NEWS FROM SCOTLAND
Reports by Joe Murphy
Fred Spears, Jim Doig, Jock Scott & Mook Honey.
I received some good and bad news this week lets start with the bad first; after visiting the consultant at the hospital regarding my knee injury he is sending me for an MRI scan to hopefully obtain a fuller diagnosis on the damage done before deciding if he is going to operate or not. The good news is I have passed my British Sign Language grade Level 1, with very good marks and to say that I’m ‘chuffed’ is an understatement. This is not bad for an old pensioner like me to go and learn sign language at my time in life is a superb achievement even if I say it myself. Other good news was I won 2nd prize in the Garden competition within the local council, which came as a big surprise as I felt my garden was not as good this year due to the heavy rain we experienced during August, however this 2nd prize gives me encouragement for next year. I also received a phone call from Bob the fancier who won the J & W Strang & son pigeon in the sporting challenge draw and he informed me that the Strang partnership gifted them the nest mate.
I also received a letter today 11th September from Jamie Mitchell from Bedford who wrote saying, ‘Joe just a note to tell your readers about my winning a pigeon in your sporting challenge draw. After you sent me the letter with Mr Sloan & son’s address and phone number I contact them. With Amtrak no longer trading and we did not know of the new companies who transported pigeons I along with my dad Jim, and my sisters oldest daughter Sonia Brownley (she wanted to come and see the Scottish scenery, I told her she would not see much of it as we were leaving at 02.00am) Sonia still wanted to come. We arrived at Airdrie at about 08.30am, getting out of the car we saw pigeons flying about and knew we were in the right place. We were made very welcome by the Sloan family who supplied us with something to eat. Then it was out the back garden to the loft and we were amazed by the quality of pigeons and when it came to giving us the sporting challenge winning pigeon in the draw we were over the moon when Dennis gave us the 2 youngsters from his champion hen. We returned to the house and over a cup of tea we chatted about pigeons in general and believe me Joe we could have spent the whole day in their company. However we had a long journey back home and we bid them our good byes and departed at 10.00am finally arriving home at 5.00pm tired but happy at the experience of meeting quality pigeon fanciers like the Sloan family. I would like to thank my dad for building my loft, Neil & Cynthia from Nuneaton whom we met on holiday for getting me back into the sport of pigeon racing. Finally Joe to all your fanciers in the sporting challenge who donate quality pigeons for ordinary fanciers to win in the draw. I know you have made me very happy and I look forward to meeting more nice people like you and the Sloan family within the sport at the Blackpool show of the year. Wishing your sporting challenge every success for the future as it is without doubt one of the best promotions in Britain keep up the good work yours Jamie Mitchell’.
I cannot emphasise the true spirit or the calibre of fanciers who take part in the sporting challenge they are without doubt the crème de le crème of pigeon fanciers as far as I’m concerned and the above proves how great these fanciers are.
Daldorch House School Sale
The Daldorch House school sale of champion late breds was a great success and once the balance sheet is completed by Derek then the cheque will be presented to the school. To say that it was hectic on the night would be an understatement as the phone was going ding dong and fanciers wanting to place bids at the last minute which caused problems as by the time we sent in the emails some of them did not reach Elimar until after the bird has gone off the screen, so these people missed out. I explained when I first wrote about the sale that if there are 2 bids within the last 5 minutes then the bird will go back for another 5 minutes. However this bid has to be placed within the 5 minute time scale and in some instances this could not happen as we did not have time to place the bids, and fanciers lost out. The easiest way for on line bids is right at the beginning place your maximum bid. We all know how much we are prepared to pay for a bird, (regardless of it being on line or at an auction). Put in your minimum bid and your maximum bid and if it goes over your price then so be it. If it is under your maximum bid you get the bird at the finished bidding price and in some instances this could be as much as £50. This is the best way to place bids to on line auctions by doing it this way you do not loose out when it comes down to the final few minutes. I had people wanting me to go up £5.00 a bid and by the time I emailed in this bid the bird had increased up another £20.00 when the fancier came back on the phone he wanted it to go up another £5.00. In the end I advised him to place a higher bid and if successful they would get the bird under their maximum bid. These were teething problems however the overall sale was a great success and Derek, Linda and myself wish to THANK everyone for their support. The donors for the quality pigeons they donated to this worthy cause and we cannot speak highly enough of these marvellous people. We must also thank the fanciers who purchased or tried to purchase these wonderful birds without them this sale would not have been the success it was. Elimar had over 23.000 hits during the sale so this will let you know the amount of interest in these quality pigeons. We must also thank the BHW for the way in which it displayed our advert and to Elimar, Pigeonportal, pigeonglobe and cyberpigeon for the way they highlighted this worthy cause. Once Linda and Derek have been to the school to present the cheque I will attach a balance sheet and some photographs in a future article for all to see.
Young Bird Exchange
Now that we are coming to the end of the racing season I would like to remind the people who took part in my sporting challenge young bird exchange I will require the claims for the breeder/racer prizes. We have prizes for the first 3 birds in each category. With this new venture of the young bird exchange added to my sporting challenge calendar this year it has added a new feature that hopefully will be a success in the years to come. I have purchased a trophies as a memento to be given to each of the fanciers who participated in the young bird exchange and these will be presented to EVERYONE who took part in the young bird exchange at my sporting challenge presentation on 7th November 2008 in the Hillcroft Hotel Whitburn starting at 7pm. Can I please remind fanciers to send in their claims and proof of their bird’s achievement to me my address at the bottom of this article?
Annie R Bowes Trophy
I have received 3 nominations so far for this high-ranking trophy and if you would like to nominate someone you think is a worth candidate the rules are quite simple. This trophy is awarded for fanciers who do or have done tireless work in promoting the sport of pigeon racing during their time in the sport with the past winners a great example of this. The criteria for the nominations have nothing to do with a fancier’s achievements with his pigeons it is all about helping out his or her fellow fancier’s. There are plenty of dedicated fanciers out there who work vigorously for the sport up here in Scotland with no financial rewards involved. For example presidents of clubs, federations or it could be clock setters or basket cleaners all very important jobs within the framework of how a good club tick’s from one season to the next. It could also be the secretary whom we all know carries out extra jobs above and beyond the call of duty and every one know who these people are. It is not until they are no longer within these posts that we realise just how important they were to our club or federation. If you know of someone within your area that comes into this category then drop me a note with the details on the type of tasks they have carried out. I will type each letter and delete each name so as not to show any favouritism and these nominations will be sent to my guest of honour who will select their choice and this will be the winner of the Annie R Bowes trophy. Please send your nominations for this wonderful trophy to Joe Murphy address at bottom of article.
Exceptional Blue Cock
As many of you know I like to promote top quality pigeons and they don’t come any better than SU 99 NE 3029 a blue cock raced by Bob Whyte of Fraserburgh. This Van Loon performances achieved in old bird racing only is nothing short of exceptional but it is when you look at his breeding potential of winners it is breathtaking. The blue cock won the following prizes;
Race Point Distance Club Federation Birdage
Miles Position Section Open
Newark 321 5th 5th 5th 1324
Cupar 101 1st 1st 1st 2638
Peterborough 363 1st 3rd 3rd 614
Northallerton 232 6th 10th 10th 1217
Newtongrange 132 5th 9th 9th 1817
Northallerton 232 2nd 2nd 2nd 1604
Peterborough 363 6th 6th 6th 751
Newtongrange 132 4th 15th 2054
Doncaster 292 6th 11th 1251
When put to stock his direct sons won (only cocks raced) in old bird racing only:
Thornton 113 2nd 2nd 2nd
Alnwick 158 10 10
Northallerton 232 10 21
Northallerton 232 8 29
Leicester 353 4 4 4
Rotherham 295 6 24
Thornton 113 4 8 8
Hastings 483 1 3 3
Hastings 483 2 11
Arniston 133 1 5 5
Northallerton 232 1 1 1
Rotherham 295 1 1 1
Leicester 353 21 21
Newark 321 2 6 6
Peterborough 363 3 9 11
Hexham 165 2 4 4
Northallerton 232 4 8 8
Doncaster 292 1 2 2
Northallerton 232 3 10 12
Doncaster 292 6 6 6
Arniston 133 5 8 8
Arniston 133 3 3 3
Northallerton 232 1/2/3 2/3/4 2/3/4
This was 3 sons who dropped together
Alnwick 158 20 20
Alnwick 158 29 1773
Newark 321 26 870
I think you will agree he is an exceptional cock and is steeped in top class breeding from a great line of winners. I have enclosed a photo for this article to let you see his quality. If you want to know more about this great cock and read his pedigree then log onto www.elimarpigeons.co.uk to see this and his direct sons who are going on sale on this site from this week end.
Correspondence
Received an email from Jason who collects pigeon rings and he wishes to know if anyone can help him with his hobby, he is looking for Scottish and Irish rings in particular. He is prepared to pay postage on any mail he receives and his email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Jason also states he is a genuine collector and he is prepared to send a copy of his ring list.
Results
The young bird national from Leicester turned out to be a great race as far as Fife federation members are concerned with many Kingdom fanciers making the result. The 1st open position going to Willie Hay for Methil who has achieved his ‘dream’ in winning this race, he was on the national committee with me up till this year and it has always been Willie’s goal to win the young bird national. I used to ask him ‘Why the young bird national and his reply was ‘It has never been won in Fife’ and I want to be the first to do it. He has now done so and his name is in the history books for ever more, believe me it could not have happened to a nicer man than Willie. He is a dedicated fancier who works very hard with his pigeons and his club members and Fife fanciers know that if they beat him then they will be well up on the results. Willie has a heart of gold and has supported various causes over the years especially his own club where he has donated his winning prize money every year back to the club funds. He has also donated ETS clocking systems, Gold Watches plus other schemes to promote the sport. Willie was also 4th, 30th, 48th, 52nd, 113th, 196th, 198th, 201st & 203rd open so 10 pigeons from an entry of 21 a good percentage and congratulations once again Willie Hay on this remarkable result. George McLain of Duns had a brilliant race being 2nd, 16th, 22nd 31st 49th & 165th open having 6 out of his 7 entries on the result brilliant racing. Brian Chalmers from Kennoway is again near the top of the open result with the following positions; 3rd, 7th, 8th, 39th, 159th & 170th open with 6 from his 10 entries on the result. Jim & Gary Peggie from Methil are another up at the top with 3 birds from their 8 entries in 5th, 17th & 63rd open. Turpie & McCord from Pitlessie had 4 from their 12 on the result in 9th, 54th, 56th and 146th open. Without doubt the significant issue to emerge from this young bird national is the Fife federation young bird race programme helped these birds. The week before the national the federation held their race from Wakefield so the youngsters have distance and time on the wing prior to the national race which has been a problem in the past as they have gone from Ripon to Leicester and never done so well this jump of about 100 miles is maybe a step too far. Perhaps this is where other federations fell down as in some instances federations are only at the 100 mile mark prior the young bird national and they have not had the same good fortune as the Fife federation return wise. To highlight this point I will give a couple of other illustrations Dave Baldie & son of St Andrews timed in 10 birds from his 25 entries to win 13,27,31,36,71,90,123,126,134 & 140 open places and they have 21 home the following day. Austin Whittaker from Methil is another with 7 of his 15 entries on the result in 12,18,18,23,25,111 & 185th open places. Andy Thomson of Duntrune in Dundee is another who had a great race flying 280 miles he won 29,79,84,92,143 & 188th open from an entry of 26 birds. John Bosworth did not race his youngsters with the Pentland federation this year but sent them with other organisations who were further down the road and this paid off for him as he too had a great race with 9 from 31 on the result in 26,28,85,86,94,97,176,195 & 200th open. Another fancier who did extremely well is J Smith of Polmont who won 1st section D 21st open, he was also 43,59,73,95,142 & 182nd open from an entry of 65 birds. Another section D fancier John McNeil of Broxburn had 10 from his 24 entries on the result being 51,60,72,76,100,109,115,148,149& 192nd open. However a pigeon that achieved a fantastic performance in the race was Jackie Ritchie of Inverallochy (near Fraserburgh) his young blue chequer hen won 1st north section 20th open flying a distance of 352 miles, a great pigeon and well done Jackie. The winner of 1st section E 117th open is H H Menzies of Slamannan with section A winner Mr & Mrs D Skelton of Kirkpatrick Fleming the only south section winner on the open result in 121st open. First & 2nd section F is the partnership of M & S Maguire of Dumbarton. Well done to all the people who made the result and our congratulations to the convoyers Jim Hannah and John McCord for looking after the birds for the 4 days they were in the baskets, also the race control team who did a great job in making sure the final race of the season finished in a positive note. As you can expect, the Fife members are over the moon at the race they have experienced especially after a 2 day hold over and many contribute this fact to the birds being transported in the Fife Federation transporter, their opinion not mine!
Glenrothes & Leslie IFC news from Jimmy Maxwell who informs us 4 members sent 40 pigeons to the Leicester open race. First place goes to Turpie & McCord with their Mr & Mrs Cameron of Arbroath Belgian stray doing 1406 yards per minute. This bird has won already and been a 2nd & 3rd club and it has also won the accumulator and has won 7th section C 9th open in the young bird national winning over £333 for its efforts. In 2nd & 3rd club 8th & 27th section C 11th & 41st open is Alistair McCudden right on Terry’s tail doing 1404 and 1323 with his Van Loon family. That’s it for this week Joe except to say well done to all the members in the club who timed in especially Terry & John who have had an exceptional young bird season. The club has had a great race from Leicester so some thanks must go to John McCord and Jim Hannah who looked after the birds all weekend, that’s it for another season Joe yours Maxie.
True Story
When I heard this story I could not stop laughing and if any of you know big Graham White of Dumbarton you will know what I mean. Graham like many other fanciers did not have a bird home from Tours this year, so when it came to the Falaise race he was hoping to do better. On the night of the Falaise race as time went by and no sign of a pigeon he paced up and down the yard watching the sky and hoping above hope to get a bird. After a couple of hours he started to ‘Pray’… ‘Lord just give me a pigeon from France’. Then low and behold a pigeon closed its wings and on the landing board and in the loft. A happy Graham goes in after the bird and you would not believe it. It was a French stray – Yes his prayers were answered but not in the way he had hoped. I fell about laughing when I heard this story believe me it could only happen to Graham.
Please continue to keep the news flowing to Joe Murphy Mystical Rose Cottage 2 Flutorum Avenue Thornton by Kirkcaldy KY1 4BD or phone 01592 770331 after 7pm week days or my NEW email address is
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Or log onto www.elimarpigeons.com www.pigeonglobe.co.uk or www.Pigeonportal.com and the newest pigeon forum in the United Kingdom who wish my weekly contribution http://www.cyberpigeon.co.uk/ for my up to date portfolio on pigeon topics from Scotland.