NRCC Sections Thurso 2019
By George Wheatman
The North Road Championship Club’s final old bird race of the season from Thurso was a tough test for the entry of 1, 127 birds sent by 146 members thanks to a strong south-west wind.
Race secretary Ian Bellamy summed it up with this comment: “After a one-day holdover, I thought we would be in for a tough race, but I did not realise just how tough.
“I was checking Libline every 10 minutes from 4 pm onwards and, when there were no verifications by 6 pm, I said to my wife 'where are they'?
“I had a couple of ‘phone calls asking if the website was down as there were no pigeons on the provisional result, then at 6.39 the first verification came through and it was A & K Kirkman who timed in at 6.29. They stayed at the top of the result throughout the duration of the race.”
Andrew, who flies with the Boston Central RPC and is the son of the late Keith, winner of the NRCC Saxa Vord race in 1998, was a popular victor. But, of course, there were other outstanding performances, particularly among the section winners. Mr Bellamy named just two when he said:
“My special mentions for Thurso are runner-up and Section A winner, M Wilson, whose pigeon did remarkably well to stay inland when the top birds all seemed to be on the East side, and Section I winner, A Scarborough, whose pigeon flew 509 miles into Laindon to be timed very early on the second day.”
M Wilson
In this article we take a look at the section winners, including those two. Singled out for special praise in a race where only the first four birds recorded velocities of more than 1000ypm.
Mick Wilson, of Brinsley, was a happy man to have registered such a fine performance to win Section A and, against the odds on a difficult day, take second open position.
The irony is that the pigeon was still in the loft and able to please its owner so much because it made a mistake from Aycliffe in June and was reported by a non-fancier. Mick admits that, if it had been found by a fancier, he might have asked for it not to be returned because, although bred off a valued pair of breeders, it had done nothing of note before. Hence its new name: “Back in a Box.”
Once it had recovered from the set-back, however, it was, said Mick, “given a short chuck to get its confidence back and then put into Thurso.” There was no mistake by the two-year-old blue chequer cock bird this time as it “came like a bullet” and was spotted by Mick’s Eastwood club colleague and NRCC ace, Roger Hallsworth, who commented to anyone who was listening “that’s going to Mick Wilson’s.”
Roger was the first to offer his congratulations and had good reason to feel some satisfaction as the winner’s mother was from his successful one-loft winning lines. Father is a De Rau Sablon purchased from Premier Lofts and this pair has produced several excellent pigeons for Mick.“Only one not to have done anything before was the Thurso pigeon,” he confided.
“Back in a Box” will have the opportunity to further enhance his credentials when he goes back on the road next season because he will not be allowed to rest on his laurels.Mick was also fourth section and 27th open from a team of six, five of which were safely home when we spoke.In preparation for Thurso, the birds had been put together three weeks before basketing, after competing on widowhood all season, and then parted again. On the day before departure the cocks were let out for exercise and their hens were waiting for them when they returned into the loft, and they stayed together until being put in the basket.
This success has given Mick a big boost as dark clouds had been gathering around him, both in his personal life and in pigeon racing where he was finding it increasingly stressful as his working hours, he felt, were putting him at a big disadvantage against the majority of his fellow club members who no longer had work commitments. “I seem to have had more downs than ups in recent years,” he said.In fact, he had even been contemplating quitting the sport and had given a loft, and a number of birds, to a newcomer who has already had success with his young birds.However, “Back in a Box” has brought the sun streaming back through those clouds, and Mick has renewed motivation for the sport.“I was well chuffed by this performance, especially as it was 113ypm better than the next pigeon in the Notts Fed,” said Mick who was 18th open Thurso last year with a sister to this season’s section winner.
Indeed, he has become a highly respected NRCC member whose birds, it seems from past results, often come into form late in the season.He is grateful to Dennis Taylor for taking his birds to the marking station and has built his team mainly around pigeons obtained from some of the excellent fanciers in his area, plus generous help from Darren Barton, of Lincoln, a few years ago, and plots the future by pairing best to best.He does not usually race young birds, again because of restrictions imposed by work, but does train them, and treats them carefully during the yearling stage. After that they are expected to face any challenge.
It wasn’t a good race for Section B members where Mick Hare, of Bourne, competing as WW Hare and Son, won by a big margin. His yearling’s velocity of 868ypm over a distance of 419 miles gave him 49th open, and a comfortable win over second-placed in the section, R Buckby, of Newark, whose timer recorded a velocity of 684ypm.Outright winner, Andrew Kirkman, of Butterwick (Boston) was the winner of Section C whose members were well represented in the open result, as has been the case for the whole of the season.Details of his popular success have been well documented, and his nearest challenger in the section was Terry Winterton, of Holbeach Fen, a consistent star of NRCC racing, who was third open and one of the four to top 1000ypm.
Andy Kirkman, Section C and open winner NRCC Thurso.
Competing in Section E with the NRCC is not without its own problems, the direction of the wind on race day being the main one, and the strong south-west wind on Thurso day was an obstacle hard to overcome.One partnership that put up a pretty good effort to interrupt the domination of flyers from the eastern areas was that of Mr and Mrs T Augustini, of Leicester, who, flying 424 miles, were first Section E and 23rd open with a three-year-old registering a velocity of 927ypm. They were also 9th and 11th section, 100th and 108th open.
The Augustini loft features regularly on the NRCC results and their Thurso positions consolidated a consistent 2019 season with these section results: Dunbar 9th; Perth 15th; Fraserburgh 5th; Lerwick 22nd.There was an emotional scenario surrounding the winners of Section F. Remember Rocky Dolby. He has never been forgotten among the pigeon racing fraternity of Chatteris where he became the first and so far, only fancier to bring home a NRCC open win. His epic success was from Fraserburgh in 2008. Unfortunately, his untimely death a few years later brought an end to a successful career which left him with legendary status. And never-ending influence.
Heart-touching memories were re-kindled when the Thurso Section F winner landed at the loft of Chatteris partnership, John Moore and Paul Ransome. Paul is the son-in-law of Rocky, and sire of this year’s section winner was a death-bed gift from Rocky to Paul. The aptly named Rocky’s Gift, now aged 13, has brought milestones of memories to the 20-year partnership of John and Paul who are striving to equal the “master’s” achievements.To this end they are regularly in the NRCC results despite the depth and quality of opposition in this section.
Bernard Fisher, John Moore, Ray Allen and Paul Ransome.
Paul Ransome holding Thurso Section F winner called “Rocky’s Promise”.
Ray Allen holding 5th Section, 14th Open Thurso.
Both Sons out of “Rocky’s Gift”.
The new star of their loft has been named Rocky’s Promise and is more evidence of why Rocky wanted to make such a poignant gift to his son-in-law. Dam is a hen won from the Premier Stud a few years ago.They were also 5th section and 14th open with a four-year-old.“Pigeons of this line have been brilliant for us,” said John, who now looks after the breeders at his home, while Paul looks after the racers. This has been the situation for a couple of years or so following a house move by John.
Such a move could well have disrupted their racing but, while some were lost, most were settled at Paul’s and racing within a few months.Both partners are working men and have to keep their routine simple and suitable for the time available. They race their pigeons hard and Thurso was the 10th race of the season for their section winner. They find that the roundabout system suits their circumstances.They tend to use a light feeding mix, usually Gerry Plus, but add a percentage of widowhood mix as the distances become longer. Whatever, Gerry Plus is central to their feeding, plus a few seeds, electrolytes when it is hot, and multi-vitamins after the race.
Sunday is rest day for the birds, and loft exercise is limited to evenings during the week.John and Paul have known each other for many years, but the partnership started after Paul had looked after John’s birds while he was on holiday.They are grateful for the help of Bernard Fisher and Ray Allen who never tire of reminding them of the time they prepared the young bird team for a couple of races, when John and Paul were both on holiday, and won both races in the club, taking the first seven positions in one of the races.
Loft of winners
John and Paul have also made good friendships, which they value highly, during their time in the sport, particularly during their annual trips to the Blackpool show. These have resulted in advice, pigeons and an exchange of ideas arriving from Pat Lui, in Ireland, Billy Holland in Scotland, and Russ and Denise Skinner in Lincolnshire.Among their highlights while racing with the NRCC have been 5th open from Lerwick in 2017, and twice being second section from Lerwick, only on both occasions being beaten by the eventual open winners in successive years Ivan Rich in 2015 and Hall and Seabourne in 2016. They have also had the first three in the section in the young bird race.“We tend to do better when the racing is hard,” said John.
The 500-mile journey into a nagging head wind proved too big an obstacle for Section H entries to overcome on the day of liberation, but that did not stop 62-year-old plumbing and heating engineer, Bryan Cowan, from completing a highly commendable section-winning double in this season’s NRCC racing.He had already timed early on the second day to win the section from Fraserburgh in another hard race, before he also had the Thurso section winner arrive at his Enfield loft at 9-45am on the second day to record a velocity of 749ypm, to beat another consistent NRCC competitor John Lamprell, of Cheshunt, into second place. John’s bird recorded a velocity of 698ypm.
Bryan Cowan winner of Section H.
Bryan had won the section from Fraserburgh with a velocity of 730ypm, proving that he has pigeons that do not shirk the hard slog.His Thurso section winner is a four-year-old blue hen bred by Mark Bulled and is one of a number of Bryan’s birds which have shown considerable merit from Thurso.She was sent on chipping eggs, and Bryan says that he was pleasantly surprised at the good condition she was in after a hard battle over 498 miles. She had flown the NRCC programme up to, and including, Fraserburgh.
He had another home later in the day, and one more the following morning.Bryan has been in the sport since 1977 inheriting his love for pigeon racing from his father and grandfather.The second performance singled out by the race secretary for special mention was that by 65-year-old carpenter from Laindon, Essex, Alan Scarborough, winner of Section I over a distance of 509 miles. And this was achieved by a yearling sprinter!
Alan Scarborough winner of Section I.
The section winner, a Soontjen blue hen bred by the well-known ace Brian Hawes, was timed at 5-20am on the second day.“She is only a sprinter really, and very small,” said Alan. “She was sent sitting 14 days, having been paired up for this race, and when I picked her up for basketing I noticed that the eggs were chipping. She did not like the idea of leaving them.”She had already shown her tenacity earlier in the season, however, when the London Combine hit a disaster at Whitley Bay as only about 80 birds were timed on the day from a send of 2, 000. Alan got three, and his eventual section winner from Thurso was one of them.
Luckily, she trapped quicker than Alan experienced from his only other race with the NRCC this season. This was from Perth when his first bird sat out for 25 minutes.Alan is an experienced fancier, having started in 1978 and gradually achieving better results as he learned the ropes, sometimes the hard way.
More recently, he tasted retirement and moved to Portugal, but it wasn’t to his liking although he enjoyed his pigeons racing on the Algarve and was successful against big birdages in a region where pigeon racing is popular.After five years in Portugal, he returned to this country in 2017, and this has been his first season with the NRCC. Unfortunately, it also looks likely to be his last as he is contemplating turning south.Alan sent eight to Thurso and had seven back on the second day. Not bad for a 500-mile race against a strong wind!
