Bamfords Gold Ring Spectacular 2007
By Janet Hull
The 8th Bamfords Gold Ring Spectacular Race run by Old Lodge HS was flown on August Bank Holiday Monday 2007 with lofts competing from all areas of the North West of England. The race has become the leading young bird race in the area with a total payout of £30,830.75 in 2007. This year saw rings sell out for the first time in the history of the Bamfords Race, we tried to obtain some more from the RPRA but to no avail and many Fanciers were left disappointed. This extra demand for rings in 2007 can be partly attributed to the introduction of the Bamfords Platinum Yearling Race. We gained many new fanciers who purchased small amounts of rings and entered two into the Platinum Yearling Race 2008 to be held in conjunction with the existing Old Bird Channel race in 2008. Additionally in 2007 the prize money split was changed to 40% open – 60% section in order to try to encourage more Fanciers in the smaller sections to purchase Bamfords Gold Rings, section prize money remained pro rata section entries as before. This has re-balanced the number of rings sold into the sections, if you split the radius in half down the middle ring sales are fairly equal on both the East and West Side. It is initiatives like this that have took forward the Bamfords Gold Ring Spectacular to grow unlike many of the other ‘special races’ that have come and gone in the North West and it is hoped in 2008 that ring sales will increase again. In fact as I begin this article in between Christmas and the New Year over 40 percent of the 3000 rings ordered for 2008 have been ordered and paid for.
The 2007 race saw 205 members gather at Bamfords Corn Mill on the Sunday morning of the August Bank Holiday Weekend where 1093 birds would be marked and basketed for the race. Expectation and excitement was in the air as competitors munched bacon butties and drank tea and coffee chattering to each other about yesterdays race and tomorrows race “The Big One”. Members of Old Lodge HS aided by Ken Sutton, John Almond and Terry Orritt from Ormskirk Amal and Brian Holland from Abram worked efficiently all morning to ensure the race marking and clock setting passed without a hitch. The birds were transported by Diane Bonney and were liberated at 9.15am into a North Easterly wind turning North Westerly on route after a consultation with race controller Gerry Clements. Thanks go to Gerry as he has done the Bamfords Race proud over the years, taking time out to do this job even when not competing in the race himself.
At most racing events the result is not officially known for days and in some cases weeks. There may be speculation as to the winners but it would be virtually impossible for a Fancier to definitely know if he had drawn money in such a large race that was still paying pool monies down to 260th open. This is where Old Lodge HS members lead the way in the Sport by producing a full Bamfords Gold Ring Race Result on the night no matter how late it gets. This is achieved by the tireless work of the Members to get clocks struck, checked and clock sheets completed which is no mean feat when you are talking about the opening of up to 205 clocks. The data provided on the clock sheets is then imputed by Janet Hull and Sandy Brown along with son Simon of Mysoft Computers (thanks to these two for their help over the last 8 races) using three computers which are linked together. A leaderboard is set up which is updated at regular intervals throughout the night until the final result is produced. It is this system that we have developed over the years that ensures there is an electric atmosphere at clock opening and you can hear cries of I’m winning, that is until the next update when things had changed then it was where have I gone. This year was no different and after the odd pint or two some members left as they dropped lower and lower but most stuck it out to the end waiting to see where they finished on the final result. The result this year was checked and double checked as the top three birds had only 3 seconds between them even though they were 28 yards a minute in front of the 4th Open winner. This all added to the excitement on the evening and the result was finally declared as being 1st A & S Hughes on 1276.690, 2nd Coutts & Stokes on 1276.602 and 3rd A & S Hughes on 1276.461. The one thing about the Bamfords Race is it makes a lot of fanciers happy as the money gets spread around with over 37 percent of competitors receiving a cash pay out, that’s better than 3 to 1 odds. 4 Fanciers won a T3 clock and 76 competitors won prize and/or pool money. This year 41 won between £100 to £499, 8 won between £500 to £999, 6 won between £1000 to £1999 and 2 top prize money winners Simon and Tony Hughes won £3,677.00 and Ray Lunt won £2,435.93. When requesting details to produce this report on the 2007 Race twenty two winning fanciers were contacted for information on their birds that had either finished in the top ten of the open or top six in their respective sections. I would just like to thank the fanciers that took the time to send me information on their winning birds.
A & S Hughes – 1st & 3rd East Section and 1st & 3rd Open Bamfords Gold Ring Spectacular 2007 winning a total of £3,677.00.
Simon and Tony Hughes timed two pigeons within 3 seconds of each other to not only take the Top Spot but 3rd Section and 3rd Open. Whether it was the tension due to the closeness of the result or that Simon and Tony are genuinely nice guys, but I would say they were the most popular winners of a Bamfords Gold Ring Race we have had. Simon Hughes wrote the report that follows.
Me & my Dad have been racing in partnership as A & S Hughes since 1999, before that we both flew on our own with us both having our own share of success Dad with his Busschearts and me with John Gerard Hartogs. We had two good years up to 2001 winning many races and having some top positions in the Lancashire combine. In January 2002 we were left totally devastated when all our lofts were burnt to the ground killing 90% of our birds, all our racers and most of our stock birds. After this I wanted to call it day but Dad talked me into starting again. With no charity sale, no donations and no help what so ever from local Fanciers, not even one young bird. We started up again with 15 youngsters off George Appleton of Denton and 15 off Tommy Carr of Stockport and with a huge help from Timmy Ashcroft, Gordon Watson and Angus Pickup we raced young birds that year. In 2004 we had a decent season, winning many races and a couple of grand in pool and prize money. We decided to bring in some fresh blood and bought some Gaby Vandenabeele’s, a few from M & D Evans, Clive Lister, Red Star Lofts and Steve Foster were purchased, paired together and brought success straight away. These Gaby's along with John Gerard Hartogs and De Klaks form the main strains in our loft, with a couple of Brasspenning / Van Loons crossed with Reitvinks making up the rest. Both cocks and hens are raced on roundabout up to 400 miles and go every week up to this distance that was until this year when Defra put a stop to if due to Bird flu.
The stock birds are paired early December with all the roundabout team paired in January or early February at the latest. They are trained as much as possible before the first race then just exercised around the lofts. They are only broken down on return from a race and the day after then put back on widowhood mix.
Around 80-100 youngsters are bred and put on the darkness, cankered on weaning and treated for paratyphoid when all are perching, then treated for canker once a month, other than cider vinegar, nothing else is given until ready for training which normally starts about 3-2 weeks before the first race. The young birds are trained regularly from 30 miles Monday to Thursday after work and not twice a day from Walsall, as some people seem to think. All our birds receive Gem Supplements and are jabbed for P.M.V.
The Bamfords winner is a Blue Hartog cock sent calling a hen to nest and this was his fourth race, previously having two races from 80 miles and one from 117 miles. He is bred from two direct Gerard Birds with the sire a son of "De 100" paired to a daughter of Bullhead and Goldeneyes. The Dam is from Jake Malone and is a direct daughter of "De 388" and was given to us by Jake to replace our original "388" hen that died, Thanks Jake. This pair are responsible for many winners up to ama1 and classic level. Our Second bird, 3rd Open is another cock, this time a Slate Brasspenning/Van Loon/Reitvink sent sitting a couple of days on eggs. He is full brother to the bird that finished 18th open and they are both full brothers to our Lancashire Combine winner of 2006 from Portland. Like the winner this cock was having only his fourth race, this was not due to holding them back but we did not start our youngsters off until a week before the first race. We actually missed sending to the first race because dad had been laid up due to having a new knee operation and only started to walk properly 2 weeks before the Bamfords race. The Sire of 3rd and 18th open is a Brasspenning cross Van Loon bred by Ste 'Kipper' Taylor and Ian Gibbons. The Brasspenning being a direct son of the famous 'De Felle' and the Van Loon is a hen Kipper bought at John Bradleys clearance sale called 'Glamour Girl' and she is responsible for loads of winners for loads of fanciers. The Dam is a Brasspenning/Reitvink bred by our good friends, and neighbors on the allotments, Glyn & Glyn Bennett who are the breeders of some big winners for other fanciers of late. This time the Brasspenning blood is through Smith, Croston & Smith Lofts and the Reitvink through Jack Cornes of Galaxy Lofts, of which The Bennetts have some of the best.
On the day of the race I thought the conditions were for a perfect racing day but would suit the shorter droppers due to the strong winds down country. Thoughts were to just get a decent bird and figure in the top 20 as this would suit us. Me and Dad both spotted 2 birds about half a mile away and they were really low and really hammering it towards the loft and didn't stop until they hit the stall trap, we honestly couldn't have asked for anymore of them.
At Bamfords that night it became clear that we were in with a shout and that it was close. I got married in October 2006 and I was more nervous waiting for the final result on the screen than I was waiting for my wife to be to turn up. When it finally did we couldn't believe it, we had just done it. I don't know about my dad but I didn't sleep for days.
At this point we would like to say a huge thank you to the Bamfords committee and fanciers on the night for their kind words and congratulations, and to the many people who congratulated us on the net and by phone in the following days. Win or lose it is a pleasure to be a part of the best race in the North of England - bar none. Marking day and clock night are the highlight of many fanciers seasons, long may it continue.
Coutts & Stokes – 2nd East Section & 2nd Open winning a total of £1,450
At their very first attempt of competing in the Bamfords Gold Ring Spectacular this partnership took the Open winner to the second decimal place. As the race was so close is must have been a disappointment for them but they behaved like the true sportsmen they are offering congratulations to Simon and Tony. Coutts and Stokes have written the following report on their 2nd open winner.
This pigeon is a Janssen cross Willy Thas dark chequer hen who was flown on the darkness system along with the rest of the young bird team. The youngsters are allowed to pair if they wish to do, but, this hen did not seem keen to pair preferring to fly to her box perch. Prior to the Bank Holiday weekend she had been 3rd club beaten by two loft mates & 15th Fed at Kempsey against 1839 birds. The Bamfords Race was the first real tester for this hen with the wind on her nose and she obviously loved the conditions. Similar conditions prevailed a week later from Portland when this hen won the club by seven minutes also finishing 7th Fed, 14th Section and 15th Open Central Lancashire Combine competing against 1765 birds. Her sire is Darkie who sired two 1st Fed winners in his first ever nest. We have just been informed that this cock has won a North West Region Award for his racing performances this year which include, 1st Combine 8029 birds, 8th Combine 4089 birds, 15th Combine 7469 birds and 98th Combine 4744 birds. He is a Grandson of our number one stock hen De 60 whose children, grandchildren etc have won a staggering 70 first prizes including 10 x 1st Feds, 4 x 1st Amal and 1st Combine. The Dam of the 2nd open winner is a Willy Thas bred by Frank Tasker and this hen breeds super racers at the 200-mile distance. A yearling cock bred from this hen was 5th club, 7th Fed, 7th Amal and 20th Central Lancs Combine Portland 6237 birds this year, as a youngster he had been 2nd club, 2nd Fed and 2nd Amal Portland.
We train our youngsters as often as we can up to about 24 miles, which we find is far enough. We believe that it is more important to teach them to get from A to B as fast as they can rather than the distance, as so long as they are fit the distance on race day is immaterial. We feed Versa-Laga Junior UK up to the first training toss which is full of protein, then once training starts they are switched to Gerry Plus. They are treated for Cocci with Appertex tablets before racing, they receive Ridzol every four weeks for Canker and Linco Spectin every two weeks as a respiratory treatment. After racing finishes the Young birds are locked up till January to get them through the moult where they are fed Natural Moulting mixture with added seeds. This is our first attempt in the Bamfords Race and coming 2nd has given us the appetite to have another go next year to try and win it. We would like to congratulate Simon and his Dad on winning this elite race, which boasts the very best flyers in the NorthWest.
Ray Lunt – 4th East Section & 4th Open winning a total of £2,435.93
Report written by Les Green. The pigeon timed in at Ray’s house was treated the same way as the other two in the Wall, Lunt & Green report. He received the same training and had 2 races before the Bamfords race, he was always going missing on his own as a youngster and has scored in Altrincham fed after the Bamfords race, he was also the first pigeon timed in the NFC YB race. He is bred from a son of the famous “Kannibaal” of Dirk Van Dyke and his mother is a super hen bred by D & C Blijleven of Holland. He is a fantastic cock with great character, he was always the last one to enter the loft when they were called in, he would wait until everything else had gone in and then he would consider going in himself. He always wanted to fly on his own and we would often have to wait for him for half an hour or so to come back to the loft after everything else had already been called in and fed.
R & D Gaskell – 1st Central Section & 5th Open winning a total of £935.00 plus a T3 Clock
Richard and Dorothy Gaskell clocked a small blue hen in the Bamfords Race and this was her third race of the season. The breeding of this hen is Gevaert Van Schoorisse being bred from their number one stock cock Knitbone when paired to their number one stock hen who was bred by David Hazel. The Bamfords Section winner is a full sister to numerous 1st prize winners including a hen that has won four out of the six races she has competed in, two of which were two bird races from Yeovil and Falaise. She is also a full sister to blue cock 3113 who has previously won the land averages in Tyldesley Club on his own and two other cocks both of which have two first prizes each including 1st South Lancs Combine. Richard and Dorothy pair their stock in December and in 2007 the first eggs were laid on 3rd of January. Their youngsters are placed on the darkness system and at basketing for the Bamfords Race this hen had thrown her 2nd flight. The young bird team is stage trained up to 25 miles and then training is kept at 25 miles daily.
S Cooke – 2nd Central Section & 7th Open winning a total of £635.00
A blue Janssen was the first bird in the clock for Steve Cooke, this medium to large sized hen with a beautiful pearl eye is bred from top class Janssen based stock. Her sire is Ceasar 162 who is a son of Red Ceasar brother to the famous Camphuis birds Wonderboys 05 and 06 when paired to a daughter of De Witbef of Herman Beverdams. Her dam is a Janssen hen bred by Ponderosa whose grandsire is Wonderboy 06 and grandam is a daughter of James Bond on one side of her lineage, on the other side her dam is Kid James Bond being a great granddaughter of the famous James Bond. Steve paired all his stock up after Blackpool Show last year and his youngsters were placed on the darkness system. Once the young bird team begins training they are trained daily up to 30 miles and then raced weekly in the local club. If the youngsters wish to pair up Steve leaves them to it, if they don’t they just race to the perch as was the case with this hen. All Steve’s Bamfords rings were raced weekly along with the rest of the young birds and a few of them got minor positions. As Steve only clocks three birds in a week first in the loft get timed and there were occasions when Bamfords rings arrived at the loft and could have won much more if they had gone in first. Bucktons corn is fed and the only supplement used is Adherb on the corn, routinely the birds are treated for cocci and worms and canker when needed.
Wall, Lunt & Green 5th & 6th East Section and 8th & 9th Open winning a total of £1,795.00
Report written by Les Green. We started the 2007 young bird season with great enthusiasm, as it was our first season back at home and the first time we had sent in the Warrington fed since 2004. The season was going well for us, in fact to well as the way our pigeons were performing caused a full federation to decide to drop out of our combine, which was a great disappointment. Our team won every combine race they were entered into and they were racing really well. So by the time the Bamfords Gold Ring race came we were looking forward to it and we thought we had a decent chance of getting an early pigeon. I suppose the only disappointing thing is that the ‘B’ rings were not really showing on the previous results except for one race from Kempsey, which was won by one of the ‘B’ rings. So we sent to the gold ring race with good confidence and on the day we were not let down as we got 2 pigeons drop together and the first pigeon timed was a Blue Janssen cock, Ring No 07 B40843. He is a beautiful cock, medium built with fantastic muscle tone and he has great feather quality, in short he is a perfect pigeon and he would win in the show pen. He has a rich port red eye and a noble looking head. His full brother K19604 won 1st club, 1st Warrington Fed and 1st open South Lancs Combine from Wollaston in our 1st young bird race this season. His father is Handsome Henri a Janssen cock that has bred fed, combine and Amal winners; Janssen Brothers bred both of his parents. He has bred winners with different mates and every visitor to our lofts admires him. The dam of 40843 is Schallie Witpen a Janssen hen bred from a half brother and sister, her father is from our “Golden Wonder” X “Scruffy Hen” and her mother is from “Golden Wonder” X “Christel” (a full sister to our wonder breeder Cammy). The Schallie Witpen has bred 2 x 1st Border Amal winners and 1st open South Lancs Combine, she has bred a total of 6 first federation winners when paired with 3 different cocks.
The 2nd pigeon in the clock was 07 B40847 a Blue cock bred from a top stock pair. He is a lovely pigeon to handle, intelligent and very tame, he has a strong nutmeg brown eye and his nest-sister topped the combine from Kempsey. Another full sister was our most consistent youngster this season, she won 2nd club, 2nd Warrington Fed and 2nd South Lancs Combine from Wollaston only to K19604 her loft mate. She then won 11th club, 11th Fed and 11th South Lancs Combine when her sister won it from Kempsey and we won the first 11 positions in the combine all dropping together. Then she won 1st Club, 1st Warrington fed, 1st South Lancs combine Mangotsfield in her next race and then we selected her for the highly competitive Tydesley 2-bird race from Yeovil. 19637 came with her loftmate and both were timed to win 1st & 2nd in a 2-birds race, ‘37’ won the race and the lions share of the pools which totalled just under £1000. B40847 is bred from “Blain” a super breeder from our Verkerk pigeons, he has bred fed, combine and Amal winners, and he is a full brother to “Merlin” the Lancashire combine winner in 2006. The mother of 40847 is “Verity Rose” a half sister to the phenomenal “Prima Vera” and she has bred fed, combine and amal winners.
Both of the pigeons we timed in the gold ring race were weaned in March and were flown on the Darkening system and when they went to the Bamfords race they were both carrying a full wing. They had a dozen short tosses and 2 races from Mangotsfield and Kempsey before the gold ring race. They both were raced natural, meaning that they were not split from the rest of the young bird team, they were all left together to do what they want, if they want to pair up and make nests they can do. All our young birds are fed the same, we give them as much as they want twice a day, the morning feed is a mixture of depurative, seed and widowhood mix and the evening feed is Liege and widowhood mixed half & half.
J Bardsley & Son 7th East Section & 10th Open winning a total of £621.00 plus a T3 Clock
First in the clock for J Bardsley & Son was a Wall Lunt & Green bred blue Camphuis Janssen hen of medium build. She was flown on the darkness system and had not thrown a flight when she was basketed for the race. Prior to the Bamfords race this hen had scored twice on the Fed sheet and may have had a better position in the Bamfords race if her cock had not been lost the Saturday before causing her to desert her eggs a couple of days before the Sunday basketing. After the Bamfords race this hen went on to finish 3rd in Stockport Open pooled all the way through. All the young birds are weaned on to a young bird mixture and when racing are fed Versa Laga widowhood mixture twice a day, vitamins and Gerdon are given as supplements and routine treatments for canker, cocci & worms are give prior to racing. The youngsters are all given a 30-mile training toss twice a week and are raced weekly.
E Touhey 3rd Central Section & 12th Open winning a total of £540.00
Report written by Eddie Touhey. The pigeon I timed in the Bamfords race was a blue pied Janssen Cock of medium size with an orange eye. His sire is a son of Samson obtained from Eddie Wright of Fountainhead Lofts x to a granddaughter of Porsche Bond supplied by Ponderosa UK. The stock are paired up between Christmas & New Year and all youngsters are on the darkness system from weaning until the 1st June. This cock had not cast any flights when sent to the race. Young bird training commences with 2 at 3 miles, then 2 at 9 miles, 6 at 15 miles then they are moved on to around 23 miles. All youngsters are released together. If the youngsters start to pair up I insert nest bowls but any eggs laid are replaced with pot eggs. Once the youngsters start to range the training commences and they go Monday to Thursday but are confined to the loft on Fridays. If the weather is against training then they are exercised around home. Prior to the 2007 Gold Ring Race my birds only had one race, which was from Mangotsfield the previous week. This was due to two really bad training tosses, a hawk attack and then young bird sickness. Several Bamford’s Gold Ring youngsters were lost although amazingly 2 returned to my loft on the morning of the Gold Ring Race. Wherever they had been they had been well looked after!! My Gold Ring entries were rested for the season after the race. The mixtures I use are mainly Natural and Verse Laga. Upon weaning they are given plenty of maples with food in the hoppers during daylight hours. At seven weeks they are fed Verse Laga Junior UK + Hormoform until they are flying well around home. Then they are fed twice per day with diet mix in the morning and Junior UK in the evening. Supplements used are Gemthepax, Gervit W, Adherb and Naturaline. I treat for Canker, Respiratory and Bacteria on a 3 weekly cycle. With regard to Young Bird Sickness I have tried several so-called cures and preventatives as my birds have had the sickness every year for the past six seasons. However I finally followed the advice of my club colleague, John Hankey, who had been telling me for years to keep things simple, ignore antibiotics, save some money and just use bicarbonate of soda for 3-5 days. I did and couldn’t believe how soon the youngsters recovered this season once they went down with the sickness. Clearly I should have followed this advice earlier.
D Riley 4th West Section & 30th Open winning a total of £641.10
The Rene Newlart hen winning 4th West Section and 30th Open was sent showing to young cock. She is a blue pied darkness youngster and when she was clocked Mr Riley noticed blood dripping from under her wing, she had been shot so he was quite pleased with her performance under the circumstances. In 2007 the birds were paired early January and started laying around Blackpool Show weekend, however, the first round were all lost due to high winds blowing over new stock aviary. Sadly the pair of Marcelis that bred Mr Riley his 1st West Section & 32nd Open Bamfords Gold Ring winner in 2006 were also killed in the accident. Devastated he had to pick himself up, dust himself off, put it behind him and start again. All the young birds were reared on Bamfords breed and wean to which extra maple peas and homoform were added. The youngsters were trained when they are ready and this had to be fitted in around work commitments and the weather. The sire of the Bamfords bird has won 19 prizes including 1st North West Combine Portland whilst the dam has won 3 x 1st club, 2 x 1st fed and 8th Maidstone National, so you see she is bred from winning lines. A note from Mr Riley, keep up the good work, its a pleasure sending, such a good team of people organising the Bamfords Race.
Mr & Mrs K O’Hara 5th West Section & 44th Open winning a total of £345.00
It was a young blue Wildmeersch Cock that Preston fanciers Keith and Trish timed in the Bamfords race finishing 5th West Section and 44th Open. This young violet-eyed cock is of small to medium build and is bred from a direct pair of stock from Frida Vyncke. He was flown on the darkness system, had just thrown his second flight and was sitting two-day-old babies when basketed for the race. He was trained with the rest of the young bird team in-groups of four or five from 20 miles three times a week and had four races up to Cheltenham. All the youngsters are at least 30 days old when they are weaned and are fed a mixture of Versa Laga high protein and Bamfords Breed and Wean supplemented with peanuts and red band. All the youngsters are injected for PMV, Parastop is used in the water prior to racing and they are routinely treated for cocci and canker every three weeks.
H Chatburn 2nd North Section & 99th Open winning a total of £405.00
Mr Chatburn of Clitheroe clocked a home bred blue Janssen x Vandenabeele cock who was flying to his perch. This yellow-eyed cock was January reared and placed on the darkness system, he was raced weekly in the club prior to the Bamfords scoring at Woolaston with a 3rd club. He had been trained along with the young bird team every day to a distance of 10 miles. The youngsters are weaned and raced on Bamfords Bread and Wean with extra hempseed and linseed added during racing. The team also has plenty of grit offered to them and Orego-Stim is used as a supplement.
J B Riley 5th & 6th North Section and 144th & 149th Open winning a total of £191.00
Two hens were clocked to win 5th & 6th north Section for J B Riley, both were February hatched and raced on the darkness system. The first in the clock was a blue chequer pied bred and the second a blue, both are bred down from Hogg’s of Hesketh Bank stock.
Presentation of Trophy and Clocks
The presentation will take place at 12.30pm on the Sunday of the BHW Show of the Year at the Bamfords Top Flight Stand. Simon and Tony will be presented with the Vic Harrison Memorial Trophy and memento of their achievement as winners of the Bamfords Gold Ring Spectacular Race 2007. All 2007 T3 Clock winners will also be presented with their brand new T3 Clocks.
A few details
The race is open to any member loft of the RPRA flying 165 miles or over from Poole whose loft is situated within Cumbria, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire or Cheshire. There are four sections in the race East, Central, West and North each with its own nomination pool, which are guaranteed by Bamfords. This year will see a change in the nomination prize away from T3 clocks to something else, which has yet to be announced by Alan and Eric Bamford The prize money pot is split 40% open – 60% to the section and section prize money is split pro rata section entries. Each loft can purchase up to 15 rings at a cost of £10 each.
THE BAMFORDS PLATINUM YEARLING RACE 2009
(TO BE HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BAMFORDS OLD BIRD CHANNEL CHALLENGE RACE 2009)
Entry into the Bamfords Platinum Yearling Race 2009 is priced at £10 with a maximum entry of two per loft. The entry fee of £10 or £20 is payable when ordering your 2008 Bamford Rings. Prize money generated will be split 40% Open and 60% Section with again section prize money being split pro rata entries in the respective sections. Bamford ring numbers of the yearlings to be entered only need to be declared on the marking night of the 2009 race giving you every opportunity to compete. These yearlings can be double banked into the Bamfords Old Bird Channel Challenge 2009 by paying that race entry fee if the Fancier wishes. It is hoped that this race will encourage Fanciers who do not particularly concentrate on young bird racing to take the plunge in now having Bamfords 2008 rings safe in the knowledge that they can compete in the old bird races.
What do you have to do?
Look out for the Bamfords Gold Ring Spectacular order forms in the fancy press, go online at www.harrisonhullracingpigeon.co.uk follow the link for BamfordsGRing to get an order form by e-mail or contact The Gold Ring Secretary Beryl Harrison on 01772 467882 for details of obtaining rings via the post. The Secretary will be on the Bamfords Top Flight Stand at the Blackpool Show selling Gold rings 11am till 3pm on Saturday and 11am till 2pm on Sunday. Gold rings can also be purchased at Bamfords Globe Mill, Midge Hall, Preston on the following Sundays – 10th February, 24th February and 16th March between 10am and 12 noon.
Bamfords Old Bird Channel Challenge and Bamfords Platinum Yearling Race 2008 combined guaranteed Prize Money is a fantastic £3,000.00.
Bamfords Old Bird Channel Challenge 2008 prize money is a guaranteed £1,600.00.
Bamfords Old Bird channel Challenge race organised by Old Lodge HS is growing steadily in popularity as members get a second chance to compete against other Gold Ring birds only for a second bite at the cherry. Old Lodge HS has guaranteed prize money in the past and this year is no exception. Guaranteed prize money for the 2008 Race now stands at £1,600.00. The race will be held from Messac on the 28th June 2008 dependent upon transport availability. Entries are unlimited at a cost of £5 per bird and all Bamford Gold rings from years 2000 to 2007 are eligible. There will be four sections as per the young bird race and the prize money will be split 40% Open and 60% Section with the Section prize money being split pro rata section entries. There will be both Section and Open Pools. Further details will be published in the Fancy Press as they are known or keep updated on the new website www.harrisonhullracingpigeons.co.uk following the link for BamfordsGRing. Due to the problems experienced in 2006 with the bird flu no race was organised. However, in the four previous races its was won in the East by George Appleton 2003, twice in the West by Harrison & Hull 2004 & 2007 and in the South by Derek Woodward 2005, so, you can’t say fairer than that.
Bamfords Platinum Yearling Race 2008 prize money in 2008 is £1,400.00.
The launch of the Bamfords Platinum Yearling Race for 2007 rings was an enormous success with many fanciers opting to participate. Those fanciers that chose to enter their 2007 rings in the Yearling race will be competing from Messac on the 28th June 2008 for a fantastic prize pot of £1,400.00. Open prize money will be £560.00, East Section prize money will be £288.62, Central Section prize money will be £175.15, West Section prize money will be £304.08 and North Section prize money will be £72.15. There will be pools to £10 in both the Sections and the Open. Additionally the Bamfords Platinum Yearling entries may be double banked into the Bamfords Old Bird Channel Challenge Race 2008 by paying the race entry fee of £5 per bird if the competitor wishes to do so.
The Future
Due to the large radius of the Bamfords Gold Ring Races and the catchment of Fanciers within that radius we have an opportunity and potential to make all three races the largest in the UK. Each year ring sales have increased and 2007 saw the first sell out of rings, This year we have ordered an extra 500 rings making a total of 3000 rings available in 2008 and with the way rings are selling another complete sell out is likely. As I stated above when I began writing this report over 40% of rings had been sold as I finish it on the 8th of January over 50% have gone. Just remember that over 37% of competitors in the Bamfords Gold Ring Race 2007 won either prize / pool monies irrespective of where their lofts were situated. Each section has its own prize and pool money to compete for so whilst the weather conditions on the day may play a part in the final open result every member of every section has the opportunity to receive a substantial cheque. You need to be in it to win it and you too could take part in the Premier Race in the North West of England.
Janet Hull 205 Brownedge Rd, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lancs. PR5 6UT
Tel. 01772 467882 E-Mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. website www.harrisonhullracingpigeons.co.uk
16/1/08