Parkinson. L.J.

After talking to so many fanciers about the racing during this season I am left wondering where it will go down in the list of bad seasons that the pigeon fraternity have experienced. Been great weather for the sun worshipers and the holiday trade but no for the pigeon fanciers who want to race their pigeons. Overall any season is a good one because fanciers can race their pigeons but on a scale of 1 to 10 it all depends on what kind of a season you have had. If we work on 1 as the better end of the scale I wonder how that would work with losses because that all depends on how careful fanciers have been when selecting the race weekends that they have entered their birds.

Are times changing, or is it the reduction on pigeon fanciers, or are they not wanting to travel to the continent as much as they used to do. The reason I say that is because I was talking to Tony Bates recently and he was telling me that for the first time since he started doing tours to the continent he has had to cancel because he did not have enough fanciers for the trip. Tony sounded disappointed on the phone but as they say, at the end of the day all good things come to an end.

The latest race for the Middlewich FC was from Mangotsfield when, I am told most of the birds were coming back out of the north. This is something most fanciers experience with young bird racing, they are in race mode and don’t stop as quick as they should at times, all part of racing pigeons. Right what about the result that saw Peter & Dawn Latham take the top two places with a 100% Vandenabeele whose sire is from Spencer Howarth with the dam being from stock obtained from Holland. Their second in the clock is a Heinz variety being from a mixture of dad’s pigeons, they recorded vels of 1438/1433ypm. 3rd DJ & CJ Wilkinson with a dark cock from the Stichelbaut x Louella Aarden lines and is raced to the perch recording a vel of

In the Action Bridge club 6 members sent 218 birds to Mangotsfield when once again the top 4 positions went to the supreme team of Curtis-Wall-Lunt with all 4 being on 1606ypm. They are 1st with a blue cock which is a direct son off "Blue Thunder" followed one second later by a blue hen who is a granddaughter of super breeder "Eurovision" cross the equally top breeding "Box 9” pair. They then clocked a blue hen being a double grandchild of the famous “Box 9” pair. Their fourth bird also takes 4th position which is a chequer cock, there is less than just short of a yard between the first four, so it must have been a trapping game where any of them could have topped the fed.

These two clubs are racing with the Mid Cheshire Fed where once again the top 4 positions go to Curtiss-Wall-Lunt from a liberation of 1,055 from 55 members. They were liberated in a light south wind at 12 noon in what for some was a difficult race with the higher vels seeing birds returning from the north. Other club winners in the fed are, Mr & Mrs P Sylvester racing with the Kingsway club who again sent 300 plus birds and are the biggest club in the fed and the take the first 3 in the club.  Dave Pritchard from Rudheath is having a good season and collects another re card as does Martin Williams from Crewe whose candidate did well to drop out on the day. R&B Smith win the Earlstown club while A Hughes is top at Wrinehill. Peter & Dawn Latham are the leaders in the Middlewich FC taking the top two positions. Simon Kennedy did the same in the Leigh club while WJ Bradbury fills the top 3 positions over at Tyldesley.

The Middlewich 5B were at Bath when the returns were much better than the other club with a later liberation. Peter & Dawn Latham completed the double by winning both local clubs on the same day, this one was bred by Brian Dearn and records a vel of 1553ypm. W. Wilson & Son are next on the list on 1525ypm, so it looks like Billy is getting back on the road to success after the passing of his father. 3rd & 4th go to DJ & CJ Wilkinson firstly with a black cock which is a Vanneste-Rigole x Emiel Denys x Louella Aarden. They then clocked hen which is a Stichelbaut/Aarden that was picked out by Jim Emmerton, both being raced to the perch to record vels of 1501/1496ypm.

The above club race with the South West Cheshire Fed who saw 42 members send 601 birds to Bath where the top two positions went to Greenbank winner Mick Stockton who is having a great season. Other club winners are Mr & Mrs Richard Young from the Crewe West End. Frank Speed wins the Hankelow club while GK&C Hitchin take the first 4 in the Winsford club. Dave Pritchard is another fancier having a good season taking the first 3 over at Moulton.

I was looking at the two local fed results and after talking to a few who competed it appears that the South West had the better returns while the Mid Cheshire had the higher vels from the same are of liberation. Probably down to the later lib for the South West having clearer skies and less wind.

Les. J Parkinson. 11 Rushton Drive, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0NJ. 01606836036 Mobile 07871701585.

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