Champions of the Championship 2011
Premier Prize winners, Sheff & Dist 5 Bird Champ Club 2011
Premier Prize winners, Woodhouse HS 2011
Premier Prize winners, Beighton HS 2011
Report by Chris Gibson
Where exactly do you start when writing about a partnership that, this year have proven that they really are the best of the best? The name Sherwood is synonymous with top performances around these parts and has been for many years. Mark has always been a keen pigeon man and began his racing career flying in Park HS, racing there for many years learning his trade before climbing to the top of the tree and being Premier Prize winner on several occasions. However, it was in 1997 with a move to Woodhouse which would see Mark really step up his game and force his way to the top of the pecking order in Sheffield and the surrounding area.
The full range of lofts
Since 1997 when he moved to Woodhouse, Mark has had one or two partners that have assisted in making this loft a household name in pigeon racing around the area. The first one was none other than Bill Hague now of Empire Lofts, Doncaster, very well known for his fantastic winning family of Gaby Vandenabeeles. The next partner was Craig Lee. Although this partnership didn’t last too long, this is when I personally started to take note of this loft's performances as I can remember them having one hell of a young bird season and, if I remember correctly, they put up a super performance in the MNFC that year too. The last partner that Mark had was Michel Bower, formerly of the formidable partnership Broughton Bros & Bower that flew at Mosborough. Again the performances just seemed to get better and better over the years since moving in 97. However, Mark says the best partner that he has ever had and will ever have is the one he has now, his wife Alison who now helps him full time around the lofts. In fact, I dare say that without Alison, Mark would more than struggle to manage the birds on his own as he works full time as a Contracts Manager for a company that fits lightening conductors to buildings and he travels up and down the country doing this.
I can tell you Mark is a man of extreme desire and determination whose only goal is to win, no matter which club, fed or race point, whether its 70 miles or 500 miles he wants to win and that’s that. I can remember having a conversation with Mark at the beginning of the 2011 season in which he told me something I honestly thought couldn’t be done given the quality of the opposition they fly against. He said to me: “Chris, I want to be top prize winner in all three clubs this year.” I could see that he meant every word and I mean, really meant it. He passionately believed he was going to achieve his goal. And yes you’ve guessed it, 2011 saw M&A Sherwood become Premier Prize winners Sheff & Dist 5 Bird Champ Club, Premier Prize winners Woodhouse HS, Premier Prize winners Beighton HS. Now that is truly remarkable as the competition in all these three clubs really is white hot.
Mark trapping three early ones during the YB season.
In order to achieve the super results the work rate that Mark and Alison put in to the birds is nothing short of phenomenal. Mark is on the loft at first light throughout the season, with the cocks out for exercise as early as 4:45am for the hour. After which he then lets the hens outs before leaving for work, then Alison will come and take over at 6:00am for the rest of the morning's jobs before Mark returns from work in the afternoon to take care of the afternoon exercise periods etc. As I said, a phenomenal work ethic employed to ensure that the all important goal of winning is achieved.
Mark will openly admit that his main priority above all else is performing well in the 5 Bird Championship Club as he believes, as do most of us that are in this club, that this is the without doubt the one to win. Forget winning a regular Saturday club and even winning the Federation, this club is the one he wants to win. His next priority is Woodhouse HS which last year became a 10 bird club. This club for me is the strongest regular domestic club in Sheffield. Without wanting to disrespect any member of Beighton HS, Mark admits this is his third choice club where most of his team goes after he has selected his best 5, then his next 10 for the other two clubs. Both Woodhouse and Beighton compete in the Derby & Burton Federation and you’ll see from the results listed later in this article that the Sherwood loft has put up some quite remarkable performances at Fed level.
Just one of the many multiple 1st prize winners.
The Birds
Whilst speaking with Mark and handling the birds it was quite clear to see that he has worked hard over the years to produce a family of pigeons that really have got every ingredient that is needed to succeed at the highest level with great balance, strength and tight silky feathering and all of a medium apple bodied strong muscular type. I can honestly say that these birds are as good as any I have seen and handled both at home and on the continent. To assist him in producing this family Mark has travelled far and wide with many trips over to Holland and Belgium in search of the very best birds that his pocket would allow. Some of the main bloodlines that make up this super family of winners are: Pouw Bros, Bertie Camphuis, Staf Van Reet, Jos Soontjens that came through top NRCC loft F&T Salt and a few birds from the best of Gary Inkley. The odd stock bird may be brought in each year if Mark feels that a new line will enhance his family but the bulk of his stock are retired top races of his own.
He likes to bring in approximately 20 young birds to race and test against his own each year and this is where the F&T Salt Soontjens come in. Right from the off these birds have won for Mark and another batch has been ordered for 2012; he really does rate these birds. One or two others are also bought in from other top local lofts from breeder buyer sales in the area to try.
One of the cock sections.
A total of 26 pairs of stock are housed and this year due to not losing many young birds they have a total of 42 widowhood cocks and 35 widowhood hens to race. Approximately 60 of their own young birds are retained at the loft, making a race team of approximately 80 with the 20 or so that are brought in to try. Testament to the quality of the Sherwood pigeons is that many other fanciers are winning with them too. Mr & Mrs Andy Jackson are good friends of Mark and Alison’s and two years ago Andy had the pick of all the babies from the race birds and was allowed to take as many as he wanted. Not only that, Mark advised Andy on how to fly them and within two years Andy himself is a force to be reckoned with, winning every prize card (bar one) in Bull HS, yes, every single position bar one 3rd. Plus 1st Federation wins including 1st and 2nd Fed in the last young bird race 2011. Another quality loft is Carder & Thomson who won 1st club 1st Fed with a Sherwood pigeon. Trevor Garner also 1st club 1st Fed with one from Mark, and Brin Brelsford, son of super fliers Brian & Christine Brelsford, was gifted 8 young birds in 2011 with two of them winning 1st & 2nd Woodhouse HS. What is even more remarkable is that the partnership of Harding Bros of Leeds won 1st & 2nd Federation from Poitiers on the same day that Mark won 1st Federation from Saintes and both 500 mile Fed winners were from the same nest. To have bred two 500+mile 1st Fed winners in the same nest is something Mark is very proud of and rightly so too. There can’t be many, if any, lofts or studs that can say they have done that.
The best bird in the lofts at this moment and for me possibly the best bird in Sheffield at this time is “Miss Mauncer”. This 2009 hen really is a racing machine and if she had been sent in the Fed every week instead of the 5 bird club I’m sure she would have won more than one RPRA award. She must have only been entered in to a handful of Federation races at most and has won: 1st Club 1st Fed, 1st club 12th Fed, 2nd club 4th Fed with up to 2,500 birds competing. However, forget about the Fed, it's in the 5 Bird Championship where she really excels winning: 4x1st, 4x2nd, 2x3rd, 1x4, 1x5th, 1x6th, 2x7th, 1x9th plus other prizes that I may have missed off. If you also consider that generally most weeks her velocities would have been in the top 20 of the Federation that convoy the club with over 3,000 birds some weeks. She also won the breeder buyer as a youngster and was 2nd Woodhouse Open Race 2011. She has also bred prize winners. She really is a top class racing pigeon.
The Racing system OB
All the birds are paired around the 20th December when Mark finishes work for the Christmas break, this is after they have received a full 10 day course of treatment with a broad-spectrum antibiotic to ensure good health prior to pairing. They then receive a treatment for canker when the youngsters or 13 days old; this also ensures the young are canker free when leaving the nest. All young are parted along with the hens for them to finish off for a few more days. After this both cocks and hens have a month of exercising around the loft to build their fitness up before being re-paired approximately 4 weeks before the first race and allowed to sit for 5 days before the hens are again parted for widowhood to begin. On the day of re-pairing both the cocks and hens will receive their first training toss having been basketed shortly after being put together. They will then be trained every day, weather permitting up to 25 miles for a week or so till the hens lay. Once the hens are away after the 5 days sitting and widowhood has begun then no more training is done and they are both exercised morning and night for one hour. For basketing on Fridays the cocks receive their bowls shortly before the hens are allowed in to the loft from their aviary where they spend most of their time and are left to run down the corridor to find their cocks. All the cocks boxes are left open as are the doors throughout the corridor, they are then just left to play around for half an hour before being basketed. Obviously a close eye is kept on how the birds are reacting in order for the main birds to be selected. One thing Mark is pretty keen on is that he likes to keep the same five birds going in the Championship each week and doesn’t like to chop and change unless he is forced to do so. Following their return from the race and having spent adequate time with the cocks the hens are placed back in to their aviary that runs along the back of the loft. However, occasionally they are allowed to stay together over night before being parted on the Sunday, this only happens two or three times throughout the season.
The one and only Miss Mauncer.
The Racing System YB
All the young birds are injected for paramyxo shortly after leaving the nest and are fed a good amount of protein to help with their growth. Only 10 or so days after being parted when they are at the stage of perching their education begins. This is the time that they go in a basket for the first time. First thing in the morning they are run into baskets through bob holes at ground level in the aviaries. They are then placed on a stand/shelf directly across from the large landing board/trapping area approximately 15 yards away and are left there all day with water troughs on. It is when it comes to feeding time later in the day that they learn the most important lesson of their lives, whilst Alison releases them from the baskets Mark calls and encourages them just as he would on a race day over to the trap where they know their food is waiting for them inside. After two weeks or so of doing this every day it’s imbedded in their brains that they are to leave the baskets and get in that loft as quickly as possible. One thing Mark is adamant about is that the education of young birds is something that stays with them for life. When the babies have mastered this first step they will then be released from the baskets but the trap will be closed off and they will be left to flip around the loft and find their wings a little more, this is done for approximately 3 to 4 weeks. By this time when Mark opens the trap and calls them in all 80 young birds are in within seconds approximately 6 to be precise, then he knows that all the work has paid off. If one does mess around then it will generally be the first one in the following day having not had its evening meal the day before. After this they are let out freely though the exit bobs mentioned before but with no baskets there and are left to flip up and down and play around the loft with the trap closed, this is only for 2 or 3 days before they are then given the flag. Mark says that by doing all the above the whole team of babies will be flying an hour+ without any problem what so ever within a week or so of been given the flag, and with the education of trapping done earlier on he can have all 80 birds out of the sky and through the traps within seconds of being called in. Which believe me is needed on those gardens on a Saturday, whether the race is from 70 or 500 miles it’s more often than not a trapping race between the three lofts on there.
Once exercising well and ranging away from the loft the baskets will then be reintroduced and the road work will begin. When this happens the exercising around the loft is stopped as the fitness element is now complete, it’s back to the education of basket and home as it was from a very early age only this time it’s from 6 miles working up to 25, with the emphasis being on, basket, home, fed, basket, home, fed and so on. Once at the 25 mile mark this is where they are kept going four times per week if possible. However, as with the old birds, once racing begins training will stop unless Mark feels they need the odd one or two every now and again. The young birds are encouraged to pair with bowls being placed all over the loft however, pot eggs will be used to prevent young hens from laying. They are sent to the first race paired together but will then be parted and placed on widowhood on the Sunday morning. Not surprisingly Mark pays real attention to where the young couples have made their nest and where they like to play together and marks each box with a pen before removing the bowls. This comes in handy for the rest of the season as the nest bowls are placed back in exactly the same places on Friday afternoons just before the hens are allowed through to the cocks. Again, as per the old birds motivation all the sections are left open and they are free to play around and cuddle up together in their boxes and nest bowls that they had before being placed on widowhood, the only difference is that the young birds are left for a full hour before being basketed.
Sire of Miss Mauncer.
Feeding, Water and Medication
The feeding system is as follows and is almost identical for old and young birds with the exception of the seed mix being put 50/50 with young bird no maize for the babies. The seed mix is a hand mixed blend of 9 separate seeds of high quality that are rich in oils and fats. This is something Mark has used for years now with lots of other local fanciers following suit after being given the recipe by Mark. Saturday on return from the race the birds are given as much depurative as they wish to eat, this is mixed with natural yogurt and brewers yeast and they will also be given this on Sunday morning. Sunday PM the seed mix is given and this is given both AM and PM right through to Wednesday PM when they receive a widowhood mixture of three different types all mixed together, they are given this both Thursday AM and PM. Mark doesn’t like the birds to eat on a Friday as they should have built up enough fuel in the Wednesday and Thursday feeds of Widowhood plus the seed mixture in the early part of the week. A small amount of red stone grit is also given to the birds after their feed as are a few peanuts from Wednesday onwards. These are given by hand to help build a good bond with the birds. Garlic is used every day with cloves being left in the watering can seven days a week, Mollasses and Cider vinegar are added to the garlic on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If the weather is particularly hot then Electrolytes are given Friday and are always given Saturday on return from the race. The birds are treated for canker every 3 to 4 weeks with Nystan being mixed on the feed during/after the period of treatment. A different treatment is used each time in order to ensure that the birds don’t become resistant to any one kind. The birds will only be treated for other ailments as and when Mark feels necessary and on the odd occasion vet Nigel Horricks of Northern Hygiene will be used to test and treat the birds. Mark is a firm believer in watching the birds and paying real attention to them both whilst in the loft and when out at exercise, by paying this attention he knows when they are right and when something is not quite so, and will rectify it immediately.
Before reading the following results achieved in 2011 by this loft it's worth baring in mind two quotes made by the world famous and extremely well respected Add Schaerlaeckens which relate to the different levels of competition that many fanciers compete in. He said: “Results mean little as long as I do not know about the strength of the competition” and “There are areas in which I would prefer a winner of 100 birds to a winner of 10,000 birds elsewhere”. Very wise words spoken by a very wise man. As mentioned earlier the strength of the competition in which Mark and Alison compete against is without question the very best around this area, particularly in the 5 Bird Championship Club.
Results 2011 (only)
Whilst this has been an exceptional year for the Sherwoods, their performances year in year out are of a very similar standard.
Sheffield 5 Bird Championship Club: 5x1st, 6x2nd, 3x3rd, 1x4th, 2x5th, 3x6th, 5x7th, 1x8th, 1x9th.
Woodhouse HS: 6x1st, 6x2nd, 8x3rd, 4x4th plus 20 other prizes in top ten.
Beighton HS: 8x1st, 10x2nd, 6x3rd, 5x4th, 7x5th.
North Midlands Continental Club: Carentan 3rd & 5th North Section 8th & 10th Open 1,971b. Fougeres 4th North Section 7th Open 1,743b. Messac 3rd North Section 12th Open 1,050b.
Results from their first year with the Derby & Burton Federation: Windrush 1,748 birds: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th, 13th, 20th. Portsmouth 1,684 birds: 7th. Newbury 2,367 birds: 5th, 8th, 13th 17th. Salisbury 1,685 bird: 9th. Newbury 1,698 birds: 12th. Windrush 2,375 birds: 9th 10th 14th 16th. Windrush 1,104 birds: 14th. Bedhampton 2,082 birds: 12th 13th. Portsmouth 2,145 birds: 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th 10th, 14th, 16th, 20th. Windrush 1,457 birds: 10th 14th. Marlbrough 2,781 birds: 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th. Carentan 896 birds: 5th, 10th. Messac 674 birds: 13th, 16th. Carentan 641 birds: 8th. Saintes 300 birds: 1st, 7th.
In total this year alone M & A Sherwood have won: 19x1st, 22x2nd, 17x3rd, 10x4th plus many other positions in the first 10. Plus a total of 44 prizes in the top 20 of the Federation with up to 2,700+birds competing.
Mark and Alison Sherwood, I genuinely take my hat off to you. You are at this moment the very best of the best, of that there is no doubt. Thank you very much for a thoroughly enjoyable few hours of open and honest pigeon talk and I wish you all the very best for the coming season.
