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Lanarkshire Federation North section Combine Average winners 2023 - 29-04-24

Tom Corrie Son G/son-Lanarkshire Federation
North section Combine Average winners 2023
One for Insomniacs!

This article will hopefully help those that suffer from insomnia. A fancier once told me the only reason he reads my articles was to help him with this problem.

Well John, hope this help all insomniacs in the sport.

Lanarkshire federation programme is a twelve week old bird programme and a six week young birds, which is not far off 3,000 miles from start to finish.

Lanarkshire sits in Lower Central Scotland and is the largest federation in the British Isles. 

Tom Corrie Son & G/son had a fine season, competing every race of the eighteen week programme from 60 miles to 450 miles. 

To win the federation Blue ribbon race from Billericay 345 miles and also win 1st North sect and finish ,4th in the overall Combine Averages in such a competitive federation is worth reporting.

A modest team of 32 old birds and 32 youngsters started the season to compete in the programme from the Scottish borders to the Channel Isles.

This season was possible one of the most difficult the Lanarkshire has had for many a year. We have been going east to try and get away from the raptor problems.

The east winds dominated the old bird programme and with such winds coming out the east creates faster velocities but erratic racing. Pigeon just don't like east winds! 

Racing week in week out leaves you with those pigeons that obviously mould to your system. We are not left with many or maybe just a lucky ones.

We don't keep a lot of non-racers, you can say the basket is our pedigree.

You have to take a hit to get the best and we have took many a hit over the years. I don't think we have every had a Champion pigeon.

We have had many good club pigeons, good friend Martin Hilley once gifted us a very good pigeon that won 5 x 1st clubs in his career. I remember when he brought it over it looked like a" man among boys" Unfortunately he died on the nest the year after his last race.

Very good GWP Macaloney hen bred three very good "cock " pigeons that all won 3 x 1st clubs, one winning 4 x 1st ( This one is called "Mr Handsome "as he has also won 5 x 1st in the show pen.

John Barr gifted us a cock "The Barr" cock that won 4 x 1st clubs . Our 1st Open 2015 Portsmouth winner was a double club winner. Both of these had the  GWP Macaloney bloodlines.

I paired "Mr Handsome "back to his mother before she stopped laying and have a inbred son for pairing back into my "Silver" lines.

My uncle Peter has gifted us some terrific Vandenabelles and one such bird was" Peters Choice "a B/WF cock who topped the federation and also bred winners for us.

But as for "Champions" if they are racing week in week they don't seem to last long enough to be Champions.

Hopefully a "Champion" is just round the corner..

The old saying is when lost they take their good looks with them!

If you are honest with yourself at the end of the old bird season and look at every bird on the perch and say what have you done this year. Most are just homing, a small percentage are performance pigeons and these are the ones that keep you at the top end of the sheet..

We always give them to three years to show their ability as in the past I have had some that don't come into their own until then.

But again the racing has to go your way, it’s very difficult to keep a level of consistency with a small team. 

We don't sell pigeons so don't have to justify their pedigree or results and generally struggle to give birds for club sales because we only take the one round for YB racing each season .

We try our best to support other clubs and federations with gift birds for their club funds.

As I have said before the brilliant late Mick McCormick of Uddingston club (Who won the Lanarkshire Combine averages against 75,000 birds with 26 old birds) said if he only had to work twelve days a year( In relation to pigeons flying twelve races) he would be delighted. I’m very much in that mindset.

I have tried every feed ,everything in the water, my Dad "cracks" up at me and to be honest. To be honest most of it when you use makes no difference to their health.

We try and keep our area free of vermin that's the loft and corn. I feel this is very important as this is a easily missed area of health. 

Dropping board 29 04 24xx

Health in the loft in October

We feed to appetite as you can’t expect the birds to work and complete a programme like Lanarkshire's on a tight crop. Your own observation is the best guide!

VL Start Plus ,VL Breed & Wean, Vanrobeye All round for the breeding of YBs. 

Our racers are out once per day again, always at the same time, sometimes they fly well other times they just don't .I feel it’s all down to the weather, it’s like us if it is really wet or hot we wouldn't like to work. If you try and pressure them they will just go somewhere you don't want.

We road train, using the federation transporter on occasions but only at the start of the season, better leave the stress off them till race day.

I feel it’s all about what's in their head, work on that and you will get a turn. 

At the start of season they will get three or four tosses and then into federation transporter before racing and usually that’s it!

If something is injured then some road training may benefit on its return.

We feel pigeons get burned out mentally, if they are daily worked in the basket, this can be seen when you go into section and they jump off perches or boxes running for the corner. What does that tell you. They don't want to run the gauntlet of falcons in the sky on their way home. 

The pigeons will tell you when they are right. They start working with more vigour, when they land they are off again. 

Again we are not world, beaters just my observations!

We have 24 racers plus some late breds for next season and 6 birds that don't race, so a modest team awaits next race programme.

Fanciers of the past used to take a few off their best racers at the end of the season and could get some decent racers out them if looked after properly.

I feel this could be the way forward for us. 

I bred some late breds from the race birds after the last race from Guernsey and presently have been training the seven of them over the winter months

This year our performances 

Clarkston club

Old Bird Average ,Combine Average ,Young Bird Average ,first five old bird average ,Longest race trophy in Clarkston club - 8 x 1st prizes, 7 x 2nd prize, 8 x 3rd prize

Peter Stangoe club President presenting myself with one of average trophies 29 04 24xx

Club President Peter Stangoe presenting one of the Average trophies

We are winners of North section, in Combine Average, Lanarkshire federation.

Chris and Tom jnr receiving their average trophies 29 04 24xx

Chris and Tom jnr receiving the Average trophies

Also finishing 4th overall Combine average Lanarkshire federation .This was on the back of Young Bird Average ( North section 2022) 

Federation trophys won 2023 29 04 24xx

Federation trophies won 2023

2023 Total birdage in North section 13,441, Combine average birdage 46,747 Lanarkshire federation.

It takes the fanciers experience to manage his team through the early races into the longer events, these being the testing ones, that can make or break your averages.

Many a good season has been spoiled with a NTS(No time slip) in these events. I have heard the saying many a good loft has been spoiled chasing Averages.

For me the ultimate prize is to win the Lanarkshire Combine Averages. " The Holy Grail"

Its comes down to individuals and not numbers in these distance events and some years it’s your time and this was ours.

Everyone has their own feelings about such things as Averages.

We enjoy the competition Lanarkshire federation gives us week in week out, great competition and excellent birdage.

Although we may start trying some SNFC races as we are members of the Lanarkshire Social Circle which is a National minded club..

Like anything in life, if you wish to be successful the work has to be put in.

Put the work and hopefully your birds will respond to your system.

As Roy Castle (record breakers show ) said Dedication is what you need, if you want to be a record breaker.

Quote from Sir Alex Ferguson-Without hunger you will win nothing!

"Winners are not those who never fail but those who never quit".

My thought are always on the pigeons, I think pigeons possible are as addictive as drugs .

If you are like me they are just a way of life. Maybe there is therapy for what we suffer from!

Pigeons motivate me to get up and compete! 

The great thing about pigeon racing is if you keep of the phone or social media off during the race you have a winner every week until you attend the club. The best part is the anticipation of the birds return, the closing of the wings that hit the loft. Easily the best feeling! Possible new technology will spoil this.

I played football at a decent level many a year ago, well if you can call Partick Thistle and Stranraer  "decent"  but can honestly say I never got the same buzz as pigeon racing. 

Pigeon racing is a great sport but I feel we are regressing rather than progressing.. Unfortunately I think we have seen the best of it! Possible something will save it!

Youth is everything in life and that's the same for pigeons. Your yearlings are always the mainstay of any loft and come the end of the season if you are left with a handful if competing every week you have done well. You have to be able to take the losses.

In my mind you are either a pigeon racer or a pigeon lover and if you wish to compete it has to be the racer.

Pigeon racing is based on routine and pigeons thrive on it. You have to get a system that suits your life style and the saying is your only as good as your system. John McFall of Blantyre who was a cracking pigeon fancier stood by this and if he exercised his birds at 5pm then it was that time to the minute.

You have to get your system and hope your pigeons mould to it.

You can have the best of pigeons but if you are not dedicated you will not be successful!

We usually pair up around Dec/Jan and only have one round and then they are split, so with say 14 pair you’re not going to have a lot of youngsters from your own, but that's the system. 

Every fancier fly to a different location, different lofts, different air flow so what someone else does may not suite your birds. What they feed may be different from your feed, they train hard, possible you haven't got the time or money to undertake that.

It’s all down to routine, routine ,work around your lifestyle ,work, family etc. as if one part of the cog isn't working your results will suffer. You have to build a balance as cutting yourself in too many pieces it will not work. So try and get the system that's balanced .

I left my youngsters on the Natural system because of the federation programme being based around racing under 100miles.They very much fell short of last year’s performances of those on darkness system. I personally don't think the darkness does them any harm in later life. 

What's the saying you learn from your mistakes. 

Feral pigeons are always a problem round our lofts They constantly scatter of the roof causing our pigeons to be on edge. Maybe that's a good thing as they are always on lookout for local sparrowhawk.

We started the season stronger than the previous season as I felt the birds were slow on the uptake last few season. Flying in such a competitive federation you can be out in the early races.

My club as a whole tends to be off the leaders until we start to hit the 200 miles mark. Possibly the drag of the bigger birdage clubs or just not fit enough.

Our best performance 2023 was from 345 miles when we won 1st club,1st sect ,1st Open Billericay with our Silver pied hen I called "Elsa" She was bred out of our 1st Open federation Worksop  214 miles ,Lanarkshire federation  He was called  "Peters Choice" and was a present from my Uncle Peter Anderson who has a cracking team of Vandenabeele pigeons and have produced a number of excellent pigeons for us.

Elsa mon 1 29 04 24xx

"Elsa" Open winner on nest after racing.

Billericay Open winner sitting her first eggs of season 29 04 24xx

Jim Hannahs photo of" Elsa" Open winner a couple of weeks after her win.

These birds I feel are the modern day "All Rounders". The Dam was a present from Jim Cullen of Viewpark out of a hen that had five National winners in her breeding. This in turn was out of Billy Bilsland Vandenabeele lines Jim had.

IMG 7168 29 04 24xx    IMG 7161 29 04 24xx    IMG 7163 29 04 24xx    IMG 7165 1 29 04 24xx

Photos of the winners that kept the loft at the front.

Jim had the best pigeons for the distance and could compete also for Lanarkshire averages.

He was a highly regarded fancier in this area, before retiring from sport ,recording many top results for many a year.

Thanks to Peter and Jim for top lines that have scored well for us.

From Guernsey the channel race(445 miles )I timed a yearling blue cock who won 1st club 3rd sect ,17th Open ,he also recorded 58th Open Billericay earlier in the season. He was bred out of birds from Jim Cullen out of a son of Billy Bilsland's SHU Dewar Trophy winner.

Best in Show 1 29 04 24xx

Cheq C winner of BIS at Clarkstons members show and also 45th Open Guernsey 445 miles 2023

These results give you the foundation to win help win the averages.

We have purchased youngsters for racing over the last couple of seasons from Andy Gregson of Preston.

My young bird team racing was very much the Andy Gregson show with them being first to our loft in every YB race.

Hopefully they will go on and perform in the Old Bird Programme in 2024. 

Andy won the RPRA One loft race and Ace pigeon 2023.He has always been a top racer and his birds are tried and tested each season as he is a racing loft. 

As a note before I forget all the old birds that scored well for me this year didn't sit a nest till after racing when they were repaired for a round of late breds.

Old bird loft 1 29 04 24xx

Our Old Bird Loft

You always get the best bred youngsters late summer I feel. This year’s Open winner for us was a later bred pigeon.

The birds I wanted for the later races weren't paired as I wished them going as full wing as possible.

They were raced on the celibate system ,sent each week without seeing each other until the races I want them for and then they have time together before the race. It’s all about watching your birds and trying to observe something different in them.

This could be in loft our when out flying.

That’s the value of a smaller team.

The hens were the mainstay for us and right from the start exercised extremely well and continued their form . 

The "Silver line" I call them are out of the Old Vandenabeele lines have been one of our top lines. The year I bred from Peters Choice I had three hens out him and everyone of them went on to win a 1st club. Including this year’s 1st Open winner.

They seem to throw odd coloured pigeons, must be in the genes.!  

Young bird loft 1 29 04 24xx

Young bird loft.

I have stopped the Billericay winner to maintain this winning line as in the past I have had a good line but never preserved the line, to help maintain a winning line that suits your system. There is no guarantee she will breed the goods.

Like all good partnerships you need a bit of this and that. My Dad gives the routine, he is like clockwork, his dedication to the role is second to none. Christopher gives the new zest in the partnership, something I used to provide and myself well in-between my work as a scribe and amateur refereeing I provide a helpful hand. 

Happy 82nd birthday Tom 29 04 24xx

Tom Corrie snr, the most dedicated of fanciers

We are no record breakers just work hard at the game and hope our birds are up with the best!

I often scratch my head at the results of the brilliant Macaloneys and McCrindles. Totally brilliant fanciers! To finish above such fanciers in the averages is a testament to my Dads commitment and pigeon husbandry.

Some years there is a buzz about the birds, you just know the birds are going to fly well, they look good and act well, some years it isn't there and to be honest you can try everything from a bottle but it just isn't there. Some will understand what I’m saying!

I love the social side of pigeons, going to Blackpool with my Dad ,my son Christopher and uncle Peter . It’s always one of the highlights of the pigeon season.

Chris Corrie having a wee night out with his sister Megan and cousin John 29 04 24xx

Chris Corrie(L) the youngster of the partnership with his sister and cousin

Attending presentation nights and our club show which we done particularly well winning 34 tickets over the open and club show series..

This is a side of the sport that is failing badly and it’s a shame. I think it’s always easy to stop but very difficult to restart!

I have never missed a club presentation win lose or draw. It’s a must to have such events to maintain the identity of your club..

I have gained great friendships in the sport and I’m thankful to my long suffering family who have to put up with what pigeon racing takes away from family life. 

Well that was this year, you can’t bottle it up for next year, so we will see what next year brings.

Myself and Christopher thank my Dad for his total dedication.

The partnership in front of the loft 29 04 24xx

The "Corrie "Partnership

I would like to thank club members for their keen competition and federation officials for their dedication to the  role.

Congratulations to Eadie & Kelly the winners of this year’s Lanarkshire Combine Averages, Brilliant Andy!.

Well I hope you enjoyed the article or helped your insomnia!

We are into the 2024 season when this articles goes out and we started well with 1st club,3rd sect,22nd Open federation 4,000 birds

Tom Corrie jnr

Lanarkshire Press Officer

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