NORTH ROAD CHAMPIONSHIP CLUB
by George Wheatman
Day of Champions 2016
The North Road Championship Club’s Day of Champions is set to be bigger than ever this year, building on the success of the inaugural event staged at Springfields Exhibition Centre, Spalding, in 2015.
The venue proved to be an inspired choice so there was no hesitation in booking it for the 2016 repeat on December 3rd. It is roomy, offers a bar and good food, parking right outside the entrance and embraces a shopping centre that attracts coach loads from throughout the country. It is a day when fanciers cannot only indulge themselves, but also give their families a treat.
Secretary Ray Knight, and other officers, have been beavering away to make it a great day out, not only for north road fanciers but for everyone in the pigeon racing world.
Top priority will be to see last year’s champions, fanciers and birds, honoured, with particular emphasis on putting the spotlight on the winner of the 100th NRCC race from Lerwick Eddie Seabourne, from Norwich.
Eddie, along with all other race and section winners, has been invited to put on show the pigeon that every member will want to scrutinise.
In the sale that has also been organised will be two young birds off this outstanding pigeon.
The secretary is anxiously waiting confirmation from members who will be bringing their winning birds, and who will be offering birds in the accompanying sale. This is vital information he needs to enable him to plan advertising in a bid to raise the maximum amount of money possible to pay for the new transporter which will be on display at Springfields.
Ray explains the build-up to this purchase which is a big boost to this old-established organisation:
The above 3 photos showing the benefits available from this fabulous vehicle.
“Back in September the NRCC took delivery of their own transporter. The club purchased a second hand chassis cab and, earlier in the year, it was taken over to Geraldy in Germany to have a new body put on.
“While the cab is a double sleeper, accommodation for the convoyer was built into the body too. The transporter holds 80 crates which will be fitted with plastic grills for 2017. With just 25 birds in these spacious crates, the lorry will carry 2000 pigeons.
“The club will be taking delivery of a trailer built to the same specification as the body of the truck and this will allow for a further 1050 birds so, in total, we will have capacity for 3,000 birds which is more than adequate for the club.
“The club is indebted to the generous donations from Peter Crawford and Mr and Mrs Shelley for the club’s own ‘personal number plate’.
We will be bring the transporter to the NRCC Day of Champions at Spalding so you will be able to give it the once over.”
The Day of Champions, on Saturday December 3rd will be open to the public from 09:30hrs. The location could not be better as the whole complex is geared for a day for everyone situated at Springfields, the largest retail outlet in the east of England, with over 50 big name retail brands including M&S, Gap, Clarks, Game and Radley offering discounts of up to 75% off RRPs every day. There is also a Travelodge Hotel on the same complex so why not travel down on the Friday?
All of the clubs section and open winners will be on display. Unikon, the Racing Pigeon, Belgica De Weerd, Bamfords, PJ Lofts, Ecco lofts, PJ Mills, Clocks, Retford Poultry, Ray Knight DVD will be among the trade stands present, with others confirming daily.
There will be an auction of some 50 pigeons, some older birds and other fanciers have promised 2017 young birds, including two from this years Kings Cup Winner.
After the auction, there we will be the celebration and presentation of the awards to this year’s winners.
The prize list is as follows:
LERWICK
King George V Challenge Cup and Replica L Hall & E Seabourne Norwich
F W Marriot Memorial Cup L Hall & E Seabourne Norwich
F George Memorial Cup L Hall & E Seabourne Norwich
Joe Bates Shetland Trophy L Hall & E Seabourne Norwich
Hartridge Challenge Cup Moore & Ransome Chatteris
Simms Vase Moore & Ransome Chatteris
Day Challenge Cup Moore & Ransome Chatteris
British Homing World Challenge Plate Moore & Ransome Chatteris
J E Talbott Memorial Trophy T Winterton Holbeach
J Walter Jones Memorial Trophy B & L Cutts Carlton
Magna Challenge Cup D Brackenbury Boston
D J MacArthur Cup J K Hore Hoddesdon
Everest Memorial Trophy S P Crawford Ipswich
W Wilson Memorial Trophy P & E Kellett Romford
Whitworth Lerwick Trophy B & L Cutts Carlton
Section A Cup B & L Cutts Carlton
Section B Cup J Norris Grantham
Section C Cup T Winterton Holbeach
Section E Cup G V & W Britton Peterborough
Section F Cup L Hall & E Seabourne Norwich
Section H Cup P & E Kellett Romford
Section I Cup S P Crawford Ipswich
DUNBAR
Silver Challenge Cup R Wilson Norwich
PERTH
Silver Challenge Cup Mr & Mrs Guilford Long Eaton
FWC George Cup F Dawkins London
Western Section Cup Mr & Mrs Guilford Long Eaton
Racing Pigeon Challenge Cup K Lawson Ollerton
FC George Rose Bowl S Conkey Peterborough
Fraserburgh Fraserburgh Rose Bowl Not Raced
THURSO
Silver Challenge Cup Mr & Mrs D Evans Alford
Woodston Challenge Trophy Moore & Ransome Chatteris
BERWICK YOUNG BIRD
Silver Challenge Cup Dayton & Sayers Louth
E Ruffell Memorial Trophy A P Neal Dovercourt
BERWICK OLD HENS
Silver Challenge Cup Dayton & Sayers Louth
AVERAGE TROPHIES
Overall Average Trophy T Winterton Holbeach
F G Wilson Trophy Mr & Mrs D Thoma Holbeach
Old Bird Average T Winterton Holbeach
Keeble Border Trophy P & E Kellett Romford
FC Skoulding Memorial Trophy T Winterton Holbeach
Whitworth Average Trophy W Bearder & Sons Nottingham
Average Nomination (£445.50) Moore & Ransome Chatteris
Mileage Band Up to 517 Miles (Av Nom) (£49.50) Mr & Mrs B Garnham Boston
Mileage Band Over 560 Miles (Av Nom) Not Won
AVERAGE PRIZES
£25 Bamfords Old Bird (A, B & C) T Winterton Holbeach
£25 Bamfords Old Bird (D & E) G V & W Britton Peterborough
£25 Bamfords Old Bird (F) Moore & Ransome Chatteris
£25 Bamfords Old Bird (G, H & I) P & E Kellett Romford
£50 Average (A, B & C) T Winterton Holbeach
£50 Average (D & E) Fitzjohn Bros Peterborough
£50 Average (F) Moore & Ransome Chatteris
£50 Average (G, H & I) P & E Kellett Romford
PETER BENNETT PHOTOGRAPHY DIPLOMAS OF MERIT
D J Brackenbury GB09B05881 Boston
G V & W Britton GB10X00294 Peterborough
G V & W Britton GB10X00292 Peterborough
G V & W Britton GB12X00422 Peterborough
J &T Ivatt GB09X15185 Ipswich
T Winterton GB11K13177 Holbeach
Moore & Ransome GB12X11965 Chatteris.
During the morning there will be the presentation of Peterborough and District Federation awards.
Pigeon fanciers are never short of a topic or more to discuss at event like this, but I am sure that NRCC members will be keen to mull over their 2017 race programme.
The race points are unchanged but a few details have been altered by the committee, such as creating a three-week gap between Fraserburgh and Lerwick to give members a better chance of preparing Fraserburgh returnees for the race from the Shetland Isles.
There is also the experiment of having the Thurso race on a Friday, and bringing basketing for Perth forward by a day.
Proud winners from last season
The races are:
Dunbar May 13th - Basket Friday.
Perth May 27th - Basket Thursday.
Fraserburgh June 10th - Basket Thursday.
Lerwick July 1st - Basket Wednesday.
Thurso (Friday Lib) July 21st - Basket Wednesday.
YB/OH Berwick September 9th - Basket Friday.
Organisations requiring convoying for 2017 to any of these races should contact the secretary for further details.
