MAIDSTONE YOUNG BIRDS - AUGUST 2012

Probable 1st Open, 1st North Section for Will Holpin of Abergavenny

Report by Tom Harris

THE FIRST OF THREE WELSH NATIONAL FLYING CLUB YOUNG BIRD EVENTS GOT UNDERWAY FROM MAIDSTONE ON SATURDAY 1ST SEPT, AND WITH THE POOR WEATHER CONTINUING TO HAMPER DOMESTIC LIBERATIONS ON A WEEKLY BASIS, WE WERE MORE THAN SURPRISED TO SEE THE  MAJORITY OF OUR MEMBERSHIP TURNING OUT ON BASKETING NIGHT CONSIDERING THE FORECAST WE WERE EXPECTING OVER THE WEEKEND. SATURDAY MORNING AND AS EXPECTED THE WEATHER ALONG THE LINE OF FLIGHT CONTINUED TO GIVE OUR RACE ADVISORS AND CONVOYERS THIER CUSTOMARY WEEKEND HEADACHE WAITING FOR THE BEST CONDITIONS TO RELEASE THE CONVOY. SHORTLY AFTER 7.30 I RECIEVED THE FIRST UPDATE INDICATING THAT ON SITE IN MAIDSTONE THE CONVOYERS WERN`T HAPPY WITH THE CURRENT CONDITIONS TO RELEASE. THIS WAS ENDORSED BY OTHER FEDERATIONS WHO SAT ALONGSIDE OUR TRANSPORTER; EVEN THOUGH THEIR CONSIGNMENTS WOULD BE HEADING NORTHWARDS THEY WERE IN THE SAME SITUATION OF HAVING TO WAIT FOR AN IMPROVEMENT. MOVING TOWARDS HOME ALONG THE M4 CORRIDOR THROUGH THE BERKSHIRE AREA, DURING THE MORNING THIS WAS REPORTED BACK AS BEING BLOCKED IN WITH LIGHT MISTY RAIN RESULTING IN VISIBILITY BEING DRASTICLLY REDUCED TO LESS THAN 100 YARDS. THIS ONLY ADDED TO OUR EARLIER EXPECTATIONS THAT WE WERE IN FOR A LONG WAIT FOR THIS TO CLEAR NORTHWARDS AIDED BY THE SOUTHERLY WINDS. SHORTLY AFTER MID DAY, THERE SEEMED TO BE SOME LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. WITH A DRASTIC IMPROVEMENT IN CONDITIONS, FEDERATIONS WERE ABLE TO RELEASE IN FRONT OF US AT LIBERATION SITES IN READING, NEWBURY AND WILTSHIRE. AS A RESULT, THE FEDERATIONS SITTING ALONGSIDE US WITH PIGEONS HEADING FOR THE NORTH EAST PARTS OF THE UK WERE ALSO HAPPY WITH THE IMPROVEMENTS AND WERE PREPARING TO GO AT 1PM. IT WAS DECIDED THAT WITH GOOD CONDITIONS REPORTED THROUGHOUT AND ON SITE, IF THEY CLEARED WELL THEN PREPARATIONS WOULD BE MADE SUBJECT TO A FINAL CHECK TO GET OUR CONVOY AWAY AT 1.30PM. SHORTLY AFTER THE EXPECTED TIME OF 1.30PM, NEWS CAME IN THAT THE STRINGS WERE CUT AS ANTICIPATED AND THE PIGEONS WERE RELEASED. HOWEVER, WHILST THE CONDITIONS HAD VASTLY IMPROVED, THE HEAD WIND WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A MAJOR FACTOR THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND, COMBINED WITH THE NIGHTS DRAWING IN FROM AROUND 8 OCLOCK, ANY STRUGGLING ENTRIES WERE GOING TO HAVE TO BATTLE ON TO BE HOME BY NIGHTFALL.

Will Holpin with his National winner

LEADING THE FIELD THIS WEEK WITH THE PROVISIONAL HONOUR OF WINNING 1ST NORTH SECTION 1ST OPEN IS THE ABERGAVENNY LOFT OF WILL HOLPIN WHO TIMED IN ONE OF HIS NINE ENTRIES AT 17.16 26 FLYING 158 MILES 1537 YARDS TO RECORD A WINNING VELOCITY OF 1234. THE WINNING PIGEON IS A YOUNG LIGHTLY BLUE PIED HEN WHICH WAS GIFTED TO WILL JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO FROM A FANCIER BY THE NAME OF DAVID TAYLOR OF CLEOBURY MORTIMER. THIS GAME HEN COMES DOWN FROM VAN LOON CROSS VANDENEBELLE BLOODLINES, THE DAM OF WHICH IS REPORTED TO HAVE RECORDED 1ST MIDLANDS CONTINENTAL CLASSIC IN 2010. AS FOR THE WINNER ITSELF, SHE TOO IS NO STRANGER TO WINNING WAYS AFTER GAINING 1ST ABERGAVENNY CLUB FROM EPSOM 120 MILES JUST A WEEK EARLIER. WILL PASSES ON HIS BEST WISHES TO DAVID TAYLOR FOR THE GIFT THAT ENABLED HIM TO ACHIEVE THIS OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE OF WINNING THE WNFC BY A CLEAR 35 YARDS PER MINUTE.

Will's National winner

FOR 2ND OPEN 1ST CENTRE SECTION WE HEAD ALONG THE HEADS OF THE VALLEY ROAD TO THE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL LOFT OF MORRIS AND LUCUS TIMING IN THEIR FIRST ENTRY AT 17.34.05, RECORDING 1199 VEL. THIS ARRIVAL IS A DARK CHEQ WHITE FLIGHTED DARKNESS YOUNG BIRD WHICH ORIGINATES MAINLY FROM THE LOFTS OF FRANK AND ANN TASKER FROM WAINFLEET, LINCOLNSHIRE. HOWEVER THERE IS A SLIGHT CROSSING OF MARK AND LILLY VERHYDE PIGEONS WITHIN THESE LINES. GREG ALSO TELLS ME THAT AS WELL AS ACHIEVING NUMEROUS NATIONAL AND COMBINE WINNING PERFORMANCE FOR THEMSELVES AND OTHERS OVER THE YEARS, THIS IS ALSO THE NINTH TIME THAT THIS PARTNERSHIP HAVE HAD TO SETTLE FOR 2ND NATIONAL. GREG ASKED IF I COULD WOULD PASS ON HIS BEST WISHES TO WILL HOLPIN ON HIS PERFORMANCE OF WINNING 1ST OPEN WNFC. IT APPEARS THAT PREVIOUSLY THE WINNER HAD REPORTED ONE OF THE MORRIS AND LUCUS YOUNGSTERS, WHICH WAS DULY COLLECTED AND ON MEETING THIS FANCIER GREG REALISES WHAT A RESULT LIKE THIS CAN DO FOR SOMEONE WHEN THEY REACH THE TOP. HE WISHES HIM ALL THE BEST FOR THE FUTURE.

FOR 3RD OPEN 2ND CENTRE SECTION WE HEAD OVER TO THIS YEAR’S FOLKESTONE 2 NATIONAL WINNING PARTNERSHIP OF MATHEW AND JOSEPH HUGHES FROM TREHARRIS TIMING IN THEIR ARRIVAL AT 17.38.37 V 1195.29. THEIR ARRIVAL IS A YOUNG BLUE PIED DARKNESS REARED HEN WHICH IS BRED DOWN FROM THE RAYMOND MOLEVELD’S STRONG WINGS LINES CROSSED WITH LILLY AND MARK VERHYDE PIGEONS. IT IS A HALF SISTER TO THEIR 2012 NATIONAL WINNER AND A FULL SISTER TO TWO COCKS WHICH HAVE PREVIOUSLY SCORED 2ND WNR FEDERATION, ALTHOUGH THIS HEN HADN’T SCORED OVER THE PAST WEEKS, THE PARTNERSHIP ARE MORE THAN HAPPY WITH HER CONSISTENCY AND LOOK FORWARD TO BETTER THINGS WITH THIS FAMILY OF PIGEONS IN FUTURE YEARS.

FOR 4TH OPEN 3RD CENTRE SECTION IT’S JUST A SHORT DISTANCE TO THE LOFT OF JASON MORRIS OF CEFN HENGEOD. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS ON SUNDAY EVENING TO TRACK THIS FANCIER DOWN, I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO RECEIVE THE DETAILS NEEDED JUST PRIOR TO SENDING THIS REPORT OFF. JASON’S ARRIVAL IS BRED DOWN FROM A FRANK SHEADER SOONTJEN NAMED AS THE 31 COCK ON THE SIRE’S SIDE. THIS PIGEON IS A MULIPLE 1ST PRIZE WINNER AT CLUB LEVEL AND HAS NUMEROUS FEDERATION POSITIONS TO ITS CREDIT, CROSSED WITH A LEFEBRE DHAENHAN HEN PURCHASED AT THE CLEARANCE SALE OF JIMMY GOOCH OF CWMBRAN IN NEWPORT IN DECEMBER 2011. THIS PIGEON WAS TIMED IN AT 17.33.58 V 1194.

5TH AND 6TH OPEN 4TH AND 5TH CENTRE SECTION WE REMAIN IN THE HENGOED AREA AT THE LOFT OF DAVIES & COOMBES WHO TIMED IN THE FIRST OF TWO ARRIVALS AT 17.33.28 RECORDING 1194.0 CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY A SECOND JUST THREE SECONDS LATER. THEIR FIRST PIGEON ON THE CLOCK IS A YOUNG BLUE LEON BOERS BLUE COCK WHICH WAS A MID JANUARY HATCHED DARKNESS YOUNGSTER WHICH ORIGINATES FROM THEIR 2009 LILLERS NATONAL WINNING LINES VIA NEW PAIRINGS FOR 2012.

WELL THE FIRST TASK SET OUT FOR THIS YEAR’S BABIES HAS COME AND GONE. SOME REPORTED A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF RETURNS ON THE NIGHT WITH ONLY A SMALL NUMBER AWAY WHILST OTHERS STRUGGLED TO GET 50%. WE CAN’T GET AWAY FROM THAT FACT OR HIDE BEHIND FALSE ALLEGATIONS WHEN THEY HAPPEN OF A PERFECT RACE. OBVIOUSLY SOME MADE EASY WORK OF THE HEADWIND WHILST OTHERS GAVE IN TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY. HOWEVER, THERE WAS GOOD NEWS THE FOLLOWING MORNING AS MOST FANCIERS I SPOKE TO INFORMED ME THAT A VAST NUMBER OF THE BIRDS THAT WERE AWAY WERE TURNING IN ON SUNDAY MORNING, SO I’M SURE WITH A FORTNIGHT’S REST THEY WILL BE WELL ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY FOR OUR FOLKESTONE RACE ON 16TH SEPTEMBER.

ONE THING TO NOTE IS THAT FOR THE FOLKESTONE RACE WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE A SPONSORSHIP FROM A & R COURIERS OF NEWPORT, WHO KINDLY DONATED OUR FIRST THREE LOFTS IN EACH SECTION WITH GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE MEDALS TO COMMEMORATE THE 2012 OLYMPICS IN LONDON AND ALONG WITH THAT THEY HAVE ALSO DONATED A TROPHY THAT THE EVENTUAL WINNER WILL KEEP FOR THIER ACHIEVEMENT.

A BIG THANK YOU TO THOSE FANCIERS WHO PASSED ON THEIR REMARKS FOR KEEPING THEM UP TO DATE VIA OUR WEB SITE AS THE DAY WENT ON, NOT ONLY PRIOR TO LIBERATING BUT IN GETTING THE PROVISIONAL WINNING PIGEONS PUBLISHED ON THE NIGHT. THIS IS A SERVICE THAT WE ARE PROUD TO PROVIDE DURING THESE EVENTS TO ENHANCE OR TRANSPARENCY WITHIN THE ORGANISATION.

ON FINISHING AS ALWAYS HERE ARE A FEW TIMES FROM AROUND THE SECTIONS BASED ON PHONE IN TIMES AND NOT IN RESULT ORDER.

NORTH SECTION
HOLPIN 17.16.26 PROB 1ST OPEN, FLOWERS 17.36.16, LONG&SON 17.39.27, WILLIAMS BR & SON 17.44.34, HARES 17.40.47.

CENTRE SECTION
MORRIS & LUCUS 17.34.05, MORRIS 17.33.58, DAVIES & COOMBES 17.33.28, MINETT 17.40.58, M & J HUGHES 17.38.37, MAYO 17.38.10, PRICE 17,36.17, VOKES 17.39.15, HIGGINS 17,32.19, HALL MCULLAM 17.35.01, MORRIS & SON 17.52, HACKLAND&SON 17,37.36, EVANS 17.48.05, WILLIAMS 18.10.05, DAVIES 17.35.05.

SOUTH SECTION
NEWBURY 17.28.01, DUNN 17.20, PICTON BR & SON 17.23.34, PROCTOR 17 47.00, HAWKINS FAMILY 17.46.05, DONELLY 17.53.26, ARTHUR &S 18.07.37, FLEMING 17.55.16, FISHLOCK BR &S 17.54.23, A, J, & S ATTLEY 17.43.06, FARNHAM 17.48.50, M/M LAMSDALE 17.51.10, M/M UPHAM 18.40.55.