News From Gozo (Malta)

Details: Published: 01 January 2020; Hits: 1788

NEWS FROM GOZO (MALTA)

by Tony Harte

Racing is well underway in Malta as we race through the winter to avoid the high temperatures of summer, however we have the strong winds & showers of winter to contend with and I am not sure which is the lesser of the two evils!

Eddie Newcombe (left) together with Alan Wilson from Houghton-Le-Spring, Co Durham, who was holidaying in Malta.

Well on the 4th December we had a 155km race (90miles) from Belvedere with 6608 Federation pigeons competing. In first Federation was Lino Aquilina & Sons, Msida Pigeon Flying Club, 2nd Fed was Nicholas Sciberras, Hamrun Pigeon Racing Union, 3rd Fed was Michael & Rueben Saliba, Msida PFC, 4th Frans Degiorgio, Msida PFC, 5th Stephen & Claudine Agius, Northern District Homing Union and in 6th Fed was Raymond Frendo, Marsa RPS. On a club level, it was yours truly who took 1st place, from 415 pigeons, at the Rabat RPC, Gozo, with an Eddie Newcombe cross Mario Farrugia Stichelbaut, long distance pigeon, having its first ever race, to win the club by 7 minutes. Don't pigeons amaze you sometimes. Second club was Frenc Pace, who is having an excellent season, third was Mario Grech, fourth was club President John Bajada, fifth Salvo Vella and sixth was Joe Cassar.

Tony Harte, 1st prize Belvedere 2, 155Km, 415 birds, Rabat Racing Pigeon Club, Gozo.

The next race was held on 10th Dember from Messina, 280 Km (180 miles) with Joe Sciberras, Birkirkara Homing Union taking 1st Fed, from 5317 pigeons. In 2nd & 6th Fed was Francis Scicluna, Homer club, 3rd Elvin Magri, Central Velocity Homing Union, 4th Emmanuel Pisani, Zabbar and 5th Fed was Simon Bonnici, Homer club. In the Rabat RPC, it was James Cardona taking pole postion from 344 club birds, 2nd was Manuel Grech, 3rd Martin Cardona, 4th John Mercieca, 5th Club President, John Bajada and in 6th was Mario Grech.

On 16th December we were back racing from Belvedere, 155 KM, the club sent 433 pigeons with John Hili coming first, Joe Buttigieg in 2nd, 3rd was the JJC partnership, 4th Tony Grech, 5th Mercieca Bros and in 6th Club President John Bajada. Topping the Federation from 7794 pigeons was Michael Cardona, Naxxar RPC, 2nd Tony Fava, Sliema RPC, 3rd & 4th D & V Pace, Cottonara Zabbar Homing Union, 5th Joe Rapinett, Hamrun Pigeon Club and in 6th Fed was J & R Camilleri, Cottonara Zabbar Homing Union.

On 23rd December the racepoint was Messina, 280 KM, with 5618 pigeons competing for Federation honours. First Federation was Richard Mizzi, Club 5, second was Joseph & Raymond Bellizzi, Sliema RPC, third George & Jeanette Portelli, Northern Homing District Union, fourth was Richard Schembri, Sliema Area RPC, fifth Frederick Cauchi, Birkirkara Homing Union and in sisth Fed was Saviour Baldachino, Northern District Homing Union. 1st club Rabat RPC, Gozo, from 337 pigeons, was the JJC partnership of Josette Stellini, Joe Axiak and Carmello Pace. In second was Joe Portelli, 3rd Mercieica Bros, 4th Noel Grima, 5th Jeffrey Muscat And in 6th was Joe Spiteri.

Joe Axiak & Josette Stellini of the JJC partnership, 1st prize winners from Messina 2, Rabat RPC, Gozo.

The last race of the year was raced on 29th December, from Belvedere, 155 km, 7831 Fed pigeons competing which Nazzarenu Attard, Cottonara Zabbar Homing Union won, club members A & E Azzopardi were second, in joint third were John & Mark Attard, and Disma Attard both from Northern Homing District Union, in 5th, from the same club, were George & Jeanette Portelli and in 6th Fed were Mario & Hannah Fabri, Club 22. Meanwhile in the Rabat RPC, it was Joe Cassar who took 1st, 2nd were the Mercieca Bros, 3rd JJC, 4th John Bajada, 5th John Mercieca and in 6th the JJC partnership again.

On the 12th January we held our Annual Gozo Show 2013. There were classes for cocks & hens, YBs, Old birds, raced, unraced and also a separate class for Foreign pigeons. As for racing, in Malta only those pigeons with a Maltese ring can be entered for races. If this rule was applied in the UK, I think that the pigeon market in Lier, Belgium would be hit pretty hard. Well the show was well supported and it was great that a number of younger fanciers were successful in winning trophies, as these will be the life blood of our sport in the future. Thankfully in Malta there are quite a few younger fanciers to help keep our sport thriving. There were a number of people sponsoring the show, including Federation Chairman Marco Farrugia, who sponsored the trophies, Neville Mercieca, Petshop who sponsored the Club Shield, Alfred Micallef, Disma Lofts, Charles & Vince Farrugia, John Catania, Michael Saliba, Andre Scerri, etc who donated pigeons for auction. Many thanks to all the sponsors. The three judges for the show were John Catania, Msida, Andre Scerri, San Gwann and Michael Sabba. The Best In Show was won by Leo Agius, Qormi and indeed the Shield for the Best Club in the show was won byt eh competitors from the Qormi Pigeon club, congratulations to them and they are very keen and always support the pigeon shows.

Many British fanciers take their holiday around this time of year, with no racing in the UK and the Blue Bar Cafe in Qawra is a regular meeting place for fanciers, with the owner “Ginger” Joe Mifsud a successful fancier in his own right. Indeed, Eddie Newcombe, our best British fancier living and racing in Malta is also a frequent visitor to the Blue Bar Cafe. So a date for the diary is that the Annual Malta Show will be held on Monday & Tuesday 18th & 19th March, at the Cottonara Sports Complex, should anyone be over here on holiday at this time. I have been advised that anyone wishing to book a stand should contact the President, Marco Farrugia, Mobile, (00356 - 99493227). There are stands available at a price of 500 Euros for the two days with some 3 square metres of space allocated to each stand. Meanwhile in Malta the "Show goes on" as we are in full swing of our racing season.