Midlands National Flying Club

Carentan

Bateman Brothers & Son Prove that This Time West is Best

I have started this report whilst awaiting news of the liberation of our first race of 2018 which this year is from Carentan and is being called and flown in dedication to the 1st World War Commemorative Centenary National, which was the race point selected by the members who voted on the AGM ballot paper.

The Club is sorry for any confusion caused where the form in the handbook incorrectly stated it was from Coutances.

I think anyone who had considered what the birdage for this first event would be must have expected a big drop on previous years which I believe is largely down to two things. The number one reason is early season poor race conditions causing many race cancellations to the local domestic season. The second reason is the fear of many fanciers to exercise their birds until the middle of April due to Sparrow Hawk attacks which are getting worse year after year. So, for my money a couple of weeks delay in racing would be the best solution with domestic racing starting in May and National races commencing in the beginning of June. Anyway, the birdage for this first race was 5,433 which is disappointing but not really any great surprise with the most noticeable drop in numbers in the more northerly sections. So, is it time to move with the times? I certainly think so.

I have just received my text message that the birds have been released at 7.50am into sunny conditions with a light North East wind in France and over the channel which turns more Southerly once in England. So, it looks like a steady start with the birds speeding up on route and the East in the wind favouring the more Westerly sections. It will shortly be revealed whether this proves to be the case in a few hours when the provisional result is once again available.

Fast forward the time and after a game of ‘pass the parcel’ the final provisional race winners are Bateman Brothers and Son of Birkenhead who clocked their likely National winner a 3 year old widowhood hen after a flight of 5 hours and 33 minutes for her 290 mile journey to record a velocity of 1532. The bird has a very impressive CV with 4 Federation wins to her credit. Her probable velocity which I believe but stand to be corrected was the highest speed of the cross channel races flown that day. For once my prediction was bang on the money hence the several leader board changes as the birds headed up to the further flying Western sections. As readers can clearly see the Western side of the country dominates the first race due in no small part to the influence of the wind direction but please look a little further and you will see some superb performances on the day by lofts all around the Club’sradius. Yes, this race was the Western sided members day but in some three weeks it is likely to be a very different story.

Eddie Bateman the Provisional race winner

As ever if your name is in the top four placings in your section please contact me by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or over the phone to give me a few details of your bird because if I receive no information I will consider that you don’t want the credit that your pigeon really deserves and you will therefore be absent from my full report simply what is the point of me writing details that can be found by looking at the final race result.

So next up is the Fougeres race where I will be rather surprised if the birdage for this event fails to show an increase in entry figures.

The cloud Pigeon Race result Database

This is the latest project which Peter Humphries and Viv Oliver are currently working on which is called ‘The Cloud Pigeon Result Database’ and I’m told that already a few Clock Stations are ‘trialling’ the system which it is hoped will revolutionise the completion of MNFC race results in the near future.  So, if your clock station official has access to a Laptop or other computer system then your station could take advantage of this new method of speeding up the process of producing the final result. I will quote Peter here who says

"Let’s make compiling a full result quick and easy. If all clock stations used the software a result could be compiled as early as the next day after the race!’’

This would mean a speedier pay out of both prizemoney and pools.

At the present time the time taken to produce the full result is totally reliant on the time that it takes for every single Clock station official to get their clock sheets into the race secretary and unfortunately several of them don’t exactly rush to get these important papers into the Club. This new innovation if fully adopted would obviously end the importance to get the envelope in promptly.

So, if you think that your station would benefit from this latest exciting step forward in pigeon racing simply contact Peter by sending him an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mike Lakin

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Note:

Race Reports

In the forthcoming season if your name appears in the leading 4 places of your section in the provisional result and you wish to have your bird’s performance highlighted in the full report that will appear in the BHW or the RP then please take the following actions within 7 days. 

Send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with a suitable photo and a few details and anything of interest i.e. Daughters favourite bird etc. 

For those who don’t have access to the internet then please send me a few particulars and if possible a photo to:

51, Northwood Lane, Clayton, Newcastle, Staffs ST5 4BN or phone me on 01782 624440 

By following these simple instructions it will help me to help you to put together interesting race reports and give your birds their much deserved coverage.

 In future if I receive no information or contact then I will consider that you don’t wish for any press coverage and so I will then react accordingly.

Mike Lakin - Press Officer