RHONDDA VALLEY FED
Reports by Martin Dunn
SWINDON & NEWBURY
First off, apologies for the lateness of the first reports, things have changed a little this year. Some of you may know that Tony Seal has left the partnership this season, so I have less time to write these notes due to having to do a bit more with the birds before I wear my father out.
Another reason is the introduction of ETS, our club went for the Unikon Version and I have spent most of the winter setting it up for our members and then constantly updating it. I will say how helpful the South Wales representative Geoff Blackhall has been, I have been thinking of putting his number on Friends and Family, my dealings with Geoff have always been first class, although I will say that Ray Knight and the crew at head office do leave a lot to be desired. It took 3 weeks and Geoff’s intervention to obtain a Unives lead so that I could use the Unikon in my other club who are using Bricon, but that’s another story.
Anyway that’s enough of my whinging and on the first race of the season from Swindon, the race was put back from Friday marking to Monday night marking with liberation on the Tuesday, a couple of moans about this, but after the kind of races that some Welsh Feds had who liberated on the Saturday ended up with, the decision was totally justified.
Race controller Chris Butler had the birds away at 13:20 after the mist had burned off into a South East wind. The 3774 pigeons made light work of the journey, with the first 3 birds being clocked into last seasons top club Penygraig Con, Arnold and Keith Davies led the way with a 3 year old widowhood cock, this cock is a cracker, he’s no won 1 x 1st fed and 3 x 3rd feds in his 4 first clubs, his velocity was a pretty quick 1649, just edging Penygraig’s Martin Jarman, Martin is only flying a small team of widowhood cocks, this week he clocks a Van den Beele x Busshaert, Bloodlines from Gareth Watkins. Martin also takes 4th club 24th fed with a 2yr old cock, good flying considering he’s only got a dozen to fly. Coming in for 3rd club and fed are the Gill Bros, who clock their Herbot Bros crosses, flown on natural, another good start for Brian and Mike. Completing the Penygraig result are Dunn son Seal, for 5th club 25th fed, with their good Sootjens x Busshaert cock picking up his 6th fed position.
Arnold Davies – 1st fed Swindon 2008
Next in are Mal and Darron Woodland from Tonyrefail, these 2 had a cracker of an old bird season in 2007 and again start off in the right way in 2008, they had 6 together, to clean up at Tonyrefail and Fed positions of 4,5,8,9,10,and 11th, brilliant performance from nearly 4000 pigeons. The winner was a Luc Van Hoeke cock that has won a few positions in 2007.
Street and Hughes, Roy and Les carry on from 2008, winning both Tonypandy and Cwmparc clubs, in Tonypandy they take 1st and 3rd club, the winner is a yearling Jan Arden cock widowhood cock, 6th fed, the pigeon taking 3rd club is a Buschaert x van loon that’s a half brother to a fed topper in 2007.2nd club in Tonypandy is Keith and Liam English, they clock a Yearling Widowhood cock from their old Alan Maull Janssen family, 15th fed.4th club was Layton Isles with a Grizzle Jos Thone and Jason Bright takes 5th club with a widowhood cock.
At Cwmparc, Roy and Les clock another yearling Jan Arden cock for 1st club, 7th fed, both pigeons were clocked on the same second with the Ets. They also take 3rd/5th club to complete a good days flying. Rhyddian Matthias was 2nd and 4th club at Cwmparc.
Next up is the winner up at Maerdy, Morris Pugh and Whitcombe are the winners here, good pigeon up here on the day, The 2 Maerdy clubs have joined together and with 20 members and nearly 500 birds going each week, to win in this club takes some doing.
White and son clock 3 crackers up at Glyncorrwg, you have to be flying well to get on the fed result in Glyncorrwg, it’s not an easy place to fly to tucked high up in the Western Valleys of South Wales, this week they take the 1st,3rd and 4th in the club, 14th, 19th and 26th fed, Lewis and Son are 2nd club 16th fed.
Staying at the top end of the fed, the Treherbert and Baglan clubs have combined together in 2008, a good decision considering they were only about half mile apart, anyway the winners this week is Mike.Davies, who edge Wayne Howard,son,gson into 2nd club and Lee Hughes and Harris taking 3rd club, fed positions of 17th,18th and 27th respectively.
Best pigeon in the Cynon Valley goes to Gavin Keepings of the Newtown Club, this one must have been on his own travelling up here, this yearling takes 20th fed. Adrian Ware is next, after the avalanche to the Woodlands at Tonyrefail , Adrian is left with 22nd and 23RD Fed, no mean achievement. Completing the result are the Gill Bros, who clock 3 more quick ones for 28th, 29th and 30th fed.
Around the clubs, and it’s nice to here from Glyn Hazelwood from The Newport Club, who says he’s going to send the results along this year, would be nice, I don’t know many in the Newport Area, it was a good start for Glyn he takes 1st and 3rd club in the opener, with T.Gibbons splitting him for 2nd club.Up at Trebanog, Brian Samuels takes the red card, just edging Preston Williams and Bernard Lawrence in for 3rd/4th. Billy Moon gives me the results for Cambrian, Tony Southwood is the winner here with a yearling widowhood cock, Les Vaughan is 2nd club, this one already has 4th fed to it’s credit, with Tony Southwood back in for 3rd and 4th Club.
Following week we were at Newbury, with conditions good at the race point and right the way through to the home end Chris Butler and the Parry Boys had the birds away nice and early at 07:05, the 4474 pigeons again had a nice ride home, winning velocities into the 1500’s and 100% returns.Although the wind was given as Southerly, the leading birds were at the bottom end of the Fed, with Kenfig Hill Leading the way.
Topping the fed this week is Richard stokes, Richard had a quiet season in 2007 by his standards but is back with a bang in 2008, this week he clocks a Yearling after 1 hour 59 minutes to just edge Payne Parry and Davies into second club 4th fed, less than 2 yds behind the winner. Dai Gore, top flyer in the west section 2006 and 2007 clocks 3 quick ones for 3.4.5th club, 5th, 9th 10th fed. Completing a good day for Kenfig Hill, Payne Parry and Davies get 4 more for 11.12.15 and 20th fed, another good performance.
Roy Street and Les Hughes 3x 1st club from the first 2 weeks racing – 2nd fed Newbury
Stopping the Kenfig Hill Monopoly, Roy Street and Les Hughes carry on from the week previous, this week they win Cwmparc and 2nd fed with a yearling Bob Lee Buschaert cock, their 2nd timer taking 3rd club. Rhydian Mathias again is on the ball 2nd/4th club at Cwmparc.
Watkins son Cockroft are in for 3rd fed, this Van Wanroy x Van Loon widowhood cock has already won 1st club 11th fed Newbury last season and his brother has topped the Welsh North Road fed for its breeder Phil Sendall of Cardiff. Taking 2nd at Tonypandy are the ever present Street and Hughes, here they clock a yearling Van den Bosch Natural cock feeding a big young bird.3rd and 4th club, is Gerald Honyfield, clocking a Janssen Van Loon, Bob Bolitho stock and a Haelterman, F.Tasker stock, both from Gareth Watkins.
Mal and Darron Woodland again take the clean sweep at Tonyrefail, this week they are 1.2.3. club 6.7.8. fed , the winner I believe is of Willy Thas bloodlines. Amesbury, Humphries and Akers take 4th and 5th club, 13.16th fed. Ken Evans also of Tonyrefail slots one in for 18th fed.
Next is the Penygraig winner, Brett Jones, bred is a new member for 2008 and takes his first red card in Penygraig, well done Brett 17th fed. Runner up are last weeks winner Arnold and Keith Davies, these clock a yearling widowhood cock for 2nd club 21st fed and Dunn Son Seal are in for 3rd club 23rd fed with a 2 yr old Round about Rietvink Janssen hen. Brian and Mike Gill clock 2 quick ones for 4th/5th club, 28th/30th fed.
G.Leach and son wins Tylorstown, 22nd fed, with Gareth Hughes 2nd club, Ronnie Slatter 3rd club and Gwyn Humphries 4th club. Alan Winder clocks the first bird into the Cynon Valley, winning at Newtown with a 2yr old, this one takes 24th fed, Denny Phillips wins at Nantynoel 25th fed. With a real close result at Port Talbot, M/M Hookings just edge Roy Edwards into 2nd club, these 2 were 26th and 27th fed.
Around the clubs, staring at Newport, Glyn Hazelwood send this weeks results, winner is T.Gibbons with M/M Paginton taking 2nd and 3rd club. At Cambrian Billy Moon lets me know that Les Vaughan takes the red card with a 3yr old cock, Billy Moon takes 2nd club with a yearling widowhood cock and Les Vaughan is back in with the same cock that was 2nd club the week previous. Tony Southwood is content with 4th club after winning the first week.
Up at Treherbert, Stanton Bros Evans wins with one from their Darkie Dimond bloodlines, and Lee Hughes and Harris are 2nd. Trebanog next and Bernard Lawrence wins this club, Chris Jones takes 2nd and 4th club with M/M Cowell in for 3rd club.Up at Maerdy, its Prowle and son with their Van Reets taking the red card, Silver Maybe and Lewis are 2ND and 3RD Club and Morris Pugh and Whitcombe 4th.
