Les J Parkinson - What’s going on this week.
Five Counties Combine.
There have been quite a few conversations about the newly formed Five Counties Combine up here in the north west and what it is all about. Well, I am interested because the main feature is channel racing which we have been lacking in recent years. The lack of channel racing has reduced a lot of interest in racing pigeons for many fanciers whose main enjoyment has been racing from over the water. Channel racing is all about increasing the distance and for many the follow up is giving the pigeons experience for National racing, which I am also keen to participate in. We are an island therefore racing pigeons from across the channel is also a challenge to both fanciers and pigeons. Getting them to come across the water in a direct line without following the coast to the shortest point of land to land. Now I am in my mid 70’s I am finding sprint racing much harder to compete in, therefore channel racing suits me. When I started back into racing 3yrs ago with young birds it was all about sprint racing. The reason for not having channel racing appears to be because of all the paperwork involved with vets etc. We are a hobby of aging people who don’t like to go out of our comfort zone. I am hoping that this new organization will eventually get us to at least 500mls into Cheshire, if that happens, we shall have to wait and see, however the opportunity is there if we want to press forward. I believe this is our chance to partially get back to racing pigeons in the pre-Covid days and then move on from there. The aim is to avoid the National FC to give us the best of both worlds, but I think no matter where we have the race program there is going to be an impact even though that may be limited, it will be there. The proposed race program is as follows, 4th May Chale (Monday) Bank holiday, 25th May Chale (Monday) Bank holiday. 30th May Rouen/Falaise. 13th June Canappevine/Allencon. 27th June St Malo. 11th July Lamballe. 5th September Purbeck. 12th September Chale. This is only a proposed race program, there may need to be modifications. Who are the people involved, this information will all be coming out shortly because there is a meeting arranged where the main people will be in attendance. What I can say is the venture has the backing of David & Emma Armstrong, with the main person to contact, being Janet Hull. Most fanciers in the North West will know Janet, a fancier who has a proven track record on the official side of racing pigeons. I will keep you updated on the way forward with the club.
Maize
I have received a few comments about feeding only maize to the National pigeons and the general feeling I am getting is that single feed is not good enough to feed our pigeons for these prestigious races. Going back many years, at least 40, there were a lot of beans fed to the long-distance pigeons by the National minded fanciers, probably still are, and, in a mix, they worked, especially in the longer the races. Of course, long-distance with such races it all depends where you live in the country. Long distance, this is where the difference of opinion comes into the equation. Take Tarbes for instance, for the fanciers living north of the midlands it is a genuine long-distance race, towards 700mls plus and over the years pigeons on the day from this race point have been few and far between to the northern end of the National, I have done it on the day with a Chequer hen and it’s a great feeling, brought tears to my eyes. However, to the fanciers south of the Midlands many of the National races are good middle-distance plus races, in fact some, when you refer to the early races are sprint races. I am only using this as an example; they were all good pigeons on the day. We were racing from St Nazaire which is 410mls give or take a few yards to me, I was 1st Section L 3rd open with the two pigeons in front of me flying towards 180mls less, that’s what National racing is all about, you are competing against the whole of the country, so distances are all over the place. Going back to feeding, I suspect that I would have been feeding and using additions on my pigeons differently in the build up to the race, that’s what pigeon racing is all about. Correct feeding and preparing, plus taking the predicted weather conditions into account for the weekend. We prepare our pigeons in tune with the races that we want to compete in. Yes, they do have a couple of days feeding in the transporter with what should be mixed corn and definitely not Maize on its own. The mixed corn is nearer to the way most fanciers prepare their birds, no matter where we are racing from so the mixed feed would have little or next to no detriment to the pigeons. From what I can gather through speaking to fanciers there are an awful lot who do not want their birds fed on maize only for the National races. We are all pigeon fanciers, and we get touchy about how our birds are treated when they go into the crates and loaded onto the transporters. No matter what the distance is, I cannot see most fanciers wanting to have their birds fed on Maze only for the National races. I expect a landslide for mixed corn when a vote is taken, and to be democratic there must be a vote. We are racing in the National FC and not ruled by continental organizations and the way I am told they feed. There are other National clubs in the UK who have been racing in competition on the international scene for many years, we should keep the National FC as our own Premier racing organization and talk to the members before making big decisions. I would expect the members to go for a mixed corn and the idea of Maize only feeding can go away.
Results
I was talking to Paul Green about the pigeons, and we were discussing results, I was telling him about Ray Lunt, previously Curtis-Wall-Lunt, they still work together only under Ray’s name. This is going to be give or take a couple of pigeons, they took the first 4 in the fed which are entered on the result and before the 5th pigeon was recorded Ray and his team had 45 pigeons on the clock, in just a little over a minute. This means the fed result of the best 40 velocities would have been filled by this one loft. This is not the first time this has happened, Geoff Bebington, who used to be the secretary of the Acton Bridge club where they race their pigeons, was telling me they could fill the fed result, or the top 20 or 30 on many occasions, if it wasn’t for the 4 bird agreement. Geoff was saying their results are phenomenal and you would have to see it to believe their race sheets week after week. Craig has gone to watch them arrive from the races and he tells me the pigeons are a credit to them, and to watch them come racing across the fields to the loft is quite something to watch. As I have pointed out in the past the local fed, by agreement only has each member’s first 4 on the fed result. The first 4 is only a gentleman’s agreement (unless it has more recently been added to the rules) that has worked because fanciers like to see their name on the result. However, the fed is suffering now, and many don’t think it will be able to keep going in its present format, we shall have to wait and see. I say this because at the start of the 2023 season there were 17 member clubs, and in the last race, we are talking mid-August 2025 we were down to 7. Running transporters is a costly business and in the best interests of the sport they should all be going on one transporter locally. It costs a lot of money to run vehicles that don’t always portray the sport of pigeon racing as they should. Locally we have, the South West Cheshire Fed, Mid Cheshire Fed, Wrekin Fed and North Staffs Fed. That’s 4 federation’s going to race points on 3 transporters, when with a bit of organization they would all go on one for many of the races, if not all. Their race programs with a bit of adjustment would work together because they are all on the same southerly route. If the 4 did get together and race as a Combine, which is highly unlikely, we would see a different result.
Race Results
Moving on to the Mid Cheshire Fed ace from Mangotsfield when 638 birds were liberated at 11.45am in an east-north-east wind. This was a day for the Earlestown members, taking 18 of the first 20 on the fed result. Top spot goes to A Smith who ends up 1st 2nd 9th fed on 1481 with 2 and 1470ypm also taking the same positions in the club and section. Sticking with the same club W & P Brown are 3rd 4th 5th 7th club, section and fed recording vels of 1477/1476/1474 (2) ypm. Bill has been racing a good pigeon for many years now being a regular at or near the top of the fed result. A Makin is 6th 8th 18th 19th clocking up 1474/1473/ with 2 on 1446ypm. 10th fed goes to Rice & Abbott on 1469ypm while Bob & Brian Smith record vels of 1456 (2) 1455/1451ypm for 11th 12th 13th 15th fed. P Rimmer fills the other two positions in the top 20 for the same club with vels of 1447/1443ypm. That leaves two positions in the top 20 for the rest of the clubs starting with Middlewich winners M & H Smith 1st club 1st section 14th fed on 1452yom. Completing the top 20 are Mr & Mrs Nigel Shaw from Wrinehill whose first home recorded a vel of 1447ypm ending up 2nd section 16th fed. We now move on to the next MCF race from Frome when 617 birds were liberated at 10.45am in a variable wind. This was not the best of days, but it did produce a good result. The top two places in the club, section and fed went to Mick Stockton who has the birds right on form at the moment having two go through the trap together on 1483ypm.3rd & 18th go to Eric Taylor with vels of 1476/1435ypm, Eric is a fancier who will go anywhere for a race. 10th 11th 16th 17th all go to Ray Lunt on 1449 (2) 1444/143ypm all entering their birds in the Acton Bridge club. We now see a rush of fanciers from the Earlestown club starting with Bob & Brian Smith, the wizards from Burtonwood recording vels of 1463/1462ypm. Then we have 6th 7th 8th 9th, all going to W & P Brown who are regulars on the fed result. Others featuring in the top twenty from the same club are A Rigby 13th recording a vel of 1446ypm and K Owen 1446ypm. 1st & 2nd club 12th & 15th fed see Middlewich FC members M & H Smith 1446/1445ypm with 3nd club with a velocity of 1427ypm going to Les Parkinson at Elimar lofts. 1st Halmerend 19th fed go to our very good secretary N & S Harvey with a vel of 1434ypm, Steve puts a good fed result out. Club winners not featuring in the top 20 of the fed are Rudheath winner Dave Pritchard DS lofts on 1388ypm. Sankey Bridge sees Broderick & Davies topping the list on 1403ypm ahead of Andy Emery wo tops the list on the Wrinehill club with a vel of 1399ypm. The South West Cheshire Fed were also at Frome when 513 birds were liberated at 10am in a light variable wind. This was a good race for Colin Lindop taking 8 of the first ten places in the club to go with 1st 3rd 8th 10th fed clocking up 1500/1481/1479/1478ypm after entering his birds in the Crewe West End Club. Hankelow winners Mr & Mrs Nigel Shaw are 2nd & 7th fed with a vel of 1482/1479ypm. 4th 5th 6th positions see Chris Hitchin leading the way in the Winsford club after recording vels of 140 (2) 1479ypm. One more top 10 place left and that goes to Middlewich 5B winner Craig Wilkinson on 1478ypm. The only one to miss out on this weeks fed result is Gary Adamson taking 5 of the top 6 positions in the Duddon club starting with positions of 1st 2nd 3rd with vels of 1420/1416/ 1408ypm.
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
