EAST CLEVELAND FEDERATION

by Keith Simpson

Pole Position Fed Win For Bowden Bros & Weldon

John Weldon & Mick Bowden, Huntingdon Federation winners.

   Up North Combine race number four of the season saw the East Cleveland Federations 121 members entry of 2,998 birds liberated from Huntingdon on Saturday 25th April at 07.20hrs in a South West wind. The birds really got their heads down and hit the home trail, with a number of them over-shooting by some distance. It was unbelievable seeing so many birds coming back over, sometimes coming in batches of four, fives and sixes. Obviously some of the flocks were sky high, going over like dots.

   As always I’ll start at the top and you’ll get no closer to the top than the Skelton Green loft of Bowden Bros & Weldon for Mick, Boss & John for its congratulations to the lads after filling a couple of chambers to win 1st and 3rd Club, 1st and 11th Fed with recorded vels of 1963 and 1945. Pole position was won by a 2y blue Brian Long x Brian Atkinson & Keith Perkins Busschaert hen, this lines have crossed in well with a number of winners coming out of the bloodlines. The green card was awarded to a yearling blue De Klak x Van Loon hen, with the Van Loon side of the breeding producing top Pigeons over the years. Renty Shaw & Andy Wynn timed two birds to lift 2nd and 4th with the blue card going to a 2005-bred Herman x Busschaert hen doing 1946 to chalk up 9th Fed. The yellow card was awarded to a 3y Meuleman hen making 1938 to collect 17th Fed. Alan & David Wright timed a 1y blue cheq Busschaert hen to pot 5th while Bob Taylor nets 6th spot with a 3y blue pied Mardon Van Reet cock sent driving.

   Mr Coy Jones hit top spot at Lingdale from a thirteen members entry of 321 birds, with the red card being won by a yearling Staff Van Reet gift bird from Northampton. With a chart-topping vel of 1960 Coy’s winner went onto score a most impressive 2nd Fed and put the fear of God up the rest of his Clubmates. Graham Wattis, Son & Linda timed two birds to take 2nd and 3rd, the blue card scorer that was the first bird to be timed in the Fed was a 1y cheq Stanghow Stuka cock doing 1956 to pocket 4th Fed. The green card was chalked up by a yearling blue Smit Van Winckel cock bred by Paul Wells of Hartlepool fame, like the blue card potter the blue cock flew all races as a young bird. George Skidmore & g/sons Mick & Liam Jackson filled a couple of thimbles to lift 4th and 5th; both timers were waiting on the walkway when the partnership arrived at the loft. The yellow was netted by a blue cock bred out of the lads Great Ayton stock, and their second timer was a blue hen who is the previous scorer of two positions as a young bird and 5th Melton Mowbray as a yearling. Ian ‘Knocker’ Brown is in 6th after timing a yearling cheq pied hen that was flown down the young bird race programme and netted 4th Club Mansfield this season. The hen was sat in the loft when Knocker went out to the loft, it seems a few members got caught out from the Huntingdon race.

   Mr & Mrs Mike & Val Crooks record their first win of 2008 at Staithes with the red card being won by a yearling blue hen doing 1956 which was enough to score 3rd Fed. The chart-topping hen won 1st Club, 3rd Fed, Section and UNC young bird Maidstone Natioanl; her sire is a 2y son of Silver & Gold and the dam is from a very good racer & breeder for Mike & Val with her winning 4x1st Clubs etc and 1st Fed etc. Dean Ward enjoyed a good clocking day after filling three thimbles to lift 2nd, 4th and 5th with the blue card being chalked up by a yearling blue Van Loon roundabout hen bred by Marsay, Taylor & Robinson of Great Ayton to net 8th Fed on 1948. Second in the clock for Dean was a 2y cheq Wildemeersch roundabout hen bred by Robert Walker of the Rectory Lane, with an achieved vel of 1942 the hen pocketed 16th Fed. In cell three came a 1y blue flipey Geerinckx x Soontjen roundabout hen making 1936 to notch up 21st Fed, like the yellow card potter the hen was bred by Robert Walker. Dean has really improved his performances the past couple of seasons, with him flying a more consistent Pigeon. Dave Simpson timed a couple of birds to pocket 3rd and 6th with the green going to a cheq pied cock doing 1946 to pot 10th Fed, the cock took 4th out of Mansfield 2 weeks ago and is also a previous Selby winner.

   Mr & Mrs Jeff & Anne Murphy came out on top at Skinningrove from a fifteen members entry of a whopping 562 birds with the red card being won by a 2y Berger x J. De Leege bloodlines, despite the winner wasting some time around the loft a chart-topping vel of 1953 and a useful 5th Fed was taken. Mike Prokopowicz, son Lee & Ewens timed no fewer than three birds to chalk up 2nd, 3rd and 6th Club, with the blue card being awarded to a yearling blue pied Kevin Lawson Soontjen x Marcelis/Huybregt roundabout hen, with a vel of 1952 the hen who is the previous scorer of 20th Fed young bird Melton Mowbray went onto pocket 6th Fed. Twelve-seconds behind the blue card scorer in the green card position came a 2y cheq roundabout hen bred by Chapman, Sons & Swinburne for the Brotton H/S breeder/buyer; with a vel of 1949 the hen netted 7th Fed. Third in the clock for Mike & Lee was a 2y Soontjen roundabout cock bred by Nuttall Bros who was 5th Club and 32nd Fed last week at Huntingdon and previous to that he netted 5th Club and 11th Fed Maidstone. The late Les Evans & son Tommy come into the frame in 3rd spot with Tommy’s yellow card potter being a 2y Cattrysse x Delbar making 1944 to chalk up 14th Fed. No doubt this will eventually be one of Tommy’s Bourges candidates as this is the breed that usually does well for him from 500 miles. White Bros take 5th Club and 18th Fed on 1938 with Malc & Stuart’s timer being a yearling blue flipey Huybregt x Huybregt/Soontjen cock.

   Next stop is Liverton Mines where the loft of Ian Harris & son Ian ‘Shot Gun Kelly’ went to town after filling no less than four cells to win a very impressive 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th. Top spot was won by a yearling Van Reet cock of Bowers, Son & Wilson bloodlines, with a pole position vel of 1945 the cock chalked up 12th Fed. A 2y Van Loon roundabout cock who scored 2nd Fed last year and has other minor positions to his credit was in 2nd spot with the blue card potter going onto lift 20th Fed on 1937. The green card was awarded to a 1y Van Loon roundabout hen who is a dtr of the duo’s 2007 Club Champion Old Bird, the lads fourth timer was the same way bred as their green card scorer. There was road rage in Liverton Mines after Shot Gun Kelly sat on the wall outside Steve Peirson Cars, for his face was beaming that red after this great loft performance motorists thought the road works gang had put a set of traffic lights up with it stuck on red. Chris Harris pots the yellow after clocking a yearling Gaby Vandenabeele out of his Louella stock. Mr & Mrs Fred & Julie Lindsey notched up 6th place.

   Ian Everington & Franky are going great guns at Marske & New Marske, with the duo enjoying a fantastic clocking day after filling no fewer than five cells in an incredible 54-seconds to win 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Club, 13th, 15th, 23rd, 25th and 28th Fed with vels of 1944, 1943, 1935, 1934 and 1932. No info as yet but I’ll give all details on Ian & Frankie’s timers in my next report. 

   There was a very popular winner at Brotton H/S where fifteen members sent 383 birds, the man in question is the right honourable Vic Garbutt who timed a yearling blue pure Van Garbo roundabout hen recording a top vel of 1938 to score 19th Fed. The chart-topping hen is winning her second race in 5-days for she won 1st Brotton 6 Bird Club Newark on the Monday. I’m really pleased for the very laid back Vic, as he is one of the sports nice guys, a man who always has time to talk and never gets his feathers ruffled no matter what happens. Club secretary Terry Callan notches up his first points of the season after timing a Mike & Val Crooks 2y cock to lift 2nd position. Frank Reilly & son Wayne are in the frame for the fourth successive week after timing a yearling dark Wildemeersch x Soontjen cock to pocket the green, this is the duo’s fifth prize card so far. Mick Smithies is having a good run for the lad chalks up his eighth position in four starts after clocking a 2007-bred white grizzle Roland Janssen cock to lift 4th spot. Bill Heslop and loft helper Les Rigg timed a couple of M & D Evans Hermans x J & M Walton Van Loons to pick up 5th and 6th.

   Mike ‘Chukka’ Ovington, Bob Laker, Brown & Cole hit the winners’ enclosure at the Brotton 6 Bird Club, with Chukka & Lacker’s winner being a yearling dark w/f Wildemeersch x Busschaert hen. This is the lads fourth chalk with them taking 6th Selby, 5th at Mansfield and then timing a Busschaert x Wildemeersch at Newark to pocket 6th place. Chukka & Lacker are back on their own again after Merv Brown & Billy ‘Sacka’ Cole have teamed up together at another loft location. My info man Ricky Cush is in 2nd spot with a yearling mealy Mick Smithies Marcelis x Trevor Cruxon, Bridlington Stichelbaut cock, the cock was crowned the Clubs ‘Young Bird of The Year’ after winning 3rd Mansfield (1), 1st Melton Mowbray, 5th Rivenhall and 6th Selby (3). Its not a daft Pigeon scoring four times as a young bird especially from a maximum of nine races, it will be interesting to she how the cock performs this season. Mr & Mrs Graham ‘Golly’ & Linda Peirson pots the green with a Graham ‘Tubby’ Purver & Partners bred blue cock through their Rod Adams & George Davison family. Frank Reilly & son Wayne fill a couple of chambers to lift 4th and 5th with the yellow going to a mealy Marcelis cock and this was followed by a cheq flipey Soontjen. Merv Pearson & Son are in 6th spot after timing a yearling blue Jan Aarden cock.

Chukka Ovington & Bob Lacker with their red card winning yearling dark w/f Wildemeersch x Busschaert hen.

   Moving onto Boosbeck where we see the loft of Eric ‘Dabbit’ Leach’ Mick Passmore & Terry Hopper record their second win after timing three birds to win 1st, 5th and 6th. Top spot was won by a Janssen mealy cock flown on the roundabout system and bred out of the lads Bob & John Burton stock. Ralf Coates & Popeye had three birds in the clock to lift 2nd, 3rd and 4th; the blue card was chalked up by a Tony Calvert Janssen roundabout cock. Both the green and yellow card scorers were Knocker Brown Van Loons flown on the roundabout system

   Alan Tose & Dtr win pole position at Loftus with the lifelong member of the sport Alan’s red card winner being a Van Loon roundabout hen who is the previous scorer of 2nd and 3rd Club. Alan has being in the points from all four races so far with the lad timing a blue pied Van Loon natural hen at Selby to notch up 5th place, then he clocked a yearling natural Staff Van Reet x Van Loon at Mansfield to pocket 6th spot and then potted the yellow at Newark last week. Kev Locker, Kev Breckon & Chris Vasey enjoyed a good clocking day after filling three chambers to lift 2nd, 3rd and 6th. The blue was awarded to a yearling blue Soontjen cock that scored last year, his sire is a son of Nigel Laycock’s ‘Gold Spot’ and his mother is the dam of Fed winners when paired with different cocks. Second in the clock for the lads was a 1y blue pied Soontjen cock and like his loftmate in the blue card position, he too chalked as a young bird. The sire of green card scoring cock is the same sire of the blue card potter but paired to a different hen, with her being a Dtr of Frank Sheader’s ‘07’ & ‘787’.  In cell three came a 3y blue Soontjen hen who is the previous winner of 2x1st Clubs and many other minor positions. Geoff Bowers, son Nicky & Mark ‘Sparky’ Wilson timed a couple of birds to pocket 4th and 5th with the green card going to a blue Huybregt roundabout hen who topped the Fed in 2007 and has a total of ten prize cards to her credit. Second in the clock for Geoff, Nicky & Sparky was a dark Alwyn Paddy widowhood hen who has 2x1st Clubs on her pedigree.  

   With time running out I’ll shut down for another week.