Midlands National Flying Club Young Bird Chale

‘It’s Marvellous For Marbrow’

For once this event was seen to be a straight forward race and the North Eastern influence in the wind direction at the liberation point offered the Western side a ‘sniff’ of a chance from this racepoint which is on the Isle of Wight that said the ‘Eastern Block’ still filled the lion’s share of the prizes.

Leading the cavalry charge and recording 1502 was a Blue Hen belonging to Whitwick’s Bill Marbrow. She was well fancied and will lift over £1400 for her boss. The bird was in fact bred by a proven source in the form of Derrick Jones who has so often shone in the big races. I think that Derrick has in fact won every National that he has flown with including the NFC,the Welsh National and of course the MNFC. Wow what an amazing loft! The winner I’m told contains the blood of both the ‘Niort Cock’ and the ‘wizard’s’ super breeding  Blue W/F ‘Engels Hen’ which has been a fantastic producer as she has churned out winners for fun.

Farmer Bill? Marbrow with his Chale National winner

I am delighted for Bill on his win because he has been a great supporter of the Mid Nat and proved himself to be a real ‘friend indeed’ when we needed one a few years ago when he backed us to purchase our first Geraldy transporter which proved to be one of the major catalysts in our rise in popularity over the past decade or so. I’m sure Bill will be a proud chap when he collects his trophy and National winners Gold medal and tie.

The 2nd placed fancier is a man who in fact had a simply wonderful race and that man is Alwyn Paddey. To prove my comment Alwyn’s pigeons not only took the first three positions in the strong North section he also took 2nd 3rd 7th 20th 32nd 41st 42nd 48th 57th 60th and 61st Open. That is 11 birds timed out of his 20 bird entry against 3,901 pigeons. Yes The ‘Don; as I refer to him is back on top form.

The Doncaster ace Alwyn Paddey who had a wonderful race.

Another superb team performance was put up by Langold fanciers Somers Bros who took 4th 5th 9th 10th 12th 13th 24th and 33rd open with velocities ranging from 1499 to 1461. These birds are supplied by the silent partner Ian Vernon who sources all of the winning birds from Belgium and Holland along with his stock partner Maurice Van der Kruk who is chairman of the NPO so is well aware of where to find the best birds. The lofts are stocked with birds from Wouters, Heremans, Gust Janssens, Boshua, Van den Bulck and Verkerk. Squeezing in between is the team entered by D & A D Green who filled 6th 17th 18th & 19th Open slots. From these performances it is clear that inland races are ‘chalk and cheese’ when compared with cross channel events.

       

Somers Bros with Ian Vernon enjoyed another superb race                                          D & A Green with their first timer

8th Open and 4th North section goes to Mick Betts with a Maris x Stickers Donkers . The sire being ‘Nadal’ a cock with 4 x 1st prizes in the Diamontverbond for Frans Maris and the dam is a daughter of Mick’s best sprint breeding couple who have bred in excess of a dozen Federation winners.. Mick sportingly congratulated fellow fed members Alwyn Paddey and Summers Bros on their fine result.

Mick Betts up there once again from Chale

Going around the sections now and we see Grantham’s Mr & Mrs Lance Gilbert win the East section recording 1441 with a Blue hen bred from pigeon belonging to G G B of Bolden Colliery. This is the partners second season racing with the MNFC and they were delighted to see 100% returns.

Mr & Mrs Gilbert 1st East section

In 2nd slot we see the  fellow Grantham partnership of Parker son & Rogerson who timed their arrival just .24 behind the section winner so very tight margins here. Coleman & Lawson continue to enjoy a great season and continue the good work with 3rd section on this occasion. Their hen is from their middle distance pigeon which are performing well in the shorter channel events. This is the partners 4th top 5 placing in their section as they were 1st section from Fougeres and 2nd and 5th section from Poitiers earlier in the year

Coleman & Lawson's 3rd East section winner

. 4th section is filled by Ian Cameron who timed a Van de Wouwer x vandenabeele cock that was just flying to his perch and was bred by Ian’s friend James Jackson of Viking Lofts. I’m told that James hasn’t been in the best of health so the performance of this young cock that was only having his second race of the season will be a nice tonic.

Slipping over to the East North East section and once more it is a case of total domination but this time the partnership of Hoggard Linley and Ellis took the first three positions in the section with an entry of just 6 birds. The section topper is off the old lines of M & D Evans on 1439 and the second one is just 4 yards behind and is of Vandenabeele x Schichelbaut (De Weerdt) lines. 3rd section winner is a Sablon based bird containing Lucky 848 blood. Fellow Bridlingtonian (if there is such a name) Dave Fussey takes the next three placings.

There was a really close finish with the first two birds split by .04 of a yard with Steve Surrey coming out on top with a Dark hen which is bred from a son of Arthur farrar’s  ‘Bouncer cock’ which is the grandsire of Steve’s fed topper the same day. The dam is a Lambrecht x de Meyer from Arthur’s ‘Peanut cock’ ans a daughter of ‘Liam’. The man that missed out on top place was M Godfrey but he did have the consolation of also taking 3rd place. 4th section is filled by Stewart McCurry who is never far away from these distances.

 

Steve Surrey 1st ESE section                                                                  Mick Godfrey 2nd & 3rd ESE section

Stewart McCurry 4th section this time

Up to the Pennine hills now and 11st place in the North Centre section goes to Juan Costello & Family who timed their Blue W/F cock on 1443 a clear winner. The bird was bred by a friend of the family in the form of Anthony Green. The section topper sire is a good widower and the dam has topped the Federation from Falaise and took 2nd section of the MNFC earlier in the season. 2nd section is taken by a Blue cock belonging to Kevin Palfreyman which actually recorded the same velocity as the 3rd placed bird that is for D Cullinane & Son Ryan who tells me that his bird is bred from a good Vandenabeele cock and a Les Green Hardy Kruger hen borrowed from Adrian Leach who is a good friend of the Cullinane’s. Ryan tells me that after a rather disappointing season to get a good one in the Midlands National. 4th slot is filled by this year’s Poitiers National winners Mr& Mrs Brian Fisher and Son.

In the North North West section Peter Heywood who lives in Chipping which is actually located in the rather romantically named Trough of Bowland which is some 10 miles NE of Preston takes centre stage when he clocked a Janssen x Vandenabeele bred Blue cock on 1437. I’m told that he took a break from the sport to help look after his four children but the love of pigeons never left him and as soon as possible he was back and now wins 1st section and the £150 in prizemoney. In 2nd and 4th slots we see Ron & Shirley Mott of Bispham who  clocked two Blue Cocks the first of  which is Van Loon x Willy Jacobs x Grondelaer line from Dave Hunt and Dubliner Pat Byrne. Slipped in between in 3rd place is Ken Francis Robinson of Moor Nook on a velocity of 1425 with his chequer hen.

The Costello Family the NC section winners

        

Kev Palfreyman  2nd NC section                                                   Cullinane & Son's 4th NC winner

          

Peter Heywood 1st NNW section                                                  Ron & Shirley Mott 2nd & 4th NNW section

The North West section is won by McGraw Clegg & Preece who also claimed 3rd prize. Their first arrival on 1411 is a Pied Hen With a Chequer Cock responsible for 3rd place on 1382. Uttoxeter’s Mr & Mrs Phillips nip in for 2nd section on 1391 with a Blue Hen. Hyde  is the location for the 4th section winner to the loft of Bruno Pollastretti who clocked on 1381 for the 201 journey. The bird is a crossing of Staf van Reet and Serena lines from Wolfenden & O’Neill who have provided Bruno with birds to compete in the MNFC for the past three years and he is delighted to have clocked three quick ones.

Ricky McGraw of the McGraw Clegg & Preece team that took 1st NW section

Down in the South West section we see Astbury & Horton’s Blue Pied Cock take the pole position on 1416. The bird had indicated his ability to perform by winning 1st club and 22nd Worcs Fed from Kingsdown the previous week. Dougie Nesbitt and his son Mark took 2nd place on 1402. These Rugeley based fanciers are often there or thereabouts in the big races as are the fellow Rugeley partnership of Leadbeater & Sons who clocked a Nominated bird on 1399. Surprise, surprise when yet another rugeley loft belonging to D Stockhall & Sons who clocked a Chequer cock on 1396

                                                           

The SW section winner Astbury & Horton. Daniel shows off their winner

     The Nesbitt family take 2nd section in the SW this year

Way out West now and Devine & Kelly ‘bring home the bacon’ with the aid of a Mandelaert hen bred by their pals Williamson & Murphy. The Pied cock was entered sitting 4 day old dummy eggs and it helped to record 1468 and a very creditable 26th Open placing. Right behind in 2nd section and 27th Open are Campbell Brothers & Son who saw home a Chequer cock on 1463. A loft that is having a wonderful season takes 3rd place this time and that loft  is owned by Bob & Brian Smith the Burtonwood aces.  The bird was well fancied as the prize column reveals which is no surprise as the bird a Blue cock had already gave a message of intent  by winning two 2nd Fed placings from Bath a couple of weeks before. Breeding wise he is a half-brother to ; Holmestar Beauty’ their 1st section and 1st Open winner from the Old Bird Coutances race.  Both of these birds being bred by a son of the partners fine breeder ‘The Dearns Cock’. The dam is a Maltese bred Janssen from their good pal Joe Xuereb. I’m told that these birds are winning well right up to National levels for the Smiths. Ged Unsworth & his son Joe keep up the family traditions with 4th section. Their young Chequer cock is a crossing of Alan Parker and Terry Kirman’s ‘Gayboy’ family. These lines have performed magnificently at Amal and winning RPRA awards. You can’t get much better lines than those boys. Les Morris has taken the trouble to contact me with details of his 5th section winning bird which is a grandson of his ‘Black National’ which won 1st National in 2013 from Carentan.

                        Devine & Kelly's fine looking West section topper                  

  R & B Smith 3rd West section winner

Ged & Joe Unsworth with their 4th West section winner

Les Morris up there with the leading West section winners

Moving down to the South East section and Arthur Staniford of Leighton Buzzard is the top man this time with a Blue W/ F hen which records a speed of 1483. This bird which was bred from a daughter of one of the Mr & Mrs Eric Corkett and Sons National winners and a Van den Bosche x van der Weyer cock. Raised on the darkness system she went AWOL for a couple of weeks during training but after her return she was got in shape and sent to Poole and Honiton being Arthur’s first arrival home on each occasion and then bam Ist section. The moral here don’t condemn a baby that makes a mistake. In 2nd section we see a former Tours National winner in Colin Crick & Son who timed a young hen on 1421. 3rd & 4th places are both filled by Mark Lawrence of Rippingale. The first arrival is hen that won 1st club a few weeks earlier and she was sent  sitting 10 day old eggs and the young cock that she was paired to also topped the federation from Bovington the same day. Perhaps it would be wise to keep those two together? The 4th section winner a grizzle hen was clocked just .2 of a yard behind her loft mate on 1403

Its all smile from Arthur Staniforth the SE section winner

Mark Lawrence fills 3rd & 4th SE section

I will end the report by going back to the section which won the race which is the South Centre section where Henton & Wheatley finish 2nd behind the National winner with a Blue Cock which records 1481 and 16th Open place. In 3rd spot are Farrell & Brennan who timed another young Blue Cock on 1438 with Bill Marbrow the name on top of the piece coming back to claim 4th section on 1430

Sad News

I heard over the weekend that the Club had lost one of its ‘senior statesmen’ in the form of Eric Millner of Longnor who was on the Committee as Vice-Chairman and a life Vice President. Eric was a quiet man who spoke wisely and was very supportive when called upon. It was in fact Eric who introduced our Accountant Tim Mourne to not only ‘crunch the figures’ but also advise us when the Club was in the doldrums in the past. Yes Eric was part of the team that brought the MNFC back from the brink and I’m sure that he was proud of the Club which he helped to rebuild.

I personally will miss the man who after my first article as the Press Officer for the Club put his hand on my shoulder and said to me ‘’I read your piece and like your style’’. Yes Eric I too liked your style and you will leave a big hole when the Committee next meets up.

On behalf of the MNFC I extend our deep sympathy to Eric’s wife and family RIP after a job well done.

Mike Lakin