BONN - JULY 2012

Report by Tom Harris

THE ABOVE ORGANISATION HELD ITS FINAL OLD BIRD RACE OF 2012 WITH A 450 MILE RACE FROM BONN, GERMANY ON SATURDAY 21ST JULY. BASKETING TOOK PLACE ON THURSDAY 19TH AND WITH A PROMISE OF BETTER WEATHER COMING IN FROM THE SOUTH OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS A RESULT OF THE CURRENT JET STREAM WHICH HAS GIVEN US SO MUCH UNSETTLED WEATHER IN THE PAST MONTHS MOVING NORTH, EXPECTATIONS WERE PROMISING THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET THE BIRDS AWAY AS SCHEDULED ON SATURDAY MORNING.

AS THE DAY BROKE HERE IN WALES WITH FINE WEATHER AND BROKEN BLUE SKIES, NEWS CAME THROUGH FROM OUR RACE ADVISORS THAT THE BIRDS WERE AWAY AT 0700 INTO A LIGHT NORTH EASTERLY WIND ON THE CONTINENT OVER THE BELGIAN BORDERS AND ONTO THE FRENCH COAST. A FEW SHOWERS WERE HIGHLIGHTED EN ROUTE BUT THESE WEREN'T DUE TO BE OF ANY THREAT TO THE BIRDS AS THEY MADE THEIR WAY WESTWARDS TO KENT AND THE EAST COAST OF THE UK. ON CROSSING THE CHANNEL THE WIND WAS SET TO TURN TO A MORE EASTERLY DIRECTION, ASSISTING THE BIRDS OVER THE LAST THIRD OF THE DISTANCE HOME.

LEADING THE FIELD WITH THE HONOUR OF 1ST CENTRE SECTION 1ST OPEN IS THE CWMBRAN LOFT OF STEVE JUDE, FLYING APPROX 451 MILES IN 9HRS 31 MIN TO RECORD A VELOCITY OF 1387.1. ON CALCULATING THE PROVISIONAL WINNER SUBJECT TO A FINAL CHECK, I HAD THE PRIVELIGE OF VERIFYING THE PIGEON AS STEVE IS LOCATED JUST A MILE FROM ME.

Steve Jude

THE WINNING PIGEON IS A 2YR OLD BLUE COCK WHICH WAS SENT SITTING APPROX 12 DAY OLD EGGS BRED DOWN FROM PIGEONS OBTAINED FROM DON JONES OF USK ON THE SIRE'S SIDE CROSSED WITH A PIGEON GIFTED FROM TONY COWAN GOING BACK THROUGH PIGEONS OFF BRIAN LONG.

1st open Bonn 450 miles

IN THE LEAD UP TO THIS RACE THE WINNING PIGEON WAS RACED THROUGH THE INLAND PROGRAMME THEN INTO BRUSSELS 340 MILES IN PREPARATION FOR BONN. STEVE INFORMS ME THAT WHILST ANSEWERING A CALL OF NATURE HE RETURNED TO THE LOFT TO SEE A PIGEON ENTER THE SPUTNIK. HOWEVER IT WASN'T UNTIL HE WENT IN TO READ HIS ELECTRONIC TIMING SYSTEM THAT HE NOTICED THAT HIS FIRST ARRIVAL HAD ALREADY BEEN THERE FOR THE PAST TWENTY MINUTES WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE. It goes to show once again the contribution that electronic timing has brought into the sport over the past years, as this could have easilly have been an oppOrtunity missed by this fancier to credit his pigeon with the honour it deserved on the day.

STEVE WOULD LIKE TO PASS ON HIS THANKS TO THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE PILL RPC FOR THEIR SPORTSMANSHIP IN HELPING HIM AND HIS FAMILY WITH THE BIRDS DUE TO HIM BEING IN AND OUT OF HOSPITAL OVER THE PAST WEEKS AND WITHOUT THEIR CONTRIBUTION THEN THIS HONOUR MAY HAVE NOT BEEN POSSIBLE.

Steve Jude's loft set-up

FOR 2ND OPEN 1ST SOUTH SECTION WE HEAD DOWN TO THE FISHLOCK PARTNERSHIP LOFTS IN LLANRUMNEY, CARDIFF, FLYING AS FISHLOCK BROTHERS AND SON. THEY TIMED IN A 2 YEAR OLD CHEQ COCK AT 16.38 TO RECORD A VEL OF 1380.8. THE PARTNERSHIP FLEW CONSISTENTLY AT CLUB, FEDERATION AND NATIONAL LEVEL AS FISHLOCK AND HARDING FOR MANY YEARS WITH SOME OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES. HOWEVER IN MORE RECENT TIMES THE BROTHERS PAUL AND MIKE AND CO ARE MAKING THEIR OWN STAMP ON PIGEON RACING HERE IN WALES AND ARE WAITING FOR THEIR MOMENT FOR THEIR FIRST WELSH NATIONAL F C WINNER TO GO WITH THEIR NUMEROUS SECTION WINS.

2nd open

The bloodlines of their arrival from Bonn originate from two Newport fanciers namell the late Ivor Marshall crossed with a Van Der Wegan hen purchased at the bereavment sale of the late Glyn Cousins. Both sire and dam are direct children of the partnership's Queen's Cup winner in 2010 and olympiad entry Channel King, which is also in the pedigree of their 2012 Lillers section winner earlier in the year. Since retiring Channel King to the stock loft he is now producing many high performance pigeons at club, federation and national level. To say the partnership had a good race would be an understatement as they recorded 17 from their entry of 19 on the night, followed by the two remaining pigeons early Sunday morning. The partnership not only pass on their congratulations to Steve Jude on his win but also wished to highlight the conditions that the birds returned in - a credit to all concerend in the management of the pigeons in their charge.

Fishlock Bros

IT'S BACK UP THE VALLEY NOW FOR 3RD OPEN 2ND CENTRE SECTION TO THE LOFT OF THIS YEAR'S BRUSSELS NATIONAL WINNER MEL MAYO OF BARGOED WHO TIMED IN AT 16.44.56 V1379.8. MEL'S ARRIVAL, A 2YR OLD WIDOWHOOD COCK IS, LIKE MANY OF MEL'S CONSISTENT WINNING PIGEONS, BRED DOWN FROM HIS 2004 BONN NATIONAL WINNER BOBBY'S BOY, WHICH WAS BRED BY BOBBY LEE OF BARGOED. THIS COCK IS OF LEFEBRE DHEANEAN BLOODLINES AND HAS MANY MINOR CLUB WINNING PERFORMANCES TO DATE INCLUDING 1ST CLUB FOLKESTONE AND WAS ALSO PRESENT ON THIS YEAR'S FOLKESTONE NATIONAL RESULT WITH 42ND OPEN.

Mel Mayo

STAYING IN THE BARGOED AREA WE HEAD OVER TO THE FAMILIAR NAME OF IDDY DAVIES, WHO AS DESCRIBED IN OTHER WRITE UPS RECENTLY IN THE FANCY PRESS, IS HAVING A QUIET YEAR AT NATIONAL LEVEL. HOWEVER, HE'S NOT THAT FAR OFF THE TOP THIS WEEK WITH 3RD SECTION 4TH OPEN. IDDY'S ARRIVAL RECORDED A TIME OF 16.46.48 WITH A V1376.8. IT IS A 2YR OLD BLUE COCK BRED DOWN THROUGH HIS TRADITIONAL WINNING FAMILY OF GALAXY LOFT'S ASSASINS, AND COMES DOWN THROUGH THE JUPITER LINES. THIS COCK HASN'T BEEN BRED FROM AS IDDY TRIES NOT TO BREED FROM HIS RACING TEAM. PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES FOR THIS COCK INCLUDE 1ST CLUB 6TH OPEN NATIONAL BONN 2011; 77TH SECTION LILLIERS; 82ND SECTION HUY; 40TH SECTION 59TH OPEN LILLIERS; 22ND SECTION BRUSSELS 37TH OPEN; 12TH SECTION 18TH OPEN FOLKESTONE AND NOW 2ND CLUB 4TH NATIONAL BONN,  ALSO A FEW MINOR CLUB AND FEDERATION PERFORMANCES TO HIS CREDIT.

Iddy Davies

TO COMPLETE THE TOP FIVE WE HEAD DOWN TO NEWPORT TO THE LOFT OF KIDD AND COOKE FOR 2ND SOUTH SECTION 5TH OPEN. ANDY TIMED IN A 3YR OLD  CHEQUER PIED COCK OF FRANK SHEADER SOONTJEN LINES AT 16.33.18 V1374.72. THIS COCK WAS SENT WITH TWO YOUNGSTERS HATCHING ON THE DAY OF MARKING. AS MOST WILL BE AWARE, THIS LOFT WAS CONFINED TO QUARTERS FOR THE PAST FOUR MONTHS UNDER QUARANTINE RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY DEFRA AS A RESULT OF AN ALLEGED VIRUS THAT WAS CIRCULATING THE COUNTRY, AND ON RETURNING TO RACING ONLY TWO WEEKS AGO, THEY COME BACK IN AT THE TOP OF THE RESULTS WITH PERFORMANCES SUCH AS 1ST CLUB 1ST SECTION 2ND WNRF NEWBURY 75 MILES AND NOW 2ND SOUTH SECTION 5TH OPEN NATIONAL BONN 450 MILES. CONSIDERING THESE PIGEONS WERE JUMPED A DISTANCE OF 375 MILES, ANDY MUST BE MORE THAN HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS PUT UP BY HIS TEAM OF PIGEONS TO DATE.

Kidd & Cooke

IN THE NORTH SECTION IT'S MR & MRS RUSSELL FROM EBBW VALE. FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS YEAR THEY TOP THEIR SECTION, THIS TIME WITH A 2YR OLD CHEQUER HEN OF JANSSEN BLOODLINES CROSSED WITH A HEN GIFTED TO THE PARTNERSHIP BY THEIR CLUB SECRETARY PETER HAYDEN. THIS HEN HAS BEEN FLOWN ALL YEAR ON ROUNDABOUT AND WAS SENT AS A TEAM OF SIX, OF WHICH FOUR WERE SAFELY HOME ON THE NIGHT. AS MOST WILL KNOW, MYSELF AND GAYNOR ARE GOOD FRIENDS WITH DYLAN AND TRACEY SINCE THEY JOINED OUR ANNUAL BELGIAN TRIP MANY YEARS AGO. I JUST HOPE SOME OF THAT PRIZEMONEY IS LEFT FOR THE DRINKS AT THE PRESENTATION NIGHT IN DECEMBER.

Mr Russell

WELL THAT SUMS UP YET ANOTHER OLD BIRD PROGRAMME AND ALL THE UPSET OF CANCELLING RACES AND AMMENDING THE ENTIRE RACE PROGRAMME. HOWEVER WE SEEM TO HAVE FINISHED ON A HIGH NOTE. OUR THANKS GO TO OUR CONVOYING TEAM AND RACE ADVISORS AND THEIR MANY POINTS OF CONTACT BOTH HERE IN THE UK AND ABROAD FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION IN GETTING THE BIRDS AWAY UNDER SOME AWKWARD CONDITIONS, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN SOME OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES BY OUR MEMBERSHIP. MAY WE HOPE OUR GOOD FORTUNE CONTINUES THROUGHOUT THE YOUNG BIRD PROGRAMME.