CHESHIRE CHATTER

with Caroline & Carl Turner

This weekend was the hottest weekend of the year so far for the birds and didn’t they know it when they hit that drinker! We had an abundance of stray birds trying to get a drink from our pond near to the house and strangely one of our yearlings that dropped with another stray actually followed it to the pool then struck off with it and returned to the loft some 5 hours later. My birds have never been near the pond before as it is actually quite a distance from the racing lofts but it just shows what the hot conditions can make them do, fries their brain or something. Mind you I for one am not complaining about the sun, the more the merrier because you don’t seem to get the strong tail winds that we have been suffering on race days recently, I bet there are a few fresh faces at the top of the results now that the races are a little more testing. You will find that the fitter birds will start to show their strengths now that they have got to fly the races themselves with no help from the tail winds. Before anyone starts to moan, the tail wind races have still got to be won so well done to the fanciers that do win them.

Taylor’s Choice Cheshire FC races are a better test and are fast approaching and yet again there are a few rumours floating about that need to be ironed out. Firstly the first race is Tuesday May 20th and is from Newton Abbot despite any rumours you might have heard, with the marking being on Monday 19th May from 6pm to 8pm. Please make sure you entries are on official Taylor’s Choice race sheets of which everyone has had copies within their race pack. Also please remember to WING STAMP all entries as per RPRA rules! Please also check that your clock seals are RPRA approved (not basket seals) and that the seal numbers correspond with the number written on paper enclosed within your clock or on the back of your clock test certificate which should accompany your clock. The club’s officials have been instructed to refuse all birds or clocks that do not comply with these RPRA rules, so you have been warned, again!

RESULTS 2008

Starting this week with the Winsford HS results for their Cheltenham race when 173 birds were liberated into a strong south wind. SWC Fed secretaries M/M A Austin claim 1st and 3rd with two 2yo FVW w/hood cocks. Their first bird has prized previously with their second timer being from their good race cock who is a previous RPRA award winner, vels 1916 and 1871. Ron Simpson takes second place with a 4yo Van den Berg Janssen w/h cock doing 1883 ypm. Jones Bros add 4th to their prize list with a 6yo cheq pied hen from F & A Tasker lines sitting 14 day eggs and already a winner of 6 x 1sts club. On the same weekend the Wettenhall 10 Bird were at Swainswick when Jones Bros clocked a few good ones out of the 119 birds to claim 1st, 3rd and 4th doing 1948/1924 and 1915 ypm. All their timers were yearlings sitting eggs and were from their Andre Clemens family with the first being a g/son of one of Andre’s champion racers. Splitting these birds was G A Jones who clocks to record 1927 ypm with a yearling Janssen hen sent on 5 day old eggs and which prized as a y/b. Hankelow FC’s 11 members sent 220 birds to Swainswick II with this weeks winner Graham Davies clocking to claim the Feds top prize doing 1828 ypm with a 2yo blue Frank Aarts Janssen w/h cock. The sire was given to Graham by Crewe’s M/M Jimmy Bennett and has also bred a winner from Messac in 2005 with the Crewe West End FC. “If you’ve got any more of them you want to give away Jim you know where I am!” M’M Chris Platt claim 2nd and 3rd with first a 2yo cheq Janssen w/h cock bred from Joe Glover’s broken leg cock via James Bond lines. Following this one into the clock was another 2 yo cheq Janssen w/h cock bred by F A Speed, Betley Show fame, vels 1798/1792 ypm. Geoff Matthews takes 4th doing 1788 with a yearling cheq hen from his Dordin lines flying the roundabout method Brian Peake and Geoff share the club’s Nom this week.

Crewe Premier IFC’s winners were Peever & Parkinson who clocked a yearling Janssen Van Den Bosche w/h cock recording 1735 ypm, which also took the Nom and Pontoon of £18.

Manley & Lloyd clock to take 2nd place with a 4yo dark FVW cock via ‘Minute Man’ lines doing 1714 closely followed by Mellor Bros who clock a 2yo blue Huybregt hen on roundabout, which took a red card as a yearling. Gordon Goodwin is placed 4th this week doing 1701 with a yearling blue hen which had just starting showing to her cock again after leaving her pot eggs. This hen was bred by Peever & Parkinson and was bought by Gordon from the 2007 SWC Fed sale and subsequently won Gordon 6th place in the Fed race itself, so Gordon has added a thank you to both John and Steve.

Andy Noon sent over the Kingsway H.S result from Mangotsfield when 13 members sent 121 birds, 9 birds short of the maximum 130 for our 10 bird club they were released at 10-45am in a south east wind another quickie was anticipated at the waiting lofts. When clocks were finally in and recorded the winners of the club totally annihilated the opposition when for the first time this season arguably the best fancier in Woolston sent his widower cocks and just got pipped for first place. So in 1st club a Soontjen x Janssen dropped to the loft of the Woolston ace Capt W (Bertie Bassett) Mather doing a vel of 1929 the Soontjen coming from J.S Lofts and the Janssen from Ponderosa this being a Gdtr of Big Boy this 2yo widower was Billy’s first bird from both Fourgeres and Messac last year. In his first race of the year J Higham timed in a 3yo blue SVR cock from his Mardon line of Van Reets the sire being a brother to his good cock, Blue 15, winner of many prizes paired onto his Under the box hen this hen bred by Andy Noon and Geoff Callan off their Wobbly cock (deceased), well done Jeff good of your cock to bring Billy’s bird home we saw hit hanging on to your cocks tail feathers as they flew over our loft. In 3rd place doing a measly 1776 a good 10 mins after the battle of Woolston was already decided Andy Noon and Geoff Callan timed in their 2yo mealy SVR Show off cock who once again showed how happy he was to be home. In 4th is the Legend that is John Hill who clocked his Dark 39 widower cock bred by W Mather this cock has been in the clock every week now John as already been quoted as saying this cock has plenty of more wins left in him this season and who could argue with him as it has already amassed this year a 2nd and 2 x 4ths in the Kingsway well done John and also with your victory at the distance the same day.

Mid-Cheshire Fed had the furthest fliers dominating the result again from the Mangotsfield race when 185 members sent 1737 birds let out in a strong east south east wind. Royal Wires red card winner G W Davies claims top spot doing 1914 ypm some 97 ypm better than the 2nd bird, which belonged to M/M Fletcher from the Acton Bridge club who were also 3rd, vels 1817/1799 ypm. Brooker & Barlow, also with Acton Bridge, claim 4th doing 1798. Last weeks fed winners R & B Smith take 5th and 6th from the Earlstown club doing 1796 and 1783 ypm followed by club members Flint & Hodkinson who record 1782 ypm to take 7th fed. R. Spruce claims 8th spot after winning over at Moulton doing 1779 ypm. Earlestown’s W & M Brown take 9th doing 1778 leaving 10th place for S Moseley who wins the Weaverham club with a final velocity of 1775 ypm.

South West Cheshire Feds top ten this week are headed by O’Hare & Woodward with the Middlewich club doing 1955 ypm. Crewe West End’s in form loft of M/M Keith Lovatt claim 2nd, vel 1951 followed by Wettenhall’s winners Jones Bros doing 1948. M & W Mellor clock to record 1947 with the Crewe West End to take 4th fed pushed close by club mate Bob Humphries doing 1946 to take 5th. Shavington’s M/M Terry Williams claim 6th fed doing 1945.3, M/M D Healey record 1945 ypm to take 7th with Wrenbury’s Mark Griffin claiming 8th with a vel of 1943 ypm. 9th fed goes to Mellor Bros who win the Greenbank club recording 1942 ypm leaving M & H Smith from Middlewich to claim 10th doing 1940 ypm.

Contact us at Fields Farm, Sydney Road, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1-5LT. Tel: - 07971 290720.  Fax:-01270 253181. Email: - carlt@hicksonturner.co.uk Guard dogs patrol and they DO bite!