STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS & DISTRICT FEDERATION

by Thomas Garvie

TEWKESBURY - APRIL 2012

Well racing has finally started and the weather for weeks before the first race has been terrible with biting cold winds and sometimes almost non stop rain. It certainly curtailed a lot of training; well it did for us and we only managed to give the birds a few short tosses plus being in hospital for my first shoulder operation did not help a lot either as it meant Liz was doing all the pigeon work along with everything that needed done on the stables yard. She has been a very busy lady but as I said, it was mainly the bad weather that stopped us training as we never want to take too many risks with the birds early on as there is a long season ahead and we have hopefully managed to have a decent team of yearlings and we were not going to throw them away needlessly or tear the heart out them at the start of the season. You always get fanciers who will train no matter what the weather is but there is a difference between molly coddling them and getting them trained at all costs come what may. It is each to their own regarding the birds but some common sense early on will go a long way later in the season.

Whilst talking about the constant bad weather, the Fed decided that for the first race we would put marking back to the Saturday instead of the normal Friday hoping it would improve a bit for a race on a Sunday and thankfully it did as it was a better day, although still very cold. I think in general it is too cold most of the time to start racing in April and in my opinion it would be better starting a couple of weeks later and have fewer young bird racing as basically it should be just about schooling the youngsters and educating them about how to get home. Again it is only my opinion but I think the young birds are sometimes being pushed too far and there will always be fanciers who want to get their youngsters as far as possible. Sometimes I wonder if it does the birds any good when they are yearlings if they have been pushed to the limit but then again what is the limit for a young bird?

But back to the first race which was from Tewkesbury and on the Sunday morning it was going to be a tester with the birds flying into a north wind [the main reason we held nearly all our yearlings back]. 116 members sent 2,194 birds and they were let up at 11-00am in a north wind.

Getting off to a dream start was Rick Geary and son Simon from Macclesfield topping the fed on a velocity of 1310. The next fed places went to Mike Webb from Poynton on 1308, 1306.4 and another on 1305. Paul Beck from Longdendale was on 1306.3, 1306, 1304. P. Stanway also from Poynton was on 1306.2, 1301, and taking the tenth place in the fed was D. Jones from Packmoor on 1300. So there we have the top places with yet again some very familiar names starting where they finished off.

Liz and myself would like to thank Mike Webb for the lovely pair of young birds he gave us but sadly we are still waiting on the pair from Rick Geary and every time he phones he says he has not forgotten them. I have added a photo of Rick at his loft with one of his birds. It is an older photo because he is no longer as good looking as that.

Rick Geary

I have a few club results and while I am speaking about clubs I think we get a VERY POOR response from clubs in the fed as most of them seem un interested in sending any snippets at all about some of the great performances that certain club members put up during the year. I cannot understand why they can't take a few minutes of time to send something or post it and I am starting to think that maybe it is not really worth me taking the time either. We shall see how this season carries on and if there is not much response then maybe I will also call it a day. There are a faithful few who never fail to send in results and they are as follows, starting with Macclesfield and they had 11 members sending 157 birds and of course winning here was Rick and Simon Geary with a two year old widowhood cock they bred themselves via a John Keywood Hybrecht and the dam being a John Allbutt Staf Van Reet. Stuart Goldstraw was second in the club on 1241 also with a two year old widowhood cock, again one which was home bred, a Flor Engels x Van loon. The sire, a Kirland Engels, is already a breeder of prizewiners  and the dam is from J. Frith's Planet Bros birds. Third were Brian and Jill Smith on 1237 with a two year old widowhood cock that went to the race with no training and he is Frank Tasker x Willy Thas which they bred. Fourth was club sec Bernie Barrett and able assistant grandson Harry on 1229 and it was bred from a cock which came from Rick and Simon Geary's Shy Boy x a Frank Sheader hen and they only sent six. The members would like to thank Mark Fox plumbing of Denton for sponsoring the race.

Next was Ipstones where 11 members sent 146 birds and taking top spot here were Burton and Jones on 1282 with a yearling cock. Second and third was D. Glover on 1265 and 1256 with a two year old cock and a three year old cock and fourth was R&J Goodwin & Son on 1249 with a 3 year old cock. From old faithful Roy Jones we have the Blythe Bridge club where 4 members sent 71 pigeons and first, third and fourth was Ken Pettitt with his first bird being a blue hen on 1273. His third bird was a cheq cock on 1256 and his fourth was a cheq hen on 1255, only being prevented from making a clean sweep by M/M A. Hargreaves in second spot on 1265 with a blue cock. Keep up the good work Roy controlling the birds. Last but not least is Hayfield where 7 members sent 112 birds and taking first spot is the wizard of sprint J. L. Gibb on 1233 with a bird nearly as old as himself [a five year old cock]. Jim was also third with a yearling cock on 1195. Second was Chris Mourne on 1197 with a 3 year old cock and fourth spot went David and Jean Ashby on 1175 with a three year old cock. David would like to say a big thank you to Jean for all the work she does with the birds [he never really said that; I thought I would on his behalf].

Well that is about it for the first race and I think most folk had good returns so if you have anything you want to see in print then send it to me. Until next time, goodbye from TG.