North West Classic Club

Messac report with Les J Parkinson

The quality of the club is reflected in the result.

The racing has seen changes this year due to circumstances that no one has been able to control, even though it could have been quite easily, which is another matter. All organisations have been in the same position of making the best of what they have been allowed to do. Changes have had to be made but as is nearly always the case pigeon fanciers have come through and even though not in the same format, they have had races.

This Messac race was not an easy on and on the same day other organisations experience the same problems and this was for both old and young birds on the same day. It is obvious that the entries in this race did not have it easy because the winner was 36mins in front of the next on the result and that doesn’t happen too often with today’s races. Fortunately, in the modern day of racing pigeons these races do not happen very often, the problem is these races do end the season for some fanciers.

1^st & 5^th section A 1^st & 7^th Open winning £515 is Roger Sutton from Congleton who is one of the most prominent fanciers in Cheshire. This is what Roger had to say on this race. “The NWCC final old bird race from Messac proved to be one of the hardest middle-distance races for a number of years. The north east wind combined with a very hot day meant that the leading birds were taking over ten hours to cover the 370mile + journey, with only twenty  on the day, however a decent percentage made it back next day. Over the last few years, I have had a number of birds from Brian Murray of Sylvan Lofts, who no longer has time to race but still breeds for other fanciers and one loft races. My leading bird was bred from two of Brian Murrays pigeons, the sire being a full brother to Astbury Mint who won 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 7th Section L NFC, and comes from the Dutch Master lines.

Sutton Lofts

The dam also bred by Brian Murray from his Koopman Janssen lines. My winner is now named Astbury Branco as his breeding traces back to Koopman's famous Branco. He was flown on pure widowhood in the NFC to Fougeres and Messac, then went to Vire with the Mid. Nat. the week prior to Messac.  He was very consistent in all three races taking minor section prizes.  After Vire he was left with his hen for the five days until basketing for the NWCC race. It is interesting to note he has the best velocity of all the races from Messac that day i.e. North Midland Classic, Midland Classic, North Staffs Fed. and the NWCC all liberated 15mins apart”

Roger Sutton - Messac winner

1^st section B 2^nd Open sees Joe Glover from Wrinehill get in amongst the prize winners plus £215. Joe like many more under the Crewe post code has been trying to get into this club for many years. I have written about Joe and his winning ways for over 40yrs and managed to write an article every ten years over a 40yr period. Joe has been racing for 7 decades and has never failed to win 1^st prizes and mostly with none-fashionable pigeons. This is a blue cock from the Curtiss-Wall-Lunt crossed with on of Joe’s top Camphius Janssens raced on the widowhood. Joe had two on the day and clocked his second in the dark, it was a tough race with far fewer birds than expected from this distance. The sire was one of Joe’s best racers who topped the fed Etc. He is the lines of the very best of the Camphius Janssens including “James Bond” “Wonderboy’s 05 & 06”. The dam was specially selected for Joe by Gary Wall to go to the cock. She is a direct daughter of “Kadiz” being direct off the famous “Champ” Two brothers to this pigeon have won 1sts Feds this year so a real good line for Joe. In total the stock pair have bred 5 x 1sts Fed in two years, what a pair, mind you when you look at the breeding you cannot get much better.

Joe Glover

2^nd section A 3^rd Open with£183 goes to Anthony Cooke another Congleton fancier who likes to race in this club. nthony timed two of his 3 entries; both yearling hens siting 8 and 10 days.nthony timed two of his 3 entries; both yearling hens siting 8 and 10 days. Anthony clocked two close up to win 2nd section 3rd open and 10th section 13th open. 786 is from Andre Bertie Janssen stock gifted to him by Congletons Keith and Steve Morriss. 799 is again Andre Bertie Janssen crossed with Alan Wynstanlys National winning Ko Nipius lines. The hens completed the land programme and two NFC channel races before the NWCC Messac race that turned out to be as hard a race as I can remember. 

2^nd section B 4^th Open is won by Dave & Baz Mellor winning over £200, they had a good race also collecting 4^th 6^th 7^th section. First in the clock is a yearling dark cock from the Nigel Laycock stock being the Black Opium lines. They then clocked a blue cock who has done well for them and is a past Combine winner, he is again from the same loft but is Eric Limburg. This year he was also 6^th section L in the NFC also from Messac. Dave was said the sire of this cock has also won the Combine and they are good channel pigeons. Then a blue w/f hen dropped through the doors and is a g-s of Invincible Spirit the House of Aarden pigeons being off one of their good old stock hens. Dave was saying that the first 4 came well on the day when many others struggled, then they had 5 early next morning. Dave went on to say these pigeons Fougeres in the NFC that was cancelled due to lack of support.

Mellor Bros - D Longworth

3^rd section A 5^th Open are the ever-present G Holker & Sons winning £236 including 3 others well up on the result.

Tony Holker

4^th section A 6^th Open with £47 are Wignall & Jones from Denton, the partnership has done well in the club this year. The partnership of Ron Wignall and Dave Jones was formed in 2018. Dave has had an affinity to racing pigeons for several years and flew on his own with some successes. He started to go to the lofts to watch the pigeons return from races for several years with great interest. He also helped Ron considerably after he'd had some health issues regarding joint replacements. There main interest is long distance racing both in the N.F.C. and the North West Classic Club. This year the N.F.C. has been bypassed because in a way they've had to start afresh and now having a young inexperienced team decided to focus on the N.W.C.C. only, where the birds are coming home to a much smaller area, yet the club's fanciers are of the highest calibre. Regarding the Messac race, when only a score made it on the night, the partners clocked two brave widowhood cocks who are in fact full brothers being 4thSect 6th Open and 9th Sect 12th Open, respectively. They were both bred by the partnership and are two sons direct from their top racer "Storm Shadow" who has a long list of prizes to his credit including 1st Sect 1st Open North West Classic Niort 498mls. Only twelve birds on the night. Incidentally, his nest brother also a good racer was 8th sect L 68th Open N.F.C. the week before. Their bloodlines are a mixture of sons and daughters from mainly top National performers which include Patrick Bros "Somerset Lad", Robert O Jones "Thurso Cock", Chris Gordons "Snydale Express, also good friend Top National flyer Gordon Rigg from Congleton. He has been very generous, and we have had his top bloodlines from his Staf Dusarduyn Delbars who although not commercial he was regarded as better by far the best long-distance racer in Holland and Belgium. He won a record number of 1st prizes in the National races 14 or so and a record number of cars. The enclosed photo shows Ron holding Blue Pied Cock who earlier this season won 1st Sect 2nd Open North West Classic Club Carentan and Dave holding both the Chequer 4th Sect 6th Open and the Blue Cock 9th sect 12th Open N.W.C.C. Messac.

Wignall Jones

6^th section A 8^th Open goes to Kevin Tagell another fancier from Congleton doing well winning £113 pool money. The bird that Kevin clocked in this Messac race is a dark chequer pied hen who flew the young bird programme in 2017 and was sent to NFC Coutances race where she was his 3rd bird back winning 73rd sect 385th open. She was used as a widow hen in 2018, before being put back on the road in 2019 where she won 1st sect L 16th Open in the National FC Coutances race. Her sire won 2nd Frome, 5th Yeovil, 5th Cheshire 2bird Carentan, 4th club 9^th fed Fougeres and 7th Cheshire 2bird Fougeres so a good pigeon for anyone to have in the loft. She was sent to this race odd and she is self-bred coming through J Millington’s old distance family crossed on to John Allbutt’s Staf Van Reets and Tommy Hulme’s Will Thas birds which have bred a lot of winners for Kevin.

Tagells pigeon

7^th section A 9^th Open see’s another Congleton fancier in the top ten, this time it is Brian Lee who likes the specialist races. Brian is feeling a lot better after his illness and tells me that he is back on the golf course for the first time in quite a few months.

Brian Lee

3^rd section B 10^th Open is Dave Pritchard of Northwich who races a good pigeon collecting £157. Dave said; “The Blue hen (Dee 18) is no new comer to the NWCC as a young bird in 2017 1st section B and 8th Open from Carentan and 3 x1st that year and has gone on to win a total of 8 x 1st and plenty of prizes in top five. including 2nd section 4th open Saints 528mls 2019. and in a system that my main race team are w/wood cocks, while I am trialling a few hens on the w/wood-round about system that I am developing with no weekly exercising until the race which the hens are required for. The midweek club is used for exercising only and NO loft exercise is given, and a few races are used to prepare the hens because of my busy work schedule. A light feed is used daily which is barley based and one and a half days w/wood food is given before racing and are exercised more towards the appointed race with their diet increasing to the selected race. No training is given as I do not have the time, the mid-week program is used for my loft exercise for the hens. I keep to the natural products like cider vinegar and garlic twice a week and vitamin electrolyte on return. Keep it simple I was always told. This season 2020 moving loft location right up to February. Covid19 had helped me settle my race team to the new location as I would not been ready in time. (Dee 18) preparation this season had been very short two inland races and sent to Carentan Mid Cheshire Fed with 3 weeks rest as work commitments come first. She was sent to Cheltenham 1st Aug and arrive 2nd pigeon to the loft, picking up 5th club and on to NWCC Messac as the nom and pooler. On race day a very hard day was on the cards and I expected them home 10hrs onwards and had word that MCC also were at the same race point and good friend Bob in Midlands had contacted me to say pitch a tent LOL. as the birds were not coming through and would contact me when he had one. At 8pm that evening my phone rang I’ve got one at 5 to 8 great news, and 8.20pm 12hr 5min (Dee 18) popped over the hedge my heart skipped and shouted out loud I've got one, good job my lofts are out in the sticks, LOL and would also a BIG thank all the lads at the marking station and to Mark Smith for his work and commitment NWCC thank you all”

Dave Pritchard with this weeks winner

1^st Section C goes to John McGenity from Widnes who has had a mention in all three races with the club so far this year.