L.J. Parkinson.

How different weekends are, some suit the pigeons while others don’t and the later was the case for the third race of the season. One of the local fed called the race off while the other went ahead and had a real tough race. Locally it was a good weekend with plenty of sunshine but there was a cold wind blowing all weekend. As with any race there are those who get them no matter what and then there are those who don’t. I was talking to Geoff Bebbington about the race and he was happy with the weekend and seeing them arrive home in one’s and two’s. He was saying this type of race saw them put in time on the wing in a head wind and works in the preparation for the channel races into the North West. As the distance increases the races don’t get any easier, even in an easy race time on the wing still makes a difference. The winning vels were still up in the 1300ypm mark which is not a bad race day and indicates that it was not as tough as some believe it to have been. I was talking to Ray Lunt about the weekends racing and he said the Mid Cheshire looked to have had the best race on the Sunday and thought no more about it. A few days later I was talking to Mark Anderson from Manchester who was telling how many birds were missing at the time from his own organisation. This is yet another of those cases where we wonder why when racing from more or less the same area one can have a good race with good winning velocities and others fall far short of the same vels, “It’s a mystery”

In the Mid Cheshire Fed 9-member clubs saw 52 members enter 1059 birds that were liberated at 10.30am in a light East North East wind. The top spot went to McGee/Morrill from the Kingsway club 1323ypm. S Herbert & Son topped the Rudheath club 1314ypm while Mr & Mrs Rowledge were the leaders in the Crewe Premier taking the first 3 positions 1321ypm. Other club winners are E Simpson at Earlstown 1296ypm, A Williams in the Wrinehill club 1311ypm. Jones Bros & K Jones at Acton Bridge 1264ypm. Simon Kennedy at Leigh 1289ypm. R & D Gaskell over at Tyldesley 1297ypm with J Marshall winning in Hodnet 1079ypm. The Middlewich FC saw no members enter this race.

In the Acton Bridge club Jones Bros & Karen Jones collected the red card with a 3yo widowhood hen she had previously won Cheltenham in 2017. This hen has shown her class in the harder races when she was 2nd section 13th Open from Messac in the North West Classic. The partnership has been known for racing widowhood hens for many years and had top results with the system. They have a very good team of Andre Clemens stock that have been winning for many years. Rob Bebbington is 2nd & 4th with a yearling & 5yo both blue Hartog cocks recording vels of 1228/1167ypm. Rob finished ahead of his big brother Geoff who is 3rd after clocking a yearling chequer cock clocking up 1187ypm. Geoff was saying that he has more pigeons than ever but is still enjoying them after his break away from the sport with health issues, this is one from his Van Wanroy lines.

The lead up to the next race was much different with good weather which meant that fanciers could prepare their pigeons much better. The problem for some was they had not yet had a race; last weekend was due to be their first of the season but one of the local fed’s cancelled and some decided the weather was not good enough so did not send to the other fed which according to vels was not a bad race. However there were still fanciers who were going for their first race of the season so with a good weather report they were not going to miss this one.

The Middlewich FC saw their birds racing from Wincanton for the latest race when 137 birds took to the sky on what was a glorious day. The red card went to Mr & Mrs Dave Healey with a Soontjen bred by Stobbs Bros & Mosey who are one of the North East’s premier lofts. This blue pied yearling hen was having her first race of the season and was paired earlier but for this race had just been parted. The partnership had 51 birds out for their first race of the season between the two local clubs. Dave has been in Hospital from the 22nd December until two weeks before this race, so wife Linda did a good job. She was working between visiting Dave in hospital doing here normal housework and looking after the pigeons so did a great job. Dave was saying that he was very pleased with them being in their first race of the season from 146mls. The next two positions went to Peter & Dawn Latham their first being a chequer cock who has had a few prizes and a bit of a mongrel who has just seen his young bird taken away and is now driving. Their next in the clock is a yearling Gaby Vandenabeele hen sent sitting 14 days.

The Middlewich 5B were at Bath for their latest race with 9 members sending 137 birds with the top spot once again going to W Wilson & Son who recorded a vel of 1704ypm with a 3yo blue cock. 2nd went to Mark & Heather Smith who saw home a 2yo blue hen clocking up 1692ypm. 3rd & 4th go to Dickens & Wilkinson whose first is a blue pied widow cock being a brother to 4th club two weeks earlier. This is a 3/4 Curtis-Wall-Lunt cross Lambrecht, his sire has won 4 x 1st and his dam has.won 1st,2nd,3rd, apart from the win being beaten by loftmates. He also won 4 th club Cheltenham as a youngbird. The partnership’s next in the clock is another from their very good Curtis-Wall-Lunt stock and is a chequer widowhood cock "Treble 4" only one race as a y/b and a winner of 1st club Tewkesbury, 1st club 11th fed Bath also this year and now 4th club 7th fed. His sire is from an egg off Curtis-Wall-Lunt and previously won 2 x 1st, while his dam was bred by CWL and is a winner of 3 x 1st.

In the Acton Bridge FC race from Wincanton 6 sent 173 birds liberated in a east wind turning south on route. The top 4 positions all went to the ever-present partnership of Curtis-Wall-Lunt. First in the clock is a yearling chequer cock from a son of “Eurovision” & “Gabrielle” crossed with a daughter of the Famous “Box 9 Pair” responsible for generations of winners. 2nd is another yearling chequer cock who is nest mate to the winner. 3rd is another yearling this time a hen from top daughter of “Lucky Punch” of Leo Heremans they then clocked a yearling blue cock whose sire is “Ranger” sire winners and is a direct son of 1st 7,547 birds. Their vels were 1734.9/1734.8/1733.7/1733.0ypm and the last of the 4 is 46yds in front of the next in the fed.

In the Mid Cheshire Fed 78 members sent 1494 birds to Wincanton to be liberated at 9-15am in a light east wind. The top 4 positions clearly went to Curtis-Wall-Lunt. Other club winners are, Kingsway, F Savage. Rudheath Dave Pritchard. Crewe Premier Mr & Mrs Carl Rowledge. Earlstown W & P Brown. Wrinehill Joe Glover. Middlewich Mr & Mrs Dave Healey. Leigh J Chadwick. Tyldesley R & D Gaskell. Hodnet J Marshall.

In the South West Cheshire Fed 65 members entered 1032 birds liberated at 10-15am in a light south wind. Greenbank member mick Stockton had a good race taking the first 4 in the club and 1st 2nd 3rd fed. W Wilson & Son topped the list in the Middlewich 5B. Rob Bennett won the Crewe West End. Hankelow saw Frank Speed top the list. Dave Pritchard won at Moulton With H Bratt & Son doing the same in the Winsford club.

Les J Parkinson.

11 Rushton Drive,

Middlewich,

Cheshire,

CW10 0NJ.

Tel: 01606836036   Mobile 07871701585.

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