“The Original” Around The Up North Combine
By Good Corn
Friday 1st June saw the Up North Combine weather committee voting 13 5 to postpone basketing for 24 hours, then on Saturday 2nd June they voted 15 1 to basket the birds to race from Huntingdon (1) the following day. This was a substitute race point due to the road works that were going on in the Bedfordshire area, which would have made it almost impossible to get to the scheduled Chelmsford liberation site. The morning of Sunday 3rd June brought coastal fog at the bottom end of the Combine, the very light mist proved damping to the birds that were being exercised that morning but that had cleared as the morning moved on. The first call that came through about the Huntingdon birds said there were poor weather conditions on-route and that there was going to be a update at 10am, come 11am the conditions were improving so there were signs of a liberation on the cards. That liberation came at 11.15hrs when Group 1 was liberated in a variable Northerly wind, Group 2 were up and away 20 minutes later at 11.35hrs, followed by Group 3 who were on their way home at 11.55hrs. The weather started to become poor at the home end with fog up and down the North East coast and it got worse as the day moved on with it becoming very thick indeed, with some lofts being completely blanked out. A great number of fanciers were fearing the worst, knowing full well there was going to be some gaps in the arrivals and many empty perches come nightfall. The late liberation has always and will always be a killer for the birds, and due to the think fog the hours of light was going to be limited for the birds and giving many of them little hope of making it home on the day. Cries of 10s, 20s and even 30s adrift on clock opening, with a great deal of very good birds still to come. It was while I was walking to the clubhouse that I received a phone call from Gilly Young of the Young & John Thoms partnership of High Southwick Sunderland, saying he had one of our birds in that was racing that day, I arranged to travel up next morning to collect the bird. There was many lofts missing half of their entries on dark, I have seen many birds missing at the end of the day a number of times over the years but not very often with old birds from a distance of 155 miles for the shortest flyers. Monday morning started with thick fog again, both on the coast and inland, but a great number of die hard birds flew through the thick fog to reach their lofts, a few of the lads could here the very dampened birds flying over Skinningrove and sometimes seeing the almost unsighted birds flying through. On Tuesday morning I got a second phone call from Sunderland, this time from John Potts of Silksworth who had got our 2y hen in, she was having her first race since been hawked some weeks before. So it was back up to Sunderland to collect the hen, I wish to thank Gilly who had left the loft before I got there, his partner John and John Potts for reporting our birds, and say I really enjoyed our chats. Some members ended up with 100% returns while others I have heard about have between one and three birds still missing. I'm sure someone somewhere will have still taken a big hit.
Sayers Bros Dave, Kenny, Brian and loft helper Richard achieve their second win of the season at Skinningrove H/S where three birds were timed to win 1st and 5th Club out of a nine members muster of 266 birds, 3rd, 14th, 15th Fed with vels of 1267, 1207.5, 1206.8. With the red card being won by a 2016 bred Smit van Winkle widowhood hen who is the previous winner of 1st Club, 5th Fed Oakham and 11th Fed Newark. Second on the clock was a yearling Smit Van Winkle cross widowhood hen, and she was followed by a 1y Stuie Watson x Smit Van Winkle cock. Stafford & Wilson notch up 2nd and 3rd Club, 4th, 12th, 18th Fed on 1266, 1212.3, 1194. Tich Richards & Alice Marsay takes 4th Club with Tich and granddaughter Alice's yellow card potting yearling making 1207 for 13th Fed, with the duo's timer being the previous scorer of 20th Fed young bird Melton Mowbray. B & K Simpson timed a Bob Fenech of Norfolk bred yearling Louis Cooremans doing 1196 for 17th Fed. Mike Prokopowicz & son Lee timed a 2y going 1186 to notch up 20th Fed.
The Brotton H/S loft of Reg Wilson, Ray Mole & Partners continue their great form by timing a 3y achieving a chart topping vel of 1273 to record their fifth win of the season, with their red card winner that was 17 minutes in front of the nine members entry of 169 birds going onto score an impressive 2nd Fed. The loft of Mr & Mrs Golly “Graham” & Linda Peirson & Tubby “Graham” Purver and loft helpers Evo “Ian” Everington & Franky had a couple of their squad in the frame to lift 2nd and 4th Club with the blue card being netted by a yearling chequer hen bred by John Soderlund & John Maddison of South Shields fame, with the hen now having 4 x 2nd Clubs to her credit, after scoring 2nd Club Worksop (1) in Brotton H/S, 2nd Club, 9th Fed Peterborough and 2nd Club, 20th Fed Rivenhall both in the Brotton Six Bird Club, all as a young bird. Golly, Linda, Tubby Evo & Franky's yellow card potter was a 1y blue hen bred by Don Gudgeon of South Shields fame. Club Secretary Terry Callan is in 3rd spot with Terry's green card potter being a 2y. Frank & Brenda Reilly & Son Wayne have a couple of yearlings on the clock to notch up 5th and 6th Club.
The partnership of the late Peter Winspear & son Derek and his son Mark knocked up their second win of the old bird season at Skelton Green from a eight members entry of 204 birds, with Derek & Mark's chart topper achieving a winning vel of 1552 which was enough to net a useful 5th Fed. Alan & David Wright had a couple of 3y on the clock to lift 2nd and 4th Club, 9th and 16th Fed on 1252 and 1198; with the blue card scorer being Alan & David's blue Busschaert hen that won an outstanding 1st Club, 1st Fed, 1st Section and 5th Up North Combine Eastbourne (1) National from a convoy of 18,454 birds. While the duo's yellow card claimer was a blue chequer Herman/Busschaert hen, the same breed used to win out of turn when David flew in the partnership of David Wright & Ray Lowe in their Brotton days. Going back to the Worksop race when Alan & David netted 2nd Club, 18th Fed, their timer was a yearling chequer John Weldon/A & D Wright cock. The loft of Bowden Bros Mick & Boss and helper Trevor Mitchell clocked a 2y doing 1215 to pot 3rd Club, 10th Fed and two yearlings one second apart to notch up 5th and 6th Club.
Mark & Derek Winspear Skelton Green of the late Peter Winspear & son winners of 1st Club, 5th
East Cleveland Federation Huntingdon (1).
Moving onto Marske & New Marske where we see Jimmy Reed who has being getting closer to topping the Club charts the past few races recording his first win of the season, after filling a couple of chambers to win a much deserved 1st and 5th Club from a four members entry of 73 birds. With Jimmy's pole position winner being a yearling blue w/f roundabout hen bred out of Geoff Kirkland stock, the red card winning hen that went onto net 19th Fed has netted 5th Club the previous two weeks. Second on the clock was a 2y dark roundabout hen who like the winner is bred out of Geoff Kirkland stock. Tony Hunt of the late Jack Brown & Hunt partnership also filled a couple of cells to lift 2nd and 4th Club, with the blue card being awarded to a 2017 bred Dirk Seppers/Van Gompel widowhood cock. While the yellow card was potted by a 1y blue Seppers Van Gompel x De Klak widower. The loft of Paul Longstaff, Jeff Moore & Ron Mackay are in 3rd spot with the lads green card scorer being a yearling blue Van Loon widower from Anth Moore of Guisborough, the previous weeks 1st
UNC Burbure (1) Gold Medal winner.
Next stop is the Brotton Six Bird Club where the velocity has changed from the previous weeks Worksop race but the winning loft and winning bird remains the same, for Bill Ward & grandson Shaun of W & S Ward records their sixth inland win of the season, out of seven races. Leading the way for the second week running from a seven members muster of 40 is their inform 2016 bred Staf Van Reet hen who is the previous winner of 1st Club Bubwith on the opening day of the season, 2nd Club Newark when beaten by her loftmate, 5th Club Eastbourne National, 2nd Club Oakham (1) when beaten by a loftmate and 1st Club, 12th Fed Worksop where she won the Club Nom, just like she has done again this race. Andrew & Gavin Doe, John “Dillon” Swales and the late Sandy Sanderson are in the points for the second race running after timing a 3y to lift 2nd Club. While Frank & Brenda Reilly & Son Wayne are in the frame for the fifth consecutive inland race after timing no fewer than three of their team to chalk up a nice 3rd, 4th and 6th Club, with their green card potting 2y being the previous scorer of 4th Club Worksop. Frank, Brenda & Wayne's yellow card lifter was a 4y and their third timer being a 2y. Mr & Mrs Golly “Graham” & Linda Peirson & Tubby “Graham” Purver and loft helpers Evo “Ian” Everington & Franky takes 5th position with a home bred yearling blue hen.
Golly “Derek” Foster records his second win of the season at Staithes after timing no fewer than three of his entries to win 1st, 2nd and 3rd Club.
Moving onto the Teesside Federation who were liberated in Group 2 who were up 20 minutes before the East Cleveland Fed, and what a brilliant result it turned out to be for Ali McLeod of Billingham T U H/S. For the inform Mac timed no less than ten of his squad to win an outstanding 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Club, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 13th, 17th, 18th Fed out of 458 birds with vels of 1301, 1292, 1291, 1278, 1277, 1269, 1267, 1237, 1221, 1217. With top spot being won by a 2y blue cock who is from a son of the old cock onto a hen through a grandson of “Sissi” of Ad Schaerlaeckens. The blue card was netted by a yearling blue hen who won 1st Club, 1st Fed, 2nd Section, 5th Up North Combine young bird Lakes-Maidstone National in a North wind from a convoy of 11,055 birds. With the hen being a granddaughter of Brian Atkinson & Keith Perkins 2010 1st Up North Combiner old bird Folkestone (2) Gold Medal winning “Ollie” when there were 17,366 birds competing, and a granddaughter of Mac's good blue pied Vandenabeele cock “82”. The green card was awarded to a 2017 bred Vandenabeele cock who chalked up 2nd Club, 2nd Fed out of Oakham (1), with the blue cock being the son of the hen that won 1st Club, 1st Fed, 1st Section 5 winning £152.59 in prize money from 1,695 birds and 6th Up North Combine Burbure (2) in 2016 when there were 9,331 birds away, the hen now at stock is a daughter to Mac's old n umber one stock cock “King James”.
The yellow card was netted by a very well bred 1y blue Gaby Vandenabeele cock who is from a son of Ali's number one hen when paired to a son of M & D Evans's “McLaren who is a son of the famous “Witbuik, while the dam of the cock is Mac's 3rd Up North Combine Bronze Medal winning blue pied hen “64”. Ali's fifth timer was a 2017 bred chequer pied Vandenabeele hen who is nestmate to the chequer hen that won 1st Club, 1st Fed Chelmsford out of 926 birds, with the dam of the hens being “65” the nestmate to “64”. Next came a previous scoring Vandenabeele 2y blue cock who has a 2nd Club, 2nd Fed etc to his credit, and he was followed by another 2y Vandenabeele hen who has scored a number of times including 2nd Club, 2nd Fed, 107th UNC Eastbourne National when beaten by a loftmate that was 2nd Club, 3rd Fed, 69th Combine out of 18,545 birds. Then came a 2016 bred blue hen who has also netted a few times including 3rd Club, 3rd Fed Oakham (1) this season when beaten by a loftmate who took 2nd Club, 2nd Fed. Next came a 1y blue Vandenabeele cock who won 1st Club, 1st Fed from the second race Newark when there were 958 birds away, with the cocks sire being a full brother to Mac's 2015 1st UNC Burbure Gold Medal winning “Gaby Lou” from a convoy of 10,617 birds, while the dam of the Fed winning cock is direct from Mark Evans. And Mac's final bird on the clock was a previous scoring 2y blue Vandenabeele cock to round off a top notch performance. The loft of Tommy Clark & Son Gary timed a 4y blue pied hen doing 1270 to lift 6th Fed and a yearling blue hen making 1239 to notch up 12th Fed.
The late Les Wellburn & sons Les & Derek returned back to the top at Middlesbrough H/S after brothers Les & Derek timed a yearling chequer hen and a 3y blue pied hen 30 seconds apart to win 1st and 2nd Club, 9th and 10th Fed with vels of 1244 and 1241. The loft of Keith Hodge & Dennis Potter had a single bird on the clock, a yearling blue hen knocking out a vel of 1229 to lift 3rd Club, 14th Fed. Mr & Mrs Stephen & Jeanann clocked a yearling chequer pied hen doing 1223 to take 4th Club, 16th Fed and a 2017 bred blue hen achieving
1214.66 to pocket 5th Club, 19th Fed.
Onto Haverton Hill where the loft of Stewart “Lewie” Lewis, Amber & Coby McCabe record their third win of 2018, after timing a couple of yearlings to win 1st and 3rd Club. With Stewart, Amber & Coby's red card winner being a blue pied hen achieving a top vel of 1240 to go onto score 11th Fed. The green card was awarded to a blue hen making 1214.62 to pocket 20th Fed. The partnership of Paul Gatley, Bob Harrod & son Dale became the second loft to have two birds in the frame to lift 2nd and 4th Club, with the blue card going to a 3y blue cock knocking up a vel of 1228 for 15th Fed. The three lads who won an impressive 1st Club, 2nd Fed out of Newark second timer was a doing 1211. Steve Smith & son Aaron are in 5th spot, the duo also wins the Fed Nom with a blue pied hen.
Stewart Lewis of Lewis, Amber & Coby McCabe of Haverton Hill, winners of 1st and 3rd Club,
11th and 20th Teesside Federation Huntingdon (1).
Moving onto the Beechwood & Easterside where “The Young Un's” Kime & Read timed a couple of their squad to win a top notch 1st and 6th Club. The partnership of McCarthy son & Profitt timed no less than three of their entries to chalk up a notable 2nd, 4th and 5th Club; while Derek Gibson & Burnip nets 3rd Club
The result from the Stockton Hardwick, Tees Valley Federation is as follows. The loft of Moore Bros Terry & Ste the Club old bird inland average winners and r/u combined average winners in 2017 timed a couple of birds doing 1245 and 1216 to win 1st and 5th Club. Fred Lancaster the winner of 2 x 1st Clubs and a 1st Fed in 2017 chalks up 2nd Club on 1241 while Chris Barron the Club channel average winner last season pots 3rd Club making 1236. Lister Bros Craig & Gary and the late Iky Walker the winners of 14 x 1st Clubs, winning the old bird combined average, young bird average and the combined average in 2017 claimed 4th and 6th Club with vels of 1235 and 1208.
That's me done and dusted for another week, any news to;
Good Corn, 6 Boulby Drive Loftus Saltburn Cleveland TS13 4JN.
Tel: 01287 643624 or Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.