AROUND THE UP NORTH COMBINE

by Keith Simpson

Red Card Winning Performance for Starkey & Son

Lee Starkey outside his young bird loft. Is this a hint there are winners in there?

   Race number three of the Up North Combine’s old bird racing season was staged from Melton Mowbray on Saturday 16th April 2011, where 77 Tees Valley Federation members convoy of 2,073 birds were liberated at 10.10hrs into a light west wind. This was a 5 lofts and 191 birds increase on the previous weeks Mansfield race, and 16 lofts and 667 birds up on the first race from Selby. Seven Eaglescliffe & District Homing Society members who fly the distance of 125 miles sent 340 birds with the four early inform lofts taking the first 6 positions between them, with the loft of Alan Starkey & Son Lee coming out on top after timing a couple of birds to win 1st and 3rd Club. Pole position was won by a 2yo cheq Galaxy Lofts Ritvink x Klak Janssen hen recording a chart-topping vel of 1498 to go onto score a very impressive 2nd Fed. The red card winning hen who chalked up 20th Fed Eastbourne Yearling National in 2010 is out of a hen who has a 5th UNC Clermont to her credit.  Second on the clock for Alan & Lee was a previous scoring 3yo cheq Klak Janssen hen making 1482 to go onto chalk up a notable 8th Fed, and round off a good day for the Father and Son partnership. These lads know how to fly pigeons that’s for sure with the duo performing very well over the years, so much so the boys have won a number of averages along the way. The lads who have flown their young birds natural the past 2 seasons are flying their youngsters on the darkness system this time around, the turnaround was decided on after failing to score only a handful of points the past 2 young bird seasons. As Alan & Lee dropped down a couple of places in the points list in 2010 they are hoping to competing with the rest of their Clubmates for the young bird points to help them get back to their average winning ways. On studying the photo of Lee outside his young bird loft my Colombo investigations got the better of me as I noticed a red youngster standing in the front of his squad, in my previous reports I can’t ever remember writing anything about a red scorer. This has got to be something special, inspecting the photo more closely they don’t look like they have hit the skies yet and if that is the case then Lee is in for a very worrying and sleepless time. Alan Armstrong & Son with the help of The Park Ranger had a couple of 2yo blue pied Gaby Vandenabeele hens in the frame to chalk up 2nd and 4th Club, in fact the two hens are in the clock for the second consecutive week. With the blue card being awarded to the hen that netted 4th Club and 11th Fed Mansfield (Worksop), only this time with a vel of 1494 she pockets a well-earned 3rd Fed and also wins the Fed nom. The yellow card was potted by the hen that won 1st Club, 2nd Fed and 1st Fed nom last week, this week she recorded 1472 to notch up 26th Fed.

Starkey & Son’s 1st Club, 2nd Tees Valley Fed Melton Mowbray winner from 2,073 birds.

   I know its early doors into the season but things are starting to hot up with the lofts of Alan & Lee Starkey and Alan Armstrong & Son proving to be hard nuts to crack, they are not only doing it in the Club they are also proving themselves in the Tees Valley Fed with some very impressive performances so far. Two top class lofts that have being there before and are fully loaded to battle it out again in 2011; is there any Clubmates to stop them achieving their goal. John Wilson & Harry Heard are in the frame for the third race running after timing a 2010 bred slatey Janssen hen doing 1465. Like the three previous scoring partnerships the loft of Steve Thornton & Family are also netting for the third consecutive race, with them clocking a yearling mealy Jos Thone cock who took 29th Fed the previous week. Some of the Eaglescliffe members are enjoying some top Fed positions which are always welcoming; they have scored 2nd Fed from both Mansfield and Melton Mowbray which is very encouraging for the rest of the season. The Eaglescliffe members are enjoying the publicity for their performances and this has made the Club more competitive, as everyone wants to receive credit for their performances. The Tees Valley Federation was won by the partnership of Heightley, Son & Hayes of Portrack with a pole position winning vel of 1509, while Worton, Dyball & Ruddy of Hardwick follow up their 1st Fed Mansfield winning performance by winning 1st Club, 4th Fed and 2nd Fed nom on 1493. S & D Wilson win 1st Club and 5th Fed at Roseworth doing 1492 while the Thornaby partnership of Mr & Mrs Dave Harding win 1st Club and 6th Fed on 1486, showing the Club winners were fighting for the 1st Fed spot. The returns seemed to be very good this week which is a very big improvement on the previous weeks race where many of the birds ended up in Scotland, as far up as Inverness. I know some of the East Cleveland Federation members having trouble getting a courier to pick their birds up from Scotland and at £45 a time it don’t come cheap. On behalf of the UNC members I would like to thank the Scottish fanciers and anyone else who takes time to care for the missing birds, and don’t forget helping fanciers get their lost birds back works both ways. 

   It was sad to here of the recent deaths of Ron ‘Bonzo’ Bowden and Joyce Crame of Skelton, Ron was a member of Skelton Green Homing Society. Ron was a very popular man with both Pigeon fanciers and people of the community; he always seemed that laid back in whatever he did. Ron had raced Pigeons for a number of years flying in the partnership of Bowden & Slater, until the death of his partner a few years ago. The Bowden family have always kept Pigeons with Ron’s brothers Mick, Les, George (Boss) and the late Stan all flying in Skelton at one time or the other, either together or in different partnerships. Ron may not have being as successful as the rest of his family but he always enjoyed his birds no matter what, and one thing’s for sure the lad is greatly missed. Joyce the wife of John ‘Titch’ Crame was one of life’s characters who I first met on one of the British Homing World Blackpool weekend trips some 30 years ago, a very bubbly and popular lass who was great to be in the company of. She was a scream at breakfast time with everyone really enjoying her patter; once again Joyce is greatly missed by all who knew her. My heart goes out to both the Bowden and Crame families at their very sad loss; Ron and Joyce have left a very large hole that will never be filled. R.I.P. Ron and Joyce.

   With that its tools down for another week, any news to Good Corn at 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.