and the next bird was also a 2 year old and it was doing 530-42; it was on the 3rd day [these brave birds have got guts}. Mr & Mrs Brown clocked a yearling on the 3rd day taking 29hrs 42mins and doing 562-19 {nearly all home}. This bird was 2nd club, 5th fed and 176th combine. There were only 204 birds recorded within the 3 days.
South Sheils fed.
Raglan & West Park h s. Mr & Mrs Geordie Davison took the first 5 in the club and also 7th club. His first bird was a 3 year old taking 19 hrs 33 mins & 51 secs. This bird was 1st club, fed and 40th combine. The next pigeon was 36 mins and was 53rd combine doing 832-06. One hour 23mins later another dropped in to be 3rd club, fed and 86th combine. One hour 25 mins after that another dropped in, a 2 year old bird doing 729-47 then it was 2 hrs 10 mins when the main pigeon dropped into the loft. This pigeon was 3rd UNC last year; it took 25 hours 9 mins & 28 secs and was 146th combine. Then 100 mins after that in came another bird, a 4 year old doing 662-36. Stewie Madgin was 6th & 8th club and 7th & 9th club with 2 x 3 year old birds. The first bird was 148th combine doing 664-64 and the next pigeon was just over 2 hours later doing 615- 09.
Whiteleas h s. D Beals had the top 2 birds. The first 1 was 97th combine and the next bird was 194th combine {2 out of 2]. The first bird was on the 2nd day and the 2nd pigeon was on the 3rd day.
10 birds made the fed sheet and 6 of them belonged to Geordie Davison - great flying George.
Mid Tyne Federation. This week with two races I will start with the big one, Bourges. Only 13 federation lofts sent a total of 41 birds, maybe this was a good thing as only 3 of them made it back in race time. Boldon Colliery had 7 lofts send 29 bird’s, here Kevin McFarlane was 1st & 2nd in both club & fed with two second day birds recording 805.5ypm & 602.7ypm. Both of these being yearling hens, the second one was also 2nd club 2nd fed 85th U.N.C. from Clermont. The only other one in race time was to Ray Cooley of Heworth HS, this a third day arrival recording 488.8ypm. Ray actually broke his novice status with this win having just been racing for a couple of seasons. Ray took over Micky Fords loft when he packed in, Micky often got one out of the distance races also, lets hope it’s the first of many for you Ray.
Next onto Melton Mowbray (3). Here 19 fed lofts sent 310 birds. Boldon Colliery had 60 of these entered by just 4 lofts, most members having one eye on the Eastbourne national. The Walker & Greenlay loft had an entry of 13 birds and finished up with 10 of them in the top 20 federation positions. In the club they had 10 of the first 12 positions with only John Gilhespy at 7th 8th club stopping them from taking the first 10. So at 1st & 2nd fed Walker & Greenlay 1435.14ypm & 1435.01ypm, their others ranged down to 18th fed doing 1364.38ypm. The two for John Gilhespy were 10th & 13th fed these on 1375 & 1369ypm. At Jarrow Alex Wilson Son & Howe were 1st club 3rd fed on 1428.9ypm again with their good blue & white hen, this now making it 5x1st club for this hen. Scott & Son 2nd club 12th fed 1371ypm D. Walton 3rd club 14th fed 1368ypm and Mr & Mrs Mills at 4th club 19th fed 1360ypm.
Heworth H.S. was won by Owens & Barnes on 1409ypm this for 5th fed, W & L Curry 2nd & 3rd club 9th & 11th fed, 1385ypm & 1374ypm, Owens & Barnes then with another one for 4th club 20th fed 1358ypm. All of the Hebburn lads decided not to send.
Mid Tyne Federation, Peterborough. This week we saw 36 lofts send 662 birds. Liberated at 7.00am there were one or two lofts in a hurry to get set up with their ETS systems, the reason for the early liberation was that there were a few showers forecast for later in the day. It did make a great change though to have everything rapped up by lunch time. At Boldon Colliery HS 14 member lofts sent a total of 302 birds and the Walker & Greenlay team continued with their great run to be 1st & 2nd in both club, fed and also this week Section 3. The winning pigeon recording a velocity of 1687.9ypm with the second one doing 1686.2ypm. As seems to be the norm though they did not stop there as they had another seven pigeons in the top twenty federation positions for 4th 6th 9th 10th 12th 15th & 16th the pigeon at 4th is the same pigeon that was 1st club 4th fed last week from Melton, this one recorded 1670ypm with the one at 16th fed on 1648ypm. Third club 3rd fed went to Ray Surtees doing 1676ypm Billy Gates & Sons were at 5th club 5th fed 1668ypm McKenna Bros 7th club 7th fed 1662ypm Graham, Gilchrist & Brennan were in for 8th 12th 15th club 8th 13th 20th fed on 1661,1658 & 1644ypm At Jarrow Alex Mr & Mrs Mills also continued their winning way for 1st club 11th fed this one doing 1660.5ypm with Scott & Son in at 2nd club 14th fed 1657.5ypm. At Heworth HS it was a close finish with W & L Curry at 1st club 17th fed 1648ypm just in front of Owens & Barnes with two for 2nd & 3rd club 18th & 19th fed these two doing 1646.8 & 1644.5ypm. At Hebburn East End George Thompson took the red card. Come on you Hebburn lads let's see you back on the fed sheet.
Tyne & Wear C.C. Clermont. This one saw 45 members enter 133 birds competing for a total of £497 in pool and prize money. The winning loft being that great UNC channel loft of R & A Evans, Dixon & Gibbon. Their winner recording 1297.2 ypm winning a total of £316 also recorded 4th Open in the UNC. Mr & Mrs Young & Thoms, High Southwick HS, were at 2nd position 1274.3ypm with £90. Third position going to Braban & Son, Washington Celtic, on 1254.1ypm £60. Other winners being in 4th Birks, Frail & Birks, Heworth HS 1242.6ypm 5th Moore & Cleghorn, Whiteleas HS, 1242.2ypm 6th John Gilhespy, Boldon Coll HS, 1238ypm these three winning £10 each. Once again, six different winning lofts, from four different federations, well spread about. Please remember that the Eastbourne Yearling Derby is part of the T.W.C.C. programme.
Sunderland Prem Fed
Westside 6 bird club top the fed from the longest race, when I Savage clocked a 2 year old Z ring cock in that was bred from Jim Gibbon stock. This cock flew 19 hrs 37 mins to cover the 568 miles and was the first of his 2 birds that he sent to Bourges. It was doing 850-02 and ended up 1st fed & 44th combine.
Castletown h s was won by Geordie Chipp & Davy Kibble who win the club with a blue cock bred from Ronny Evans’ birds. This was a 3 year old blue cock that was doing 819-11 and was 2nd fed and 61st combine. Rush & ptns were 2nd club 9th fed and 141st combine with a bird bred from the Irish pigeons they got a couple of years ago.
Brown & Stubbs took 1st & 2nd in Plains Farm club, 3rd & 7th fed. The first pigeon was a 2 year old that was doing 798-64 and was 71st combine. The next pigeon was 124th combine and was a 4 year old.
Sportsmans Arms h s. Davy McSween & Jim Sexton took the top 3 spots in the club with 25 mins between the first 2 birds. They finished 4th & 5th fed 95th combine with a 2 year old and 110th combine also with a 2 year old, then the 3rd pigeon was 1 hour 47 mins later and was 133rd combine. J Lynn was 4th club 10th fed and 196th combine with a 3 year old and Fred McCluskey was there holding up the combine sheet with the last pigeon timed in out of this long race when he timed a yearling in that took 46 hours 4 mins and 16 seconds and was doing 361-00.
Well that was the end of what can only be described as a very hard race, with the first birds taking 13 hours 36 mins and the last bird taking 46 + hours. The winners will always do good velocities and a few will get through to make it home, but when over 1400 birds did not make it home within the 3 days there has to be a reason. What that reason is we will never get to know the truth. Was it the line of flight? Was there any other pigeons over in France at the same time? There is nearly 270 miles from Bourges to the bottom end of the country and anything could have happened, because out of the 1-600+ pigeons that went away all of them could not have been that bad. I know the 15 that I sent were in top fine condition and would have at least made their way in to England on the day and made their way back home at least within the 3 days, but if the truth was known most of them did not even get over the channel . Some have been reported in northern Holland and other places. Why? I don’t have the answer but someone should have. And what is the weather forecaster looking at the Disney channel where every day is a sunny one, with blue skies? The next channel race is from Fontenay which is around 460+ miles to the middle and if this year’s race is anything like last year’s race we are in for a good thrashing with hardly anything home on the day, and a lot of birds still missing.
Well that's about enough moaning from me for his race, but at the end of the day my garden is only big enough for a 100 foot loft. I don’t want to extend it any more to house more birds for me to lose them at straightforward races. Well that's it for this race report so until next time THAT’S ALL FOLKS GORDON.
