MIDLANDS NATIONAL FLYING CLUB

by Mike Lakin

A Grand Night for the Midlands National Flying Club

The 2016 season which has in truth been a very testing one for pigeon racing in general but ended with a bang for the MNFC at Doncaster Racecourse when a good turnout of members and guests attended the club’s annual Prize distribution. It once again was a superb evening with an excellent and continued with good entertainment in a superb venue which surely befits a National organisation like the Midlands National.

I will centre my report around the Club’s President Roy Jones speech when after addressing and thanking the Club’s committee and supporting membership which in 2016 continues to grow despite a few criticisms regarding the large number of sections etc. This I feel though by no means perfect proves that the Mid Nat is by and large getting things right.

As Roy explained the year has been a very trying one which will be remembered for its many holdovers including the record 9 day hold before the second race. Let’s hope that it is another 50 years before we see that record one equalled never mind broken!  Even so the club has seen race entries continue to grow and we can say that the Club is in a very healthy state.

Roy continued that to remain the fore runner in the pigeon sport the club will  despite the year’s set backs with our members support  be like a determined fighter and to bounce back  stronger learning from any of  the mistakes that were made in 2016.

I think that here the President was largely referring to the Club’s first foray into One Loft Racing with many believing it to be a mistake and that we should stick to what we do best i.e. arranging excellent racing. The Committee though are convinced that we can get it right and so with this in mind a new bigger and better purpose built loft is nearing completion and will be in a new location up in the North West section in the next few weeks. The Committee is determined to get it right which will continue to see the MNFC doing what its logo says by ‘Raising the Standard’ of the U.K pigeon sport. All of this will be done and will not cost the members who aren’t interested in one loft racing a ‘single penny’ but when we get it right they could well benefit from its success.

Despite the rumours I can tell members that at the moment no one has been appointed to the Loft Manager and assistant’s jobs. Though one or two have expressed an interest in the position it will be formally advertised in the near future which we believe is the correct route to take to ensure that we get the very best personnel for the job. I remember a man who I greatly respected from years ago who extolled that ‘to rest on your laurels leads to stagnation’. Well the Committee is driven not to allow this to happen.

Albert Farrow all smiles after receiving his awards for winning the first race of the season from Coutances -  John Pether the winner of the much delayed Portsmouth National race

The Ancenis race winner Troy Hobbs -  Frank & George Bristow add the 2016 Vire National win to their impressive tally

 Bruce McAllister the winner of the Chale Young Bird race -  Gary Daykin gets a helping hand off his daughter Sam to collect his trophies off Hugo Kipp

Dave Hawkins and Mark Evans collect the Young Bird Coutances trophy from Hugo Kipp

Our guest of honour and to present the prizes for the evening was Hugo Kipp who along with his father Wulfrum is one of the elite Long distance teams in the world. With their latest 1st International win from St Vincent in 2016 to further testify the accuracy of my words. Hugo who has become a personal friend of both myself and Gary Daykin is the Marketing Manager of Geraldy Pigeon Transport company who have served the MNFC so well and contributed in no small measure to the Club’s present standing. Yes it was a wise and at the time brave decision because in the early 2000’s both morale and money was tight and we relied on a small number of loanees who supported our belief that the action of approaching the very best would make us in turn the best. The end result has put us right up there. So a big thank you to both them and our partners Geraldy.

There were far too many trophy winners at the dinner for me to list them all which would probably wear my one hand away and no doubt bore the pants off many readers but I feel that I must mention one name who is our Combined Averages and Bordeaux race winner and that man is Gary Daykin who is not only a fantastic flyer but a real motivator and worker for the MNFC. So well done Gary a good friend and a top class fancier who set his stall out a few years ago to win the Bordeaux race and after several near misses has now accomplished his ambition to win the Midlands National’s Blue Ribbon race, absolutely fantastic flying mate.

Hall of Fame

The Club has now formed a new and very exclusive ‘club’ which has been christianed the ‘Midlands National Hall of Fame’ and at the moment there are just three members which consists of Geoff Kirkland who is probably the best known fancier in the UK and to whom the title of ‘Legend’ sits very comfortably.  Next to him is the great Harold Hamplett who was prominent in the first ever MNFC race and after a plethora of National wins is still ‘clocking them’ in 2016. Harold was speechless to get his latest award and was actually shaking with emotion. Good on you Harold and please get your voice back so I can get a full and in depth report on one of the country’s greatest ever flyers. Finally the third of this exclusive trio the ‘Magician’ Gary Daykin who has been  recognised for not only Gary’s fine racing performances but also his involvement and passion for the MNFC which makes him well worthy of his place in the ‘Hall of Fame’. So there you have it an exclusive but not close shop and a huge target for all ambitious fanciers to aim for.

Harold Hamplett, Gary Daykin and Geoff Kirkland the first members of the MNFC's 'Hall of Fame'  -  Roy Jones presenting Hugo Kipp with a momento for being the Club's Guest of Honour

2 Bird Nom Winners

As the guy behind the idea I was very upset when due to a database glitch the 2016 races never got a full published result but guarantee that in 2017 it will be service as usual again to give full credit to the prize winners in these races. So with that said I will give you the chance to see all of these 2 B race winnners.  Coutances R.Jarratt, Portsmouth A Jones, Ancenis Adams Brothers, Bordeaux Don Salt, Vire Mr & Mrs Mellonby, Chale Mr & Mrs Jakings and finally Coutances YB d & J Hawkins & Evans. Please note that each of these winners who didn’t attend the presentation have a lovely trophy awaiting collection if the owners contact us and arrange to collect them from either Telford or Blackpool.

I will now leave you to look at the photos of the 2016 trophy winners who attended the dinner and see how many of them you recognise.

CLICK HERE: 2016 Gallery of MNFC Presentation Evening

Mike Lakin