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Essex Central Federation - Wetherby & Perth - 17-06-23

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Wetherby & Perth 17/6/2023

A double header for the fancy today, races 10 and 11, with the fed race from Wetherby and a joint liberation with the London North Road Combine from Perth for the longer flyers amongst us. Our first visit will catch up with Conveyer Lee Fuller, wife Nicola and the 693 Wetherby entrants supplied by 50 of our members at Wetherby. With ideal conditions, today would be an early liberation at 05:45 with no wind at the racepoint.

 Making an appearance in no less than 7 fed scoresheets before today is Hadleigh clubs Anthony O’Mahony, club winner in the fed opener from Grantham, consistent Anthony collects the red card in both disciplines today with a yearling blue bar son of Simply Kittel Red bred by Herbie Thorpe. Anthony would time his pigeon just before half past 9 with the great  grandson of Blackpool Kittel completing his 183 mile journey back home in 3 hours 44 minutes and 13 seconds equating to a fed winning velocity of 1442. Anthony has already tasted success earlier in the season with the strain and the victorious cocks two full brothers were 4th and 5th fed in the Grantham opener. Runner up at both Hadleigh club and in the fed would be Steve Duffell, another familiar name within my articles who clocked in a yearling blue pied cock registering 1440. Picking up the bronze medal and 11th fed would be fed winner Mr O’Mahony this time recording a Blue Pied hen, 11 minutes behind her loftmate on 1374. The 2y gifted by Jim Ashenden when Anthony first started out. Anthony enjoyed a fantastic days racing today with 3 pigeons in the fed result. The third arrival of his 17 entries, a blue pied cock, landed on the boards a mere 20 seconds after to receive 13th fed. The yearling another addition to Anthonys formidable old bird team averaging 1372. Hadleigh as a club had a successful afternoon today with Mr Duffell 12th and 15th fed, Mr and Mrs John and Fed secretary Gaynor Ashenden pick up 16th and 18th with P Elliott timing in his Slatey Scottish union rung yearling cock for 20th. Great flying Hadleigh club and thank you to John for the info and images supplied.

  No introduction required for the Hockley master Malcolm Scouler, ever present in the fed result, Stambridge club secretary Malcolm times in one of the most consistent pigeons of the season. The 2y Leo Hermans club winner and 7th fed from Retford last week collects his second successive red card in the fed average champions flying the 182 miles back to Hockley in 3 hours 43 minutes for a club winning 1434. The blue cock now making his 4th appearance of the season in the federation result steps onto the podium for the first time collecting 3rd fed. Malcolm is still in possession of the parents of this super pigeon, a 7y cock and 6y hen and looks forward to the exciting young bird programme ahead. It wouldn’t be right for Mr Scouler to only have one entry on Gaynor’s spreadsheet and his second arrival, a 4y red hen finishes runner up in the club and 19th fed on 1361. Fantastic Malcolm.

4th fed belongs to Maldon clubs pigeon Royalty Sir Trevor Tunstall, London amalgamation winning fancier Trevor, bronze medallist in the Scraley Road outfit last week, tops the strong North Essex club today with a super consistent veteran 5y Sootjen chequer cock from his quarter century old family, a past Sleaford Fed winner in the Essex Central and never out of the first three to Trevor’s loft, way ahead in the club arriving at the Bocking legends loft at 4 minutes past 9, covering the 162 miles home at 1432. Trevor described this pigeon as the staple of his loft and has performed well since winning as a youngbird. Trevor’s only regret with the chequer cock is that due to covid and not being able to mark at Braintree club  he was unraced as a 2y which Sir Trevor tells me is the age he can get them in prime and with this in mind I am lightly racing the yearlings this season the governor told me. Collecting the silver medal are current club Champions, Steve, Ian and Sam Wallis knocking on the door once again with a yearling blue pied son of roofing contractor Ian’s four time fed winning cock ’91 paired to a daughter of his prolific Corremans ’30 homing to the wood road superstars after 3 hours 41 minutes on the wing, earning himself and the team 8th fed. Club victor Sir Trevor Tunstall continues his recent good form picking up bronze for the second week running with a yearling blue chequer Sootjen cock dropping on the pad at 17 minutes past 9 for 1349.

Laindon are making their presence felt week on week now with another individual pigeon of note to tell you about. The pigeon, one of a kit purchased from UNC winning fanciers, the famous Sayers Brothers topped the club from Retford in May consequently picking up runner up spot in the fed. The yearling chequer cock, property of Chris Whiteside collects his second red card of the season and 5th fed flying three and three quarter hours at 1424. Runner up in the largest send of our organisation is a second pigeon of Chris’s Sayers Brothers acquisition, a 2y blue hen coming together with the club victor and trapping only 4 seconds behind, completing the 182 miles at 1423 for 6th fed. Great flying Chris and as always thanks Steve.

Rayleigh next and Club president Steve Oddy adds a second Wetherby victory to his 2 Grantham and Berwick Red cards. Twice winning the fed in 2023, the 5 time club winner takes top honours once again with a yearling chequer cock returning after 178 miles to his Battlesbridge abode just shy of half past 9 registering himself on the fed scoresheet for the first time at 7th with 1414. Another regular feature in my articles the Battlesbridge ace takes silver in the club with his second arrival, 17th fed goes to his 3y chequer cock on 1364.

We head for Burnham now and race controller Steve Ward. Steve in partnership with his daughter is  enjoying a fruitful season and adds a Wetherby victory to his repertoire with the first of his 34 strong team receiving the accolades on the crouch and 9th fed  with 1384. The 2y blue hen racing 179 miles to Steve in  3 hours 48 minutes. Only 2 yards behind in second we have one of the counties finest partnerships Mr and Mrs John Moss. 5 times in the fed this year and victorious at Retford the team are there again with runner up spot and 10th fed for a yearling chequer pied cock on 1382. In 3rd we have the Darlington club winning and 3rd fed holder, Mr and Mrs Moss’s yearling chequer pied cock ’25, today 14th fed recording 1370.

Onto the capital Chelmsford and the City members enjoyed a steady yet gappy with pigeons returning throughout the day and notably a few empty perches come nightfall writes John Payne. Taking 1st and 3rd place was club stalwart Alan Hills (Mr and Mrs A Hills ) with a fine blue cock and a blue chequer hen both carrying ‘syndicate lofts’ bloodlines via Fred Harnett of Stock . Alan now a senior member of the city club and the ECF since the 1970’s. He has to be one of the greatest clubmen of all times as well as an ace local fancier. For many years he has been a dedicated worker and key in supporting our small but very happy pigeon club. The whole of the current membership holds you with the highest regard. Well done Al. Just about hanging in there in 2nd place we have author John and wife Tina with their very reliable and very dependable red Elvin Busschaert cock.  Good health John.

We round up our second Wetherby of the Season at Hutton Club where Mr and Mrs Richard Sees are in the winners enclosure for the second successive week. The partnership 3rd and 6th fed from Retford last time out pick up club honours once again. Thanks Russell. 

A little later and further north, across the border in bonnie Perth. Racing alongside and conveyed with the London North Road Combine 215 of our combatants set off at half past six with a light north wind at the racepoint.

We begin our second race result of the day at Hadleigh club and what a team the partnership of Topp and Mann possess, twice Retford fed winners already this term, the national winning fanciers display their versatility by collecting top honours in the longest fed race so far with a 4y blue cock flying a challenging 9 and a half hour 373 mile journey home at a fed and nomination winning 1153. Runner up in both club and fed we have Mr and Mrs John and fed Secretary Gaynor Ashenden. The Rayleigh partnership clocked their Frans Zwol Berwick hero at 32 minutes past nine. The yearling grandson of Gaynor’s Gift, almost a no go in the teams armoury now club winner from Berwick takes the fed silver for the second time this month covering her 372 miles at 1145. Returning to fed victors Topp and Mann the exceptional pair only sent 4 pigeons to a tough race and recorded 3 pigeons in the fed. Their 2nd and 3rd arrivals both yearling cocks, a blue pied followed by a grizzle clocked in after 4 hours, 4 minutes and 15 minutes respectively earning themselves a hard fought 13th and 15th fed. Mr and Mrs Ashenden appear again on the scoresheet with the second arrival of their 3 sent dropping through the trap at 11:04. The 5y chequer pied cock recording an admiral 985 ypm.

 Fed bronze medallist George Dura racing with Maldon club but resident of Sible Hedingham near Halstead. George has been racing in the UK for 3 years with long distance Romanian stock and a couple of Wallis rockets for the shorter races. One thing is apparent, regardless of origin. There are good pigeons and there are good pigeons. 10th open NRCC Fraserburgh last year George timed a 2y brother of his firesc Marius/Ursu Florin family to collect his first club win both in the club and in the country. The chequer cock racing natural and sitting eggs went through the joiners homemade stalls at precisely 3.33.03 travelling the 348 miles home doing an impressive 1130. George a native of Pitesti, an industrial Romanian city had a great race from Perth, also collecting 8th fed with his second arrival, a blue chequer yearling cock of the same origins registered 1077. Fellow distance enthusiast Norman Holliday takes 3rd spot and 14th fed with his 2y well-bred  blue cock. Ants Wright gets in the fed again collecting 17th with one of the fanciers all conquering combine family.

Wow, what a race from Perth the lads down at Laindon had, notching up 9 places in the fed with 6 of those in the top ten. Leading the way in the clubs impressive contribution of 135 birds is the long distance maestro Pat Newell. London combine winning fancier Pat takes the club honours and 4th fed with a 2y Braspenning blue cock flying 368 miles and stopping the clock 9 hours and 40 minutes later for 1116. Pat affectionately known within the club as ‘Uncle Albert‘ also picks up the next spot in both club and fed, the yearling grizzle cock, another Braspenning Son from the good hen that Pat bought in a few years ago with Paul Stone. A hen that has bred some really good birds to win as babies right up to 4th open NFC a couple of years ago. Berwick winners Mark and Jordan Lewis collect the next two spots in the federation. Their first arrival a yearling blue cock appeared at 6 minutes past ten and not a minute later a grizzle cock of the same age dropped in for 5th and 6th with 1084 and 1083 respectively. Retford winner Alan Scarborough takes 9th fed, his yearling blue pied hen covering 370 miles at 1076. Winning fancier Pat Newell times the 3rd of his 21 entries for 10th, the yearling chequer pied cock registering 1071. Club deputy Marcin Grzedowicz continues his fine season with 11th fed courtesy of a NEHU rung 2y blue hen recording 1069. Mark and Jordan Lewis also have a third bird in the mix, the yearling chequer cock, the 3rd of their 14 pigeons completed 374 miles at 1037 and finally to round off a super day for the South Essex collective, Alan Scarborough times in a second arrival, the 2y blue cock 16th with 1017. Cracking race lads. Cheers Steve.

That leaves 2 more brave pigeons from Rayleigh club to complete the weekends racing, C & P Vidgeon clocked in the first of their 6 combatants just short of ten hours, 40 minutes. The experienced 4y chequer cock flew home at 1015 whilst clubmates Mr A M Belton and Daughter take the last spot on the sheet with a gallant 2y blue hen connecting with the pad after 11 hours on the wing averaging 977 ypm. A long day today and a long read,  so I’ll let you get on, all the best.

C L Elmes

Picture1 London North Road Combine transporter in the sunshine at Perth

London North Road Combine transporter
in the sunshine at Perth

Picture2 Perth Tayside 06.30 17 6 2023

Perth, Tayside 06.30 17-6-2023

Picture3 First win in the UK for George Dura 3rd 8th fed Perthjpg

First win in the UK for George Dura
3rd & 8th fed Perth.

Picture4 1st club 2nd fed 17th Amal Berwick 2nd club 2nd fed 12th Amal Perth grandson of Gaynors gift Frans Zwol

1st club, 2nd fed, 17th Amal Berwick 2nd club, 2nd fed,
12th Amal Perth grandson of Gaynor’s gift Frans Zwol

Picture5 Anthony OMahoney 1st club Hadleigh 1st Essex Central fed Wetherby

Anthony O’Mahoney 1st club Hadleigh
1st Essex Central fed Wetherby

Picture6 1st Essex Central fed Wetherby 17 6 2023 693p bred and raced by Anthony OMahoney

1st Essex Central fed Wetherby
17-6-2023 693p
bred and raced by Anthony O’Mahoney

Picture7 Laindon club winner Chris Whiteside alongside international pigeon superstar Duncan Goodchild

Laindon club winner Chris Whiteside alongside
international pigeon superstar Duncan Goodchild

Picture8 Perth winner Pat Newell pictured with the late great Jimmy Richards after his London Combine victoryjpg

Perth winner Pat Newell pictured with
the late great Jimmy Richards after his
London Combine victory.

Picture9 Sir Trevor Tunstall

Sir Trevor Tunstall.
The Maldon monarch 1st club, 4th fed Wetherby.