Established 1979 Company Number: 11693988 VAT Registration Number: 284 0522 13 +44 (0)1606 836036 +44 (0)7871 701585 elimarpigeons@gmail.com

A TRIBUTE TO RON BALL OF NORTHCHURCH - 08-02-22

A TRIBUTE TO RON BALL OF NORTHCHURCH.

BALL 1A

I’m sorry to inform the fancy that we have lost another of our great ‘champions’. I had the sad phone call today from my friend, Terry Haley, to informing me of the passing of Ron Ball yesterday, Sunday 6th February. Ron had suffered a short illness and passed away at his home in Northchurch. He was a lovely, quiet mannered man and was a brilliant small team pigeon racer, recording many great successes in National and Classic races.

Ron visited my home in Claygate several times over the years, the last time was in May 2020 and I must say he looked well and was looking forward to the start of pigeon racing after the COVID 19 problem had pasted. Looking back over the 2019 racing season, he only had seven old birds and one yearling cock, but raced well, winning  309th open NFC Cholet (6,678 birds) and then went on to record 14th section E, 48th open NFC Cholet (3,659 birds) £715. He had a team of 28 youngsters to start the 2019 racing season and when they arrived at the NFC Coutances race he still had 25, sending 12 of them to the National. Ron recorded 7th section E, 7th, 103rd, 183rd, 400th open NFC Coutances (3,246 bids). The first two birds were two blue hens bred by the Corkett family. I can remember that weekend when Ron won the London & South East Classic Club from Guernsey with ‘Ring of Gold’! Members of the L&SECC sent a nice tidy convoy of 2,145 birds to the last young bird race of the 2002 season from Guernsey and enjoyed one of the largest pay outs of the Classic’s young bird races.

BALL 1E

Some of Ron’s best pigeons over the years have been: ‘Silver Ring’ - This handsome pencil blue cock was a racing machine in Classic and National racing and won a lot of premier positions and prize money. These are a few of ‘Silver Ring’s’ racing highlights: 2nd section, 2nd open NFC Nates (8,664 birds) £1,982, 3rd Combine Fougeres (3,002 birds), 26th section, 453rd open NFC Nantes (8,112 birds) £191, 45th Combine Fougeres (2,445 birds), 27th Combine Tours (2,041 birds), 81st section, 268th open NFC Messac (3,792 birds), 3rd section, 349th open NFC St Nazaire (4,483 birds) £510, 5th section, 315th open NFC St Malo (4,073 birds) £1,146, 47th section, 202nd open NFC Fougeres (6,726 birds), 25th section, 51st open NCF Alencon (6,079 birds) £528. What a brilliant pigeon!: ‘Astra’ – This blue chequer hen was a champion racer in the truest sense of the word, winning: 8th section, 19th open NFC old hens Guernsey (1.641 birds) £789, 16th Combine Nantes (2,642 birds), 11th section, 18th open NFC Saintes (2,770 birds) £696, 9th section, 129th open BBC Bordeaux (1,316 birds) £83, 24th section, 69th open NFC Fougeres (1,388 birds) £777, 1st section, 4th open BBC Bordeaux (1,223 birds) £285, 2nd section, 50th open NFC Fougeres (1,183 birds) £1,345, 8th section, 407th open NFC St Nazaire (4,483 birds) £538, 11th section, 15th open NFC Bordeaux (2,810 birds) 1st open Single Bird Club £571. ‘Unterseen’ – Another fantastic blue chequer hen and winner of: 1999: 3rd open L&SECC Nantes (1,547 birds) £470, 2000: 8th Combine Vire (2,977 birds) £209, 116 open NFC Pau (3,941 birds) £247, 2002: 49th open NFC Pau (4,085 birds) £1,649. Ron had a wonderful young bird racing season in 2002 and the ‘star’ pigeons were: ‘Ring of Gold’ winner of 1st section, 1st open, 1st ‘Gold Ring’ L&SECC Guernsey (2,145 birds) £2,390 and ‘The Kop’ the winner of 5th section, 5th open, 1st ‘Gold Ring’ NFC young bird Guernsey (7,190 birds) £3,702. Ron tells me his best stock hen was the blue chequer pied hen, ‘Dutch Gold’ and she was bred by Jan Huijbregt & son. This fantastic stock hen bred many big winners for the Ron Ball loft including, ‘Astra’, Bombardier’, Hussar’ and was grand dam of ‘Grand Union’. Ron Ball RIP.

BALL 1F

Keith Mott (February 2022).