Steve Williams (Bromborough)
Rocks the Station
The second race of the season onto the Wirral peninsular saw the second liberation of the West Cheshire and North Wirral Amalgamation. Dominated by the North Wirral from the first Hereford could probably be forecast with the mention of a southerly wind so what could we anticipate with the forecast of a north westerly wind for this race.
Early forecasts would be that the birds would be lower reaching the peninsular and as such probably favour the Ellesmere Port pigeons or the birds homing to the east side of the Wirral. As early times started to circulate it was becoming apparent that birds again were quicker further up the Wirral with some outstanding performances on the least favoured West side of the Amalgamation.
With the early times resounding around the allotments it would transpire that the West Cheshire would make it one a piece in the federation stakes with Steve Williams of Bromborough starting the season (with this his first race of the year) with a bang, timing his Walter Docx hen to take first Rock Station HS, First West Cheshire Federation, and First west Cheshire and North Wirral Amalgamation beating some 2363 pigeons sent by some 116 fanciers.
The AMAL winner is a hen which has been bred from stock which originates at the loft of McArdle and Archibald Liverpool. The sire to this hen was bred from a pigeon that Steve was fortunate to get (in 2013) from his good friends Charlie McArdle and Terry Archibald a cock that when paired to his number one stock hen which is a pigeon direct from Walter Docx. The number one hen is also the dam of a number of multiple winners including the West Cheshire Federations West Bay fed and 2015 Gold Ring winner.
Steve has started this season after completing what is a record breaking season in the West Cheshire federation in 2015. The current West Cheshire Federation Points champion (breaking all previously set points records), West Cheshire Federation President, WC & NW AMAL President and Race Controller (and 2016 North West Combine Race Controller) has set his own standards as a fancier and as an officer and enabler that enhances the racing opportunities that we are fellow fanciers sometimes take for granted.
Steve is an out and out avid and a seriously conscientious fancier that finds the time to juggle his own business, family commitments and his love of country sports (with his expertise in breeding and training gun dogs) to not only find the time to enjoy his pigeons but to drill down to getting them fit and to motivate them. A harder working and self-motivated fancier and supporter you would be hard pushed find. To put the icing on this particular performance Steve timed his second pigeon (another Walter Docx hen) some forty one second later to take third Amal Congratulations Steve and a great performance from all of the membership of the WC and NW AMAL .
Steve William’s winner of First Club, First West Cheshire Federation and First WC & NW AMAL
West Cheshire and North Wirral Amalgamation (West Ches 66/1316. North Wirral 50/1047. Winning the AMAL is Steve Williams Rock Station. Second AMAL this week is last week’s sixth AMAL Eddie Bateman Bros and Son wins first club Prenton HS, First North Wirral Federation along second AMAL. Well done Eddie the birds are really on song. This outstanding family partnership also put four pigeons into the top twenty of the AMAL also taking seventh, ninth and twentieth position a huge performance. For third position we have to travel from the Tranmere allotments to the North Birkenhead allotments where the two Gary’s namely Gary (Addo) Atherton and Gary (Doddy) Dodd find themselves gain in a tightly fought trapping match. Birds are not only arriving quickly onto these lofts but in numbers. This week for the second week running Gary Atherton and Son, touch off Gary Dodd by seven seconds (or 1.48 yards per minute). Taking First Birkenhead Club, Second North Wirral Fed and fourth and sixth AMAL is Gary Atherton. In fifth place is Gary Dodd who also takes second Birkenhead Club, Third North Wirral Fed. Gary Dodd also takes tenth AMAL with his second pigeon.
We stay at the Bidston gardens North Birkenhead for eighth AMAL taken by Mo Ward & Mickey Cullen trapping a minute behind the two Gary’s (and flying onto nearly the same blade of grass) the competition in the area is as fierce as you could get. Mo and Mickey also take First and second Club Wallasey HS sixth and tenth North Wirral Fed with their second pigeon taking seventeenth AMAL.
We now move to some noticeable and could be said significant performances considering the race conditions. Taking eleventh, fourteenth, fifteenth, and twenty fifth AMAL is Dave Greenhalgh over at Thornton Hough. Considering the wind these are brilliant performances on the day. Dave also takes third, fifth, sixth and twelfth West Cheshire federation and the first four in his Club, well done.
In twelfth and thirtieth AMAL we have R Lang from the Moreton HS tidy pigeons on this particular day, also taking first and second club, fourth and fifteenth WC Fed. It’s back to the Birkenhead HS, with in ninth position the ever popular Vinnie Levy. Vinnie also takes sixth club and ninth federation. In sixteenth, twenty first and twenty sixth position its over to Ellesmere Port where we have Archie and Sue Price at the Victoria HS, the partnership also take first and third club along with seventh, ninth, thirteenth and twenty seventh WC Federation for good measure. In eighteenth position we stay in Ellesmere Port with Alby Davies and Son. On twenty second we have Casey and Rainbow of Birkenhead HS with Brian Hughes of the Rock Station in twenty third place. Paul Coombes Victors HS is in Twenty fourth place with Mickey Locke Willaston in twenty seventh. Bebbingtons own Tommy Hayes is in twenty eighth position with Mr Birkenhead Michael Gough on twenty ninth and closing the top lots of thirty first is J Barchha over at Wallasey on thirty first.
Eddie Bateman (Bateman Bros & Son) winner of fist club first North Wirral Federation and second WC & NW AMAL
Around the Feds NORTH WIRRAL FEDERATION (Hereford 2) Prenton HS (10/201) First and second Bateman Bros and Son, Third Jones & Thomas. Birkenhead HS (18/462) First G Atherton & Son, second G Dodd and third G Atherton & Son., Wallasey HS (6/137) First and second Ward & Cullen, Third J Barchha. Bebbington (16/247) First T Hayes. Second and third R Tudor. Notable performances are Bateman Bros and Son four in the federation top twelve (Maximum allowed). T Walton & Sons getting four pigeons in the top thirty of the fed. Gary Atherton & Son three pigeons in the top thirty. Mo Ward & Mickey Cullen three in the top thirty. Jones & Thomas three in the top thirty.
Within the North Wirral federation the Bebbington and Birkenhead clubs took precedence last week with regard to dominance this week saw the Prenton club emerging with some significance while again the strong Birkenhead club (although not winning the federation) putting seventeen pigeons into the top thirty of the federation result. West in the wind certainly didn’t help the cause of the Bebbington or Wallasey fanciers this week with regard to the federation.
Winning the North Wirral federation this week is last week’s fifth federation winners are Eddie Bateman Bros & Son, this partnership is on fire having put four into the first thirty positions of the Amalgamation last week, winning two clubs (Prenton HS in the North Wirral Federation and the Rock station HS in the West Cheshire Federation) they have certainly got their pigeons in to a Consistent groove. In second place and also taking first position for the second consecutive week in the highly competitive Birkenhead club is the inform loft of Gary (Addo) Atherton & Son. Flying onto the North Birkenhead allotments where trapping matches are taking place weekly between the lofts of Gary Atherton and that of Gary Dodd with the latter coming off second best again this week to take second club third fed.
WEST CHESHIRE FEDERATION (Hereford 2). Rock Station HS (11/260) First and second S Williams, third B Hughes. Thornton Hough (9/230) First, second and third D Greenhalgh. Moreton HS (6/103) First, second and third R Lang. Victoria HS (10/241) First Mr & Mrs AJ Price, Second A Davies and Sons third Mr & Mrs AJ Price. Willaston HS (11/221) First MK Locke, second R P Bellis and Grice, third T Hayes. Hooton HS (10/190). First, Second & third Jones, lamb and daughter. Chester HS (7/115) First A Mayers, second and third K Turner. Notable performances Dave Greenhalgh Thornton Hough HS four in the top twelve of the fed. Archie and Sue Price Victoria HS four in the top thirty of the fed. Steve Williams three in the top twenty of the fed.
Local Club Results:
Victoria HS: (12/297) with a steadier race than the first weeks race into Ellesmere Port turned and after last week’s trapping match with a decimal separating three lofts it was anticipated to be a much slower affair with not so much emphasis on the trap. How wrong could we be? Having reverted back to pure widowhood this season Archie & Sue Price got off the mark on week one and were slight paper favourites to follow up just ahead of Alby and Alan Davies (A Davies and Sons) and Paul Coombes. Not surprisingly that is exactly how the race worked out but again with a twist. Archie and Sue Price timed in two pigeons three seconds apart only to have them split by Alby and Alan Davies. Winning for the second consecutive week is Archie and Sue Price taking first and third on 1384 and 1382 with Alby Davies and Sons taking second place.
Archie had promised to revert back to just racing cocks on pure widow hood after trying the roundabout system last year and it proved to be a master stroke again this week timing their all pooler to take all the pools of £39.55. In fourth is Paul Coombes only a couple of yards off the pace on 1382. Carl Curran takes the fifth spot with Wes Ellis, Arthur Wilde and Alan Coombes taking sixth, Seventh, and eighth positions. In ninth position (for the second week running) is Sharon Thurston and in tenth place we have Kenny Johnson. Richie and Ronnie Denny take eleventh with Joe Ellis and Freddie Davies taking twelfth and thirteenth respectably.
The Rock Station HS: (11/260) a little further up the Wirral is where we would find the leading lights of the AMAL this week especially at the Rock Station HS where Steve Williams wins the club fed and the AMAL in his first race of the season. Sending nineteen pigeons Steve has started where he left off last year? At the top with his first four pigeons taking first, second, fifth and eleventh club. In third place we have Brian Hughes also taking twelfth and fourteenth club with Eddie Bateman Bros and Son taking fourth and seventh club. Taking sixth, eighth and ninth club we have Trix and Bather with John Wheadon taking tenth. F McNamara & Son is thirteenth with A McNicholas in fourteenth. In sixteenth and seventeenth position we have L Cooke and R Charles with G Rogers in nineteenth.
Prenton Social HS: (10/201) Over at Prenton Social with the exact same birdage as the first week produced the same result as last week with regard to the top six positions. Eddie Bateman Bros and Son are bang in form taking first and second for the second consecutive week and as soon as they get their conditions we can predict an AMAL win for this formidable team of pigeons. Led by the General this family are proving their worth and competitiveness against any competition. The ever present loft of Jones & Thomas take third and fourth again for the second consecutive week627 with J Heggarty taking fifth and sixth. In seventh and tenth place is F McNamara & Son, with M Croker taking eighth and ninth with C Smith splitting these John Waters takes eleventh and fourteenth with R Donnelly taking twelfth and nineteenth. On thirteenth and fifteenth we have Clark and McGettrick. Sixteenth and seventeenth we have C Smith and closing this week’s result we have K Moss and eighteenth and twentieth position.
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