NEWS FROM BALERNO
By Norman Dixon MBE
Last round up of the 2015 season.
The third race of the 2015 Scottish Central Federation Young Bird season had a further increase in convoy with 1,609 racing pigeons being liberated at Appleby at 08:00 hours on Saturday 8th August 2015 into a still sky with no wind. The Bo’ness Club members had a great race with Scott Bellamy winning the Club and Federation with a young Hen flying the 106 miles 181 yards home in 2 hours 12 minutes. 24 seconds. Second Club and Federation and just under a yard per mile behind was Jim Smith who I believe is flying to the most Northerly loft location in the Federation. 3rd in Club and Federation was Martin Sneddon and 4th Club and Federation Frickleton Brothers. 5th and 6th Club and Federation was Jose Johnston. 1st at Winchburgh and 7th Federation was Tom and Gina Weir with Sid Steven and Davie Gullane winning at Broxburn and Uphall and claiming 8th Federation. 9th Federation was Rab Henderson another Bo’ness member and Frickleton Brothers timed their second bird to win 10th Federation.
On Saturday 15th August 2015 the Scottish Central Federation members had 1,229 young birds at Ripon and they were liberated at 08:00 hrs into a very light west wind. 1st and 2nd at Broxburn and winning 1st and 2nd Federation was Gordon McKenzie. Gordon had a great race with his young bird team as he also picked up places at 5th and 8th Federation. 3rd Federation and 1st at Newbridge was the partnership of Mr and Mrs Forrest. 4th Federation and 1st at the East Calder RPC was David Jamieson. 6th Federation and 1st at Winchburgh was Tom and Gina Weir with David Jamieson timing his second young bird for 7th Federation. Steven and Gullane continued their good form with a young bird for 9th Federation and Jim Smith got the red card at Bo’ness to win 10th Federation.
At the second Ripon race for the young birds of the Scottish Central Federation member’s 825 pigeons were liberated at 08:30 hours on Saturday 23rd August 2015. 1st at Newbridge and 1st Federation was Alex Cockburn, Peter Keogh won at Winchburgh and claimed the 2nd Federation place. Jim Smith from Bo’ness took the first 6 places at Bo’ness and 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Federation. Martin Brown also from Bo’ness was 9th Federation with Tom and Gina Weir 10th Federation.
On the 29th August 2015, 648 pigeons were at Scottish Central Federation Young Bird Open race from Wakefield. This race was also a duplication race with the Central Scotland Combine Young Bird race. At 09:00 hours a total of 764 Birds from the Scottish Central Federation that comprises of the North West Federation and the Midland Federation and the Faudhouse Club (who represent the old West Lothian Federation in the Combine) were liberated into a light southwest wind. Continuing his great run of form was Gordon McKenzie from Broxburn who timed two birds in quick succession for 1st and 2nd Combine, Federation and Broxburn Club winning just over £300:00 into the bargain. Gordon Mackenzie’s winning bird was a dark chequer cock on darkness. He is an M & D Evans Gabby crossed Stewart Knowles Lindenhof. Gordon’s 2nd pigeon is the nest mate to the combine winner, a blue bar cock flying to a day old baby . Quite incredible two nest mates being 1st and 2nd Combine. 3rd Combine and Federation was Club mate John McNeill with a red chequer darkness cock, this pigeon was a gift from Sid Collins of Northern Ireland and is from his distance stock. Rab Henderson from Bo’ness was 4th Combine and Federation. Jim Smith then timed three birds for 5th, 6th and 7th Combine and Federation and Alex Cockburn from Newbridge timed to claim 8th Combine and Federation. 9th, 10th and 11th Combine and Federation was David Jamieson from East Calder RPC.
Gordon McKenzie receiving one of his Trophies from Ian Graham
To fill a down week and to keep the young birds ticking along before the SNFC Buckingham Young Bird National, the Scottish Central Federation created an extra race for the 5th of September 2015 and sent 226 birds with the Pentland Hills Federation to Newark some 220 miles into the centre of the Federation. The birds were liberated with the Pentland Hills Federation at 09:45 hours and 1st 2nd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th in the race was David Jamieson from East Calder EPC. If you have seen the SNFC result from the Buckingham race the following week you will see that David ‘s birds continued that great form into the National where he won 2nd and 3rd Section D at 24th and 25th Open from 287 miles and out of 2,577 birds with other Open positions at 36th, 44th, 70th, 72nd, 111th, 146th, 147th, 151st,177th, 226th, 227th, 228th and 229th. I have noticed that David’s first bird from Newark was also his first bird from the Buckingham National that’s great racing from a Young Bird flying a total of 508 miles in two weeks. 3rd 4th and 7th in the Federation race was John McNeill from Broxburn who himself had a number of birds in SNFC Young Bird National starting from 137th, 140th and 143rd with his first bird in the National being the second bird he timed at this race. Although I’ve just shown the benefit of the Newark race, I thought I should just point out that there is always the exception to the rule as 1st Section D and 22nd Open in the SNFC YB National was Jim Smith from Bo’ness and I don’t think Jim had any birds at this Federation race. Lastly I would like to give a big thank you to the committee and members of the Pentland Hills Federation to agreeing to transport the Scottish Central Federation pigeons in this race.
That’s a quick round up on the last few Young Bird races in the Scottish Central Federation. I’m sure the winners would have liked to have seen the reports sooner, but they are here now just in time for everyone to look into this years nest pans to see if any of the 2016 young birds can match or even better the above results.
To help Federation members see what they are racing for this coming year here is a re cap of the main Scottish Central Federation winners of 2015:
The normal weekly Federation Race winners in the Old Birds were Coldstream - H Borthwick, Winchburgh, Otterburn - C Crowe, Winchburgh, Appleby - A May, Bo’ness, Ripon - P Ward, Bo’ness, Wakefield - C Crowe , Winchburgh, Newark - C Crowe, Winchburgh, Leicester - P Keogh, Winchburgh Otterburn J McNeill , Broxburn
For the Young Birds it was Stobs Camp - A Cockburn, Newbridge , Otterburn - G MacKenzie, Broxburn Appleby - S Bellamy, Bo’ness, Ripon - G MacKenzie, Broxburn, Ripon - A Cockburn, Newbridge Newark - D Jamieson, East Calder
Peter Keogh with the vast array of Trophies he won in 2015
The specialist Trophy winners were:
C Crowe Winchburgh Newark Victory Cup
C Crowe Winchburgh Wakefield Stanley Cup
J McNeill Broxburn Portsmouth Open P Barrett Trophy
P Keogh Winchburgh 2nd Portsmouth Open G Duff Trophy
A May Bo’ness Highest winning Vel Haliburton Trophy
D Jamieson East Calder Lowest Winning Vel J Burt Trophy
P Keogh Winchburgh Billericay Victory Trophy
P Keogh Winchburgh Ypres Owen Sweeney Trophy
G MacKenzie Broxburn Y/B Open T Muirhead Cup
A Cockburn Newbridge Alencon Fed Avaranchie Trophy
A Cockburn Newbridge Alencon SNFC Mr Mrs Wilson Cup
J Smith Polmont Buckingham T Manger Trophy
D Jamieson East Calder Ancensis Nantes Cup
P Keogh Winchburgh Yearling Derby Bathgate Trophy
J McNeill Broxburn Best Average Open Races J Ferguson Memorial
D Jamieson East Calder Clermont Mr Mrs McKinnon Cup
J McNeill Broxburn Portsmouth Cormack Trophy
G MacKenzie Broxburn Y/B Combine Fed Trophy
P Keogh Winchburgh Ypres National Ypres National Trophy
D Jamieson East Calder Channel Most Points Dickie Graham Trophy
J McNeill Broxburn Nom Birds in 3 Longest races T Muirhead Trophy
Club with most points for the year was Broxburn Most Points Trophy
Fancier of the Year with most points J McNeill Jim Renwick Trophy
Thanks to Jo Forrest our Federation Secretary for the majority of the above details and like everyone else I look forward to whatever this years racing brings.
Norman Dixon MBE