The South West of England Lerwick Club
The SWELC tried something different and new with when it comes to the young birds you get all the worries of clashing falcon strikes dehydrated birds the list goes on and on with things that pigeon fanciers blame or think has happened we all know whether flying south road north road or east to west the young birds can be a challenge as we all know the committee tried something different and wanting the best for the birds with basketing the young birds in the morning for an afternoon liberation with no overnight time spent in the creates and the theory of missing all the morning and early afternoon other organisations birds littered in the skies with this in place the birds of the members who sent to this experiment the birds were liberated at Wollaston at 1500pm on the 27/7/24 into a light south west wind in full sunshine this unfortunately turned out to be the opposite of what the idea would bring and was unfortunately a very challenging event endured so for the following week the race would revert back to normal night time basketing and marking for a next day liberation what happened we still don't know but it is what it is the top ten positions at Wollaston are as follows; 1st open plus 1st Lydney club was Terry Palmer flying 52 miles with a chequer hen doing 1148.
2nd and 10th plus 1st and 2nd Bridgwater club was Jody McKay flying 99 miles doing 1114 and 1000.
3rd, and 4th open plus 1st and 2nd Sodbury vale club was Dave Smith flying 63 miles doing 2 x 1100
5th and 6th open plus 3rd and 4th Sodbury vale club was Dave Ford flying 56 miles with velocities of 1094 and 1059.
7th, 8th and 9th open plus 2nd 3rd and 4th Lydney club was Chris Harding flying 57 miles doing 2 x 1015 and 1011.
Next stop operating as normal the SWELC second event of the young birds was at Penkridge with the young birds on the 3/8/24 and at 1300 pm into a west north west wind the birds were liberated for their first race as young birds for most members the top twenty in the result are as follows;
getting ready at Penkridge
claiming top of the shop of 1st SWELC was Stuart Luff flying 70 miles and also taking 1st Longford club with a blue cock being bred from a G W P Macoloney cock bred off the dream pair when paired to his dam a hen bred by Graham Clift from Geoff Cooper line birds of Shiraz of 2nd International Bordeaux the bird was flown on the natural system with a winning velocity of 1408.
Stuart Luff Penkridge winner
2nd and 14th open was the Walker brothers flying 70 miles and claiming 2nd and 3rd Longford club their first a blue cock being a son of their Bella hen of Franz Zwols were this hen has bred them 3 x separate breeder buyer winners winning over £3000 in prizes and was paired to the father of this cock being a Jan Hooyman the next also a blue cock being and was sent paired up sitting eggs he was purchased at the new north road amalgamation Futurity young bird sale and was bred by Luis Palocious-Ribes of Yate both were on the darkness system with velocities of 1407 and 1309.
3rd, 4th, 11th and 19th open plus 1st and 2nd Sodbury Vale club was Steve Bennett flying 84 miles his first a blue hen being a Verkerk Tinkerbell lines followed by another blue hen of Verkerk crossed with the hen that won the Shropshire one loft race from Guernsey bred by Steve Bartholomew and the next two being Verkerk home crosses all flying back to their perches with velocities of 1382, 1381, 1317 and 1292.183.
5th open plus 1st south Bristol club is Andy George flying 91 miles with a blue hen being a Jan Hooyman being bred by Andy's brother Mike George and being flown on the darkness system with a velocity of 1375. 6th open was Adrian Bishop flying 89 miles and also achieving 1st Oldland club with a chequer hen of Brian Olver based bred bird doing 1350.
7th, 8th, 9th and 13th open 3rd and 4th Sodbury Vale club flying 84 miles was the Adams Brothers of Chris & John with their Wall Lunt & Green based bred birds blended with Coremans flying back to the perch with velocities of 1340, 1339, 1338 and 1313.
10th open was Dave Tyrer flying 84 miles with a blue cock doing 1336.
12th open plus 1st Lydney club was K Markey & Son flying 72 miles with a dark cock doing 1316.
15th, 16th, 17th and 18th open was Dave Smith flying 81 miles his first two being both new north road amalgamation purchased young birds the first being a blue pied cock bred by mark pitman the second a home bred chequer pied cock being a Soojen purchased back at auction the third arrival a mealy hen being a Herman Cuesters bred from Road Hogg loft birds and the final a blue chequer cock being purchased at the south west of England Lerwick club breeder buyer sale and was bred by Mark Pitman all were flown on the darkness system flying back to their perches with velocities of 1306, 2 x 1304 and 1303.
20th open was Percy Hatherell flying 84 miles with a blue hen doing 1292.138.
That's the top twenty reported on at Penkridge.
The Rat Man.
