BLUE SKIES ARE AROUND THE CORNER

As I sit here at my computer penning this week?s article the race team for the Staffordshire Moorlands & District Federation have just delayed the 6 May race from Hullavington due to a bad weather forecast for the Saturday - Sunday offers better opportunities for good racing conditions so a one day delay seems appropriate.
It?s at times like this that the need for accurate weather forecasting is critical to ensure good pigeon racing and requires the individual race teams for all the Clubs and Federations hoping to race on any particular day to work extremely hard and diligently during the days prior to the anticipated liberation. Despite the millions of pounds that have been spent on behalf of the Met Office and the upsurge of many alternative websites, the accuracy of advance weather forecasting is still somewhat debatable and it would seem that my dear old friend Mother Nature still has the last word!
Now we come to Part Two of this article and it is Sunday morning. Some Clubs and Federations raced yesterday in what can only be described as less than ideal weather conditions with dark clouds covering the majority of the country and very strong North East winds blowing and didn?t it feel cold? For once the weather forecasters got it absolutely right and aren?t I glad that the SMDF race team, which comprises a race adviser, a race controller and a convoyer, and who work as a team during the week preceding the anticipated liberation, took the decision they did to race on Sunday rather than Saturday. Now we can look forward to a good day?s racing in not far off perfect racing conditions
And so it turned out to be hard, yes, but fair and the majority of the fanciers having the type of returns that could have been expected on the day.
As usual with our Federation some spectacular performances from the members and I must say once again I know it sounds like a gramophone record with the needle stuck the number of birds sent by our membership, bearing in mind we are only a small Federation, is a credit to each and every one of you, Thank You.

The Blue Skies at Hullavington just before the 7 May liberation

Now to those outstanding performances. The Fed toppers this week, as taken from the early bird times sent in to the Fed Secretary, are the supersonic Robert Bros from Packmoor Club with a real screamer doing 1401.861 YPM. Wow! that?s some flying into a head wind and was the only bird in the Fed to exceed 1400ypm on the day. Well done Jeff and Tony and the bird, of course. Oh, by the way Roberts Bros took second place in their club as well.
Mr & Mrs Geoff Kirkland and Mr & Mrs Andrew Hargreaves of Leek and Blythe Bridge clubs respectively, performed their now expected first six in their clubs, McGraw, Clegg and Preece did the old one two at Berryhill, Prince Bros First and Second at Ipstones, J W Hall and Son claimed the first two at Milton and Paul Beck and Mick Webb also did the double at Longdendale and Poynton clubs respectively. Well done to you all you are certainly setting high standards for the rest of us mere mortals to aim for.

The Supersonic Roberts Bros. Topping the Fed seems to have taken years off them!!

Full details of all the early birds in the Federation can be seen on the website www.moorlandsfedpigeons.co.uk
We?re back at Hullavington next week, so let?s hope the weather conditions don?t pose the same problems to the race team as last week and that the birdage keeps up to the present level.
Cheers for now, I?ll be in touch next week.

Brian T Smith

Press Officer SMDF