Midlands National ‘Double Header’

Mike Lakin

  Once again the ‘Weather Gods’ were playing their tricks with the weather conditions over the weekend of the 22nd-23rd July with poor conditions in parts of the birds routes home. I must admit that as I looked at the website Weather Forecasting sites that I realised what a tough task the Race Controlling team often has. Get it right and hardly a murmur but make a mistake and ‘woe betides them’. Yes it is a job that I wouldn’t wish to fill. 

That said I think that the controlling team got it right with the decision that they made in regard to moving the birds intended to be racing from Bordeaux approximately 95 miles closer to home by moving them on Monday to Poitiers. At the time the move may have upset a few but in hindsight who could argue with the decision that was made because even from this shorter race the strong North West wind that was blowing right down through the whole of France made the longer of the two races in particular a severe test of the pigeons especially after 5 days in the baskets in even the purpose built Geraldy transporters can never improve the condition of the birds. So in my opinion the people in control deserve a ‘pat on the back’ for their decisions.  

Vire     

First of all Vire where due to the direction of the wind in England the North West breeze was distinctly stronger down the Eastern side of the country making the task of the Western sections slightly more favourable. The Open result proved this to be correct with the South West and North West sections filling the majority of the Leaderboard which is attached to this short report. Mr & Mrs Peter Shaw are the provisional race winners on a velocity of 1318. When I spoke to him he told me that he had other birds which would feature prominently in the result which underlines the folly of trying to delve too deeply until the result is in black and white. Speaking to Peter he tells me that his likely winner is a two year old Blue hen bred from stock that originates from Syndicate Lofts. The bird was sent racing back to a newly hatched youngster a sure fire way of getting 100% effort from a hen.

Mr & Mrs Peter Shaw the Provisional Vire Winners.

Click here to see the Vire Race Result

Poitiers  

Later in the day the wind directions altered on both the channel and up through England where the wind speeds and direction became rather variable in different locations. Though this obviously favoured some locations any experienced fancier will agree that pigeons detest variable winds. This heaps greater credit to the birds that conquered this race. One thing that did stick out like a ‘sore thumb’ was the fact that the top 5 on the Provisional result are all from different sections with no less than 8 sections featuring in the top 10! 

The Provisional Open winner is a fine bird belonging to Mr & Mrs Brian fisher & Son high up in North Lancashire with a 2013 bred cock with plenty of ‘previous’ on his C V. I will cover this superb performance and several other excellent pigeons in the full report as soon as I get the full result.  All I need people to do is send me the details of your bird and a nice photo if your name appears in the top four places of your section in either of the two races that are attached to this short article.

                                    The Fisher Family                                                                    Mr & Mrs Fisher & Son's Ist MNFc Poitiers winner

Click here to see the Poitiers Race Result

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Mike Lakin