GWENT GREATER DISTANCE CLUB
Reports by Gareth Watkins
ALENCON - MAY 2009
Darren Roberts
The second race of the season for members of the Gwent Greater Distance club took place in conjunction with the BICC on Saturday16th May from the French race point of Alencon, a distance of some 270 miles to most competing lofts. The weather forecast for the race weekend was horrendous, with little prospect of a liberation before Tuesday or Wednesday, or so the weather men said. This resulted in a much smaller turn out than would otherwise have been expected with just 14 members entering 109 birds in the GGDC.
As things turned out the birds were up and away at 9.30 on the designated day to face the journey home into a stiff west south west wind. Needless to say, given the conditions, the eastern side of the country enjoyed a much faster race than the competitors on the western fringes of the country.
However, Gwent Greater Distance Club’s only North Wales member, Darren Roberts, timed two widowhood hens after six hours and thirty four minutes and six hours and forty three minutes for the 340 mile trip to win 1st & 2nd GGDC, velocities 1519 and 1485 ypm. It would be fair to say that Darren is “hooked” on classic racing to such an extent that if there was a classic race from the dark side of the moon on New Year’s Day he would find something to send – and in all probability clock! The red card winner here is the same two year old Huybreght hen that Darren clocked from Falaise two weeks earlier. She is a former Fed winner herself and is also full sister to Darren’s Chester 2 Bird winner. This family has been winning top honours in club, fed, classic and National races for Darren for some time now and they win at all distances in all types of weather. Add to these properties the fact that they are also an extremely good looking and handling family of pigeons and you have the fancier’s ideal avian athlete. The second bird in the clock is another two year old but this time a Van der Flaes which topped the section of the BICC in 2008 and also flew Bonn on the south east route.
The widowhood hens are locked in their boxes for most of the day and are force flown for one hour once per day. Feed is farm beans and wheat with some fancy widowhood mix used as a trapping incentive. Simple isn’t it when you have good pigeons to work with?
Darren's set-up
Next in third spot, we have the Llanhilleth partnership of G.Lewis & son who clocked on five hours and thirty minutes for a velocity of 1421 ypm. Unfortunately I was unable to contact the partners to get further information when compiling this report.
Another Llanhilleth fancier, none other than Andrew Vincent, was in again at 4th GGDC with the same three year old chequer pied Van Reet X Janssen cock that featured well up on the BICC result from Falaise two weeks earlier. He is flown on the natural system, his hen having layed on the day of basketting. No frills here at the Vincent set up just a small two sectioned loft for old and young birds.
The Padfields of Cwmtillery need no introduction as they have been winning top honours in classic and National competition for many years. In this race they had two birds drop together after five hours and forty five minutes to finish at 5th & 6th GGDC vels 1373 & 1371 ypm. The two on the clock were both Wim Mullers – a cock and a hen, flown on the round about system.
Could members please note the following important information:
1. Race entry sheets must be filled in in full and returned to the secretary along with all monies ON THE DAY OF BASKETTING. Failure to do so could lead to disqualification.
2.Members must inform the secretary of their times, pools etc – preferably on the day of the race, but no later than the next morning, so that details can be compiled for the race report. If members cooperate fully then hopefully the report can be featured on the Elimar website and in the following week’s pigeon papers so that it is news and not history!
3. Competing members must send their completed clock sheets to the secretary as soon as possible so that a full race result can be made without delay.
Next race Saran on 30th May. Good luck to all.
