STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS & DISTRICT FEDERATION

by Thomas Garvie

BLANDFORD

Hello again and yet another week has passed since the last race and we have now moved on to Blandford. The channel races with the fed are just around the corner although some of our birds have already had a race from Carentan with the NMCFC, which is one of the resons we joined this club in order to get some more channel races for our birds, providing they are still there when time comes round because we do not have a big team of birds. We will have to fly accordingly and, hopefully, at the end of the season we should have some experienced birds left. So far racing with the fed we have not lost any birds so we are keeping our fingers crossed because it will happen at some point and having said that just before I started to write this article I had to go and fetch one of our cocks out the field as it had hit the wires and broke its neck so that one never got to a race to get lost. These things happen and it was a bit windy but nothing too bad but over the last week we have only had the young birds out once because of the extremely high winds. The race team have to be kept flying whenever possible but we have to be careful as sometimes up where we live the wind practically blows the trees so hard they are almost touching the ground and it would not be the first time our road has to be closed because of fallen trees. Anything that blocks our road is actually a bonus to us all that live on the road because of the sheer amount of traffic that passes practically all day. It is actually meant to be an access only road but plenty see it as a shortcut and it can sometimes make walking the dogs very dangerous because it is only a single track road. Most of the folk who live on the road are extremely careful because they know it is not a great road with plenty of twists and turns but the cars that cut through are always in too much of a hurry. They speed along the road then if they meet something they have to jam on the brakes because they are travelling so fast. The young "boy racers" think it is a great road for racing along but sooner or later something serious is going to happen and it will probably be some innocent person that gets hurt and not the idiots that cut through.

Returning to the race at Blandford, 164 members sent 2,984 birds and the strings were cut and they were liberated at 08-00 in a west north west wind. It certainly was strong enough to slow the birds down a touch but most lofts had full perches so it was another good liberation by the race control team, who so far have got it spot on. I think in Roy Jones we have one of the most experienced controllers but not forgetting the convoyers who look after the birds and everybody else that aids Roy in his weekly task, so keep up the good work chaps and the lorry will be kept full of birds, which in turn can only benefit the fed's finances.

Taking the first ten positions in the fed are as follows with the ultimate winner being Foulkes Brs from Berryhill on a velocity of 1433. I wish someone from some of these clubs that have been topping the fed would send some information about the members who are doing well but that is, I suppose, down to individual clubs. I thought more clubs would have shown some kind of an intrest with some of their members who are doing extremely well but nothing is ever heard about them, well not from me anyway, so come on chaps, get on to your secretaries or press officers to send some details about your winning birds. Next in the fed also from Berryhill is A Stewart on 1430, next are Roberts Brs from Packmoor on 1428 followed by Bailey & Proctor from Dog & Partridge [maybe somebody could let me know exactly where this is ?]o n 1426 followed by R & J Goodwin and son from Ipstones on 1424, then we have the partnership of Rick Geary & son on 1423.4 and then we have M Webb from Poynton with 3 birds in the top ten [another flier who seems very consistent but alas I never hear anything about him or his club] and his velocities are 1423.1[2] and 1420, and we have Mr & Mrs Andrew Hargreaves on 1421. So there we have the front runners once again. The sections were made up of the east section sending 693 birds and was won by R & J Goodwin & sons from Ipstones then we had the north section sending 531 birds and this section was won by M Webb from Poynton and last but not least we had the west section sending more than half the convoy with 1814 and this was won by Foulkes Brs from Berryhill.

All clubs should be sending their results to the fed website for inclusion in the results section and of course the web address for the fed is www.moorlandsfedpigeons.co.uk More clubs need to use this site for their results and it is not too difficult or time consuming to send a quick e-mail to Jill or Brian and they can put it up on the site.

News from around a few clubs starting with Macclesfield with 10 members sending 214 birds and it proved to be a brilliant race for the partnership of Rick & Simon Geary who took the first four places with velocities of  1423, 1407, 1402 and 1394. Their first bird home was a Soontjen x Vandenbeele widowhood cock and it was a late bred which was unraced as a young bird but it has had five races; their second bird was a Vandenbeele widowhood cock which they bred themselves of their good cock Hollins Boy which was a multi prize winner but unfortunately he returned injured at the start of the season and died a few days later, a great loss to the pair; the third bird home to them was a yearling cock on widowhood, a Soontjen x Vandenbeele and the dam of this bird, the Vandenbeele was purchased at Frank Howard's sale; their fourth bird home was a Staf Van Reet x Soontjen yearling widowhood cock, the dam, a SVR is from J Allbutt and is a direct out of his gold medal winner, the sire of the bird was Shy Boy who had 18 first prizes so well done lads. This race was sponsored by Rodger and Brenda Bowers.Blythe Bridge now where 5 members sent 113 birds and taking the red card in the club wre Mr and Mrs Andrew Hargreaves with a two year old cock with a velocity of 1421 and they also took fourth spot with a yearling hen on 1414, and taking second and third places was K Pettitt with a yearling cock on 1417 and a two year old hen on 1415. Meir now and taking the first three  in the club were Adams brs with a grizzle cock on 1408 followed by a blue pied cock on 1390 and then a chequer white flight on 1370 and fourth place went to C Kemp with a blue cock on 1376. Hayfield now where 4 members sent 62 birds [we never sent to this race as we had birds at Carentan] and taking first prize yet again was our resident deaf clock book marker JL Gibb with a 4 year old widowhood cock on 1363; next two places went to Chris Mourne on 1360 and 1351 with two two year old cocks and fourth spot went to the oldest swingers in town David and Jean Ashby on 1348 also with a two year old cock.

And finally with some catching up were Packmoor with club results so far this year and the first race at Tewkesbury was won by W Burgess who started off where he finished last year by winning the first four places. At the first Hullavington race the winner was A Cliff who took a share of the pools and the next five places went to again W Burgess. Second Hullavington race was won by, yes you've guessed it, W Burgess and he was also second taking first and fourth fed plus first and second west section. Roberts brs took third place and also seventh fed and fourth section and the next three places went to T Woolrich and son. At Frome the red card went to Roberts brs who were also second and first and fourth places in the fed and taking a share of the pools. W Burgess took the next four places along with the nom. Blandford now and first were Roberts brs and also third fed, second place went to A Cliff, third was D Jones and next two places went to T Woolrich and son. Finally we have Ipstones where 7 members sent 132 birds and taking first, third and fourth spots were R& J Goodwin and son with a yearling cock on 1424, third bird was a two year old cock on 1398 and fourth placed bird was a yearling cock on 1396 and breaking them up was D Glover with a two year old cock on 1408.

Well that about wraps it up for now so if you have anything you want me to write about send it to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or give me a call on 01663 73317. You can catch up with all the fed news on www.moorlandsfedpigeons or you can read any of my articles which are now on the Elimar pigeon site so last words before I go is remember and send all your club results to the fed website via Brian and Jill so adios from TG.