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L J Parkinson - 07-07-23

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L J Parkinson

We are getting close to the start of the young bird season, and I have reservations about how many I am going to send to the early races. If this wasn’t my first year back racing in the sport, I wouldn’t be considering it so much because I would already have an old bird team. My concern is, and one that I have heard a lot about in recent years, that is the young birds going over for the shorter flyers and then having to work back probably into a head wind. Yes, we know that happens in most federations but for some there is a 35ml overfly and in those early races the youngsters go sailing by which is not the education they should be having. In this case I am of course referring to the Mid Cheshire fed where we will be competing. I was asking one of our senior officials about this, saying that for the first couple of races at east they would be better having a north and south section liberation. This to me is a no brainer because the federation are losers because the entries in the southern section will be down on what they could be and the convoyer gets less money. There are also benefits, firstly and more importantly to the lofts in the southern section they stand to lose fewer young birds. Less losses of young birds means a better chance of a stronger team of yearlings and that goes on for each following generation. The southern section which consists mainly of the original Mid Cheshire Federation is a loser on this one. Why? Because there are now more clubs in the northern section so when it comes to a vote they overrule. If they had a separate liberation for the first 2/3 races everyone would benefit in one way or another. We need to think more about the birds and the effect going miles past their home loft has on them. Yes, there are going to be fanciers who say if they are educated well enough before racing stars, they should not go over. We should all know that is not the case, everyone racing from the south has birds coming back out of the north. We can never change that, but we can try our best to help our youngsters stay on a better line and therefore educate them for the future. Young bird racing is one year out of each pigeon’s life so way put obstacles in their way, we need to help them and in turn that helps the fanciers to have a better team of pigeons for the future. Remember the young birds are the future of the loft and without them we would not be racing at all.

Limits

I recently got into a heated conversation about the number of birds some fanciers clock in and end up with a full sheet from one loft on the results. I was saying that around here we have what was known as a “gentleman’s agreement” that we only send the first 4 of each member to the fed, a system that has worked well for many years. I also pointed out that for most fanciers racing pigeons is their hobby and something they like to do whether they win or lose. It then came out that he felt we are giving a false result, no we are showing a result of up to the first four birds clocked by any one member. Do we really need to see a sheet full of pigeons from any one loft, in what are mainly unhappy clubs/members, who quite often leave the sport for that reason and break clubs and feds up. We should all be looking at systems for our clubs that keep members happy and feeling part of an organisation that is there for enjoyment for everyone. I must say that I have never understood why anyone would want anything up to 30 going onto a single result. Having said that I can understand it in National / specialist racing because prizes and pools are generally well spread out well down the result and they are there to be won, then fair enough. However, that doesn’t happen like that in club racing there are not that many prizes and pools to be won. There are clubs about who do not bother about prizes and pools they race their birds for enjoyment, and they can be a relaxation to many fanciers.    

Results

We start with the Wincanton race with the South West Cheshire Fed whose birds were liberated at 13.30pm in a strong north wind. This week’s winner is Dave Everill who races his birds with the Halmer End FC and ends up 1st & 4th club 1st fed recording vels of 1403/1363ypm. 2nd club 7th fed goes to P & E Mainwaring on 1384ypm with C gill 3rd club 8th fed with a vel of 1383ypm. 1st & 4th Club 2nd & 10th fed go to the evergreen Joe Glover from the Hankelow club with vels of 1400/1377ypm with Mr & Mrs Nigel Shaw coming home in 2nd & 3rd club 4th & 9th fed on 1385/1377ypm. M & H Smith had a good weekend when Mark clocked the first 4 in both his local clubs taking 3rd & 5th fed in this race clocking up 1386/1385ypm racing with the Middlewich 5B. Mr & Mrs Nigel Shaw also sent one bird to the Crewe West End taking 1st club 6th fed on 1385ypm. Followed by S & T Soper 1358ypm, Colin Lindop 1341ypm and Bob Humphries1338ypm. In the Duddon PFC the red card goes to K & K Rowland on 1316ypm while KW Walker & sons are 2nd & 4th clocking up 1315/1289ypm leaving 3rd to Adamson & O’Hanlon on 1302ypm. Meanwhile Martin Williams takes 1st 2nd 4th in the Greenbank FC after recording vels of 1366/1336/1320ypm leaving 3rd to Tommy Hulme & Son who clocked up 1333ypm. That leaves Winsford HS where Mike & Keith Hitchin take the top ten positions apart from 5th, their best vels are 1377/1365/1362/ (2) ypm.

The Mid Cheshire Fed were further down the road in Guernsey when 52 members entered 369 birds that were liberated at 10.45am in a strong west wind. It’s a pity that the local feds cannot sort something out and get racing out of France back on the race program it is clear that Guernsey is not working as well as it should be the entries tell us that. You cannot take it away from the winners in the Guernsey races, they are all doing well in tough competition. The top three positions in club fed and section all go to A Roberts from the Lymm FC recording vels of 1364/1361/1358ypm. Still with the same club we see 8th open going to Steve Carroll on 1334ypm. 1st club 4th section and open goes to Ashton in Makerfield’s A Smallman & Son with a vel of 1356ypm followed by fellow club member William Buxton on 1345ypm just ahead of John Hankey 3rd club recording a vel of 1297ypm. J Stewart is 1st & 2nd in the Cheshire FC plus 6th section and open on 1344/1282ypm with P Seed from the same club on 1262ypm. The Sankey Bridges HS winner plus 2nd is P Wilcox who is also 7th & 10th section and open clocking up 1338/1318ypm with fellow club member Martin McGee 3rd on 1268ypm. Completing the top ten in the open is 9th placed B & D Hooper who finish 1st & 2nd club on 1321/1270ypm. Other club winners are firstly in the Acton Bridge FC where Eric Taylor collects the red card on 1294ypm ahead of Jones Bros & Karen Jones 2nd & 3rd on 1278/1274ypm. W & P Brown are back at the top in the Earlestown FC with 1st & 2nd club with vels of 1266/1252ypm followed by K Owen on 1251ypm. Sidney Rogers & Son finish with the top three in the Frodsham HS on 1138/1282/1262ypm. Mr & Mrs Burnett record a vel of 1275ypm in the Kingsway HS while the Leigh & Atherton HS sees G Grundy finish 1st & 3rd on 1259/1230ypm being split by N Bramhall whose first in the clock finished on 1244ypm. In the Middlewich FC M&H Smith recorded vels on 1265/1256/1253ypm. In the Rudheath WMHS C & I L Cooper collect the red card with a vel of 1312ypm ahead of A J Thornley who takes the next two on 1290/1279ypm. Runcorn DHS sees R Hayes & J Pickstock end up 1st & 3rd on 1236/1043ypm being split by B Jones on 1121ypm. Over at Wrinehill the three leading vels are 1266/1206/1127ypm to the lofts of Darren Everill.

Photo.

I couldn’t resist taking a photo as I locked up one night, it is how three young birds spend the night keeping each other close company. These are in Ebony’s loft and their nightly resting place is a milk churn where they are on guard where she keeps her corn.

threesome for the night

The other photo I think was taken at a gold ring presentation when we were with Bobby Walton who no longer has pigeons, but I do give him a call from time to time. In fact, I speak to a few people who no longer have pigeons, plus a few that do still race, people who have been friends for a long time. For those who don’t know Bob, he was one of the best fanciers I knew when he was racing. He had a good loft set up which had a lot of thought go into it, so that everything was right. Just found another one of Craig, Bobby, Les taken outside Bob’s loft many years ago.

bob walton ljp emw    BWaltonLJPBWAll    craig bob les

Les Parkinson. 11 Rushton Drive, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0NJ.

Tel: +44 (0)1606 836036. Mob: +44 (0)7871 701585.

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Web site: http://www.elimarpigeons.com