Enfield Continental Flying Club Update

With everyone down at the Cabbage Patch not expecting to be racing Old Birds this Season, and even a chance of no racing at all due to the Coronavirus outbreak, we were all excited to hear from the RPRA that Racing would be able to start at the Beginning of June.

Then three days before our first race on June 6^th we had some devastating bad news, Member Dave Dowling of the D & D Dowling Partnership had passed away of a Heart Attack which came as a proper shock to all of the members as we were all just getting over the previous bereavements of Keith Wint & Jim Courtney earlier this year, and the Club and its members offer our deepest sympathy to Dave’s family and friends.

At marking on Friday night it felt strange with how we had to mark with none of the usual jokes and humour in place due to the Social Distancing Rules as well as the Social Club also being closed, but at the End of Marking 11 Members had sent 246 birds to Blandford

Saturday morning and the Usual phone call from Dave Housden saying the Lib time which was 6.15am and that they were liberated in a West Wind.

With the wind given everyone knew that it was going to be a very fast race and at the strike at 5pm the result was as follows.

Taking Pole Position, also taking 6^th Inter Counties Fed 2744 birds was Steve Holloway with “Pedro” a Blue Pied Lambrecht Cock bred by Clubmate Geoff Barker. “Pedro” is now a 5x1st winner as well as scoring at least 10 other top 6 places in the Club. 2^nd Club, also taking 14^th Fed was Steve “Willie” Williams with a Blue Hen. The Sire being a Son of 1^st WSENFC Maidstone & 1^st WSENFC Lilliers and the Dam being a ½ Sister to 1^st National & 1^st CSCFC who was Purchased at the Eric Guinchard Clearence sale.

3^rd Club, also 21^st Fed was Steve “Willie” Williams once again, this time with a Blue Van Den Bulck Cock bred by the Staddon family from Southampton. Peter Twyford took 4^th & 5^th with a Blue Lambrecht x Busschaert Cock, with the Sire being bred by Club Mate Geoff Barker and he is a previous winner for Peter. Peter’s fifth placed bird was a 2-year-old Mealy Busschaert Hen sent sitting 5 days who was having her first race since being a Young Bird. She is a Grand Daughter of Peter’s 1^st UBI Combine winner who was unfortunately killed by a Sparrowhawk earlier this year. Finally taking Sixth spot is Steve Holloway with “Manuel” a past winner of 3x1st & 3x2nd’s plus other lower positions. “Manuel & “Pedro” are brothers and are Lambrecht’s bred by Geoff Barker.

Race 2 was from Yeovil and at the end of marking 10 Members had sent 211 birds which were liberated at 6.30am in a Light South East Wind. Taking top spot was Peter Twyford with a Red Mosaic Busschaert Hen, A granddaughter of the “Combine” Cock 1^st UBI Combine and was sent sitting eggs. As a young bird last year, she took the following positions, 2^nd Club Lyndhurst, 4^th Club Honiton, & twice 5^th Club Blandford. Runner up for the week was Steve “Willie” Williams with a Dark Chequer Van Rijn X Herres Cock. Third place went to Steve Holloway with a Chequer Van Reet Cock In 4^th & 5^th place was Steve Williams with a Chequer Pied Van Den Bulck Cock & a Blue Chequer Van Rijn x Elton Brothers Cock. Finally, 6^th was Steve Holloway with a Blue Chequer Van Reet Cock

Also, on the same weekend 4 members entered into the First BICC Race of the Season from Falaise. Taking the top 4 places was Billy Watkins with a Chequer Cock bred by Simon Scholfield of Leeds, 2^nd with a Mealy Pied Cock bred by Tony Cripps of Portsmouth. Third a Blue Chequer Cock bred from stock purchased from the BBC Stud. Finally, 4^th was a Dark Pied Cock bred from Bill’s Wells Fargo family which originated thru his good friend Peter Wells of Dunstable.

Race 3 of the season arrived which was to be flown from Honiton, to which the members would fly between 139-149 miles. For this race 11 Members entered 276 birds which were liberated at 10.15 in a Light South West Wind. The winner of this race was Peter Twyford with a Blue Chequer Busschaert Yearling Cock picking up his second win after taking 1^st Club Blandford last year. This Cock is bred down from a Hen bred for Don Stocking that was 2^nd Combine Hexham & Peter’s 1^st UBI Combine Kingsdown Winner. This Cock raced natural and was just starting to drive his Hen. The Runners up spot went to Peter Glass with a Blue Cock one from his own family. 3^rd Place was Paul Stone with a Blue Pied Van Den Bosche Cock. 4^th & 5^th was Peter Twyford with Chequer Pied Busschaert Cock sent sitting eggs and is bred down from a Cock that helped Peter win the Tommy Long Trophy when he raced on the North Road. & a Blue Chequer Busschaert Cock, a past winner of 3^rd Club Honiton, 5^th Club Guernsey, 6^th Club Carentan & 6^th Club Blandford. Finally, in 6^th spot this week was Steve Holloway with a Blue Chequer Van Reet Cock.

Race 4 in the Club soon arrived but this time we marked on Saturday for a Sunday Race due to the weather forecast. Once again this was flown from Honiton and at the end of Marking 12 Members had sent 217 Birds.

The winner for this week was Peter Twyford with a Chequer Pied Busschaert Hen sent sitting 10 Days. She is a past winner of 2^nd Club Falaise, as well as 1^st Club, 19^th Fed, 19^th UBI Combine Poitiers. She has only been lightly raced and was a Widowhood Hen in 2017 & 2018. Taking 2^nd & 3^rd Club was John Hore with a Chequer Hen bred by Peter Hagland of Doncaster, a White Grizzle Hen bred from birds bred by Peter Hagland. Fourth spot went to Steve Williams with a Blue Van Rijn x Janssen Cock. 5^th Club was John Hore with a Dark Chequer Hen, who flew Lerwick on the day last year and was bred from Ken Hine pigeons purchased back in 2009. Finally in Sixth Spot is Peter Twyford with a Red Chequer Busschaert Cock from his Combine winning family.

On the same day the BICC raced frrom St Philbert which would be between 290-300 miles for our members. For this race 3 members sent with Billy Watkins taking the First 6 Positions with the 1^st being a Blue Pied Soontjen Cock, 2^nd being a Mealy Cock bred by Tony Cripps of Drayton. Bill’s third was a Dark Pied Cock bred down from Les Jones & Dave Albon’s National winners. Fourth was a Blue Jos Thorne x Soontjen Cock. Bill’s 5^th was a Blue Pied Bred by John Weldon of Guisborough. Finally, 6^th was a Red Van Reet Cock bred by Clubmate Steve Holloway.
The same weekend the Up North Combine were down at Chelmsford with over 21,000 birds and it was a amazing sight to see them all liberated at once. Peter Maw & his team once again put on a good show and I hope that they had good returns.

Our next race was back at Yeovil with it being our last inland race before the first Channel race of the season with the UBI Combine from Falaise. At the end of Marking 10 Members had sent 197 Birds. The following morning, I was expecting the usual phone call from Dave Housden to say that the birds had been Liberated, then just after 1pm the Call arrived to say that the birds had been Held Over. On Sunday morning the Birds were liberated at 8.15 in a West Wind.

Taking the Top Spot was Club Secretary Steve Sheffield with a Dark Pied Busschaert Cock. Second Club was Doru Burlacu with a Blue Chequer Van Loon Hen. 3^rd Club was Nick Abebei with a Blue Chequer Gaby Vandenabeele x Jan Hooymans Hen. Fourth Spot went to Steve Williams with a Dark Chequer Janssen x Van Rijn. 5^th Club was Steve Holloway with a Blue Lambrecht Cock. Finally, Sixth place was Steve Williams with a Dark Pied Jan Aarden Cock bred from Stock purchased at the Dutch Breeding Centre.

In the next write up, UBI Combine Falaise, BICC Poitiers, plus much more.

Until next time, Take Care

Jamie T.

Up North Combine at Chelmesford, what a good sight for the sport.