IF IT’S KUDOS YOU ARE AFTER COME & JOIN US
The 2016 Season will get under way for the Beeston Castle Two bird Specialist Club on May 28th with the annual yearling race from Carentan. The club has seen a slight decline in numbers again this year and so the committee are committed to a push to get more people joining and entering their pigeons into these prestigious races. If its Kudos and some cash you are after then these specialist clubs are the way forward as we keep getting “the sports in decline” sentences chucked at us from all sides from the so called “negative” brigade.
It is extremely common for clubs to be seen as small ponds for ego’s to thrive within as the “big fish small pond syndrome” but at specialists clubs such as the Beeston Castle there is no room for such egos! What really does matter is, the preliminary ground work is completed (behind the scenes) with the secretary and the committee and that the work on marking night and at the clock stations gets done and completed swiftly with as little trouble and interruption as possible. The job of every secretary and president can be both tiring and stressful, so with that in mind people bare a thought for these officers when you are all anticipating a winner or are getting excited about racing as nothing could happen without these kind and generous people in place. A friend of mine (Ken Sharratt) once told me when I first started in this hobby that “a good club should be really competitive but also extremely inclusive” this club is inclusive.
The first race will be a distance of some 260 to 300 into the clubs radius and if we can get returns like we did in last year’s old bird season we will be over the moon. The 2015 old bird season produced a couple of notable performances including that of John and Debbie Clews winning the 2015 yearling race, with that same hen also being timed in from Messac some three weeks later (albeit being down the sheet) and in John’s own words would be a day for him to remember.
John and Debbie’s winner is a medium sized checker hen who fits in the hand like a glove. Her condition was excellent and is a testament to the partnership. She is conditioned on the roundabout system although the cocks and hens trap to separate traps. The hens are kept in hen boxes and locked away after they have fed communally. They are watered in their boxes.
John Clews (Left) and his 2015 yearling race winner
The sire of this lovely hen is a cock procured at the Hooton HS breeder buyer sale in 2012 from fellow club fancier Jones and Foster, this cock actually won that particular breeder buyer race and is from Jones and Fosters Staf Van Reet pigeons that are well known around the area for their performances.
The dam is from Neil Gargan (the son of Ray Gargan) x Kenny Warrilow, she was sent to every inland race scoring in the Hooton HS four bird club taking second club West bay. John left the hen overnight with her cock locked together in his box with nest bowl and straw. Due to the close ness of the result I asked John how she trapped. “To be honest” he says “I was sat facing where I expected the birds to come from on my chair with my ETS clock on the table next to me, I had a couple of birds that had still not arrived from the clubs earlier West bay race and heard the clock ping, I learnt over with the time not yet at the witching hour of six hours I was expecting to see a ring number from the earlier race but to my pleasant surprise it was one of my Beeston Two Bird Club pigeons and I had timed in under six hours which I thought at the time would be a good time and so it proved to be”. John and Debbie’s velocity of 1417.445 wins pools through to G, first single nom and clock nom winning £488.40 plus £55 prize money.
Beeston Castle Two Bird Club Head Quarters Duddon & Clotton Hoofield Village hall.
Marking for this year’s yearling race will take place at the club headquarters Duddon & Clotton Hoofield Village hall on Thursday may 26th 2016 commence at 3pm with baskets closing at 5pm.
During the 2015 season there were two other performers that I would like to mention opposed to performances. The first is that of Rucorn ace Denny Gobin, racing as Fletcher and Gobin. This blue pied cock was clocked in this year’s (2015) Tarbes NFC National was bred from a cock from Mike Spencer being a g/ son of misty lady paired to a hen from Dave Impett Blackpool, a daughter of his Dutch Bruggeman cock "239" sire of "KATIES STAR" 1st section L 12th open Tarbes 747 miles . He was lost as a young bird and had was reported on a caravan in North Wales, after making his way home 2 weeks later he was stuck with the name "CARAVAN COCK" he then flew the young bird programme in 2010.
In 2011 this game cock flew the MNFC programme as yearling (excluding Bordeaux) gaining 27th west section Fougeres 350 miles. As a 2 year old in 2012 he flew the full MNFC programme gaining 5th west section 44th open Bordeaux 588 miles. It was then he was prepared for Tarbes in 2013 where he won 6th section L, 160th open 706 miles and 3rd Eccles 2bird club. It was at this time Denny’s racing partner Gordon (The Fletcher of Fletcher & Gobin) Sadly passed away after a short illness.
The birds were housed and raced at Gordon’s house and as the house was passed on within the family the decision was made to send the Caravan Cock to Bordeaux some three weeks later. He was very fit and of course would be leaving his current home shortly. This outstanding pigeon then won 5th west section again and 164th open.
Within six months Denny managed to procure Gordon’s house from his family and moved his family to his pigeons. This enabled Denny to prepare the Caravan cock again in 2014 for another crack at Tarbes. This time he again arrived from the 706 mile journey to win 2nd section L, 77th open and 1st Eccles 2bird club.
So there was to be a change in his Tarbes preparation in 2015 due to Tarbes being late July. This didn’t hinder this pigeon one ounce the "CARAVAN COCK" timed in again for the third consecutive season provisionally gaining 2nd section L , 101st open 706 miles and 1st Eccles 2bird club only
bird on the winning day.
This outstanding cock (which we are now assured) has retired to the stock loft was awarded a certificate of merit by the National Flying Club for being in the top 200 pigeons in the longest NFC old bird race on three separate occasions. The Caravan Cock along with Denny (and collected in memory of Gordon) was also the recipient of the Lancashire Rose Trophy for 2015 - Huge congratulations from all your fellow members of the Beeston Castle Two Bird Specialist Club.
Denny Gobin (Gobin & Fletcher) with his famous “Caravan Cock”
Another special performer in 2015 was to come from another Runcorn Loft. The “Arrowsmith” Cock belonging to the father and son partnership of Dave and Joey Pickstock (Runcorn). This yearling cock (as was in 2015) scored twice in both the Beeston Castle old bird races taking fifth in the Beeston Castle Yearling Race and then third in the Messac Classic that was won by Mickey Locke. This lovely cock (now named “Arrowsmith” after Carl Arrowsmith) is a cheque cock from the Gabi Vandebeel base strain, from pigeons bred by Andrew lawley (Ellesmere Shropshire) when crossed with Mr and Mrs Carl Arrowsmith pigeon of Walsal.
Raised as a darkness youngster this game cheque cock carded once in his federation as a youngster and then statred to set the loft alight as a yearling taking second club third federation Cheltenham, 100 miles. Fourth club eleventh federation Yeovil 167 miles. Then fifth Beeston castle Two Bird Specilist Club Carentan Yearling Race. First club, first Cheshire plains Championship Two Bird, second federation, fourth Cheshire Combine and ninth Three Counties Combine Carentan before he was sent to the Messac Classic where he waas third. This game cock has since been awarded second in the RPRA Western Region Meritoprious awards 2015 for his two bird explloits.
But the story has not finished there for in 2016 as the season gets underway and we prepare for our first sortet across the channel, the Pickstocks find themselves after racing some seventeen years down to race on epigeon in the 2016 old bird season. Their problems started last year with the introduction of a round ofyoungsters who became ill, taking vets advice they were diagnosed with salmonella and ecolli and treated accordingly. The birds surviveduntil earky this season when the probloem raised its head again. With the season just about to start all theold bird team were treated and locked down except for the "arrowsmith cock"he was placed in a compat=rtment on his own with his hen.
Not being able to race their yearlings was catetrophic for the partnership and meant no racing this year uness they just sent the one pigeon? So thats what they decided to do. The arrowsmith cock was separated from his hen and trained on his own,. He is exercised on his own at home twice daily and will fly on his own with some fervour for varying amounts of time daily. He is then trained three times a week, being singled up on his own from either ten miles or tenty two miles, returning to find his hen waiting for him on each occasion.
Flying in the cheshire Plains federation via their local Runcorn club the arrowsmith cock was sent to race. His first race of the season was from Bath (some 130 miles) where he returned to take second club and fifth Cheshire Plains Federation where 43 members sent 805 pigeons, and as we go to press ths game cock went to his second race from Frome to record yet another club victory taking first club and we await the federation result but is anticipated he will figure in the top twenty of the federation again this week
The will pair up to Joey and Dave when they enter the loft and is a great character to have a round especially when he is your only race candidate for the season. The plans for him now are to race again in this year's Messac with his fed and then on to the Beeston Messac Classic Race. This is all subject to this gallant cock being able to complete the MNFC Fougeres National first. So from all the Beeston Castle members good luck with this year's venture and we will be pleased to report back to the fancy the outcome of this brilliant cocks 2016 season and long may it continue.
Dave and Joey Pickstock (Joey Right holding “Arrowsmith”)
