WELSH NATIONAL FLYING CLUB

& OTHER NEWS FROM WALES

Tom Harris

Pill RPC Presentation Evening

Pill RPC held its 2011 racing season presentation night at the Seamans Mission Club in Newport on Saturday 11th February 2012. Glyn Picton once again stood as master of ceremonies by welcoming everyone to the night and thanked the committee of the Seamans for their support and hospitality throughout the past year, followed by a thank you to the secretary and his wife Gaynor for once again providing the buffet and organising the evening.

The whole night was funded on Gaynor’s brainwave to organise a fund raising scheme which all members participated in throughout the year via the bonus ball, whilst members competed for the thirty five pound weekly cash reward on a Saturday night. A small percentage of the monies was retained to stage the night’s event, which enabled everyone to attend free of charge. He then went on to highlight a few outstanding performances by some of the club’s members at federation, national and Welsh Homing Pigeon Union level.

The Pill RPC is one of the largest and most competitive clubs within Wales, competing within the largest domestic organisation, the Welsh North Road Federation.

The presentation got under way with Rob Poyner coming to the table first to receive awards gained in the two bird club, then it was as follows: Shaun Proctor 1x2nd 1x4th 1bird club 4x1st 2x2nd, Picton Bros & Son 1x 1st 1x4th, Mr & Mrs T. Lamsdale & Son winning 1st Brussels, 2x2nd 1x3rd 2x4th, Hadden Bros 2x1st 2x3rd and 2x 4th, T. Fleming 1x1st 3 x 2nd 2x3rd and 3x4th and in the 2bird club 2x1st 3x2nd. We then moved on to the leading two fanciers of 2011. Taking the runner-up position were the Hawkins family who in 2011 raced the old birds from their original location before relocating to Ray’s rear garden for the young bird programme. The performances gained were as follows: 7x1st club 5x2nd 3x3rd 8x4th receiving the Lillers young bird trophy, the late B. Upham memorial trophy for Maidstone yb, the T. Harris Snr memorial trophy for Maidstone and Folkestone combined average, the young bird averages and the runners up highest prize winner’s cup.

It was then time to announce the Pill RPC’s highest prize winners Kidd & Cooke and to reflect on the passing of the senior partner, the late Trevor Cooke. Once again Trevor and Andy Kidd had another highly successful year with performances enabling them to win two Welsh National events and also two major WHPU awards, the T. G. Buffet memorial cup for runners up to Queen’s Cup and the Taffy Bowen sprint trophy for 2011.

The performances of Kidd & Cooke took some time to read out, as you can imagine. Their club achievements were 8x1st 7x2nd 12x3rd and 6x4th, and in the two bird club 9x1st and 6x2nd respectively. They also won trophies for the two longest races on the programme from Huy and Bonn along with the old bird averages, the overseas averages, the combined old and young bird averages and the highest prize winner’s trophy.

Edward Watts, chairman of the Mission to Seafarers club, was then requested as an ongoing tradition to come forward and award the partnership with the Mission to Seafarers trophy. This is in the form of a crystal decanter which has been specially commissioned by the Princess Royal as patron of the Mission to Seafarers charity for annual competition and duly placed for the winners for the best combined old and young averages from Folkestone.

There was one more presentation to go and this was to Terry Williams who throughout the 2011 racing season gave up his time at 5am every Wednesday morning to convoy the birds entered in the mid-week racing programme to Swindon. He was duly thanked and presented with a personalised wall clock from everyone in the club for his contribution. It’s sad to hear that since the end of the season Terry’s wife has become very ill and it was touch and go if he would be able to attend the night, so on behalf of all the club members we pass on our best wishes to her. With that, the lights were lowered and the evening got underway with a disco that entertained the congregation throughout the night.

As always, there were a few fanciers who either missed the presentation part of the evening or were unable to attend. These were dully handed out as follows: J. Cox 2x1st 3x2nd 1x4th, R. R. Rooke & Son 1x1st 2x2nd, G. Emms 1x4th, C Howells & Son 1xst, J. Newbury 1x1st 2x2nd 3x3rd 1x4th 5x1st 2b and 5x2nd 2b.

Kidd & Cooke with Edward Watts

Hawkins family

R Poyner

S Proctor

Picton Bros & Son

Hadden & Son

Tommy and Ryan Lamsdale

T Fleming

T. Williams and Yours Truly