NFC ST MALO

YOUNG BIRDS & OLD HENS

Report on the Section winners

by www.elimarpigeons.com

Last week we featured the outright winners of the two races and now we focus on the sections winners…

YOUNG BIRDS

Adam Light of Horsham wins 1st Section A. Adam split his young bird team at the start of the season, specifically with the BBC Lamballe and NFC St Malo races in mind and really came up trumps, in fact he had a super race all round with 10 out of 12 home on the day including 8 in a half hour period 40 minutes after his first bird. First in the clock was a little cheq hen off his own family developed from mainly distance birds when he started up in the sport. She was weaned in early April and flown natural, and was in excellent feather for this race. She had six races inland with the South Coast Fed as prep and this was only the second ever time he has raced youngsters over the water. His channel youngsters were fed a heavier mix than his inland team being hopper fed Gem Irish. The loft was evidently on top form as the day before this win, Adam won his local fed. Adam’s ambition is to win 1st Open at national level.

Adam Light with his Section A winner.

Adrian Human of Ramsdean wins 1st Section B with a hen direct out of his cock which won a Gold Salver with the BBC for four performances from Palamos, winning 19th, 44th, 51st and 108th Open, this same cock having also bred a Spanish Diploma winner for his dad Derek. Dam of the section winner is a pigeon Adrian timed from Palamos last year and is also a Cattrysse. These Cattryse pigeons have served both Adrian and Derek very well, Derek of course having won NFC Tarbes. They are based on birds from Les Davenport when he was in his pomp, some Louella Cattrysse through Clanfield Expected (which were also Davenport based) and in later years Cattrysse from the late Norman Bishop of Ringwood. Adrian said they normally only come into their own at 2 or 3 so this win was a bonus. The winning hen is a darkness youngster. Earlier in the year, Adrian put an old cock, which had been hawked in with the youngsters to keep him out of mischief. He removed this cock prior to this race and noticed the hen hanging off the front of the loft. He couldn’t work out why, but then the penny dropped. Unbeknown to him, the cock had been calling the hen and when he re-introuduced it along with a bowl this you hen was straight in it. He said to his dad, she would be his first bird. Adrian remarked that the channel was not brilliantly clear but was good enough and he himself had 5 out of 10 on the day and two next morning. Interestingly, his dad’s Grand National winner looks like winning 6th Section B in the Old Hens’ race (and for the record, this top hen was on the day from Tarbes in 2008).

Adrian Human.

1st Section C was won by Mel & Sue King with Stourcrest Bodicia, a young hen reared on the darkness system and sent to the race being called to the nest. The National was her fourth race having had two club races from Exeter and Yelverton and theCentral Southern Classic Flying Club from Lessay.Mel & Sue told us: ‘Her sire is a Gyselbrecht cross Jan Aarden closely related to our 1st Open National Poitiers winner with the British Barcelona Club and 1st Open RamsgateCentral Southern Classic Flying Club. Her dam is a Vandenabeele cross Vereecke, a daughter of our 1st OpenNational Flying ClubNantes Winner 2002. Around 80 young birds are bred and kept for our own use: 45-50 fist round darkness and 30-35 second round off the stock birds only to be kept natural.We try to train as many times as possible weather and time permitting before their first race with 1 or 2 tosses at 35-40 miles. The 1st round young birds are put on the darkness system from weaning until the 1st week of June (this is the standard darkness system). They have no separation or fancy food and water programmes, just Versela Laga Young Bird Plus with Gem G10 pellets added at the recommended rate every day, and the occasional multivitamin or probiotic is added with clean water. The darkness young birds are allowed to pair up if they wish in preparation for the channel races with the NFC, BBC, CSCFC & BICC etc but they are not enticed by placing them with old hens/old cocks etc. The young birds will be raced every week and some young cocks will be stopped after approx 100miles and some selected to go to the longest young bird channel race with the major organisations.’

Mel & Sue King.

Section D was won by Sheldon Horn and his now silent partner Geoff Every. Sheldon has moved his loft a mile, taking him from Section G into Section D and this year he has been flying broken old birds with some success. His young bird section winner is a natural hen flying to the perch. In 2002, he bought Mike Gore’s 1st National YB Vire and 4th National OH Vire and she is down from these on one side, the blood being Busscahert/Janssen. On the other side she is also Busscahert/Janssen through Sheldon’s own lines and a g.sire to her won 48th Open NFC Saintes. On the same day, her half-sister was his first timer from the Old Hens, and his second youngster was the same way bred as his first. The section winner is also a half-sister to 1st Open West of England Combine St Malo. Sheldon does not fly his youngsters in a local club so their first race is from across the channel with either the BBC or the National. He trains from wherever he can, the direction not being an issue. This family of his are decent up to 500 miles but thereafter Sheldon feels they need a cross. With an eye on the future, he has brought in some extreme distance birds. Sheldon told me he buys the best he can and then hides the pedigrees!

Kenny & Segesdy won 1st Section F. They told us: ‘We would like to dedicate our section win to Tommy Butters, who passed away on the day of the race after a short illness. The section winner is a blue hen having her 3rd race of the season. She is a Van Triest Janssen off the late Mark Kidby's stock. All young birds have been on darkness and fed on Gem Irish and Gerry Plus with Orego-Stim in the water, and Homoform is also fed. We are pleased with the season we have had with the NFC after winning the Fourgeres section early in the season. We would like to say a big thankyou to all the people involvedwith the Didcot marking station.’

Kenny & Segesdy.

Dave Worgan of Brislington wins 1st Section G. This year has been a very good season for Dave’s pigeons which have competed successfully in club races, combine races and nationals. Notable triumphs came from Fougeres National with his chequer w/f hen coming 149th out of 10,000 pigeons. He also came 2nd Section G 17th Open out of 5,315 entries in the Saintes National with a Maurice Mattheeuws bird bought as a squeaker from Nigel Templar, who claimed victory in the same section. Dave’s St Malo winner is a Janssen, a gift bird from Morris Oliver of Bristol. The same bird, whose training programme has consisted of two 40 mile tosses per week with Terry Jones of High Littleton with approx 300 birds, has won club races as well as 1st Club 5th Combine Chale out of 3,102 birds. Dave's second bird from St Malo, which will also feature prominently, is a Houben x Janssen and is also a very good card winner.

Dave Worgan holding his Maurice Mattheeuws pigeon - 2nd Section Saintes National and 1st Secton G St Malo winner. Dave Worgan Jnr holding chequer w/f hen - 149th in Fougeres National.

Mr & Mrs Roger & Shirley Strowger of Leiston in Suffolk win 1st Section H. They told us: ‘We have been racing pigeons for 3 years now, having had 5 years out of the sport. We first started pigeons in 1973. Some of the best pigeons that I had a few years ago were from Fred Basley and Geordie Roberts of Horden, Co Duraham, the strain being William Geerts and their old family of Vandys crossed with their old Tinkler lines. One pigeon, which we used to call Jumper, won three 1st feds in a head wind (north east), and we also had Shane’s Choice, winner of several 1st opens. There were other outstanding pigeons such as Boomerang, The Gordie Cock, O' The One and also a cheq pied hen from my good friend from Barry Wigg of Cromer being 19th section 167th open 5423 birds competing, this being from Pau 618 miles. Also last year Shirley clocked in from Falaise winning 1st club by an hour, 1st N&S SRCC, 1st Anglian Classic Flying Club. The pigeon that was 1st Section H St Malo was a cheq hen bred in January, raced on the darkness system. She was sitting four days on eggs. A fortnight ago she was raced with the BICC from Guernsey, winning 1st North Section flying 261 miles. We have now named the pigeon Eddie’s Girl after my late father who sadly passed away 12 weeks ago. It was bred from an 05 late-bred widowhood cock, that was a gift pigeon from my good friend Terry Smith of Worksop. It had two Tilburys, Eastbourne then Guernsey before this race. She was in fairly good condition on arrival. We sent 6 birds to St Malo, having three home. We would like to thank all the lads at Gt Yarmouth clocking station, Clayton Oxbrough for taking the pigeons to Cambridge, Tony Batterbee for all that he has done for us, and everyone who congratulated me. We would like to congratulate J & J. Brady of South Benfleet for winning the young bird national and Eddie Oxborough for winning 1st Section H with Old Hens. Eddie has had an outstanding season.’

Roger & Shirley Strowger.

Roger Strowger’s section winner.

Mr & Mrs Ray Grimsdell of Stretton won 1st Section I, timing at 6.02pm for the only bird in their section on the day. Ray said his young hen ‘looked fantastic. I couldn’t believe it. The new transporters are fantastic.’ The hen in question is a Willy Thaas bred out of a pair from Geoff Kirkland. She is a darkness youngster and was flying to the perch. She had raced the programme without scoring and Ray didn’t really fancy her. He pooled five out of his ten entries but didn’t have a penny on her – and he’s still waiting for the other five. Asked what this said about him, he replied: ‘That I can’t pick pigeons even after 50 years!’ All told, his returns were two out of 10 youngsters and 9 out of 15 old hens, in which race he looks like being 2nd& 3rd Section. He was saying that he had set his stall out earlier in the year to end Jeremy Wright’s run of six straight Old Hen section wins and he thought he was going to do it, but though he timed 7 old hens on the day, it was not to be. Ray added that he is as keen as ever and enjoys all of his racing, be it with his local Stretton club or at national level. This section win follows on from his section win with the NFC from St Nazaire three years ago. The one he is really after now is Tarbes, and to that effect he has recently brought in some new distance blood to try.

Ray & Jean Grimsdell.

Ian Bull of Kington, a small village in Worcestershire midway between Worcester and Stratford, wins 1st Section J with ‘The 39’, a darkness, sliding door system hen out of his direct Walter Docx family. Her dam is a full sister to his champion 2y cock ‘333’, already a winner of 10 x 1st club, 2 x 1st fed and numerous 2nd, 3rd & 4th feds. Ian had a very good race, timing 4 of his 10 entries on the night and finding another at home when he returned from clocks, followed by two more next morning. This was only the 3rd race his youngsters have had as he went on holiday at the start of the young bird campaign and had only got them into two comeback races. He said that he normally flies a good youngster in his local club but this season he has been off the pace and he puts this down to his youngsters not having found a line, the reason being that just about every timed he has tossed them, they have come back from all directions having been smashed up. He’s summised that this may have stood them in good stead for a race like this where they have had to think for themselves. Ian lightens a normal racing mix for both old and youngsters with the addition of Diet and depurative, and is a big fan of Gemthepax all year round, saying that in the three seasons he has been using it, he has kept on top of YBS. What the future holds for his hen is undecided as Ian flies a widowhood cock system, which fits neatly around his work pattern, and to try and fly hens would take time away from his cocks. Perhaps she will end up paired to ‘333’, his 10 x 1st cock.

The wing of ‘The 39’, Ian Bull’s section winner.

Ian Bull.‘The 39’.

1st Section J for Ian Bull.

John Coxon of Dunsville near Doncaster clocked a pair of near identical nestmate hens eleven minutes apart to record 1st & 2nd Section K. Altogether he had 3 on the day and 9 out of 17 home by 2pm next day. The dam of his first two is a Cattrysse/Camphuis hen who won 1st Open Northern Classic Picauville in 2005. Their sire is also a Cattrysse being out of a g.son of Ronnie Miller’s Might Miller via Louella. Both hens were darkness youngsters who had been flown through to Salisbury 178 miles a fortnight ago and then rested. They were flying to the perch and, weather permitting, had been trained from 30 miles each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. John is a big believer in Gem corn and products, particularly Gemthepax and Strike, and his race birds always return to BS in the water. John has only been back in the sport since 2003. He joined the Northern Classic in 2005 and has won it three times, from Picauville, Truro and Messac.

John Coxon with his 1st & 2nd Section winners.

Brian Fisher of Todmorden, flying 356 miles, clocked in the pouring rain at 7.21pm to win 1st Section L, his hen arriving in ‘beautiful condition but as wet as a dishcloth’. The dam of this ultra-game hen is from his Delbar lines which originate from a g.dtr of Delbar’s 806 via the late Levi Tweed. The dam is actually a full sister to Brian’s great racer Iron Man who scored from virtually everywhere through to Saintes, winning the Lancs & Yorks four times, for which the members made up a Gold Medal especially for him. Brian was saying these Delbars are not fast but they are reliable and excellent pigeons for day racing up to 550 miles. The sire of the section winner is an Albert Tarleton Janssen. The winner had flown the programme and been clocked several times. She’s a darkness youngster, fed on Versele Laga Premier, and sent showing to a young cock. Brian doesn’t normally race hens, though his wife flew a dozen hens to individual boxes last season very successfully, so they may try it again and therefore keep this hen on the road.

Brian Fisher’s 1st Section L.

Sandra Fisher holding 1st Section L.

OLD HENS

Chris, Carol & Reece Neve of Shoreham-by-Sea win 1st Section A and were also probable 3rd Section A in the Young Bird section of this race. Their Old Hens’ section winner is a chequer Vandenabeele bred from a cock on loan from Andy Jones. Reece is holding their 3rd section A young bird, which is a Busschaert bred from Joan Duncan’s Boss Busschaerts. The partnership have had an excellent young bird season, winning 6 races with multiple positions and being placed in the first three in all YB races entered with the exception of one race. They have flown using their good friend John McGee’s YB system.

Chris, Carol & Reece Neve.

Bartlett & Jones of Southampton won 1st Section B for the umpteenth time but unfortunately we have no further details.

Wiinners of 1st Section C, where the birds had to fly into a headwind, are F & J. Halstead of Kington Magna. This winner rounds of a terrific season in which John has had four different national section wins – two with the NFC, one with the BICC and one with the BBC (which became 1st Open) plus two Dorset Federation wins. The winner is named Welsh Mel and is the favourite bird of John’s wife Merrill. Welsh Mel came in as a young bird stray in 2005 and insisted on staying despite being set some difficult tasks. She was bred by Ivan Jones of Rhymney in Gwent and is of the Haelterman strain. This is her second win in 2008 and her fourth 1st prize overall, all on similar blustery days. She also won the NFC section in the Old Hens’ race from Chale in 2006 and to really show what an all rounder she is, a son won 1st Dorset Fed beating 1074 birds from Lessay in May. Her motivation was through sitting a 2-day old youngster on marking day. She had been given a couple of 20-mile training tosses but had also been exercising well around home. Her final piece of preparation work came the previous Saturday when she had a four hour fly in a training race from Yelverton. She dropped from this looking as though she was ready for a difficult task, and once again she was up for it. Five old hens were sent to this race and all five were timed in. You can read more about the background to Welsh Mel and about John’s methods with old hens in his excellent publication Methods Update Volume 1.

John Halstead’s loft and Welsh Mel.

Section D finds Andy & Denise Hodge in pole position. Andy, by his own admission, has had a pretty lean year at this level, but the cream eventually rises to the top. Andy’s winner, a 2y cheq pied hen, is a pure Van Loon being a double granddaughter of one of the most prolific breeders these parts have seen in recent years. This cock has bred countless winners, and his children are provingjust as good. Originating from Mick Mcmurchie, this cock was purchased by John Packer of Tiverton. Andy purchased the cock from John, and the rest is history. He has continued to breed the goods in 2 lofts. Andy’s hen, named Denise’s Dream, has now won this race 2 years in succession. She’s a lovely apple-bodied shape, with a typical Van Loon eye, and perfect throat for the enthusiasts. She has remained in the young bird loft as last season, and has paired to a young cock. Training has been with the young birds, and a few club races to tune her up. Denise claims ownership of this hen and is open to offers for her. She was going to pool the hen heavily, but the careful and astute (tight)Andy advised her not to. This brought hima hefty clip around the ear. Andy feeds a heavy widowhood mix, with Hormoform, the only supplements being cider vinegar 3 times a week and Matrix. This win makes it 6 x 1st sections in the last 3 years - excellent flying. This was a tough day for Section D but again this henmade light work of it. Well done Andy and Denise. Report by Andy Cridland.

Andy Hodge. Photo courtesy of Andy Cridland.

Barry Sherman & Stephen Wells from Littlemore near Oxford won 1st Section F with a 2y cheq Leerman hen through direct stock. She was paired to a young cock and over-sitting then given a 3-day old baby for three days before basketing. This is the fourth or fifth time she’s been over the water this year, her last outing being from Bergerac. She was flown on widowhood up to that point, then Stephen went on holiday and paired her on return. She flew the BICC on eggs prior to this race on a youngster. They sent four, had two on the day and a 3rd the next day. Feed here is widowhood corn, and garlic is added to the water once a week, plus they get conditioner and a few peanuts in the last few days before basketing. Barry and Stephen have been flying together for 10 years and their aim is to follow up this debut section win by winning the national outright.

1st Section F for Sherman & Wells.

1st Section G is Graham James of Sling in the Forest of Dean. Located on high ground between the rivers Severn and Wye, it is not the best place to race pigeons due to the abundance of birds of prey and only determined pigeons come on line. The hens are raced to their own section on celibacy, the same as 2007 when the loft was 4th section old hens. Their 2y hen has only been raced to the coast and is mainly Willy Clerebaut from stock via Graham’s good friend Wilf Reed. Two more birds were clocked out of six sent on a difficult day to this north-west part of the section.

Graham James.

C & E & C Oxborough of Great Yarmouth won 1st Section H but we were unable to contact them.

Jeremy Wright of Lutterworth wins 1st Section I for the SEVENTH successive year (he also won the race outright in 2002). He clocked a 2y hen, which on the dam’s side is through his Paul Haeltermans, which came either direct or from his good friend Frank Tasker. Her sire is a Freddie Van den Heede cock. She was sent on a 5-day youngster, her first of the year having previously been campaigned over the channel as a widowhood hen. That is Jeremy’s preferred method but he pairs the hens for the Old Hens’ National to retard the moult. Once paired, he lets them out with the youngsters to encourage them to fly, and since the end of the old bird season the hens had been trained regularly from 30 to 50 miles. Jeremy is a master with hens and in this race he timed four of his 7 entries on the night and had two more next morning. He feeds a normal widowhood mix and gives nothing fancy whatsoever. He was saying that the first channel race of the year with the MNFC and also with the NFC had been a grueller for him and it had taken a long time for him to re-establish form in the loft. With tired pigeons, and others working their way back, he said the loft was a not a happy place for a month or so. However, he signalled a return to form by winning 1st Section MNFC.

Jeremy Wright.

Section J committee member Eric Watkins, who lives in Cound near Shrewsbury, wins 1st Section J with a 2y hen who has carded before including winning a 1st over the water in 2007. She was to have been kept at home as a widowhood hen during the old bird season but her cock was badly hawked in April, so much so that he couldn’t reach his box. Eric decided to race the hen to him instead on a widowhood system. After returning from the Saintes National she reared a nest and was sent to this race on a 7-day old youngster. She had little or no work around the loft after Saintes but was given two 12-mile training tosses and Frome and Wincanton trainers with the Shropshire Fed to keep her ticking over. She’s a mixture of bloodlines and Eric said there was sure to be some Ray Scriven blood in her, though he doesn’t keep records. Feed at this loft is an all round widowhood mix and the birds are not broken down. On a testing flying day, Eric timed a second of his three entries about half an hour after the first and this one may be around about 5th Section.

Eric Watkins. Photo courtesy of Steve Richards.

Peter Hagland of Bircotes near Doncaster wins 1st & 2nd Section K, timing 4 out of his 7 on the night and having the other three early next day. First in the clock was a 6y cheq hen who has previously won: 31st Open MNFC Picauville 9880 birds; 25th Open MNFC Tours 5223 birds; 4th Section K 257th Open NFC St Nazaire; 55th Open MNFC Falaise 7817 birds and 4th Midland SR Classic Fougeres. She is a Soontjen bred by Peter’s brother, who brought her to Peter’s as a squeaker, one of six in a basket, inviting Peter to pick one out. Peter races his hens on a semi-darkness widowhood system during most of the conventional old bird campaign but she was paired for Saintes on a youngster, only for Peter to withdraw her feeling she was not quite right. Hence, she was prepared for this on another youngster and sent sitting a 7-day old baby. This was this hen’s second channel race of 2008, the first having been NFC Fougeres, which turned into a bad race for Peter and really set him back for a while. The 2nd Section hen is his double Section winner, who in turn is a daughter of Peggy’s Boy, 2nd Open NFC Saintes. Both hens may now be retired and have been excellent performers ever since flying the channel as young birds.

Peter & Cynthia Hagland.

Mike Hall of Hyde timed a 4y cheq hen to win 1st Section L. Her sire, a winner of 2 x 1st, is a Taveirne Rigole of the King Barcelona - Primuske 2 lines. While her dam is from a grandson of Laureaat-Barcelona, 1st International Barcelona 1995 for Carlo Gyselbrecht. She was prepared along with 9 others for this race from day one, having 3 old bird races up to Poole (190 miles) beingsent as trainers. Then Penkridge (50 miles) every Saturday and Sunday morning, weather permitting, during the young bird season with a Cheltenham (105 miles) the Wednesday before basketing for St Malo. She was sent sitting a four-day old youngster. Mike said: ‘On a footnote, it seems rather poignant that this result has been won in what was my very last race. Over the many years that I have been racing (since the age of 14) I have seen and experienced many highs and lows, and have made many friends and acquaintances along the way. I would like to take this opportunity to wish them all the best for the future.’

Mike Hall.

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