LEICESTERSHIRE CONTINENTAL CLUB
by John Ghent
2014 OLD BIRD STANDINGS
The first season of the Leicester Continental Club was flown in conjunction with the Midland National Flying Club and was set up to be a simple, easy to manage duplication club and this is how it turned out. No complicated paperwork or pooling opportunities, just a very easy main result and single bird nomination race with league points on offer for the main result to determine the overall Leicester Continental League Champion.
The first race was flown from Carentan at the end of May, a distance of around 230 miles to the centre of the club. The winner of the opening race was Mr and Mrs J. Wright, always there or thereabouts in the National races and his pigeon was doing over 1900 yards a minute! In 2nd and 4th places was John Murphy, 3rd and 9th Tom Gateley, 5th and 10th Chris and Denise Sutton, Mick Lennon had two close together for 6th and 7th and the the last of the top ten places was secured by Derek Leitch who took the 8th spot. In the single bird nomination race it was Derek Leitch in 1st, Jerry Wright 2nd, Mick Beadle and Daughter in 3rd with Tom Gateley in 4th.
It was then onto a very testing Fougeres race, around 290 miles into the centre again. Showing how tough this race was, only 2 out of 14 single bird nomination birds were clocked in race time! The first being to Jerry Wright and the second to Dave Hardy. The main result was a case of carrying on where he had left off for Jerry with him taking 1st and 2nd, Derek Leitch was 2nd and 10th, Mick Lennon doubling up again with 5th and 6th, Alistair Ewart in 7th, Chris and Denise Sutton in 8th with John Murphy snatching the last two prizes in 9th and 10th.
The difficult season continued with a strange race from Ancenis although it wasn't as tough as Fougeres. The were still numerous shortages at clock checking, possibly down to the fact the was a 2 day hold-over, this surely wouldn't have helped the birds out but that's racing, it's the same for everyone. The Jerry Wright Show was halted by Chris and Denise Sutton who took the victory on decimals from Mick Lennon and also finished in 3rd with Mick's second pigeon being in 5th. Tom Gateley split the birds up with 4th place with Alistair Ewart in 6th and 9th, Dick Oram making his first appearance in the prizes with 7th place and John Murphy in 8th and 10th.
The double header weekend for the MNFC would surely go some way to pointing out who would be heading into the young bird season with the greatest chances of winning the Super League. I feel a bit parrot like because again it was a very tough weekend with only 2 birds being timed in race time from the Bordeaux race. Any members of the MNFC will know how tough this race was so hats off to all who clocked in this most difficult of long distance races. Alistair Ewart was the winner of the Continental Club's Blue Riband race with John Murphy in 2nd place, no single bird nominations were clocked at all in race time. The Vire race wasn't quite as torrid but the velocities for the club members were 1196 for the winner down to just over 1000 for 10th place. Mick Lennon continued his excellent season with 1st and 3rd, Derek Leitch was 2nd and 6th, Mick Beadle and Daughter were in 4th with Jerry Wright in 5th and 9th. Tom Gateley was 7th and 8th with John Murphy again securing 10th spot.
That wraps up the old bird season, a young bird report with final standings is to follow but you will see from the information provided the League Standings and Prize Money table as they stood at the end of the old bird season.
John Murphy holding the pigeon which scored at both Ancenis and Bordeaux
Winner of Blue Riband Race alongside MNFC Bordeaux for Ewart Brothers
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