WELSH SOUTH ROAD NATIONAL
by Gareth Watkins
EASTBOURNE YOUNG BIRDNATIONAL
Mark Sparey of Abertillery records a hat-trick
The 2011 young bird season here in Wales has been dogged by constant bad weather and as a result only some nifty footwork by the race controllers and convoyers of the various Welsh Feds has enabled the membership to enjoy any sort of a race programme. Thus it was that the first young bird National of the Welsh SRNFC had to be postponed for a week as a result of atrocious weather conditions on the appointed weekend. The weather for the weekend of the 17th September was also forecast as very poor and so the National birds were basketted on Wednesday 14th September to take advantage of a window of good weather that offered itself for Thursday 15th.
The convoy of 1,239 birds was released at 8.45 am at Eastbourne to enjoy a sunlit 170 mile journey home to South Wales in light and variable winds with the possibility of a slight easterly influence at points along the route. The race turned out to be an absolute cracker with the birds literally tumbling in to their home lofts recording velocities of 1500 ypm.
No fancier had them tumbling in any faster than “the man of the moment” Mark Sparey of Abertillery who clocked three birds in a matter of seconds to take 1st, 2nd & 3rd East section and 1st, 2nd & 3rd Open National. This latest National win follows on from Mark’s terrific old bird National campaign when he clocked birds to win top National prizes in every National race including 5th National Tarbes at 606 miles and 1st & 3rd National Bergerac at 501 miles.
National winner Mark Sparey pictured in his young bird section.
Two of the three birds clocked in the Eastbourne race contain in their breeding a strong influence of the birds of the triple International winner Mark Gilbert. However the first bird over the sensor pad proved to be a chequer hen bred from “The £30 cock” bought by Mark Sparey at Peter Owtrim’s bereavement sale. This cock is fast becoming one of the cornerstones of the Sparey loft as he has already bred a number of pigeons to win at Fed and National level including 16th National Saintes and 3rd National Bergerac to name just two. The dam of the Eastbourne National winner was bred by near neighbours, the Edwards Brothers and is bred directly from their Nantes National winner.
Second over the sensor pad was a chequer w/f hen bred from a son of Mark Gilbert’s “Magnus Cock” when he was mated to a double grand daughter of Deweerdt’s Bordeaux International winner “Emiel”. The w/f hen’s dam contains the best of Brian Denney’s 700 mile strain.
Third bird clocked was bred from a daughter of Mark Gilbert’s “Son of Ted cock” when mated to a blue cock line bred to Mark Gilbert’s Dax International winner “Southfield Supreme”. All three young birds were raced on the darkness system and fed on Versele Laga Superstar Plus. They had competed in just a few races prior to Eastbourne and exercised for 1hour twice per day in the early part of the season. However in the two weeks leading up to Eastbourne this home exercise had to be reduced to one hour once per day as it was too dark to exercise the team early in the morning when Mark had to leave for work. It certainly didn’t do them any harm.
Taking 4th section 4th Open National was the partnership of Mr & Mrs Durham & son. Adrian, wife Karen and son Jack clocked just seconds after the Sparey trio as the four birds came up the valley together. Their chequer hen was yet another darkness young bird and was sent just starting to take an interest in one of her loft mates. She contains all the lofts’ best bloodlines going back to their good Bonn Cock and their top stock pair which is responsible for more than 20 x 1sts. Adrian asked me to thank his good friends Smith & Baker from Swindon for providing him with some outstanding pigeons and also sends his thanks to the marking station officials for all their hard work.
Adrian and son Jack Durham with their 4th Open winner.
Adrian and Jack's 4th Open winner.
Next we have yet another of Wales’ top partnerships, none other than John and Pat Webber of Six Bells, just a couple of miles down the valley from the Sparey and Durham lofts. The Webbers have amassed EIGHT 1sts in National races over the past ten or so years and their timer in the Eastbourne race taking 5th section 5th National proved to be a blue pied Lambrecht hen raced once again on the darkness system and bred by Mick Simpson of Tadcaster in Yorkshire and gifted to John and wife Pat. She had been entered in all the preceding in land races on the programme before basketting for the Eastbourne National.
Mr & Mrs Bromley of Pontypool come in for 6th section 7th Open National timing a g. grandson of the famous “Nearly Cock” of Scammell & Peploe. This darkness blue cock had raced through the card prior to Eastbourne and was sent feeding a two day old youngster.
The partnership of Morris & Pugh of Maerdy in the Rhondda have enjoyed yet another successful season’s racing having won the Carentan Old Bird National along with scores of prizes at club and Fed level racing to their lofts at the very top end of the Rhondda Fach Valley. Their first bird from Eastbourne proved good enough for 1st Centre Section and 6th Open National on this occasion.The first bird recorded is a Blue Cock bred from a pair of Flor Engels. He had not shown anything to date but this family of birds like a tail wind and these have been in short supply with mostly head winds all year on the South East route. The pair he is bred from has bred a number of good pigeons for the partners and others across the country. Last year a brother topped the Fed from Guildford and a sister was 6th National Vire on the South. His sister bred the section B winner for J Attrill in the National Flying club from Fougeres a couple of weeks ago. Robert and father Dave clocked 2 Chequer Hens just behind their first timer which will be possibly 2nd and 3rd section. They are both Grand Daughters of the partners’ champion racer "Licenced to Thrill". The one hen is out of a son when paired to a Dtr of Schumacker who topped the combine for the late Gwyn Collins from Ramsgate. The other one is out of a different son of "Licenced to Thrill" when paired to a Dtr of H Beverdam’s "Jackpot.
Robert & father David Pugh - 1st centre section Eastbourne.
Close behind and provisionally 2nd Centre section 8th Open is one to the Nantyglo lofts of Gareth and Stuart Treharne. The Treharnes had eight birds circling the lofts together and Gareth thought that they must be the back markers in the Salisbury race flown earlier in the day. Little did he realise that they were all entries in the Eastbourne National and when Gareth eventually got them to drop the eight were recorded within seconds of each other and all eight should take National prizes. The first bird recorded was a darkness blue cock containing the best of the Louella Jan Aardens on the dam’s side and Lefebre Dhaenen x Jan Aarden on the sire’s side going back to the partners’ Falaise Amalgamation winner.
Third Centre section and provisionally 8th Open is one to the Tredegar lofts of Williams Brothers and Son. This partnership has previously won 1st Thurso National in 1977 and also won 1st National Eastbourne in 2006 and 1st National Folkestone in 2010. Their timer here is a chequer pied hen flown on the darkness system and sent to Eastbourne feeding a 13 day old young bird. She had previously won 57th National in a hard Maidstone race a couple of weeks earlier. The bloodlines contain the very best of Burgham Brothers National Man breeding crossed with pigeons obtained from Boscheind Flyers in Holland. When sent to Eastbourne she was ¾ up on her first flight.
Williams Bros & Son's chequer pied hen.
The partnership of B. Williams & son from Ystradgynlais in the Swansea valley come in for 1st West Section. I’ll let Anthony Williams outline the details of their section winner:- “Gareth, here are the details for our 1st west section winner. She is a van Bruaene x Silver Toye x Van Reet and has been our best young bird in 2011 winning 4 x 1st clubs - 2nd fed 2,500 birds, 7th fed 2,900 birds and 17th fed 820 birds on the east route and 3rd club and 3rd section Fed 1,302 birds on the south. She is down from our new distance van Bruaene cock when paired to our old Silver Toye hen crossed into our old mealy pied Van Reet blood. She was sent sitting 10 days and on return went straight on the nest and ignored the food and water. She is fed on Beyers feeds with our own seed mix fed in the mornings. The birds have not been road trained for the last 5 weeks due to falcon attacks - just flown twice a day around the loft. She is a darkness young bird and her next race will be Carentan.”
B Williams & son - 1st west section.
Blue hen - winner of 1st west section for B Williams & Son.
The partnership of Williams & Wellington come in for 2nd West Section timing a pencil blue hen of Louella Lefebre Dhaenen x Vandenabeele bloodlines. The blue hen was raced on the darkness system and not only won 2nd section in the National from Eastbourne but also won 1st prize in a gold ring scheme picking up a tidy £800 plus 1st 2 Bird club. Her grand sire was a great racer for the partners winning 16 individual 1st prizes plus 6 x 1st Fed and 5 x 1st Amalgamation in races from 60 miles to 500 miles when racing on the North road into west Wales.
Williams & Wellington, who took 2nd west section.
Next we have the Swansea partnership of A & I Mc Fenton who take 3rd west section. Andrew Mc Fenton writes with the following information:- “With regards to my pigeon that was 3rd West Section Eastbourne National, the breeding is the best of Phil and Neil Bates of North Wales. The sire is a full brother to their Ramsgate National winner which is the best of Syndicate Lofts bred from The Drum and Hannibal bloodlines. The dam, herself a winner of 1st North Section Welsh South East National Flying Club, was also bred by Phil and Neil Bates from Zoon Figo, Syndicate Lofts. This blue cock was sent sitting 10 days and has been a very consistent pigeon for me this year”.
Well that wraps up the report on the penultimate National race of the 2011 WSRNFC race programme. I should make it clear that all positions quoted are provisional and are based on first bird phone verification times. Positions may change subsequently.
Finally I would like to draw members’ attention to the fact that the National’s prize presentation and gala evening will take place at the Grove Golf Club Porthcawl on Saturday 19th November 2011 and triple International winner and all round nice guy Mark Gilbert will be guest of honour. So if you want to come along and take the opportunity to have a chat with one of the most successful fanciers in Europe book your tickets now with the secretary Charlie Silver.
