GWENT GREATER DISTANCE CLUB
Reports by Gareth Watkins
Saintes, Bergerac and Marseille race reports
A little late I know but here goes with the latest news from the Gwent Greater Distance Club’s last three races.
The Saintes race saw 17 members entering 87 birds for this 420+ mile race into the Principality. This was held in conjunction with the Welsh South Road National Flying Club. Leading the way, yet again, was one to the Blaenavon loft of Welsh Ace, Dennis Ford. Dennis’s timer was a chequer cock flown on roundabout and recording 1242 ypm. This one also takes pools and noms in the GGDC plus 3rd Open Welsh National. G .Lewis and son of Llanhilleth clocked a mealy cock on 1203 y.p.m for second place, with the ever present Andrew Vincent in with one of his natural team on 1154 ypm for third prize. Andrew has had an excellent season with the old birds and I think I’m correct in stating that he has featured on every GGDC result in the short and middle distance races in the programme. If he keeps up this rate of progress it won’t be long before he wins a National I’m sure. The remaining positions were also all taken by cocks with Spencer Jones’s timer on 1138 ypm and Terry and Carol Gardner’s black chequer cock on 1133 ypm. All should feature well up in the National result.
Next we move on to the Bergerac race and this proved to be a pretty stiff affair at 500 miles plus. The 69 birds entered by 18 members were away at 5.15 a.m. into a west north west wind and broken cloud. At 18.24 p.m. Dennis Ford of Blaenavon clocked his good chequer cock – a gift from fellow club mate John Williams, to win 1st GGDC plus 1st section 1st Open Welsh SRNFC and 2nd section 16th Open Central Southern Classic Flying Club. What a pigeon this one is – in 2009 alone he has won 8th section 66th Open BICC Poitiers; 1st GGDC 1st section 3rd National Saintes and now 1st GGDC 1st National Bergerac!! Add to these a 6th Open National Messac and 4th sect 35th Open National Fougeres and you have a superstar in the making. The sire of this wonder pigeon was gifted to John Williams by Ray Strawbridge of Newport and is of Van Geel “Vlejke” bloodlines. The dam was bred by long distance aces the Patrick Bros and bought at the Blackpool show. With breeding like that he couldn’t fail. I’m ashamed to admit that I have now lost count of the number of National wins Dennis has achieved but it has to be 11 or 12 actual National first prizes. Absolutely amazing, and all achieved by a truly modest and thoroughly likeable man. Well done mate.
Dennis Ford relaxing outside his loft
In second spot with the GGDC and taking 3rd Open WSENFC plus a prominent position in the CSCFC is the equally phenomenally successful partnership of Preece Brothers and sons of Cwmtillery. The “team” have won 3 x 1st National in 2009 alone and in this race they clocked a 2 year old Ponderosa Jan Aarden hen sent sitting 10 day eggs. She was well fancied in both GGDC and WSENFC and should pick up a tidy sum. The other prizes in the GGDC were won by none other than Andrew Vincent on 979 ypm with Kevin and Tyrone Arnold next and Spencer Jones coming in for fifth spot to round off proceedings.
The Preece partnership's chequer Jan Aarden hen which in the Bergerac race took 2nd GGDC and 3rd Open National.
The Marseille race is probably the one race point that fanciers on the western fringes of the British Isles have the least chance of winning. Just look at a map of France and you will see why. Marseille is situated in the south east corner of France right on the Mediterranean coast. The prevailing conditions usually include intense heat, wall to wall sunshine and a predominantly westerly airflow. Add to these factors the fact that the overwhelming majority of the birds are entered by German, Belgian and Dutch fanciers, whose birds emerge from Marseille and funnel up the Rhone Valley into southern Germany and eastern France before going on into Belgium and Holland. It’s therefore not difficult to see why the British birds, being the most westerly in the convoy, have very little chance of winning the International race. Nevertheless, many of the U.K’s top long distance fanciers use the Marseille race as a yardstick by which to measure the homing ability and tenacity of their pigeons.
The convoy was eventually liberated at 5.30 am BST on Sunday19th July, to face variable light winds with a hint of a South Westerly airflow from the Dijon area of France northwards. Although day birds were recorded in southern Germany to the eventual International winner Hans Peter Brockamp, given the conditions prevailing, it was no surprise to hear that nothing had made it into the U.K. by nightfall on the first day.
The winner of the BICC was clocked at the Bordon, Hampshire loft of David Wells at around 10.45 a.m. on the second morning, There then followed a steady trickle of birds throughout the day despite the atrocious weather conditions. Here in Wales the conditions were so bad that it was impossible for pigeons to fly until the high winds and torrential rain finally abated at around 5 p.m. At 20.35 pm Terry and Carol Gardner of Caldicot clocked their 3 year old chequer cock to be the only bird on the second day into Wales and also the only bird on the second day in the whole of the west section. This after completing the 676 mile journey from south east France to south east Wales. The Gardner timer is some pigeon. Earlier this season he had been entered in the BICC Pau International race where he finished 3rd section 64th Open. In 2008 he competed in two 600 mile races in a matter of weeks to finish 11th Open National Tarbes in the second of his trips to southern France. In this year’s Marseille race he looks good for 1st section 11th Open BICC. Mated in February, he was allowed to rear a young bird before being separated and raced on widowhood for the early part of the season. He was then re-mated and sent to the Pau International on 10 day old eggs. On his return he took a fancy to a neighbouring hen whose mate was away at Barcelona and was subsequently sent to Marseille on 4 day old eggs.
Once again, we see in the breeding the influence of that great long distance racer “Invincible Spirit”. The dam having been bought from one of Louella’s sales advertised in the BHW. The sire was gifted to Terry and Carol by the late Tommy Ingram of Newport. As a matter of interest, in 2009 the winners of 1st Barcelona, 1st Pau and 1st Marseille within the GGDC, all of which are also section winners in the BICC, have the bloodlines of “Invincible Spirit” prominent in their pedigrees. It seems that birds carrying these bloodlines think nothing of slogging it out for two days in any weather conditions – real “fog and stormers”. Congratulations Terry and Carol on a truly outstanding performance.
When I began writing this report the Gardner pigeon was, to my knowledge, still the only bird recorded in the west section of the BICC. However, I have just heard that both Wilf and Janet Reed and Gordon and June Mears have recorded arrivals on the third day to win respectively 2nd & 3rd GGDC; 2nd & 3rd section and 17th & 30th Open BICC.
The Reed timer was clocked at 13.30 on the third day and is bred from “The Saintes Cock” and “Scotch Lass”. The pair has bred a host of good pigeons for Wilf and Janet right through to National level. “Scotch Lass” got her name when she was lost off the loft as a youngster and was reported the same day up in Scotland after 13 hours on the wing, having been caught up in the Scottish National racing over when she and the other Reed youngsters were out at exercise.
Gordon and June Mears timer is a two year old blue hen that was 5th section BICC in the Pau International race this season. Since her return she has been left to do her own thing and was basketted with her 5th flight out and sitting 14 day eggs. Incidentally, she was found on the loft and clocked at 21.15 after Gordon returned from the marking station where he had been dealing with Wilf’s clock.
One more old bird race to go, next up is the little matter of the 670 mile trip out of Perpignan. Can the GGDC members keep up their remarkable success story? We’ll soon find out. Good luck to all.
