NEWS FROM PACKMOOR & DHS 5 July 2017

ROBERT SLACK, THE STAR OF THE WEEKEND AT PACKMOOR

A busy week here at Packmoor especially, for our ETS and clock setter as he agreed to help another local club whose ETS setter was on holiday, so Robert Slack had a busy Friday and Saturday night. As usual Rob took it all in his stride doing one club at 4-30 before arriving at Packmoor around 5-45 to look after the Packmoor lads. One problem we had at Packmoor that had not previously occurred in the approximately ten years that we have been using the ETS systems was that we could not get a time signal on the Taurus clocks. Now as I say we had not come across this problem before so there was a bit of head scratching before Rob and Kath sorted the problem out. Once that was sorted it was business as usual for the team who got the 231 birds ready for the transporter to take them to Yeovil approximately 150 miles to Packmoor. After the birds had gone on their journey to the race point it was time for the refreshments to start with a couple of hours putting the world?s problems to rights. Anyway I can confirm with a packed pub and plenty of the nectar consumed it was soon time for home to get some kip.

Onto the race day with the weather fine one minute and the next the mist coming down, we had to wait for the race controllers to find a 3 to 3½ hr slot for the birds to be released and make their way home. Well just after 12 the message came through the birds had been liberated at 12 o?clock and with all the members notified it was off to the lofts to await the birds arrival.

Up at Roberts Bros? lofts with everything set up with 30 mins to the expected arrival time of birds and the sun shining we sat there enjoying the day. As we expected the birds to be doing 50 mph it was a surprise to see a blue hen heading for the lofts and unlike the last couple of weeks, when the birds did not trap too well, this one made no mistake not losing any time whatsoever and looking at the result it?s a good job it trapped first time. The bird itself is a Lambrecht cross with a cock from the man in Nottinghamshire who we call the fat controller (Ian Vernon). The hen, although this is the first win this season for her, it is one of the most consistent birds for us this year, plus she has brothers and sisters that have won as well up at Roberts Bros? lofts. All the birds were back home in a 1/2 hr or so except for one yearling cock and we are still waiting for him (sack the race controllers I say).
One of lads flying well again this week is Dave Jones of Pylon View lofts who had two in the first three just beaten for the red card by decimals - well done to Dave. 4 & 5 are Roberts Bros with Bill Burgess taking 6th.

I think the star of the show this weekend must be Rob Slack for accepting the task of doing the ETS systems at two clubs - exceptional work as we have come to expect of him.

The result
1st. Roberts Bros Vel 1559.955
2nd Dave Jones Vel 1559.461
3rd Dave Jones Vel 1559.307
4th Roberts Bros Vel 1551.131
5th Roberts Bros Vel 1549.318
6th Bill Burgess Vel 1544.330

JP Clarke won the card £15

Dave Jones won the card Saturday night £10

Walley & Wilkinson won the nom £11.30

Jeff Roberts
Press Officer Packmoor DHS