National Flying Club Results & Information Database

2005 Review (1)

Well it’s been an up-and-down kind of season hasn’t it? 1) Nantes, for years the traditional opening OB race, being replaced by St Nazaire. 2) The convoy harassed off the Pau site by Gypsies with a good race from Tarbes ensuing. 3) Another good Dax result in spite of the less favourable conditions. 4) Horrendous weather delaying the liberation from Saintes and then an 11th hour move to Messac. 5) A fairly hard YB National from Fougeres.

The nature of sport and competition generally is that it produces winners and losers in unequal proportions. Once again I find myself comfortably positioned in the losers’ camp … the less said the better perhaps in spite of a PB from Messac.

Firstly a provisional indication of the frontrunners for the Langstone Gold Cup averages Trophy which comprise the results from St Nazaire, Tarbes, and Fougeres YB:-

Pos    Code  Name  Town  Av. Velocity

1        G064K  C Gordon  Pontefract  1335.118

2        H727E  J F Haynes  Maidenhead  1269.232

3        I022E  G Inkley  Uxbridge  1263.529

4        D004G  S L Dangerfield  Stonehouse  1254.835

5        W395B  Wearn Bros 1  Ramsdean  1245.977

6        S161A  A E Shepherd  Emsworth  1241.018

7        C227G  T & M Carpenter  Bristol  1227.592

8        C433E  Mr & Mrs E Corkett & Sons  Leighton Buzzard  1225.580

9        I361L  D Impett  Blackpool  1224.092

10      S052A  J Shepherd  Chichester  1220.604

11      L024I  C Leadbeater & Sons  Rugeley  1205.180

12      A156B  Mr P Ayling  Gosport  1189.964

13      T232A  M Tuck  Godalming  1178.188

14      S577I  Mr & Mrs R Stretton & Dtr  Rugeley  1162.291

15      W655J  Mr L Wood  Ledbury  1161.323

16      D088B  A & T Deacon  Waterlooville  1152.389

17      N007G  C M Nelmes  Bristol  1151.294

18      H720F  Dave Hawthorne  Tadley  1147.965

19      S410A  L Severe  Chichester  1146.674

20      C645B  Mr & Mrs L Cross Gosport  1142.241

21      C364E  T Coltman  Ruislip  1134.095

22      F001I  E W Froggatt  Rugeley  1133.210

23      M626A  D & D McFadden  Cranleigh  1131.338

24      B885B  Bartlett & Jones  Southampton  1116.373

25      F200E  Ron Fullbrook  Luton  1112.805

26      R052G  J Raeburn  Melksham  1109.288

27      H410G  C Howse  Devizes  1107.460

28      M414E  A G Muir  Dorking  1106.030

29      H550B  A Holdaway  Portsmouth  1105.625

30      G206J  Mr & Mrs J Gauden  Bridgnorth  1102.352

31      B335B  Mr & Mrs Bunney  Portsmouth  1100.829

32      W195E  J & R Wills & Family  Camberley  1093.417

33      C523B  Cottrell, Richmond & Son  Wimborne  1089.694

34      B116B  T & J Bernard  Portsmouth  1087.989

35      C644F  B & L Clark  Thatcham  1080.930

36      P258G  Padfield Family  Cwmtillery  1075.758

37      W295I  S J Wain & Son    Foston  1072.164

38      D316I  B J Deacon  Daventry  1070.784

39      P049A  J W Puddephatt  Ferring  1069.264

40      N125E  J Nicholson & Sons  Rochester  1068.192

PLEASE NOTE this is not an OFFICIAL result, not least because the YB result may yet be subject to appeal, so please don’t hang your hat on this listing … but congratulations to all the above for producing some absolutely cracking performances throughout 2005.

The Oliver Dix Trophy is another important averages trophy. Essentially it’s the Langstone Gold Cup minus the YB race … and here’s the provisional top 40:-

1        G064K  C Gordon  Pontefract  1368.085

2        B280E  Burgin & Marshall  Hemel Hempstead  1304.624

3        B869F  Biss & Waite  Whitchurch  1290.576

4        W395B  Wearn Bros 1  Ramsdean  1285.877

5        S161A  A E Shepherd  Emsworth  1285.724

6        H727E  J F Haynes  Maidenhead  1284.392

7        I022E  G Inkley  Uxbridge  1279.919

8        H523J  H P Hamplett  Stafford  1266.265

9        C433E  Mr & Mrs E Corkett & Sons  Leighton Buzzard  1257.664

10      L030J  Mr & Mrs W Lewis  Worcester  1257.211

11      I361L  D Impett  Blackpool  1245.847

12      S052A  J Shepherd  Chichester  1243.200

13      F015F  Mr & Mrs G E Fry     Didcot  1241.706

14      H720F  Dave Hawthorne  Tadley  1233.485

15      A156B  Mr P Ayling  Gosport  1231.940

16      B096G  F Bloor & Son  Charlton Mackrell  1231.537

17      D004G  S L Dangerfield  Stonehouse  1230.042

18      G272I  J H Goddard  Loughborough  1221.567

19      H274E  Mr & Mrs K Hine   Hayes  1220.305

20      A212G  A Avis & Sons  Bath 1218.199

21      H321L  R Harding  Tarporley  1217.322

22      L149A  Mr T Leggatt  Havant  1217.111

23      C622J  R & C Chambers  Cannock  1213.259

24      S410A  L Severe  Chichester  1213.040

25      P363J  B & S Price  Hereford  1208.336

26      H275E  Mr & Mrs K P Hitchcock & Sons   Windsor  1207.760

27      T232A  M Tuck  Godalming  1207.104

28      M391E  Mr & Mrs J F Mauger  Aylesbury  1207.091

29      C227G  T & M Carpenter  Bristol  1206.735

30      H503H  R T Howey  Northampton  1202.268

31      B127I  K Bush  Cossall  1200.516

32      C364E  T Coltman  Ruislip  1193.434

33      S273F  Mr & Mrs E Stovin Didcot  1191.780

34      M115G  B J Millard  Bristol  1183.960

35      H048J  A Hofton & Son  Gloucester  1181.737

36      W195E  J & R Wills & Family  Camberley  1179.714

37      L024I  C Leadbeater & Sons  Rugeley  1179.304

38      L150G  H Ledbury  Trowbridge  1179.020

39      G165F  M Gaiter  Reading  1177.623

40      W312J  S Woodfield & Son    Ludlow  1174.053

Now onto TWO Certificate of Merit winners. This is a fiendishly hard award to win as you have to have a pigeon score in the Top 100 of the Open result of the longest old bird race on THREE occasions. To have two in the same season is quite remarkable!

Firstly J. Nicholson & Son's with a '98 pigeon which added 92nd Open 24th Section E Tarbes to its previous positions of 54th Open 13th Section E Pau 2000 and 16th Open 7th Section E Pau 1998. Secondly but with equal merit is P J Newton also with a '98 pigeon which this year was 93rd Open 9th Section G Tarbes having previously achieved 53rd Open 7th Section G Pau 2004 and 61st Open 17th Section G Pau 2000.

Several other pigeons had a top 100 Tarbes position this year to add to one previous top 100 position from longest old bird race thereby creating an opportunity of winning a certificate of merit in 2006 … B&S Price, M Tuck, Biss & Waite, G Inkley, M Gaiter, K Bush, and Mr & Mrs R Stretton & Dtr. Congratulations to all the above fanciers for proving that excellence can be produced more than once from the same pigeon from 500+ miles.

Winning 1st Open is the dream for us all, but let’s not forget the importance of Sections for if you can’t win the Open the next best is to win your Section. This year EIGHT members won their section more than once …

All the above, in winning their section twice, have proved the quality of their pigeons and loft management. To set this year’s winners in historical context here’s a list of those who have achieved 2+ Section wins in seasons 1998 – 2004 …

The outlook for the 2006 generally looks a little uncertain.

• With Catteralls no longer transporting pigeons the NFC have got to bite the bullet and invest in two or three new transporters and of course financing this project will not be easy. The NFC have been pretty coy about their plans thus far but I know Brian Stansfield has been working hard on the design and procurement project so hopefully white smoke will emerge shortly.
• The Press Officer’s seat has once again proved too hot to sit in comfortably and we lost our latest PO before the YB race. Elimar Pigeon Services then stepped into the breach and did a great job covering the YB National but whether they’ll continue into 2006 is not yet known. I suspect that funding has always been an issue and the NFC has really got to bite the bullet? If they want a 1st Class publicity job done then they have to realise this comes at a cost. Surely to goodness we can find, say, 10p for every pigeon entered to fund a Press Officer?
• Pau, at least for the moment, has bitten the dust and Tarbes has been put into the 2006 race program. Traditionalists will perhaps shed a tear but we have to move with the times and general intelligence. Early morning liberations seem hard to get at Pau and we certainly cannot tolerate the kind of danger encountered by Colin Bates at Pau this year when Gypsies allegedly tried to open the panniers to release our pigeons for target rifle practice!
• St Malo has been introduced as an additional race for 2006. Personally, and this may be considered to be a Southern Softie’s view, I cannot see the merit in adding a race where the short flyers have as little as 150 miles to fly. The date chosen also clashes with the British Barcelona Club’s 1st OB race so these two Clubs will be fighting each other for entries and this can’t be good news for either Club.

However let’s end this report on a few positive topics …

• Colin Bates sure earned his spurs this year and if we had a Man-of-the-Year award he’d surely make the shortlist? Not just for his bravery and quick-thinking at Pau when faced with danger, but also for sticking diligently to his job of keeping our pigeons in tiptop condition at Saintes for a whole week before having his legs cut from under him at the 11th hour by 3rd party intervention forcing him to bring the convoy back to Messac.
• Others for that shortlist would be Chris Gordon who proved that you can win the Grand National way up country, and D Bullen & Son for a quite extraordinary performance in the Dax International finishing a country mile ahead in the UK result and finding only four better on the Continent. I still don’t think either of these two fanciers, nor their pigeons, have got nearly the amount of praise they deserve. They have raised the bar in NFC distance racing following on from the performances of Brian Sheppard, Crowley & Green, Mark Gilbert, and Geoff Cooper in previous years’ Dax Internationals.

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Paul O’Leary
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