Established 1979 Company Number: 11693988 VAT Registration Number: 284 0522 13 +44 (0)1606 836036 +44 (0)7871 701585 [email protected]

Thurso 2014

 

 

LONDON NORTH ROAD COMBINE

Reports by Grasshopper

Thurso 2014

Thurso is the northernmost town on the British mainland, situated on the northern coastline overlooking the Orkney Islands, and is roughly 20 miles west of John O Groats. History runs deep in its veins. The earliest record name is the Celtic Tarvodubron, which is 'Bull Water' or 'Fort of the Bull'. It has strong Norse Orcadian links and was a major port, and later became a port of trade between Northern Europe. It also has been the London North Road Combine’s conclusive race for a number of years, as well as being the deciding factor for the coveted Tommy Long Trophy.

On Friday 11th July the 633 birds representing the London North Road Combine were liberated with the Essex and Kent Combine at 8.30am in a North Westerly wind with many fanciers competing around the distance of 510 miles. Many were predicting a good quick racing day from this distance, but unfortunately a lot can happen between 500 plus miles and home, and so was to be the case on this eventful race. According to many of the pigeon forums, the weather route along the east coast gave a mixed bag of results. However the day transformed into a tough and testing day, where only 1.26 percent of the convoy made it home on the day, with only 14% of the convoy making it home combined over two days, nonetheless every federation competing with the London North Road Combine had at least 1 brave, fearless pigeon make it home on the day.

Below is the Convoyer's race report:

“Left Thurrock services around 10pm Wednesday and headed for Thurso. Stopped at 2am and continued at 5am. Stopped for breakfast at 11am approx. Checked and watered birds. All ok. Arrived at Thurso approx 6pm Thursday. Brilliant sunshine all the way. Opened up shutters on arrival and fed and watered birds approx 6.30pm. Up at 4.30am Friday. Received call from Mr Ashenden around 5.50pm. I advised it was misty and no chance of a lib yet. Phoned Mr Ashenden at 7.10am. Mist had cleared, high cloud breaking. Advised to hold. 8am, broken cloud, sun breaking through. Phoned Mr Ashenden and it was agreed for 8.30am lib. Birds broke into three groups and cleared well. Brilliant sunshine until we hit Newark then it was grey and dead skies. Sorry to hear race didn't go as expected but congratulations to the winners.” - D Moore.

The winner of the London North Road Combine, and so I believe overall winner of the Amalgamation between the London North Road Combine and Essex & Kent Combine, and winning his first ever combine was M Marchant of Ilford. Mark started in the sport in Bethnal Green, hand raising street pigeons. The first streeter he hand raised in fact still resides in the loft and is a personal favourite called 'Charlie' and is 15 years old. Mark has had some success with these hand raised streeters, and one particular hen in his stock loft has bred winners with every cock bird she has been paired to.

The Thurso combine winner is hen bred from Frank Sheader Soontjen cross Bob Walton Frans Van Wildemeersh. The two year old is of an apple bodied structure, well muscled with her tail coming to one piece, and the shine and plumage tells that this Thurso race did not affect her in the slightest. The Thurso winner has been Mark’s first bird at every combine race this season. She won the Pride of Romford Club at Berwick and was also 48th Open London North Road Combine.  The winner was originally raced on the widowhood system up till Berwick, where she was then paired to prepare her for Thurso. She was sent to Thurso sitting one egg of roughly 7 days, and was extremely bonded to her nest and box. The birds are fed on Versele Laga Gerry Plus and Versele Laga All-Rounder, and as a side treat the birds were given as much sunflower hearts as they desire building up to the Thurso race. Regarding supplementation and medicines, the birds were all recently treated for canker, and Mark also uses a supplement called Pro-Bac, which is basically a pro-biotic. Mark is unsure what the future will hold for this game little hen, but she has proven she has a heart of a lion, and a real love and desire for home. It should also be stated Mark bred the 8th Open London North Road Combine Thurso pigeon for his good friend F Nott of Hornchurch. Mark over the last few years has been very happy with his results in the London North Road Combine, as well as his team performances in the Essex & Kent Combine.

Mark Marchant

2nd Open London North Road Combine are regulars to the Thurso podium and are previously 4 times winners of the London North Road Combine from various race points. It should also be stated they've had a number of birds also to feature in the London North Road Combine Hall Of Fame, and with this result they have secured for the first time in the great partnership’s history, the coveted Tommy Long Trophy. F Dawkins & Son of Plaistow has been a name that’s been competing at the top for many years. Freddy has always been around pigeons as his father used to keep and race pigeons in Bow, and son Keith has always been around birds also, so three generations at least of pigeon fanciers have come from this family. They have been racing from this address since 1989.

I hope the partnership does not mind but I’ve named their 2nd open winner 'Happy Feet', after a story of the pigeon’s dam. The dam was a futurity pigeons purchased from their good friends Jutla Bros of Forest Gate, but when going round to pick up their pigeon with friend Johnny Craske who was also collecting a baby, Johnny refused the 2nd Open winner’s dam due to its 'Little Feet', while Keith said he would have the one Johnny did not want. The amount of good distance pigeons this hen has gone on to breed has been phenomenal with one of her children being a Hall Of Fame winner. The sire of the 2nd Open winner is from Freddy and Keith’s own family which is based on Alf Bakers Stassaerts, Marsh & Bailey's Ameels, Jim Durley, Lenny Garner's Janssens and Tot Douglas Busschaerts, but the Stassaerts feature mainly.

'Happy Feet' was raced and motivated on the Lesbian Hen system. 8 spare hens were put in a compartment at the beginning of the season, and left to motivate themselves paired together. 'Happy Feet' was sent to the race sitting 8 day eggs, and she has been raced extremely hard this season being the partnership’s first bird home from Lerwick with the North Road Championship Club this season. She has had a few short races this season, then she went to two Berwick races, Arbroath, Lerwick and then onto Thurso. The brands of pigeon feed used is Versele Laga Best All-Rounder 50% mixed with Versele Laga Superstar Plus 50%. A week leading up to distance races the birds are fed around 4 peanuts each day. Regarding supplementation the only one used is Improver, and that is used on a Sunday and Monday, but when the weather is warm returning from the race the partnership will use electrolytes in the drinker. The future of 'Happy Feet' is back in the basket, but the partnership state that she might not go back to Lerwick again but she will definitely be returning to Thurso. Just to highlight some of the partnership’s top results they include 4x1st Open London North Road Combine, Tommy Long Trophy Winners, 6x1st Section 7 North Road Championship Club, Top Prize winners London North Road Federation, 5 times Individual Points Champions East London Federation, and been top prize winner in the Plaistow Working Mans Club for a number of years.

The Dawkins

The trumpeters where in the streets of Canning Town, with the town crier shouting when I arrived 'The King Has Returned'. I stepped out of my vehicle and asked one of the paraders “What was going on?” They answered “What, haven't you heard? King Henry is back!” I stood a little dumbfounded for a while, I scratched my head, and thought could they be talking about the legendary H Blaker of Canning Town that I was about to see for winning 3rd Open London North Road Combine Thurso? I went up to his address, and answering the door was this great structured strong as an ox man, wearing a king’s crown and robe, and another pigeon fancier alongside him acting as his jester. The king being Henry Blaker and the jester being his good friend Snowy Goodwin. Now what the reader must realise is the job of a scribe is not the easiest of tasks, and for the next part of the article I will ask you not to read with serious eyes, but all answers are the answers that King Henry provided for my dictaphone. However what must be stated, Henry Blaker at one time was one of the most fierce competitors in the London North Road Combine, and racing in the East London area in general, in fact at one time there were few better and I for one have bundles of respect for him. Henry has been a pigeon fancier since birth, as he was born with two feathers protruding from his derrière, but it was not until the local vicar, also a pigeon fancier, tried to pluck them out while Henry was cleaning his lofts. Henry races in a club at the moment he likes to call the last of the Summer Wine Club, as he reminds himself of Compo, Alfie Gadsdon reminds him of Foggy, Johnny Forst reminds him of Cleggy, and Snowy reminds him of Howard Shibshaw due to his promiscuous nature.

Henry Blaker and his good friend Snowy Goodwin

The 3rd Open London North Road Combine winner is a Soontjen 2nd round young bird last season, that Henry has now named 'Snowy 2' due to its highly elevated sex drive and just like Snowy, if a frog did not hop he would try to mount it. The pigeon has been to every race this season and was his first bird home last year from Aycliffe. The winning cock bird was sent sitting 10 days on eggs. The brands of feed used are the cheapest he can get his hands on. Henry is a big fan of GEM Blobby Mix; he loves mixtures that offer a huge variety. No supplementation is used at all. 'Snowy 2' will be raced in 2 weeks time with the young birds in the East London Federation. Henry is a past London North Road Combine winner from Thurso 5,695 birds, and has bred combine winners for other fanciers. To state all his past top performances would probably fill this publication but believe me, his performances are legendary. I feel I should also mention Henry's old great pigeon in the loft at 21 years old and still thriving and strong - the 'Old Gypsie Cock'.

The London North Road Combine Provisional Top 50 and station winners as follows:

1 M MARCHANT P.O.ROMFORD 1352

2 F DAWKINS/S PLAISTOW 1299.0

3 H BLAKER NEWHAM 1272.1

4 R SCOTT DAGENHAM 1223.8

5 M CONNOLLY/S CUSTOM HSE 1210.5

6 M COOPER GRAYS 1196.2

7 J TURNELL/S CHESHUNT 1151.3

8 F NOTT HORNCHURCH 1142.2

9 D WILTON/S C.S.MARY 998.6

10 J TURNELL/S CHESHUNT 991.3

11 BR CHAPMAN CHESHUNT 978.6

12 W NORTON/S HORNCHURCH 970.6

13 L NIEDZWICKI CHESHUNT 957.0

14 L NIEDZWICKI CHESHUNT 942.8

15 L STEVENS HORNCHURCH 908.3

16 L STEVENS HORNCHURCH 903.0

17 L STEVENS HORNCHURCH 897.1

18 J LAMPRELL CHESHUNT 871.7

19 M/M A BROWN P.O.ROMFORD 868.1

20 A COOK DAGENHAM 846.5

21 M/M WERNHAM N ELTHAM 845.6

22 L NIEDZWICKI CHESHUNT 832.8

23 T GUNN C.S.MARY 822.6

24 G BROCKIE N ELTHAM 822.3

25 L NIEDZWICKI CHESHUNT 817.1

26 J TURNELL/S CHESHUNT 811.4

27 P E KELLETT DAGENHAM 809.1

28 S BAKER/S CHESHUNT 801.4

29 A GADSDON/S CUSTOM HSE 800.9

30 A TIAUTERS CHESHUNT 794.6

31 M/M BEVEN GRAYS 791.3

32 A GADSDON/S CUSTOM HSE 790.7

33 CLARK BROS HORNCHURCH 788.3

34 M/M BEVEN GRAYS 784.4

35 M COOPER GRAYS 784.0

36 T GUNN C.S.MARY 782.0

37 A P WOODGER C.S.MARY 780.1

38 B L ROBINSON GRAYS 770.6

39 D NUNN NEWHAM 768.0

40 T GUNN C.S.MARY 764.7

41 T DUNN P.O,ROMFORD 764.0

42 A COOK DAGENHAM 758.4

43 P E KELLETT DAGENHAM 755.9

44 L STOCK/S HORNCHURCH 755.4

45 M MARCHANT P.O.ROMFORD 753.8

46 M MARCHANT P.O.ROMFORD 753.8

47 M CONNOLLY/S CUSTOM HSE 753.7

48 T DUNN P.O.ROMFORD 753.6

49 HM + G FOWLE TILBURY 750.8

50 D NUNN NEWHAM 750.0

Tilbury station

M Cooper 1196

D Wilton son 998

Mr Mrs Beven 791

Mr Mrs Beven 784

M Cooper 784

A P Woodger 780

N.Eltham

Mr Mrs Wernham 845

G Brockie 822

G Brockie 737

 

Hornchurch

F Nott 1142

W Norton/s 970

L Stevens 908

L Stevens 903

L Stevens 897

Clark bros 788

Dagenham

H Blaker 1272

R Scott 1223

M/m A Brown 868

A Cook 846

T Gunn 822

P E Kellett 809

Cheshunt

J Turnell/s 1151

J Turnell/s 991

L Niedzwiecki 951

L Niedzwiecki 942 B

J Lamprell 871

L Niedzwiecki 832

Stratford

M Marchant 1352

F Dawkins/s 1299

M Connolly/s 1210

R Chapman 978.6

M Marchant 753

M Marchant 753

That is it for the London North Road Combine’s programme for old birds. The next London North Road Combine race will be for the young bird programme from Aycliffe. I have included a photo of a Hall of Fame winner from last year who also scored 85th London North Road Combine Thurso for Mr & Mrs Fowler.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers the best of luck, and I look forward to visiting the top 3 competitors from the young bird race.

Grasshopper

07712432824

---