LES J. PARKINSON'S
NEWS-REPORTS-ARTICLES
I think most fanciers are glad the old bird season is more or less over because it has been an awful spell for the North West fanciers and the channel in particular. The inland programme started with vels that probably averaged around the 1800ypm mark for the first six races which is not what we really want. Come to think of it what is a good racing velocity? I do know that many years ago we would work on something like 1200ypm. That has now gone up to around 1300ypm because pigeons are faster and there are more and more pigeons reaching the average velocity. Anyway this year’s channel for the Three Counties that we race in has been far from what we would expect. Yes there are pigeons that have made the expected velocities but that happens in nearly every race even though there may only be a handful on the clock.
When we look at the first race for the Three Counties where there were just over 7,000 birds flying into one area we would expect the vels to be really close and on top of one another. That was not the case because the first 100 in the race were separated by 106yds and I would have expected three times that number within that ypm mark. If they were over a wider area or even the northern half of the country then yes that range of vels would happen but not when they were all going into the North West.
We then went to Fougeres when in the Cheshire Combine the winning vel was just 1130ypm dropping to 1059ypm for 30th position. So with a winning vel of 1130ypm the pigeons did not have all their own way and something obviously stopped or slowed them down considerably somewhere along their route into the North West.
The Messac race was also an odd race in a way because in the Mid Cheshire Fed the winning vel was 1543ypm while 20th position was only 1352ypm which is a big drop for the fed.
The last channel race for the Three Counties from Niort was a real shocker when they were near enough like getting drops of blood from a stone on the day and not much better the following day. As usual with the Niort race we basketed on the Wednesday and with the wait until Saturday we decided to take a few days' break while they were on their way to Niort. Our intention was to come back on the Saturday ready for the birds to come home but we decided to make another day of it because there was an event in Royston where we were staying on the Saturday. However I did keep in touch and was watching the weather forecast to see what we could expect the birds to do. I had spoken to a few fanciers before I phoned home and I did say that I felt the predictions of around 11hrs were wrong because of the forecast I had seen down south. Also Wayne was telling me that the fed over that side had held early doors racing from Poole because of the bad weather. I must also add that the local (London) weather forecast that I saw on Saturday morning for northern France was not all that brilliant. Having seen that forecast I then started to have doubts and said to Elizabeth they were going to be few and far between from Niort. When I called home before going to the Restaurant I was informed that a couple had been clocked so my thoughts on a tough day could have been wrong. That was not the case because over that day, the next one being Sunday they were again few and far between. I must add that I do feel from the few who were clocked the following day it was obvious that they had not crossed the channel on the Saturday and the forecast I saw in Northern France had stopped them in their tracks. These heavy losses in the local channel races will affect next year’s racing because there are a lot of empty boxes where established pigeons stood at the start of the year. We were talking down the club and one of our senior members who does not forget much said that this is the worst season e can remember. I do believe that all the easy blow homes at the start of the season, in fact up to the first channel race contributed towards these losses because the pigeons had not had chance to build themselves up prior to having to put some work into their system. No matter how many training tosses they had they do not make up for the racing experience. Having said that there were quite a few yearlings that were clocked from Niort and they did not have the experience. There has been that much said about this race I couldn’t print it all. I wonder why no matter what happens and how hard a race is there are always a handful who make the time. Also the next few days were very good so why they still did not turn up is another matter, they are more than likely not in the UK otherwise more would have been back in their boxes.
Footnote. Since writing the above I have had several conversations from fanciers around the country. These fanciers were all racing on the same day and all are asking why the pigeons were liberated with the weather forecast on the TV the night before. Take into account many of these are fanciers who are from the southern part of the UK and a few within spitting distance of the channel. I have pointed out that I was in Hertfordshire and the weather forecast I saw on the Friday night for northern France was not good. The feeling from experienced fanciers is that this is the worst race they can remember based on the fact that they are not turning up days later. I think this is one of those matters that is going to rumble on with claims and counter claims but no matter what, the pigeons are not turning up.
Young birds
You never know when you have got young birds. One minute they are in the loft and the next they are gone. We had a young bird reported at Loggerheads which is only about 18mls in a straight line and a place where we have trained many times in the past. The young birds were taken for a training toss to Stafford and they were obviously full of fly because they were coming all day. At the end of the day there were two missing, one being reported in Birmingham and the other at a private house in Loggerheads, both by non fanciers. When the Blue Pied was eventually back in the loft it could not fly so that one is going nowhere. The other was fine until I let the young birds out the following morning when they went for a fly but upon checking there was one missing. I never though nothing more about it until I had a phone call from the lady in Loggerheads, the pigeon had gone back to a private house where there were no other pigeons. Anyway a good line of flight so we went to collect it and took the young birds for a toss at the same time. Will have to see how she goes on now after spending a few more days in a cat box.
Happy reunion
A couple of weeks ago I included an email from Judith Cavanagh about a stray pigeon she had in her garden. Word got round and the pigeon eventually decided to go home, the result being that I had a call from the owner. Mr Schofield was telling me how he started racing again after seeing a few strays and caught two young birds and put them in a couple of show pens opposite his shed. He reported them and they were returned only to see them both return to where the show pens were. They were again returned and eventually because they had made hat was now their home the place where they chose to stay they were transferred. Mr Schofield then decided to go back into racing pigeons and paired them together and they bred no end of winners. It goes to show that not all pigeons that go astray are a waste of a box. Anyway Mr Schofield spoke to Judith and told her about the pigeon but she could not catch it but did look after it until he regained his strength and then he went home. Mr Schofield was glad to see this cock return because he had won a lot of prizes. You see sometimes things do go right and good pigeons eventually return to their home loft. So you see even good pigeons make a mistake and even strays can breed winners and I dare bet there are a good few about that have.
Club/Fed news
We are going to be rather short on the reports this week after the disastrous Niort weekend when only a small percentage made it home in three days. We start with the Moulton club who saw just one make it in three days to record a vel of 342ypm. The numbers to Niort are always low but fanciers do send experienced pigeons or the new ones that are bred for the job. In the Moulton club there were 20 sent with the winners being Mr & Mrs Chris Herbert who clocked a 3y/o chequer hen who won the hens class at the Moulton Christmas Show. Her sire was bred by Derek Pedley which is a Peter van De Merwe pigeon that won 12 first prises for the partnership as well as breeding winners. The Crewe West End were no better off when 10 members sent 53 birds and managed to see three clocked in race time. The club’s first was a clear winner when a 3y/o racing to the lofts of Mick & Wendy Mellor recorded a vel of 825ypm, the partnership was also 3rd with a yearling on 302ypm. The other pigeon was clocked to the lofts of Bob Humphries and is another yearling recording a vel of 339ypm. In the Middlewich FC there were only two birds in three days, none on the day and two late the second day and none on the third day so not the best of races but something always comes through. The red card goes to Syd Latham, Son & Daughter Joyce who has a great deal of interest in the pigeons and is dad’s right hand down at the loft. The Busschaert’s & Sion’s have been at this loft for many years and this winner is one of them being a yearling blue pied cock raced on the natural sent sitting 12 days. I remember Syd when I first came to live in Middlewich racing pigeons from the orchard which is now the school football pitch. He flew a good pigeon and I remember he had a good Middlewich 2B young bird and I think he only had a couple at the time but one was a bit special. I remember learning a very good lesson from Syd when the birds were being marked one night I made a mistake and passed comment. I stood next to Syd and he made a good point and he was right so I have never done it again. Not going any further on this one but it was a case of listen, watch and observe. Parkinson & Wilkins are 2nd who clocked a blue cock that was bought at a breeder/buyer in 2012 and was bred by John Allbutt. The sire was one of John’s best pigeons but like many more eventually went to one race too many, having said that John said he did expect him from that race. He did win many prizes racing both on land and on the channel. The dam is a direct daughter of John’s number one stock pair that have bred many winners including “Superstar” who was a real good racing machine, the pair were 9yo when they bred the dam. This blue cock went missing from a race and came back some time after, I said to John at the time I was going to keep him because I felt that he would come good sooner or later, one of those pigeons you spot and keep an eye on. The Sandbach PO John Allbutt has been having a rest so has been a quiet but is back starting with the Messac result when Tommy Hulme clocked two yearling Staf Van Reet /Willy Thas chequer widowhood cocks on 1476/1456ypm to fill 1st & 3rd positions. 2nd & 4th go to the ever present Eric Taylor on 1469/1385ypm with two 2y/o widowhood cocks, the first being a blue Verheye followed by a chequer Van De Rhee. The club then came back to Chelteham when the top two places went to Eric Taylor recording vels of 1449/1407ypm with two yearling Van De Rhee widowhood blue cocks. 3rd is Mick Stockton who clocked a Peter Van De Merwe yearling cock sent sitting. 4th is John Allbutt on 1369ypm after seeing home a 2y/o blue Staf Van Reet widowhood cock collecting a fifth prize of the season. Now we come to the big one the last and longest race on the club race calendar and it is the hard fought Niort race when few made it in race time. Tommy Hulme & Son clocked the winner on 1140ypm. This yearling blue Delbar widowhood cock was also 4th club 10th fed Fougeres earlier in the season and at the time of making these notes John tells me that he is probable fed winner. The only other bird clocked in the club was to the lofts of Bob Bagnall who I am told is making this his last season. Bob saw home the same 3y/o Busschaert widowhood cock that was 2nd club 4th fed in the corresponding Niort race last year. Bob has been racing pigeons for as long as I can remember and will be sadly missed on marking and race nights, enjoy your retirement from the sport Bob. In the last old bird land race for the Mid Cheshire Fed from Cheltenham 50 members sent 528 birds that were liberated at 2pm in a South West wind. The partnership of Curtis, Wall & Lunt finished with another good result taking 1st 2nd & 5th positions from their entries in the Acton Bridge club, some may say they slipped up in this final race after have having such a good season in the fed. Crewe Premier members Mr & Mrs Geoff Matthews also had three on the result in 3rd 11th & 14th places. Sandbach winner Eric Taylor collects another fed card to add to the draw full that he already has by taking4th position. Eric really is a good racing fancier but getting information out of him is next to impossible, must be one of those shy fanciers. Dave & Baz Mellor from the Crewe Premier clocked a couple filling 6th & 13 places while Rudheath’s Derek Woodward clocked three close together in 7th 9th 10th positions. Dickens & Wilkinson won in the Middlewich FC and claim 8th fed with 12th & 19th going to Martin Williams. Mr & Mrs Jimmy Bennett clocked three in 15th 17th & 20th positions. Graham Davies won the Wrinehill club to collect 16th fed with 18th going to Mark & Heather Smith. When you look around the clubs and members in the Mid Cheshire fed there are many real good competitors and it is not always easy to get into the top twenty. Those missing out this week are the Moulton club where Peter & Mike Child have been the dominating force this year. Then we have Graham Davies from the Cheshire FC and Andy Noon & Geoff Callan who top the sheet in the Kingsway club. In the Middlewich 5B there was only one on the day racing to the lofts of DJ&CJ Wilkinson that saw David clock a chequer pied yearling cock who has previously won 3rd club Merssac and now 1st club Niort. He never raced as a young bird as he came back terrified. He is a son of the Old Pied Cock who is sire of seven different Niort winners including only bird on the day and 2nd Middlewich 2B Niort when there were only four on the day so breeds them when the going gets tough which is what the Taveirne-Rigole pigeons are like. The final Old Bird race of the season for Old Lodge HS was from Cheltenham on July 5th. T Jackson took the red card with a blue yearling hen flown on the roundabout system, this hen also finished 11th Federation. Harrison and Hull timed 3 widowhood cocks to take the next three club positions. Finishing 2nd club and 12th Fed was 2yo Janssen cock Romulus 49er who has previously scored on land and across the channel. His past performances include 3rd club Mangotsfield, 2nd Club, 6th Fed, 14th Central Lancashire Combine and 46th Three Counties combine Carentan 5,755 birds, 1st Club and 35th Fed Fougeres, 6th Eccles 2-Bird Carentan and 210th Open National FC Carentan 9317 birds. The partnership then clocked two Jan Van Coors, both of which have come steady all season to take 3rd 4th Club and 13th 14th Fed. The Mid Cheshire Fed race from Niort is not good reading after so many went down. There were only9 birds recorded in race time, there were three yearlings the first two in the race being two of them. Two were bred in 2012 and the other four in 2011. There was only one on the day racing to the Sandbach lofts of Tommy Hulme & Son and that was the only bird on the day. There were a further six on the second day arriving at the lofts of, Rudheath’s Malcolm Hewitt the only club bird in race time. 3rd & 4th go to Joe Glover clocking the only two in Wrinehill. Bob Bagnall clocked the second bird in the Sandbach club for 5th on the fed result while Syd Latham, Son and Daughter Joyce won the Middlewich club ahead of Parkinson & Wilkinson finishing 6th & 7th fed. There were a further two on the third day the first of those being to Crewe Premier winners Mr & Mrs Geoff Matthews in 8th position. The only other one clocked was to the lofts of Mr & Mrs Chris Herbert over at Moulton in 9th place. This Niort weekend was a real sticky one as was the case with the South West Cheshire Fed where just 7 birds made it home in three days. The winners are Mick & Wendy Mellor from the Crewe West End finishing 1st & 7th. Winsford winner Mel Bratt is 2nd ahead of Middlewich 5B winners DJ&CJ Wilkinson when David also won the Middlewich 2B on the same day so had two good winners. Two Greenbank members clocked two on the second day firstly to the lofts of Mick Stockton and then to Dave & Baz Mellor being 4th & 5th respectively. The only other pigeon clocked was by Bob Humphries in 6th place. It was interesting to note that in this race there were seven clocked and four of those were yearlings.
Les J Parkinson. 11 Rushton Drive, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0NJ, +44 (0)1606 836036. +44 (0)7871 701585. E-mail:
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