LES J. PARKINSON'S
NEWS-REPORTS-ARTICLES
Years ago when you said to most people who had retired “You must have plenty of time on your hands” they would reply with something like “Doing more than ever” and I know that is a fact in most cases. I see many people who I have been associated with over the years who still say the same thing, they are busier than ever. Myself I put it down to getting older and it takes me longer to do things than it used to do. When we are trying to arrange something we find ourselves juggling this and that about to make time for what we want to do. I know I am still doing the pigeon jobs but Lizzie is here nearly every day of the week doing the web site and the jobs that surround it. Elizabeth said that she would like to do something like we did years ago and that is to do some travelling around and compiling loft reports. I don’t know whether it is me but I find driving around hard work nowadays so what we shall do is another matter but we do want to go places and meet people at their lofts.
Caller
When I first started to mention Derek Woodward in my notes he was rather reluctant but he came round in the end and I have managed to get some good info from him. A few years ago I compiled a full report on him which led to some good feedback and this is what we want for you the readers. I was talking to Derek about the recent Portland race where he was 1st 4th 6th & 10th fed plus 1st & 2nd Gold Ring. Derek has only recently brought in the Leemans pigeons via Peter Fox at Syndicate Lofts and they have proven to be a good introduction winning from the off. This latest winner is "Lucky Dip" which is a Leekeans -Heremans Grizzle Cock crossed with a son off Derek's "Golden Gaby" cock that has bred many winners. The quality in the breeding goes even further with "The Young Couple" with "Lucky Luke" and "Maya" also being in the breeding. This good young cock ended up 1st club winning the nom of £42, 1st Wrekin Fed and 1st Gold Ring £100.
Marjorie Woodward with her guard dog who is also a pigeon lover
The pigeon that was second in the Gold ring race winning £60 is a red cock bred by Brian Holland of Keighley and is an Andreas Drapa crossed with a daughter off the "Golden Gaby" pair who have bred numerous 1st prize winners. This has been another good season for Derek with 24 x 1sts and when I said he was going downhill he smiled and asked what I meant so I pointed out that he won 26 x 1sts last year. I asked Derek how many widowhood cocks he has and the number is 30 that are sent to two clubs, but what he did say was that he does not send them all each week as he prefers to select between 8 & 10 and leave the others at home as part of their preparation for another race. What I will add is that Derek's wife Marjorie is a gem with the pigeons and a good part of the reason why these pigeons fly so well. As you can see from the photo Marjorie can handle a pigeon, better than some men I have seen over the years.
Marjorie Woodward holding the Fed winner and gold ring winner in the Wrekin Fed
North West Classic
This was a tough race for the club to finish on, in fact it was a tough day for all organizations to finish their racing season on. The winning vel was 1169ypm with only two entries making better than 1100ypm and only a further six topping 1000ypm. There were 33 members who selected a total of 186 birds to go to this Carentan race with 44 making the result and to show how tough it was the last of those 44 on the result recorded a vel of 413ypm after 19hrs 21mins on the wing. 1st Open 1st section A goes to RJ Davies & Son from Chorlton who also clocked another for 19th open. The winner is a small blue hen of the Kees Boshua strain bred for the team by Culbert & Hambling of Barrow in Furness. She has been in the clock already this season when she came with loft mates from Cheltenham racing in the Altringham and district fed. In that race her loft mate was 1st club and 1st fed against 1342 birds and she was 1 second behind her loft mate on the clock and was 2nd club 3rd fed beaten on a decimal. She was sent sitting her second round of eggs that were 12 days old when basketed for the classic race. She was given a 30 mile trainer on the day of basketing and was fed on the Vanrobaeys mixes from Roger Sutton. I have enclosed a picture of her but at this time she is moulting which doesn’t do her justice as she was a darkness young bird.
R Davies & Son's NWCC winner
2nd Open 2nd section A sees another fine performance from F & M Hough of Macclesfield who clocked 5 of their 15 entries for 2nd 10th 16th 32nd & 34th open. Winner o0f 2nd Open NWCC is Grizzle hen 14R07618,she is daughter of "Three Times a Lady" winner of 1st Open NWCC Carentan YB 2013.Bloodlines are "Snake " x Roger Sutton lines on the dam`s side. Sire is "Classic`s Lad" a winner himself & son of "The Classic Cock" (Staf Van Reet) & winner of 1st NWCC Lulworth plus 7 x1sts when paired to a full sister of "Champion Cut Throat" (Leo Van Rijn) winner of 2 x 1st Combine & 7 x 1sts Fed for B & K Hawes. 10th Open NWCC is 14N61703, Blue Chequer Pied Hen -Flor Engels bred by Stuart Goldstraw of Congleton. 16th Open NWCC is 14A24845,Blue Cheq Hen, a winner of 23rd Section L, NFC Falaise (315 miles) 11 days before.Dam is the original No.1 stock hen from Roger Sutton, sire is Syndicate Lofts x P & J Roziers from Kleine Dirk/Farah Diba x Queen L lines. 3rd Open 3rd section A goes to Kevin Tagell from Congleton also 22nd & 35th Open. Kivin’s first in the clock is a youngster that had not been in the clock until this event! The sire is Kevin’s top Hartog stock pigeon, a winner of many first prizes. The dam is a recent introduction in an attempt to compete at the distance and is a Jan Theelan, the future looks promising on this first evidence. 4th Open 1st section B finishing a great season with the club is Graham McKay the Swinton fancier who has really done well in this club. This section winner also won4th in the Exchange Bird in the Lancashire Social Circle. Graham gives credit to the breeders of this hen being O’Hare & Woodward from Middlewich who are 2nd section 5th open so Graham has beaten them with one of their own as they have supplied many winners to other fanciers. Don’t think for one minute that Mike & Ron will mind as they like to see others winning with their pigeons and many do.
Graham McKay's 1st section 4th open
5th Open 2nd section B is a loft that has their programme set out for the National and classic races and they have achieved many very good results and they are mike O’Hare & Ron Woodward. Their first bird is a dark cock who was 1st Club 7th Fed Portland two weeks earlier. The sire is a Van Loon gift bird from Eric Harris from the North East, so thanks go to Eric on this one and mike said they have lost his phone number. The dam is a Supercrack x Gaby Vandenabeele. The Gaby “369” is responsible for several Fed Winners. This bird is also the provisional Gold Ring Race winner. Their next bird 5th Sect B 27th Open was 2nd Club, 8th Fed Portland 2 weeks earlier and is a blue hen. The sire is a grandson of “T.C” and “Amber Louise” “Witpen 360” and “Shadow” The dam is from a grandson of “Toey2 paired to the same Gaby hen “369” as their first bird. 6th Open 4th section A sees Wignall & Barnie from Denton had a real good race being 6th 7th 9th 12th 15th 18th & 21st Open, cannot argue with a result like that on a difficult day with a really good team performance having 7 in the first 21 in the Open from 15 entries and with the added bonus of some pools. The first bird timed in was chequer hen bred direct from their Super stock cock from Louella a double grandson of “Invincible Spirit” when paired to a really good breeder which is also bred down from but from a different grandson of “Invincible Spirit” The second bird timed in is dark chequer w/f cock he's bred from our retired racer" Patrick" multiple prizewinner in the NFC including 4th Lancashire Combine Niort 498mls. This one is bred down from R. O Jones Thurso Cock and a daughter from Patrick Bros “Somerset Lad2 1st NFC Pau. The dam is bred by Gordon Rigg from Congelton being a daughter from the Dax Cock 1sect 10th Open NFC Dax and comes from his renowned Staf Dusarduyn family. The third bird timed in is a chequer Hen, she's bred from a direct son of “Snydale Express” 1st NFC Tarbes bred by Chris Gordon while the dam is another bred by Gordon Rigg she is a daughter from the nest brother to the “Golden Hen” dam of 5 X 1st sect L winners Staf Dusarduyn. The fourth bird timed is a chequer w/f cock bred down from their super direct Jan Polder stock cock “Black Knight2 a direct son from “De 220” 8 times Barcelona 6 times in the prizes when he was paired to “The Niort Hen” 1st Lancashire Combine Niort plus an RPRA award etc. 3rd section 8th open NWCC Carentan sees the evergreen partnership of R & B Smith add another excellent result to their ever growing list of top positions especially in specialist racing. This young cock "21" is bred from the very best of their family being a full brother to our "Saintes Hen" a winner of 1st section 16th open NFC Saintes. 11th sect 247th open NFC Messac. 28th section 238th open NFC Saintes 10th Eccles 2 bird Saintes, 9th North West Nantes 2 bird Messac. 45th section 151st open MNFC Fougeres. The Saintes hen being the dam of "21" winner of 23rd section 250th open NFC Messac. 2nd section 229th open MNFC Carentan, 4th section 240th open MNFC Ancenis, 11th section 20th open NFC Cholet. The lads sent me a photo of them with C L Gage at the Texas Shootout race where they finished 3rd in the final race and overall average speed in the three races in 2013.
R & B Smith with CL Gage at the Texas Shootout race
Stray
I had a pigeon reported by a non fancier that is a blue hen 11774 and reported in the Cardiff area, this pigeon was entered into the Europa One Loft Race in 2010 and completed the programme before being sold after the races had finished. Whoever bought it did not send in a transfer so i had to get the pigeon collected so it has cost me £40 and the pigeons is still technically not mine.
Shows
Had a call from Dudley Niblett telling me that they Middlewich clubs are going to hold their shows again. They are having a series of six shows staring on Sunday lunchtime 2nd November and then a seventh show being the Christmas show finishing on the 21st December. As always they will be held at the club headquarters the Boars Head Hotel Middlewich. For more information you can call Mr 7 Mrs Niblett on 01606835017.
Les J Parkinson. 11 Rushton Drive, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0NJ, +44 (0)1606 836036. +44 (0)7871 701585. E-mail:
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