RHONDDA VALLEY FED
Reports by Martin Dunn
For the second young bird race of the season, we were back at Hullavington, around the 55 miles mark to the middle of the federation. This week we had a healthy 3487 pigeons at the race point, not bad considering the weather and the amount of training people had been able to get in.
The birds were liberated into a North West wind, with the leading pigeons taking around 1hour 15 minutes for the journey. Clocking the winner and adding to their excellent finish to the old bird season are Brian and Mike Gill of the Penygraig club. They clock one of their new family of pigeons recommended by the Herbots Bros to them. They have a cracking race, not only taking the first three at Penygraig, taking 1st, 9th, 10th fed, they also win their new club up at Treherbert to complete a good days flying.
Runner-up this week is Gwyn Humphries, son, Faulkner of the Tylorstown club. Gwyn clocks two together to take 1st and 2nd club, 2nd and 3rd fed. Gwyn had a very good season with the young birds in 2007 and starts off the same way in 2008.
Next in are Arnold and Keith Davies. These 2 have a number drop together, with the first three pigeons being entered into the Ynyshir club. They take the first 3 position here, with fed cards of 4, 5 and 6th, closely followed by club mates Garland & Slade, who are unlucky to take 4th club 9th fed in a tight finish. Arnold and Keith carrying on clocking another four pigeons for fed positions of 13, 15, 16, 17th fed. This is where the ETS clocking comes into its own. These 4 are clocked within 7 seconds.
Nestled in amongst them is one for Penygraigs, Dunn Son Seal, who enter one trainer after miscounting and it goes and turns up first from the race, cracking picking, the air was blue before it went on the ETS pad and My blood pressure was through the roof, 8th fed for this Vandenabeele hen.
Down to Tonypandy and the winner here was Darren Morrissey, Darren clocks a young Van den Bosch for 1st club 7th fed and another right behind it for 2nd club 18th fed, this one is a Jansen x Van Reet. Taking 3rd club at Tonypandy is Keith and Liam English, they clock a Janssen X Stichlebaut and slots this one in for 19th fed, Les Hughes and Roy Street get a batch together, they have 4th/5th at Tonypandy, first a Jan Arden, second was a Brasspenning and fed cards of 25th/26th fed.
Staying with Les and Roy, to complete a very good days racing they clock a further 5 pigeons in at Cwmparc to clear the board here and fed positions of 22.23.24.27.28.30th, again on the ETS, they clock 8 pigeons in 7 seconds. Just reward for excellent flying.
Final results to Maerdy where Rogers and James clocks the winner here and 12th fed, with Geoff Prowle clocks 2 sharp ones, 2nd and 3rd club, 14th and 21st fed, its takes some winning here with over 500 pigeons away weekly in this club. Final club result is Tonyrefail, where Clive Akers and John Amesbury takes the spoils here and make 29th fed.
A couple of club results up at Trebanog, Glyn Sibley wins here, also taking 3rd, Brian Samuel was Runner-up and Andrew Jones,son,Evans completes the result in 4th.Down at Pontypridd Dai Rowlands is the winner here, with last weeks fed winners John and Wood 2nd club, John Griffiths 3rd club and Stan Edwards in for 4th. At Newport Glyn Hazelwood phones the result through, a good day for Glyn he takes the first 4 here, from Hullavington 1, Bob Saddler wins this one unusual for Bob, he normally wins from across the water, taking 2nd and 3rd club is new starter Tariq Abou-Zahir, excellent start for him.
In the West section Dai Gore of Kenfig Hill takes the first 5 positions, carrying his good form from the old birds.
Tommy Hughes showing there’s life in the old stock cock – flying well at Treherbert
Following week and we are onto Swindon, this one is around 72 miles to the middle of the fed, with an increase in birdage to 4455, this week they were liberated at 08:15 into a south west wind, the birds tumbled in with the leading birds doing 1440’s, this week the winner are up at Tredegar, they have been praying for the winds to turn Southerly and they take full advantage with the top partnership of Gregory and Davies going to town, they clock three in six seconds for 1.2.3. club and the same in the fed, excellent flying on their behalf.
Mounteney and Howells are just edged by the above and they take 4th club and fed, with M.Morris of the same club taking 5.21.26.30th fed for a good day's flying.
First pigeons into the Rhondda Valley itself are to the very strong Maerdy club, where Bryn Davies and Bryn Evans get three together for 1st 3rd and 4th club, 6.8.9 fed, their winner being bred by Graham Warren, they were split by Morris Pugh and Whitcombe, who take 2nd and 6th club, 7.11.20.22.27th fed with further pigeons. Showing how close it was here fellow club mates Silver Maybe and Lewis take 5th club 10th fed. These were all clocked in a matter of 20 seconds.
First Pigeon into the Cynon Valley belong to Amy and Richard Evans of the Aberdare club, these clock the winner here and take 13th fed, this being the only pigeon on the day to appear on the fed result from the Cynon Valley, a good performance, they flew a consistent old bird as well in 2008.
Robert Street picking up top club old birds for 2007 for Penygraig same again for 2008
Down to the bottom of the Rhondda Valley and Arnold and Keith Davies take the first 2 here, the winner I believe is a new introduction from Marc Verheyde of Ostend, this cock was 16th fed the week previous. From Ynyshir to Tonypandy and the winner here is Norman and Jason Bright who clock a Van Reet from pigeons bought at the Blackpool show, 23rd fed, runners-up are Roy Street and Les Hughes, who take 2nd club 24th fed, with Gary Davies coming in for 3rd club 29th fed, Gary has 2 races on Saturday now that his son Lee as started up this year, Lee taking the honours up to this week, the old man pegs one back.
Vince Merret takes the honours up at Cwmparc, Vince starting back in 2008 after a number of years without the birds, he gets his first win with the young birds to get back into the groove of things.
Around the clubs and starting at Penygraig and Martin Jarman clocks the winner here, to go with his first fed with the old birds, its turning out a good season fro Martin and his small team. Brian and Mike Gill take the runners up spot with John Williams and side kick Glyn Davies taking 3rd and 4th club an Dunns son Seal Complete the Penygraig result.
Up at Trebanog Glyn Sibley wins for the second week in succession, with Chris Jones 2nd club and Andrew Jones keeps his run of appearing on every young bird result going when taking 3rd club.
Down to Newport and Glyn Hazelwood confirms that he takes the red card for the second week, just edging R.Paginton into second club and Bob Saddler takes 3rd club.From the shortest to the longest and Port Talbot where Bernard Oleary takes the first two and M/M Hookings are 3rd and 4th club
Up at Treherbert, Lee, Hughes and Harris take the red card, winner is a Sootjen cross Keith Goodenough, second is Stanton Bros and Evans with the Gill Bros taking 3rd club
Final results are from Tylorstown, where Lewis and King take the red card, Shame about the pool birds Tweed, nearly as good as me picking trainers, runners-up are new starters for 2008,Edwards, Hicks and James, with the ever present Gwyn Humphries taking 3rd/4th club.
In The West section, Enoch Son Enoch win at Glyncorrwg and top the section with White and son 2nd club and section and young Corey Lewis in for 3rd club 3rd section.
Following week the birds were back at Swindon, with the 4756 birds released at 13:50 after waiting for the weather to break at the race point, the strong South West wind slowed the birds down, with the first birds taking just over 1 hour 45 minutes for the 72 miles.
Topping the fed this week is Abercwmboi’s Phillip Sheldon, Phillip really excels with the young birds and is no stranger to topping the fed, he won 3 fed races on the bounce in 2007 and started his 2008 young bird campaign with 2nd and 3rd fed from Hullavington, this week he’s a minute clear of the field doing a velocity of 1175 ypm.
Runner up is Newtown’s K. Bevan, who takes 1st club, just Edging M. Bevan into second club 7th fed and Gavin Keepings into 3rd and 4th club 8th and 13th fed, Small batch coming into the valley and splitting to these lofts, all on the trap for the positions.
Tredegar are proving a difficult club to beat when the wind turns South Westerly, with Gregory and Davies in Particular having their birds in top form. This week they take the first 3 positions in the club and fed positions of 3.4.5th, showing how well their team of young birds are going, they clock 3 different birds on the result again this week. Unlucky with 4th club, 6th fed are Cooper and Smith with their first timer.
From here we go to the first pigeon into the Rhondda Valley itself, this falls to Penygraigs Dunn son Seal, Mal and Martin clock a Vandenabeele cross hen, from pigeons off Joe 0bryan and Steve Jones of Port Talbot, this takes 9th fed, Just edging John Williams and Glyn Davies into 2nd club, 10th fed with a young hen sent sitting. Brian and Mike Gill complete the result with 3rd club 18th fed with one of their Herbot Crosses.
From here we go up the Valley to Cwmparc where race controller Chris Butler as 3 come together to take the first 3 in the club and fed honours of 11.12.and 20th. Gwyn Humphries over at Tylorstown see’s 2 drop together to win this club, 14th and 16th fed, with Gareth Hughes in for 3rd club, 21st fed and new starters for young birds Edwards, Hicks and James 4th club 29th fed.
Treherbert next and Lee, Hughes and Harris, wins here at the top of the valley with Stanton Bros and Evans 2nd club for the umpteenth time this season19th fed. Birds were looking well at the Stantons when I went to collect one of my second round that had gone in for Board and Lodgings.
Arnold and Keith Davies once again get a batch together, they take the first 3 at Ynyshir and fed positions of 22.23. and 25th fed, split by the Maerdy winners Davies and Evans who take this club and 24th fed.
From Maerdy we go to Tonypandy, the winners here are Layton and Lorna Isles, who clock a Schalie cock for 1st club, 26th fed, this through pigeons from the Gill Bros. Runner up are Dunn son Seal, with a youngster bred by Obryan and Jones of Port Talbot, through their Rolls Royce lines.3rd club is Brian Fitzgerald, clocking a youngster from Brian’s top racer ‘The Bolt’ and Roy Street and Les Hughes are in for 4th club.
Around the clubs and to start at our shortest flyers where Glyn Hazelwood wins for the 3rd week on the trot, Bob Saddler follows him home taking 2nd and 3rd club. Up at Trebanog its another loft that wins for the 3rd week running, this time its Glyn Sibley who has his young birds coming really, taking 2nd club are Jones and Roberts with Glyn coming back in again for 3rd club.
In the West Section It’s a win at Kenfig Hill for Hurley son Say, this was good enough to edge out Dai gore who takes 2nd and 3rd club and the same in the West Section.
Following week we move onto Newbury, this week we see a drop in birdage after losses the week previous, the fed see’s a total of 4032 pigeons liberated at 15:35 for the 90 odd miles to the home end, again liberated into a South Westerly wind, the leading pigeons are found at the top end, with the inform loft of Gregory and Davies cleaning up in the club and fed. This week they take the first 3 in the Tredegar club and likewise in the fed, another Top performance by these excellent fanciers, showing how well the team is flying they are clocking different pigeons each week.
M/M P. Lewis are pushed into 4th and 6th club and the same at Fed level, with Mounteney and Howells clocking for 5th club 5th fed. Gavin Keepings is another flying a good young bird, he clocks the first pigeon into the Cynon Valley when winning the Newtown club, clocking the same pigeon that was 8th fed the previous week, a good this one 7th and 8th fed with over 4000 pigeons going both weeks. M/M Winder are 2nd and 3rd club at Newtown, 17th and 19th fed.
Gwyn Humphries wins yet again at Tylorstown, this week Gwyn clocks the first 2 pigeons into the Rhondda Valley itself, the winning pigeon takes its second first prize of the season, its already been 1st club 2nd fed Hullavington. 3rd club at Tylorstown is Brian Roberts and 16th fed to go with it.
Dai Wilson is the winner at Pontypridd, this pigeon takes 9th Fed, with Dai Needs in at 2nd club 23rd fed and Jeff Owens taking 3rd club. Phillip Sheldon wins at Abercwmboi, 11th fed, with Fed secretary Clive and Carwyn Harris taking 2nd club 15th fed, this I think is this partnerships’s first race with the young birds.
Back to the Rhondda, and Arnold and Keith Davies show how consistent they are with their young birds, this week they again get a batch together and clean up at Penygraig, taking the first 4 positions and at Ynyshir where they are 1st and 2nd club, all these are in the fed, 12.13.20.21.22. and 24th fed. Mike Ketlley takes 3rd and 4th at Ynyshir with fed positions of 28th and 30th.
Up at Tonypandy another loft that’s flying well with young birds are Dunn Son Seal, Mal and Martin clock a Rietvink x Vandenabeele hen, 11th fed, the parents of this have bred a number of winners over the years. Roy Street and Les Hughes are 2nd and 3rd club, first in at 27th fed and Darren Morrissey takles 4th club at Tonypandy to complete the result
John Evans clocks the winner up at Treherbert in a tight finish with last weeks winners Lee, Hughes and Harris, these 2 are 26th and 29th fed respectively. Jake Fletcher wins it at the Ferns and he takes 25th fed, with the winner at Newport falling to R.Paginton, who manages to knock Glyn Hazelwood into 2nd club and Bob Saddler who drops to 3rd club. Up at Trebanog its Glyn Sibley who cleans up again for the first 3 positions, flying well here is Glyn. At Cwmparc it’s a win for Roy Steet and Les Hughes, with the Butler BROS IN Second spot and Rhyddian Matthias taking 3rd and 4th club.
In the West Section it’s a clean sweep at Kenfig Hill for the Payne Parry and Davies who take the first five in the club and section, all clocked in 4 seconds.
Any news or information, give me a ring on 01443 440953.
