Established 1979 Company Number: 11693988 VAT Registration Number: 284 0522 13 +44 (0)1606 836036 +44 (0)7871 701585 [email protected]

Leach Bros of Hebden Bridge

 

 

 

LEACH BROS

of Hebden Bridge

A 20 YEAR BREAK FROM THE SPORT AND BACK WITH A VENGENCE WITH 40 X 1ST IN THE PAST 3 SEASONS

by Les Parkinson

 

Adrian Leach and family

When doing the jobs I do I come into contact with many fanciers from around the world and many have great results but we have never heard a great deal about them. So after following the results of this relatively new partnership I decided to make contact with the lads and see if a loft visit would be welcomed. I was not disappointed with the answer and a date was set for a first visit.

When we arrived at the entrance to the National Trust Park at Hardcastle Crags we began to ascend up the road to Adrian’s farm, and on reaching the summit Elizabeth and I were blown away by the magnificent views of the Pennine hills. The main race loft overlooked the valley below and the fly-in was quite spectacular; any bird homing would be seen on its final approach for as far as the eye could see.

Racing lofts

Before our loft visit got underway we were all ushered into the farm kitchen where Adrian made a brew, the biscuits came out and guess what we talked pigeons. It was now time to view the superb team of stock pigeons housed at these lofts and we were amazed at the quality amassed in such a short space of time. From purchasing their first stock in 2009, their first breeding season being 2010 and a very strict selection process being adopted, this family have been blended into a team of top class specimens. They are made up of a mixture of Wall, Lunt & Green’s very best bloodlines including sons and daughters of the Merlin Pair, Rebel x Miss Magic, Rebound x Miss Magic, Blain x Verity Rose, Golden Heart x Trinity and so on. These birds have then been paired together to further concentrate the very prepotent winning genes,the very best specimens then retained for stock. Top class birds from Peter Fox of Syndicate Lofts also feature very strongly in the mix with sons and daughters of Zabel x Doran, Hannibal x Emerald, Johannesburg, Chico, Zoon 147, Mascotte, Imogen, Simply Perfect, etc. Their direct son of Zabel x Doran named the Syndicate Cock has been an absolute breeding machine in the past 4 seasons. He is sire, g-sire and g-g-sire to over 100 positions won by Leach Brothers and other fanciers who have purchased or been gifted birds containing his blood. Always on the lookout for top class winning genes led Adrian to the lofts of the Scottish legends G.W. & P. Macaloney and yet again the strike rate with these birds was instant, when crossed with the Wall, Lunt, Green and Syndicate Lofts bloodlines with Fed toppers, Breeder/Buyer wins and MNFC sect winners soon emerging. Another golden thread of winning blood that runs through the veins of this excellent family is that of the young Dutch superstar Peter van de Merwe. Four direct birds were purchased, sons and dtrs of Natalie, Ovita x Ad, Xander and the 500 Cock and these 4 pigeons feature strongly in Fed, Breeder/Buyer, Gold Ring, Amal and MNFC sect positions won.

All of the above families of birds have been blended together with only top quality specimens after much scrutiny being allowed to cross the threshold of the stock loft. These along with most of the original purchases from the very strong solid stock of sprint/middle distance team. The lads also house a small but very select team of long distance birds. These have been gifted to them by Miles Sunderland of Hebden Bridge. Miles is a top class breeder of quality racing pigeons. Adrian told me that almost all birds ever acquired from Miles have produced prize winners and in 2014 two 1st fed winners, 10th & 17th sect L in the very testing NFC Tarbes Grand National where achieved with birds bred from this family. Leach Bros entered 5 and got 5 from this 733 mile endurance test.

After viewing the stock we then moved on to the race team and as expected we were not disappointed. Strength in depth is the best way to describe them, with excellent feather quality and balance, strong wing butts and well muscled bodies. The cocks are of medium size and the hens small to medium but all like peas in a pod.

The old birds are flown on the roundabout system with both cocks and hens being exercised for 1 hour twice a day. The OB team consists of 28 cocks and 28 hens. The YBs are raced on the sliding door system but YB racing does not begin until the 3rd or 4th race, usually about Cheltenham 127 miles. Adrian prefers to start about then as he feels the YBs are a lot fresher when the B/B and National races take place. 60 to 70 YBs are reared for racing each year. 46 of the 70 reared in 2014 have been added to the 2015 OB team. They have all raced at least 197 miles as YBs with about 24 of these also flying Portland or Carentan so plenty of experience has already been gained by this very young team. The stock birds when rearing are fed on Gem Breeding Plus which contains the excellent G10 pellets. Plenty of Matrix grit is also used. The race team are fed various Vanrobaeys mixtures complemented with plenty of Gemthepax, probiotics and food supplements. Strike is used every Sunday and Monday.

Widowhood hens boxes

Some of the highlights of Leach Bros results over the past 3 seasons amount to approx 40x1st including about 12x1st Feds, results not to be taken lightly from a fairly new established loft. Very pleasing NFC and MNFC positions have also been achieved. Approx £4000 has been won in various Breeder/Buyer and Gold Ring competitions to date, and the lads have bred 4x1st, 2x2nd and 3x3rd in the Breeder/Buyers and 3x1st Gold Ring competition winners. The positions listed below have been won in Luddenden Foot HS and Pennine Valleys Fed. Their loft is in one of the most westerly loft locations within these two organisations.

Race point         Date                    Club                                   Fed

Cheltenham      21.04.12            1,2,5 (320b)                 1,6,12 (1687b)  won fed by 30ypm.

Yeovil                08.09.12              1,2,3 (107b)                1,2,3 (553b)

Cheltenham      18.05.13             1,2,3,7 (203b)             6,7,8 (856b)

Carentan           25.05.13             1,3,5 (132b)                 2,4,9 (507b)

Cheltenham      01.06.13            1,2,3 (165b)                 1,2,3 (892b)     

Fougares           08.06.13             1,4,6 (85b)                   2,7 (374b)

Cheltenham      15.06.13             1 (110b)                       1 (680b)

Wollaston          12.04.14            2,3 (167b)                    8,9 (975b)

Worcester         19.04.14              1,2 (222b)                    1,2 (1063b) won fed by 30ypm

Mangotsfield     03.05.14            1,2,3,4,5,6,7 (216b)     1,2,3,4 (1029b)

Portland            17.05.14              1,2,3,4 (176b)               3,4,5,7 (790b)

Falaise               01.06.14              1,2,4 (114b)                1,5 (394b)

Tewkesbury        07.06.14             2,5,6,7 (152b)             2 (620b)

Cheltenham      21.06.14              1,2,3,4 (148b)              1,2,3,4 (631b)

Cheltenham      05.07.14              1,2 (112b)                    1,2 (549b)

Yeovil                07.09.14              1,2,4,6 (161b)               5,6,8,10 (556b)

Portland            13.09.14              1,2,3,4 (117b)               1,4,6,7 (388b)

Best positions won to date in Todmorden HS, S.E.Lancs fed and the Border Amal. Tewkesbury 2nd club 2nd fed 3rd Amal 3395 birds. Swainswick 1st club 1st fed 5th Amal 1722 birds. Carentan 2nd club 14th Lancs combine 938 birds. Yeovil 1,2,3,4,5,6 club 402 birds 1,2,3,4,5,6 fed 437 birds, 1,2,3,4,5,6 Amal 1751 birds.  The birds did the business this day but sadly through no fault of their own Leach Bros where stripped of their Amal positions. Mangotsfield 2,10, club 312 birds 20th Amal. Mangotsfield 1,2 club 290 birds 3,4 fed 11,12 Amal. Yeovil. 1st club 189 birds Cheltenham 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,12,13,14 club 350 birds, 3rd fed  14th Amal 2057 birds. Cheltenham 4,5 club 403 birds 5,7 fed 704 birds 12,14 Amal 2443 birds. Mangotsfield 6,7,8 club. Yeovil 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 club 267 birds.  Their 1st arrivals beat the next competitor in the club by 64 ypm and their 10th bird was also 12ypm in front of the nearest rival. This result set a new record within Todmorden HS as no member before has ever taken the first 10 consecutive positions. Carentan 3,4 club 1st&3rd Todmorden Breeder/Buyer netting £1150. This is the second year running that the lads have won 1,3 in the B/B competition.

MNFC Carentan YB race 2012 7th NW Sect 412 birds 22nd Open 3,424 birds. MNFC Chale YB race 2012   6th,14th NW Sect 264 birds 241st & 389th Open 2,996 birds. MNFC Carentan OB race 2013 2nd,5th,6th NNW Sect  243 birds  75th ,129th, 189th Open 8,406 birds. MNFC Chale YB race 2013 1,2,3,4 NNW Sect 194 birds 142,144,145,229 Open 3,936 birds. MNFC Carentan YB race 2013 2,3,4 NNW Sect 132 birds  86,134,160 Open 3,554 birds. National FC Carentan YB race 2013. 4th Sect L 205th Open. NFC Tarbes 2014 10th 17th Sect L 325th 385th Open 4th Eccles two bird club. I think most of you true fanciers reading this will agree pretty respectable results for this relatively newly established loft.

My next question was how are other fanciers doing with birds that they have purchased from you? Below is the answer to my question.

Harry Appleby (Durham) 2nd club 2nd fed beaten on a decimal when the ETS failed to register. This YB is out of a son of Blain x Verity Rose when paired to a dtr of Macaloney’s Shady Lady. A&S Hughes (Rochdale) 6th NW Sect 32nd Open M.N.F.C Carentan YB race  2013. This YB also won 4th Cheadle Cheshire gold ring race winning £200. G.Dtr of the Syndicate Cock, direct dtr of the Natalie hen. Brian Clennan (Whitby) 1st club 5th East Cleveland Fed approx 2000 b. g.child of The Syndicate Cock, Merlin Cock and Blue Dtr of Miss Magic. Stevie Wilson (Durham) 1st club Syndicate Cock, Miss Magic, Merlin lines. Fleming & Son (Todmorden) 1st club 403b, 1st fed 704b 1st Border Amal 2443b with a GG child of the Syndicate Cock, Blue Miss Magic, Macaloney Cock bloodlines. 1,2,3,4,5 club 361b - the second bird over the ETS is a g.child of the Syndicate Cock, Blue Magic, Macaloney cock. Other birds in this result also contained Leach Bros bloodlines. Jim Chadwick (Westhoughton) with a nest pair of hens out of a double g.son of the Syndicate Cock when paired to a dtr of Macaloney’s Gaby’s Choice Vandenabeele 1st club & 1st club 2nd fed. The parents of Chadwick’s YBs also bred 1st& 3rd when we took the first ten positions in Todmorden HS and two weeks later they won 1st & 3rd Breeder/Buyer in the Todmorden HS netting £1150. CE & CW Roberts (Hebden Bridge) 1st club 2nd fed 50% Leach Bros breeding. W.G. & S. Marley (Halifax) won a YB in a raffle from Mr Gerald Radley. This is a gg.child of the Syndicate Cock, Blue Miss Magic & Macaloney Cock. In 2014 this YB won 1st club 1st fed & 1st club 4th fed. R Martindale (Workington) 2x1st prize winners bred from a son of our Merlin Cock when he was paired to our 51 Hen who is a dtr of the Macaloney Cock x  Blue Miss Magic Hen. The 51 Hen is dam to 3 birds in our race team that have won to date 2x1st feds and 5 equal 1st feds beaten by loft mates on each occasion.

By now time was passing by. We had spent 4 hours at the lofts of Leach Brothers and we handled many top class pigeons and we all came to the same conclusion. These lads definitely know what they are doing and their birds were in excellent condition and kept in well designed and constructed lofts. We were very impressed with the CCTV and laser alarm systems. This partnership are here to stay and will take some shaking off in the foreseeable future. Thank you to Adrian and his lovely wife Kathryn for their hospitality, tea and biscuits. Thanks lads for the time in helping complete this report.

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Elimar - November 2014