THE PORT NEWS
Alan Shinton
Featuring Sid Arathoon
Having completed the inland series of races, the West Cheshire Federation turned to its channel campaign commencing on June 1st which in turn meant basketing would commence on Thursday 30th May. With the advent of Channel racing with the West Cheshire Fed, basketing is normally condensed with two clubs local to each other sharing a marking station to cut down the number of collections the transporter has to make. With the Victoria HS this would involve inviting the Hooton HS members to mark and basket their birds at The Whitby Sports and Social Club, Chester Road Ellesmere Port. Having featured the evolution of this new venue recently, we can now report that the facilities (after minor teething problems) are starting to operate under some normality and have been utilised for all inland racing and will now be used by both the Hooton HS and Victoria HS respectively. Along with the West Cheshire Federation convoy, the transporter also transport's the Wrexham federation pigeons and thus forms an amalgamation which gives fanciers another goal to aim for other than federation results.
Sid Arathoon with his 1st club 7th fed Carentan
The first channel race was to prove twofold (at club level). Firstly the birdage was to drop considerably and was down by some 45% due to the participants splitting their teams to encounter the planned six exertions across the water. And secondly Sid Arathoon who not only won the corresponding race in 2012 and gained seventh Wet Cheshire Federation, has done exactly the same this year with exactly the same club and federation positions.
The 195 Victoria HS birds were liberated into a North by North West Wind which was to prove a burden to carry for every entry. A steady race was anticipated and encountered, with the first birds being recorded into The Victoria club on and around seven and half hours. At clock strike it was apparent that the birds were not as close as the "inland" races with some eighteen minutes covering he first four prize winners. Sid Arathoon triumphs in the Victoria this week on a velocity of 1120. Sid has been there or there about's on the result sheet (and won the corresponding race in 2012) so it was no surprise to see him "trot up" here at the first attempt over the water. Last week's club and Federation winner J & S (Stan) Griffiths is not disgraced by dropping down to second this week putting in another sterling performance. The ultra consistent Paul Coombes takes the third position with Mr & Mrs A J Price closing the winners enclosure in fourth.
Sid's winning pigeon is a two year old checker cock bred from his own stock loft from pigeons obtained direct from Frank Sheader in 2010. He is from Frank's Jos Soontjen pigeons being the first child of a blue cock who is the grandson of Frank's best breeding cock 22006, when paired to 09466 who is a daughter of two UNC winners. She is also a dam of first and fourth WDA. The Dam (another blue checker) of the winner is another of Frank Sheader's special Jos Soontjen family again procured in 2010 as part of a kit of late breds she is a granddaughter of the "Docherty Cock", (First UNC Felixstowe) when paired to "Dodda". This cock flew the card as a youngster and hit the clock as a yearling taking second club, sixth federation Monmouth. fourth club, 25th federation and 2nd West Cheshire Championship club West Bay. He was sent to the Beeston 2 Bird Championship club Carentan Yearling race where he returned late on the day but had been hit by a hawk. This year he has been fifth club Ludlow prior to winning the first Carentan.
Close up of Sid's chequer cock, 1st club 7th fed Carentan.
Sid's philosophy with regard to breeding his birds is to continuously look for pigeons to bring in to his stock loft. Sid prefers to purchase youngsters (normally late breds) direct from proven fanciers. Sid's stock loft is still quite large housing some seventeen pairs of stock pigeons, however this has been reduced from previous years when he housed some thirty pairs. Today's stock loft house Jos Soontjen's via Frank Sheader, a couple of pairs of Demisters, with the core currently being of the Lambrecht family strain.
Sid has very neat and spacious set up; his loft sits at the rear of his very smart home in its own compound. The lofts (which are "L" shaped) are covered at the rear by large conifers and although they look attractive, also look attractive to local sparrow hawks, which visit Sid and his birds periodically throughout the year. The garden is not of normal size and extends quite a considerable length from the house down to where the lofts are located. Sid has also invested in a very smart conservatory, complete with comfortable furnishings, huge flat screen television and most importantly for some the fridge complete with required alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages required while waiting for channel pigeons.
Stock and young birds housed to the left with old birds at the rear
Listening to Sid talk about his birds, you get the impression that his birds are part of his day to day life, but are not the "be and end all" to everything. Sid openly enjoys his hobby and enjoys the company of his fellow club and federation fanciers at functions, prize givings and down his own club on a Friday evening, however this his is hobby. First and foremost is his family. Sid and his wife Sylvia dote on his grandchildren of which they have three boys and three girls. Sid always ensures the family holiday is a "must" annually and comes first, even if this interrupts his racing season, which invariably it does. In 2012 Sid returned from holiday during which time his youngsters were fed and watered by his son but not exercised, to achieve first club second fed the first week he flew, and second club second fed the following week.
Having spent time with Sid and attempted to capture exactly the fancier in his element, Sid is as competitive as you would want him to be but will not lose sleep over his birds, win lose or draw. He will be back to have another go but is not the "hard and fast" or "pressure" flier that some can be either by choice or nature. Laid back is how I would describe Sid (although his back is a different matter).
Sid conditions his birds on the classic roundabout system, but tends to pair selected birds when entering the Beeston or Chester two bird races or championship club races. His old birds are fed a widowhood mix which in turn is mixed as the season progresses with an all round mix, although once we hit the channel racing Sid likes to add extra maize to his mix.
Sid Arathoon - relaxing in his conservatory with his stocked fridge ready for the channel
His youngsters are darkened and kept on an all round mix until they come off the darkness. They will then go onto a widowhood mix (usually Buxton's Widowhood mix) for the racing season. The treatment the youngsters receive is the paramyxio vaccination, however when racing old and young will get a three weekly cankering cycle, along with respiratory treatment prior to racing and breeding.
Having mentioned Sid's back earlier, it is worth mentioning for the purists in our sport that Sid has recently been diagnosed as having arthritis in his spine. Since I have met Sid, which is now nearly two years ago, he has suffered with his back, so much so that he winces when he moves and even talks. Sid, who has been retired from the petrochemical industry a number of years, quite openly states that without the advent of the ETS clocking system he could never consider racing his pigeons. This statement from a man who has kept his pigeons some forty nine years.
When asked who has had an influence on him during his time racing his pigeons, Sid's reply was immediate, with no thinking or reminiscing required. His succinct answer was his brother Brian. Brian Arathoon still races pigeons today across the border in God's country (Wales). Sid also mentions a name from the past that some elder fliers in the area may remember, Con Griffiths. Con was a man who knew how to fly pigeons remembers Sid, however it was to be a strange twist of fate that Sid remembers that Con never actually managed to top his federation. Although that was in the days when they were sending five thousand plus remembers Sid.
Sid's hawk and cat deterrents, although Sid admits the hawk deterrents no longer work.
Sid and Brian initially flew as partners, but as their paths separated they were destined to compete as individual flyers. Sid has always flown in Ellesmere Port, firstly from Festival Road, made famous latterly by the performances of Stan Griffiths and Robbie Sandland late of the now defunct Griffiths and Sandland. Then to the golden mile at the Wolverham area in Ellesmere Port, where he was then to sell his house to Mr & Mrs A J Price (who themselves would become Federation Champions from this address) and finally settling where he resides and races from today.
The future for Sid was at one stage earlier this year to move and maybe take up long distance flying, and although now Sid and Sylvia have decided to "stay put" Sid is still contemplating going after long distance racing and as a consequence is now on the hunt for some distance stock birds for his stock loft. We all wish you wish you well with your new venture Sid and if it's as fruitful as your middle distance flying you should be in for a lot of fun.
West Cheshire Federation
With the in land racing completed it was time to commence the channel racing in earnest, with the Midland National Flying Club converging on the Carentan liberation point the previous week this could only mean that June had arrived and the "long grass" racing could commence. Dave Cotgreave got the 811 pigeons competing in the West Cheshire Federation under way at 6.10 am into a North by North West wind. A genuine steady race was expected and would unfold.
Teamwork. The West Cheshire Federation Transporter being unloaded and then loaded by Victoria HS and Hooton HS fanciers for the first channel race of the season. Dave Cotgreave (Convoyer), Carl Curran, Graeme Sefton, Ken Sharratt and Ray Samson (Hooton President).
Flying into the Willaston Club and not only taking first but also second is R (Bob) Tudor on 1144 and 1143. this has been yet another classic performance from Bob who has not only taken the first three in the federation some weeks prior to this but has also put up a sterling performance in the MNFC the previous week. R P Bellis and Brice take the first and second prizes in the Rock Station and third federation on 1143. P Leighton and Son take first and second in the Neston HS along with fourth federation 1125. Warren Walker wins first, second and third in Chester HS and fifth, ninth and tenth federation doing 1123, 1118 and 1116. W H Cottrell & Son (Dave) win the Hooton HS on 1121. Sid Arathoon takes the top spot at the Victoria HS on 1120. Roy and Robbie (R & R) Sandland take third in the Willaston HS and eighth federation.
West Cheshire Federation raced from Carentan on Saturday 1st June (76/811). Club Results: Willaston (6/82) R Tudor 1144. 1143. R & R Sandland 1118. Rock Station (8/95) R P Bellis & Grice 1143, 1116. F McNamara & Son 1116. Chester (9/69) W Walker 1123, 1118, & 1116. Hooton (15/147) W H Cottrell & Son 1121. C W Lamb & Daughter 1082. B V Jones 1081. Victoria (14/195) S Arathoon 1120. J and S Griffiths 1109, P Coombes 1097. Neston (10/100) P Leighton & Son 1125. 1095. C A G Mathias 1076. Moreton (7/63) Mr and Mrs A Clare 1114. R Lang 1100. Mr and Mrs A Clare 1077. Christleton (7/60) D Griffiths 1108. J Churchill 1061. L Moore 1052.
