“The Original” Around The Up North Combine
The “Danish Cup Of Friendship” Winning, Mr & Mrs Peirson & Purver
By Good Corn
After a two day hold-over from the second French race Roye and no chance of a liberation from the site on the third day, the Up North Combine weighed up the option of bringing the convoy of 4,051 birds closer to home on Monday 11th June, where they would and did get a liberation at 8.40hrs flying into a North East wind from Burbure (2). The loft of Mr & Mrs Golly “Graham” & Linda Peirson, Tubby “Graham” Purver and loft helpers “Evo” Ian Everington & Frankie Rolands enjoyed a brilliant days racing to produce the loft performance of the day in the whole of the UNC after timing a total of seven birds, with four of them competing in Brotton H/S to win an outstanding 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th Club, 2nd, 6th, 11th, 33rd East Cleveland Federation out of 252 birds, 2nd, 14th, 68th UNC with vels of 1348, 1327, 1307. While Golly, Linda, Tubby, Evo & Frankie’s three Brotton Six Bird Club timers won a fantastic 1st, 2nd, 3rd Club, 3rd, 5th, 7th Fed, 4th, 8th, 16th UNC with vels of 1347, 1337, 1324. With their Brotton H/S pole position winner that wins a Combine Silver Medal being “Frankie” a 2y blue De Rauw Sablon cock, the grand/sire is brother to “Den Dromer” and the grand/dam a double daughter to the sire “Lucky 77” a half sister to “Den Dromer”. Golly, Linda, Tubby, Evo & Frankie’s Brotton Six Bird Club chart topper was “Elton” a yearling blue cock of Ray Horton x Evo bloodlines. The sire of the winner that was raced by Golly & Linda is the previous winner of 6 x 1st Clubs including 1st Club Lillers and 1st Club Clermont in Brotton H/S, 1st Club Lillers and 1st Club Clermont in the Brotton Six Bird Club. While the dam of the winner is full sister to Evo's 1st Up North Combine old bird Folkestone (2) Gold Medal winning “Evo's Lad” in 2012 from a convoy of 15,855 birds when flying at Skelton Green when young Frankie was helping out. The two winning cocks arrived seconds apart what believed to be from slightly different directions which almost caused them to clash into each other, this resulted in them being timed seventeen seconds apart with an average velocity of 1347.9 which was enough to win the UNC “Danish Cup Of Friendship” for the best two bird performance which is a fantastic achievement by anyone’s standards.
Frankie holding “Frankie” winner of 1st Brotton H/S, 2nd East Cleveland Federation, 2nd UNC Burbure (2), Golly holding “Elton” the winner of 1st Brotton Six Bird Club, 3rd East Cleveland Federation, 4th UNC Burbure (2), the “Danish Cup Of Friendship”winners, with Linda & Tubby.
Golly started his racing at Skinningrove with his late father Gordon “Shang” Peirson MBE flying as Peirson & Sons, Golly's two younger brothers Sack “Neil” & Jim still race in Skinningrove H/S flying as G Peirson MBE & Sons, who actually won 1st Club, 1st Fed Oakham (2) out of 812 birds the day before the Burbure (2) race. Golly later moved to Brotton after marrying Linda, the Mr & Mrs Peirson partnership has flown at different loft locations in Brotton, with their moves being due to house building on their allotments. Golly & Linda have always flown a good pigeon where ever they have flown in Brotton with most of their success being achieved while flying in the Brotton Six Bird Club where they have won a number of races and Club averages.
Tubby who like Golly is Skinningrove born and bred who also came from a Pigeon background with his late father Len being a Skinningrove H/S member, Tubby and his older brother Ian both flew in the family partnership. In 1990 when flying as Ian Purver & Partners 1st Up North Combine young bird Harlow National was won when flying in the Skinningrove West Bank 7 Bird Club when there was 20,168 birds competing with a bird called “Leighanne's Pride” named after Tubby's oldest daughter. Tubby later left the partnership and started racing in another family partnership which included his late uncle Jim who was formerly in the Ian Purver & Partners partnership. Tubby left the sport a few years later before teaming up with lifelong friend Golly and his good lady Linda.
Evo started his racing at Loftus flying in partnership with his late father Frank, over the years Evo who lives in Redcar has flown in different partnerships in different Clubs. With Evo being a one-time Marske & New Marske Member, with him once flying at New Marske in the Frankie Rolands, the late Phil “Mackie” McDonnell & Ian Everington partnership when they won their share of races which included Federations wins. Evo later teamed up with Craig Wedgewood before moving loft location to Saltburn which is part of the Marske & New Marske Club. Where again Evo and the young Frankie more than held their own with a number of Club wins and Federation wins. Still living at Redcar Evo later moved to Skelton Green which was a bigger and more competitive Club than Marske & New Marske but with Evo being one of the sports grafters he proved he was no easy touch for once again he held his own. Evo enjoyed much success when flying at Skelton Green, with the help of Frankie 1st Up North Combine old bird Folkestone (2) National was won in 2012 with “Evo's Lad”. Evo was noted for his channel performance when flying at Skelton Green with the lad winning the East Cleveland Federation Channel average in 2015. Evo & Frankie stared to help Golly, Linda & Tubby out after they left Skelton Green.
Golly, Linda, Tubby, Evo & Frankie enjoyed a fantastic 2017 racing season where they were the Brotton Six Bird Club highest prizewinners with them winning 10 x 1st, 8 x 2nd, 4 x 3rd, 3 x 4th, 8 x 5th, 6 x 6th Clubs with a total of 149pts. Winning Overall Combined Average, Old Bird Combined Average, Young Bird Average, r/u Inland Average, r/u Channel Average and jt winners of the Young Bird Of The Year. Golly, Linda, Tubby, Evo & Frankie also had a brilliant 2017 season in Brotton H/S where they were the Clubs second highest prizewinners after winning 6 x 1st, 9 x 2nd, 8 x 3rd, 8 x 4th, 6 x 5th, 8 x 6th Clubs with a total of 164pts. Winning the Young Bird average, Young Bird Of The Year, r/u Old Bird Inland average, r/u Channel Average, r/u Combined Average.
The full Burbure (2) race report is to follow, I wish to thank Golly, Linda, Tubby, Evo & Frankie for their time, but only wished Evo had being in the photo. Congratulations on an outstanding loft performance at Up North Combine level, I wish you all the very best for the rest of the 2018 racing season.