RHONDDA VALLEY FED
Newbury and Lillers
Report by Martin Dunn
Saturday 24th May, the Rhondda Valley Federation were back to Newbury for a comeback race before going over the Channel to Lillers. This week there was a healthy 2866 pigeons liberated at 07:30 into a strong North East wind. This week's wind was probably a little stronger than the week previous when there were quiet few birds missing from Ramsgate.
Thankfully it seems the birds had learnt from the week previous and although we had a little bit of a gap over the leading few pigeons the rest of the convoy tumbled in behind them, with nearly everyone reporting a good race and 100% returns. Leading the field this week and dominating the result are Kenfig Hill, with Richard Stokes getting one clear of the pack doing a rapid 1819ypm. Richard has been flying really well all season, with this his second fed win in 2008 and he’s hardly missed a fed result. Not content with 1st fed, he clocks 3 others for 7th, 9th and 24th fed. Evans son & Evans of the Maesteg Park club are runners up this week, this is an excellent pigeon on the wind, my guess is that it’s travelled most of the way home with the winner but having to travel up the Valley to Maesteg, meant that John Evans had to settle for the runners up spot, anyway a top performance from this one. Back to Kenfig Hill for the next dozen or so, with W.Thomas and son clocking nearly 2 minutes after the winner and taking 3rd fed, again another loft that’s shown good form over the last weeks and they get another for 11th fed. 3rd and 4th club, 4th/5th fed is David Gore, David is the most consistent loft in the fed in the West Section, being top old bird flyer in the section of the fed in 2006/2007, this week David also gets another at 8th fed. It should be a Good fight between Richard and David to see takes the award in 2008.
Breaking the Kenfig Hill monopoly is Port Talbot’s M/M Diamond, they take 1st club, 7th fed, clear of Roy Edwards who takes 2nd club 17th fed, just edging D.Evans &son into 3rd club 18th fed and M/M Hookings completing the club result when taking 26th fed and Steve Jones and Joe Obryan clock one of their M&D Evans Vandenabeeles for 30th fed.
Left to Right – Martin Jarman 2nd fed Swindon with Ken Moon
Back again to Kenfig Hill for 10th fed this goes to W.Jones, closely followed by Ian Bousie who takes 15th fed and Hurley son Say who comes in for 19th and Fed Convoyer’s Payne Parry and Davies almost complete the Kenfig Hill monopoly at 23rd fed with M/M Portsmouth finally finishing off at 13th and 28th fed.Akers, Amesbury and Humphries take the first 2 at Tonyrefail, 12th and 14th fed, with the previous week's National winner Adrian Ware down to 3rd club 20th fed, who pip the National Secretary Graham Thomas 4th club 21st fed. Hugh Jones completes the Tonyrefail result and slots into 25th fed. Up to the top of the Rhondda next and to Treherbert where Mike Davies clocks a cracker on this wind, this pigeon was probably travelling with the first 2 in the fed over the first part of the race, before breaking on his own line for the top of the Valley. Bob Garn down in Bridgend but flying up in Treherbert take 2nd,3rd and 4th club, first one is 29th fed. Back over the mountain to Nantymoel and 14 year old Josh David clocks the winner here and manages 22nd fed. Penygraig Next and Brett Jones takes his 3rd win of the season here, he clocks the same pigeon that was second club Ramsgate and 6th Welsh South East National. Brett was Saying that these pigeons that are coming well, come down from Pigeons Bought from Taverner and Seal when they finished a few seasons back. Taking second Club, 10th section in the Fed are Dunn Son Seal, who clock a 2year old Wilde x Pauwels cock that has minor positions previous. Brian and Mike Gill are in for 3rd club with their naturals, Brian saying he’s stopped training and they are coming better, these 2 were also well up in the Ramsgate National the week previous.
Tonypandy next, Gerald Honeyfield wins this one, with I think a Brasspenning, 2nd club is Brian Fitzgerald with one of his roundabout Janssen hens. Roy Street and Les Hughes take the next 3 position when clocking 3 widowhood cocks in four seconds. From Here we go to Cambrian and Billy Moon says that Keith Griffiths wins with Norman Lawrence 2nd and Tony Southwood keeping his good run going in 3rd club.Up at Trebanog, Glyn Sibley wins from Bernard Lawrence, keeping his ever present run when taking 2nd/3rd club. Up at Maerdy its Davies and Evans taking the red card for the second week on the trot with Rogers and James 2nd club and Don Chaffe taking 3rd. Final result is from the shorter flyers in Newport, where Tony Gibbons takes 1st from Bob Saddler clocking 2 quick ones for 2nd/3rd club and Glyn Hazelwood completing the result in 4th. Final Result is the Rhondda Valley 2-bird result from Ramsgate, there is a number of new members for 2008 and one of these Penygraig’s Kevin Andrews takes the red card , closely followed by Cwmparc’s Butler Bros with secretary Chris Jones in for 3rd and 4th club. Membership is still open for Young birds, with good money being paid out and some cracking trophies up for grabs, its well worth Joining this really good club.
LILLERS
First Channel race of the season was from Lillers in North East France, with 2000 birds included in the Welsh Combines 8000 pigeons, the birds were released at 10:00am after waiting for the mist to clear on the Channel, they were liberated into a variable wind and made good time with the leading birds arriving into the middle of the fed just before the 6 hour mark for the 270 miles. Leading the fed result is Newports T.Gibbons, he’s been flying well, clocking early in the last National from Ramsgate, you can add winning the last 4 weeks in the Newport club, so form was certainly with him, this yearling takes top honours doing 1347. Glyn Hazelwood is runner up at Newport again and slots in at 8th fed with The Gibbons second pigeon taking 3rd club 12th fed.
Tony Southwood up at Cambrian gets the best pigeon into the Rhondda Valley, clocking 8 minutes in front of the next bird that arrived into the Valley, he takes 2nd federation. Tony’s been flying well all year taking many positions in this competitive club with his widowhood team.
Phillip Sheldon – 1st Abercwmboi Lillers – 5th fed
3rd fed goes to the best pigeon in the Cynon Valley, Newtown’s Gavin Keeping, Gavin clocks another yearling, showing how well this one travelled M/M Winder are second club 11th fed 5 minutes behind Gavin. Staying up the Cynon Valley, Abercwmboi’s Phillip Sheldon wins this club Just Edging Bryn Holmes into 2nd club, fed positions of 5th/6th.Phillip’s Father Ray keeps it in the family when taking 3rd club 9th fed .
From the Cynon Valley we go over the top of the mountains To Glyncorrwg, here young Corey Lewis gets a cracker to take 1st west Section in the Fed and 1st club plus 7th fed another excellent performance by this youngster. The Lewis Bros keep their run going when taking 2nd club 10th West Section.
Corey Lewis 1st club, 1st West Section, 7th Rhondda Valley Fed Lillers
After winning from Newbury the week previous Mike Davies gets another good one when winning Treherbert, Mike is flying well this year, been on many of the fed results. This week he takes 10th fed. Stanton Bros&Evans clock 2 quick ones for 2nd/4th club and Wayne Howard slots one in for 3rd cub at Treherbert. Over to the Rhondda Fach and the strong Maerdy club, Morris Pugh and Whitcombe take another red card, taking 13th fed, with a second bird taking 3rd club 22nd fed and Owen & Evans are 2nd club 20th fed. At Cwmparc it’s the Butler Bros who take 1st club, edging Thomas son Stevens into 2nd, these had a problem with their EtS system that cost them the race. Fred Tucker and son are 3rd club. Working Down The Valley at Tonypandy its Dunn son Seal who take 1st club 25th fed with a yearling M&D Evans Vandenabeele from Obryan & Jones stock crossed with another from Roger and Mark Duffield of Nottingham.2nd club are Watkins Son Cockroft, with a 3yr old cock that was 2nd fed Epsom as a young bird, its mother has topped the fed and half sister was 1st National Brussels, obviously bred for the job. 3rd club was Leighton and Lorna Isles who clock a Dordin roundabout cock.Dunn son Seal are back in for 4th club with the same yearling Vandenabeele hen that was 2nd National from Maidstone earlier in the season, Completing the result is Keith ‘Buffer’ Thomas with a roundabout hen.
From here we travel the short Distance to Penygraig, where Williams Jones and Davies notch up their 2nd x 1st of the season, 17th fed. This yearling hen was sitting over due and bred from pigeons obtained from Street/Hughes-Sterio bros and A&K Davies.2nd club 25th fed are Dunn son Seal, 3rd club are the Gill bros with one of their Houben Naturals and A&K Davies complete the result in 4th with one of their widowhood cocks, this one also wins the Ynshir club.Over to Nantymoel next and John Courts start the Channel season in the same manner as he went on in 2007, this week he is 1st/.2nd club, first one is 4th fed and the 2nd 21st fed. Denny Phillips wants to keep his hands on the Fed Channel averages and makes a solid start 3rd club 27th fed.Back to the Cynon Valley and The Aberdare club, where John Williams wins with a roundabout hen,14th fed, John Adams is 2nd/3rd club for the second week on the trot, his first was a Mel Green widowhood cock, 18th/26th fed. 4th club are Wilkins and Phillips. From Here Jeff Owens wins again at Pontypridd and comes in for 23 rd with the Tredegar club coming in at 15th fed when Mounteney and Howells take the red card.Up at Trebanog, see’s Brian Samuel win, a good tonic after being laid up in Hospital, M/M Phillip Cowell are 2nd club, these are officially tying the Knot 14th June, congratulations from all at Trebanog club, Glyn Sibley takes 3rd and Bernard Lawrence is 4th club.
That completes the news for these 2 races. If you have any information then you contact me on my Mobile, 07920 101980, home number 01443 440953 or E-MAIL me -
