Les J Parkinson - What’s going on this week.
My thoughts the other day were on Joe Glover and wondering if he will continue his amazing run of winning 1st prizes. Now in his 90’s I think he was 6yo when he won his first race. The question is how many more years he is going to continue to top the list. I have written about Joe many times over the just short of 50yrs when I first put pen to paper in January 1977. He is still travelling to Middlewich to get his birds marked for the specialist club that is available for him to enter. Have just heard that Joe has won his local club and will be well up in the Cheshire Combine.
Racing.
In the build up to the first race the weather was not too good, but I still managed to get a few training tosses. It was odd because on the Tuesday Steve took them for a 25ml toss and they came well, first the hens dropped through the trap and then the cocks 16mins later. The following day Steve went to the same place, and it was a far different toss. As usual there was 15mins between their liberation time but on this day the returns were far from what I had expected after the previous days toss. The first 3 to the loft were a Grizzle cock and two blue hens, the cocks being liberated 15mins later. Then three single hens followed a few minutes later by all but three of the hens. Not long after the remaining cocks dropped in with one of the three nearly one hour later with another dropping just before dark and the other was waiting to get in when I went to the loft next morning at 6.30am. A few hours later I had a call from David Coward-Talbott about another issue. Anyway, he asked how training was going so I told him about the previous day’s training. He went on to tell me that I was not the only one who experienced such a toss on that day because he had spoken to fanciers from the southeast and they had the same experiences with their training programme. Such days can soon bring plans to a halt because sometimes a bad toss at the start of the season can ruin your racing for the rest of the season, I can tell you that from experience. The yearlings are a well-schooled team and once they reached the first race they didn’t make many mistakes, that’s down to Steve who is Ebony’s dad doing the training. Craig was telling me that he took his birds for a trainer one day and after seeing ow bad the weather was, he decided to take them home. As he headed for home, he saw Steve going in the opposite direction but unlike Craig Steve carried on and tossed them in what can only be classed as not the best weather for training young birds. The result, no problem a good trainer was over and done with.
Exercising in cold weather.
I received a brief email about the birds exercising in cold windy weather. “Letting birds out in the cold weather. Jim Biss told me that on a bright cold winter’s day your birds will enjoy flying. Regards Alan cook” Thanks for that Alan it’s nice to see comments from the past, especially such a good fancier as the legendary. Jim was the master in the continental races which is where he preferred to race his birds from. I never got to visit Jim, got close when we arranged a visit, and travelled over to the other side of the country to be told that he had gone to the continent to buy pigeons. Even so Elizabeth and I had a good day out.
First race 2026.
Well, the first race saw a good turnout for marking and there were members still not ready for the first race, however there were still plenty of workers and all went well. The members have still not agreed on the proposed new marking shed with the cash waiting to be spent. What I do think has happened is the lack of agreement has seen the cost increase considerably which means there is not enough money available, no doubt the clubs concerned will get there in the end. Right let’s get on with the first race of the 2026 season when we woke up to a real good day for this first race. No doubt there were members looking out of the window and wondering if they had missed the chance of getting their birds off to a real flyer, that we will find out by the end of the day. When the birds started to arrive in the area the sky started to cloud over and the temperature dropped considerably. The first result to arrive on the PC was from Robert Carson for the Middlewich 5B where 6 members entered 137 birds. The hens were the leaders on the day, taking the first 4 in the club with Bob Humphries from Crewe ending up 1st 3rd & 4th with 2 blue a 2yo & ylg with a 2yo pied hen recording vels of 1480/1463/1461ypm. 2nd goes to Jimmy Smith from Rudheath at the opposite end of the club flying 12mls further than the winner. Jimmy saw home a yearling blue hen on 1468ypm. No doubt the club will see an increase in members entering for the next race, providing the weather looks good. I expect that will also be the case in the Middlewich FC when 70 birds were flying for fed/combine honors, with the first 4 going to Les J Parkinson, Elimar Lofts. Clocking a Chequer and 3 blues all hens with vels of 1479/1478 (2) 1462. The clubs from the local area have decided that they are going to produce a resurrected Cheshire Combine result with the Mid Cheshire, Wrekin and South West Cheshire feds. This is down to a lot of work by senior officials in the organizations concerned. The Mid Cheshire Fed secretary Steve Harvey was telling me the plans for this year and then at a meeting towards the end of the year sorting everything out in the best interest of the members. What I have heard sounds good and over the coming weeks the plans will start to unfold, and it sounds as if the Cheshire Combine will be Back in action. Steve also said that they have more improved crates, which is good, and are looking for a container that will be stored at Clive Riley’s farm where they can store crates etc. over the winter months. Still with Steve who also said that Clive has been looking after the transporter and has done work on it FOC. Some members are probably not aware of what he does and are therefore not as appreciative as those who know the work he has put into the transporter. Anyway, all looks good for the future thanks to people like Steve and his team who put their valuable time in FCO. The first Fed race of the season for the South West Cheshire fed saw D & P Whitfield from the Halmer End club had a good race collecting 1st 2nd 8th 9th Fed recording vels of 1487/1483 and 2 on 1472ypm. Bob Humphries from Middlewich 5B is 3rd 17th & 18th fed on 1480/1463/1461ypm. This is the first year we have had a fed result for this fed, well done by Secretary Lesley Moss who is doing a good job. 4th 5th 11th to Mr & Mrs Nigel Shaw top the Hankelow club and are never far behind in the fed, racing one of the best all round teams in the area. Speed king Colin Lindop winning the Crewe West End FC clocked a few with his best being 6th 10th 12th 13th Fed with vels of 1478/1472/1469/1468ypm. Fellow Team mate’s Mr & Mrs Keith Lovatt are 7th &16th Fed. Jimmy Smith is 14th while Turner & Son are 15th & 20th on 1465/1450ypm with Alan Williams 19th Fed on 1460ypm. The fed saw 42 members sending 652 birds that were liberated at 10am in a light west wind. The Mid Cheshire Fed were also at Cheltenham with the same lib when the top 4 positions went to Ray Lunt racing with the Acton Bridge club recording vels of 1548 (2) 1547/1546ypm. I mentioned Joe Glover earlier and yes true to form winning in his 8th decades collecting 5th 7th Fed entering his birds with the Wrinehill club where he took the top 2 positions. 6th Fed goes to N & S Harvey from the Halmerend club clocking up 1497ypm. Mrs J Moss clocked 4 collecting 8th 9th 13th 14 positions on with way with vels of 1494/1480/1475/1471ypm.with Wrinehill. Les Parkinson from Elimar Lofts racing with Middlewich FC is 10th 11th 12th 16th fed on 14791478 (2) 1463ypm. Also with the same club is Eric Taylor 1465ypm. Rudheath winner Dave Pritchard is back on the scene winning the Rudheath club picking up 16th 17th Fed along the way on 1465/1460ypm. That leaves J smith 18th after clocking up 1454ypm and Ebony Crowley 19th with a vel of 1451ypm.
Les J Parkinson.
15 Rushton Drive, Middlewich, Cheshire,
CW10 0NJ.
Tel: 01606 836036.
Mob: +44 (0)7871 701585.
E-mail:
