Les J Parkinson - what’s going on this week
I have been talking to quite a few people and there are a lot of young birds going missing. We have had Guillaume Vanneste and his family here for a couple of days and he was saying that he has heard the same for fanciers on the continent. I must admit I am the same, lost young bird’s like never before, probably not quite right I did have a fly-away the morning after Niort when Kenny & Anthony Evans came in with a late clock and pipped us for the top spot. Year after year we ask ourselves, where do all these losses go to, and we can never have a definite answer. If we could answer that one, we wouldn’t need to be bringing in so many replacements. I am sure it’s not the quality of pigeons being trained and raced is the problem, there are too many good fanciers also losing pigeons. It’s more likely that many are bred too far from the tree, they are generations apart. The problem we have is, pigeons are so expensive nowadays, many fanciers cannot afford to keep replacing stock birds year after year. We have had more than our share of dodgy training tosses and as previously reported we have lost more than our share. We have had several come back knocked up, more than likely the BOP’s going amongst them, and as they have dived out of the way they have caught the wires. They were not damaged beyond repair and were soon back in training.
Clubs.
I appreciate the following comments that came my way from a fancier because without them we cannot move forward. As we all know as the years pass by people are always going to change their minds about one thing or another or even concede that there are going to be things that will change, and we must get used to them. I had a couple of emails with a fancier that I was okay with until the words “Selfish and blinkered” were used because I am the one who has always been opposed to adding clubs in an area where a perfectly good working one where strong competition exists. When local clubs are formed where there are existing ones it is generally to stop someone winning or at least reduce the chances of them winning. Before I go any further let me point out that after 48yrs of writing in pigeon magazines I have heard the same story from many parts of the UK. This is the way the email exchanges went. LJP. A good result, I think it's getting towards one club but not altogether sure because I have always thought that there is something lost by not having a club in your own town, in this case just for Middlewich members. 8 in the town. Hi les. I do agree with you. But it is getting to the stage now that there aren’t enough members in Middlewich to have a good competitive race every week. There are only 4 members this week and 4 last week in the flying club. Even the 5 bird accepting people from outside Middlewich only had 8 members and 150 birds which in today's racing is a good send, which goes to show the decline in numbers of pigeons racing. If the clubs joined together, it would still only have meant 10 members and 219 birds. I feel that the members that have joined the 5-bird have created a more competitive environment and have improved the club as you don’t have one member winning every week the prizes seem to be well distributed between local fanciers and people who have joined from other towns. For the continuation of the sport the clubs and even the feds should look at joining together to be more cost effective and competitive. Cheers. LJP. Hi. I fully agree with what you are saying, and we know the clubs are small but that's the way they are going all over the country. The fed is what the likes of Mark, Peter, myself with Ebony who are regular senders. We are after the fed and I think we are near to achieving that goal, however the fed is going down fast. There are a lot of fanciers who want two races, personally I don't, one is enough for me unless I send them to the Nationals which is my goal in the sport. Not sure what the answer is. Cheers. Hi Les. I understand what you’re saying as well and I feel that we have been lucky over the years to have been at 2 good clubs that are still doing ok and holding their own, when the likes of Sandbach and other clubs who were also well supported years ago have now collapsed. We have been lucky to have two races but the clubs as well as the feds are just taking birds off each other. I think it’s too late for the clubs now and what we do isn't going to make a lot of difference going forward. It's the feds that have a problem now. The feds have always ebbed and flowed where one seems to be doing better than the other and then it’s swapped a few years later but both feds are declining, and this year has been a bad year for Mid Cheshire. The feds need to sort themselves out and get together even if its separate races culminate in a combine result but obviously being transported on one transporter to make it worth the fed/ convoyer taking pigeons. Joining the two federations will help in improving the transport and improve how the feds are run. This will improve the racing, but this will not happen as there are still people in the feds who are too selfish or blinkered or to improve things for the future. I don't really know the answer but to help prolong the pigeon racing as a sport we need to start making the best of what we have got as it will never be as good as it used to be. Cheers. Let’s look at the facts, there are 8 flying fanciers in Middlewich, 4 of whom are racing in the Mid Cheshire Fed racing for Fed honors on a weekly basis. I make the point that they are racing against some of the best in the North West, including Ray Lunt and his team of Gary Wall and Alan Curtis. They are the fancies we want to beat or at least be able to compete against, there are others who are quality fanciers. The fanciers concerned have been doing a good job with positions won. It doesn’t matter how many fanciers are competing if the quality is there. The problem we have with the Mid Cheshire fed is their numbers are going down fast, with clubs moving to other organizations, why, I’ll let you work that one out.
Results.
Time is moving on; here is the result of the second young bird race with the Mid Cheshire Fed from Cheltenham when 36 members entered 796 birds that were liberated at 11am in a west north west wind. N & S Harvey from the Halmerend club had a Lightner with a vel of 1431ypm which is 14yds ahead of the runner up ending up 1st club 1st section 1st Fed. Steve is doing a good efficient job as secretary so it’s nice to see the partnership at the top of the list. The next 4 positions all went to the evergreen Acton Bridge members Ray Lunt with silent partners Gary Wall & Alan Curtis, better known as Curtis-Wall-Lunt. This is one of the best racing lofts in the country, they are always there and if they are not there’s something wrong. They take the first 4 in the club and section and 2nd 3rd 4th 5th fed on 1417 & 3 on 1412ypm. Still with the Same club we have Mick Stockton on 1382ypm ahead of Middlewich FC winner Mark Smith recording a vel of 1362ypm. Same surname in a different club, Jim Smith from over at Wrinehill is next on the list with 1st & 2nd club 8th & 14th fed with vel’s of 1353/1339ypm and with the same club we have Joe glover 3rd club 17th fed on 1332ypm. We are now moving over to Earlestown where W & P Brown take the first 4 in the club to go with 9th 10th 11th 12th fed on 1352 & three on 1349ypm, and in the same club we have the ever-present R & B Smith 18th 19th fed with vels of 1332ypm with two. Sankey Bridges winner is I Hill collecting 1st 2nd 3rd club to go with 13th 15th 16th Fed clocking up 1347/1335 (2) ypm. Also, in the same club we have L Owen 20th fed recording a vel of 1329ypm. Only just missing out on the top 20 in the fen we have Rudheath winner Gary Hodgkinson with a vel of 1318ypm. The next race was for the fed was also from Cheltenham, when 38 members entered 845 birds that were liberated at 10am in a west south west wind. The first news that I heard was that the birds liberated earlier that day were doing well over the mile per minute mark but as the day went on that speed was going to be reduced. As we know weather conditions can soon change in the UK and that was the case on this day, there was even a difference in the two local federations on this day. With another first 4 achievements for the season, we have Acton Bridge member Ray Lunt whose vels were all on 1632ypm. Still with the same club we have another regular at or near the top of the results Eric Taylor being 1st 2nd 4th section 5th 6th 8th fed with vels of 1605/04/02ypm. Middlewich winner is Ebony Crowley racing at Elimar Lofts recording a vel of 1603ypm to finish 7th fed. We then have Les J Parkinson 2nd club 19th Fed on 1563ypm with 3rd club going to M & H Smith on 1560ypm to go with 20th fed. We now move on to Sankey Bridge where I Hill ended up 1st & 2nd 3rd club 9th & 10th fed with vels of 1575/73ypm. The next 8 positions in the fed all went to Earlestown members with the Burtonwood Aces Bob & Brian Smith1st 3rd 4th 5th club 11th 13th 14th 15th fed clocking up 1568/ (2) on 1567/1566 ypm. This partnership is one that I remember from my early days in the sport and National racing. Also collecting four positions are W & P Brown 2nd 6th 7th 8th club 12th 16th 17th 18th fed. This partnership has been so consistent in recent years, I do remember going over to visit them many years ago. That completes the top 20 for this race. Clubs who missed out are Halmerend where G Gill tops the list ahead of N & S Harvey 2nd & 3rd. Over at Rudheath AJ Thornley takes the top spot followed by second placed Kenny Burke with 3rd going to Dave Pritchard. Mr Evergreen Joe Glover is 1st & 2nd in the Wrinehill club ahead of his right-hand man Jim smith 3rd.
The South West Cheshire Fed were also at Cheltenham but with a much earlier lib of 9-30am. They liberated 782 birds from 44 members in a light west northwest wind to see Mr & Mrs Nigel Shaw with the Hankelow club took 7 of the top 8 positions in the club to go with 1st 2nd 4th fed on 1349 (2) 1348ypm. Stopping them taking the lot is Frank Speed 3rd club 3rd fed on 1348.7ypm. Leading the way in the Crewe West End 1st 2nd 4th 5th club 5th 6th 8th 9th fed is Colin Lindop a young bird specialist recording vels of 1348 (2) 1342 (2) ypm. Completing the top 10 and still with the Crewe club we have Bob Humphries is 3rd & 6th to go with 7th & 10th Fed on 1347/1341ypm. Other club winners are Gary Adamson in the Duddon PFC. Mainwaring 7 Simpkin over at Halmerend. M & H Smith in Middlewich 5B and Chris Hitchin at Winsford. The fed then moved on to Mangotsfield when 585 birds entered by 28 members were liberated at 11-15am in a West South West wind. Only the first three topped 1600ypm, starting with Tommy Hulme & Son 1st Middlewich 5B 1st Fed on 1625ypm. Sticking with the 5B where Mark Smith is 2nd club with a vel of 1587ypm followed by Craig Wilkinson who takes the 3rd & 6th on 1566/1553ypm with 4th & 5th going to Mick Stoclton on 1565/4ypm. The next two positions in the fed went to Hankelow members Frank Speed 1st club 2nd fed on 1615ypm ahead of Andy Emery 2nd club 3rd fed on 1609ypm with the next three positions in the club going to Mr & Mrs Nigel Shaw. The first 6 positions in the Crewe West End all go to Carl Turner & Son also collecting 4th 5th 7th 8th 9th 10th Fed, their leading velocity being 1590ypm. Over at Duddon club member Gary Adamson also had a good race, taking the first 5 in the club starting at 1511ypm. That leaves the Winsford club where the red & Blue cards go to Jack Thornley clocking up 1561ypm with two going through the trap together. The next 6 places all go the way of Chris Hitchin who starts with a vel of 1496ypm.
Les J Parkinson. 15 Rushton Drive, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0NJ.
Tel: 01606 836036. Mob: +44 (0)7871 701585.
E-mail:
Web site: http://www.elimarpigeons.com
