PIGEON TOPICS
Stuart Bowman
From the Kingdom Racing Pigeon Association Wanstead Flats Open race the birds were away at 6.15am into a SE Wind which would later change to south to south west. The convoy were also included with the SNRPC birds. So with the SNRPC doing the convoying fanciers had the chance to duplicate if they so wished.
The leading pigeons as expected were on the east side of the country and in the Kingdom area they were mostly to the east side, but there were one or two pigeons which managed to break away from the convoy and put up some good performances which can sometimes happen, so well done to the owners you deserve it!
Back to the race and the winner of 1st Open and 1st Leuchars club was the well known Jock Ellis who timed his yearling blue wf hen at 12.52 and lifted £242.86 and was also doing a velocity of 1607.09. This bird was also well fancied and as well as being 1st bird into the Kingdom was also duplicated to win a Bronze Medal which he keeps for1st Sect, C” 2ND Open Scottish National Racing Pigeon Club and over £600. So it was a nice barbecue to go along with the party at Isla Cottage! John also wins the Cal-stat trophy, the Association trophy 1st nom bird and J&J Keir & Son trophy. So from the members congratulations again John on a performance making it a fine weekend!
In 2nd Open on 1565 was Matt Shields who wins the St. Serfs club. Davy Wilson of Leuchars was 3rd Open on 1525 and I believe this is the same hen that won 1st Open YB Wakefield last year. 4th Open was young Jock Dinsdale who wins the Coaltown club on 1522. Dunc Walker of Leuchars wins 5th&6th Open on 1513 &1507 to win the 2-bird ave and the A & J Galloway trophy. Wulie Alud of Pittenweem flying with Leuchars was 7th Open on 1489,and I believe this bird was 3rd or 4th Open in last years YB Open race from Wakefield and was bred by The one and Only Jock Mackenzie!!! Jim Anderson of St. Serfs was 8th Open on 1488. Chic Dinsdale of Coaltown club was 9th Open on 1487, and finally veteran fancier John Anderson of Leuchars was 10thOpen on 1486.
At Rosyth the winner from Wanstead Flats was Stuart Bowman with a yearling D, Chq cock sent sitting on a pair of babies just hatched on basket day. His Sire is a mealy cock bred by my good pal John Clark from Airdrie. This inbred Mealy is from a mealy cock in Johns loft that has bred several winners across the channel and when he sired my mealy he was paired to his own g daughter. He has 3 section winners from Pau over 600mls in his pedigree and was a gift to john from the late great Eric Fox before he passed away! The dam of the yearling won twice from Reims 567mls for me, and was my sole entry in this years Tours race but unfortunately she has not returned as yet! These type of pigeons are very hard to replace but I will keep going trying to find another one!
Rab Pearson was 2nd also with a yearling D,Chq cock sent on eggs. Breeding on both sides was bred down from Jones Bros South Wales with the Vanhee lines in them. 3RD was Gordon Cree with a 4yo Blue cock racing to chipping eggs on the day of the race. This was a Janseen from the Late Eddie Wright of Fountainhead fame! In fact this cock is from the same parents that bred his pigeon that was 3rd in the SHU one loft race that year! In 4th spot was the Father & son Partnership of Dwain & Jimmy Bingham with a 2yo blue chq cock on eggs. I don’t have breeding details as Jimmy was over in Ireland at the time, but I do know that this bird was 3rd club at Biggleswade 303mls. Some fanciers had god returns in this race while others were not so god which is surprising as the wind should have helped a bit.
At the Rosyth Otterburn race which turned out a little than we expected probably with the north in the wind, the winner was Gordon Cree with a 4yo red cock on the drive. This bird won Wanstead Flats for Gordon as a yearling, and he was a gift from Owen and Chris Lloyd of Rosyth. 2nd Gerry Gibson with a with a yearling blue Staff Van Ret cock sent on the drive. 3rd was yours truly with a yearling light chq cock also sent on the drive. He was one of 2 birds that dropped together in the testing Leicester race and finished round about 20th place in the Association and was bred by my old friend John Clark from Airdrie! In 4th place was the (Quiet Man ) Tony Celantano with a 3yo home bred chq hen. Tony had just paired this hen up while at the same time she was still paired to her original mate who was quietly sittin on their eggs. Well done Tony!
SNRPC Races
Well what can we say about Wanstead Flats National but congratulations to the winner Jim Brunton from Dunbar. Is this the same fancier that raced that great pigeon "True Grit" all those years ago from Avranches! Jock Ellis and Mat Shields were 1st & 2nd in the Kingdom respectively followed by Davy Wilson and wee Jock Dinsdale. Must mention Mr McNaughton from Falkirk who was 3rd Open and 1st Sect D with his hen at 12.34pm which I thought was a great performance getting so well in over there from the wind and the drag! Just to show that it was no flash in the pan he timed his second bird another hen at 12.54 to win 2nd Sect, D; 22nd Open. Undoubtedly one of the big success stories of the race! Makes me wonder why so many lofts east of him didn’t do so well. Think the answer is simple, the loft was on the ball and so was the fancier! Well done to you sir!
At Reims the Gold Medal race the winner was in sect, C’ to the Dairsie loft of Tam Currie with his blue cock. Hearty Congratulations Tam from the members on what was a difficult race in that North East wind. Commiserations to John Bell who had to settle for the runner up spot again! Well done to our Race Controller Stevie Ritchie who was 2nd Kingdom bird and 3rd sect C. That’s your reward Stevie for your efforts all season. Jock Elis was 3rd Kingdom bird and had a great race. What about my good friend in the sport John Mackenzie who timed a good one, the first yearling on the result in 12th Open, and the first bird in my club was clubmate John Skelton with a great 13th place.
I was very disappointed and down hearted not to be able to send an entry to Reims this year as they just were not right, and I don’t see the point in sending as they could easily have been lost especially in a hard race! As I said earlier I sent one to Tours which had scored twice at Reims before, but all to no avail as I have not seen her yet like a lot of fanciers who are still waiting on a bird from there. Like the above fanciers she to had 600/700 plus mls in her background. Good pigeons can be lost from anywhere these days as I know only to well as I lost my 6thOpen Andrezel hen before the season had even started. Then just before Biggleswade race I lost My hen “Mrs Mack” that won 1st Open Association 4thOpen SNRPC Arras 2008, on a short Toss 3/4 mls east of Boness. It just seemed everything I tried to do was going wrong, and at the wrong time so there was very little I could do about it. I just had to take it on the chin like everyone else when its happened to them. That’s the thing about our sport there are more downs than ups than in any other!
Anyway John Bell of Tranent finally got his reward with a 1stOpen at last. Very well done John I’m sure you will have time to Celebrate when the season is done! Jock Mackenzie is in well again and was the first fancier to call me, a little out of breath but none the les very happy to get one in this very hard race. Jock timed his 2yo red cock to win 2nd Open and 1st Sect C’ and first Kingdom bird. So well done John on another fine performance. Also well done to Jock Ellis and Pete Patrick in 2nd and 3rd kingdom and Sect C’ Places and in fact well done to all fanciers and the 12 gallant pigeons that made it in race time in this latest 600 miler!
That’s it I can be contacted at 18 Sinclair Drive Cowdenbeath Fife Ky4-9Rg tel 01383-518471 or email to
