HOUGHTON REGIS NEWS
Jo Cuthbert
RIPON
Will Aaron score his hat trick?
Some of my guys at the club: Pete Briars, Aaron Coomber, Bill Smullen and Carl Ellwood.
The penultimate race saw six of us sending to Ripon, an average of 159 plus miles for most of us. Matt Thorne decided to stop the young birds he had left for next year but still came up the club to help with basketing and wait for the lorry, thanks Matt!
When I checked the weather Saturday morning I thought it would be unlikely we would get a lib. I had been checking all week and up until Saturday never had a doubt that we wouldn’t get a race on the Saturday but I was wrong and I think there were a fair few races held over this weekend. But this is part of pigeon racing and something we have to accept? My personal view is if the weather looks a bit ‘iffy’ and you won’t be happy with a hold- over then don’t send. Anyway the birds were liberated on the Sunday at 9am in a North West wind. Four of us still had a chance with fed breeder/buyer birds and I for one was wondering if Aaron was going to score his hat trick of wins!
When Bill arrived at the club he said he had ‘expected it to be a blow home’ and seemed surprised when I handed him the pool money and congratulated him on winning the race, he had worked his velocity out wrong as he thought they were up an hour earlier! Bill’s Blue Cock, a Van Lint crossed with one of his Van Reets won flying 2 hours and 52 minutes doing a velocity of 1634. Bill told us he thought it was going to be the first time in 40 odd years he wouldn’t have won a young bird race, you pulled it out the bag at the end Bill! Taking the next two positions and also sixth club was Carl Ellwood with his Jan Arden and Van Loon birds with velocities of 1603 and 1597. The boss has made a comeback but just a bit late on! I managed to squeeze in fourth on 1591 with my breeder/buyer bred by Terry Haley, the provisional result shows this chec hen has taken the third prize so Terry and I should have a nice little bit of money coming our way. Not bad for a bird Terry tells me he bred from ‘under the railway bridge’. I will be putting an order in next year Terry so get your ladders out! Well done to my old friend Bob Oakey who has bred the second bird home in the breeder/buyer race!
Aaron may not have made it three in a row but he has done good with his young birds and I for one know I will have to keep on my toes to beat him next year. Pete Briars told us that he had an old bird reported from the Thurso race in 2013 this week, the bird is in Holland and Pete said he won’t be sending for it!
I had already decided that this Ripon will be my last race for this year. My reasons for this (and they are purely my own opinions and feelings and are not made on behalf of any other Houghton Regis member), is that after the events following the last old bird race from Stonehaven, I myself could not support or fly with the combine again. If lessons had been learnt and apologies made I may have changed my mind but as I have said, this is just how I feel and I do not expect others to agree with or support that decision and many others are happy to send next week, with things being the way they always have been. Whilst I feel that my own federation has the most competent Secretary and group of officials I have known since flying up here, I have no faith in the combine or its officials so feel it is best that I keep myself and my birds away as I do not want to place myself or any of my members in that situation again. Although no one has asked me directly why I have chosen not to continue writing for the Thames Valley fed, I know it has been questioned. My choice was simple. I have nothing against any club or member in this federation and in fact I enjoyed doing it but when I, as a member and secretary of a club ,needed support and guidance over the combine race from Stonehaven, the response I received was that I ‘couldn’t be spoken too’. Because of that I was unable to ensure the matter was dealt with in the most efficient and fair way for the member involved. I know that as a secretary I let him down because procedures and rules were not followed correctly and I have to live with that and ensure it doesn’t happen again. I felt the whole situation was dealt with poorly and unfairly from start to finish and I was unable to bring myself to report on a race I feel should have been voided. I therefore made the decision to just write about my own club as anyone else is free to do. I have had to learn the hard way to look out for myself but I do wish all those sending to Aycliffe good returns and a successful end to the season.
So, with Houghton Regis having finished racing for the year, well done to Bill Smullen who tops the old birds and overall points table, I finished second in the overall points but won the young bird points so hold onto the trophy I won last year and I am more than happy. Carl finishes third but I am sure his name will soon be back on that shield. Pete is next and six of our flying members won points this year. I am hoping with my improved set up next year and hard work I can finish above the big boys. I am hoping to find time to get round the members out of racing and write about how they got into pigeon racing and get pictures of their lofts etc so be warned everyone!
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