LANARKSHIRE FEDERATION

Tom Corrie jnr

 

Otterburn Race, Lanarkshire Federation. The last of 2016 season

Otterburn 3rd September 2016

 

The last race of the season, took us back to Northumberland in the North East of England to the town of Otterburn.

The forecast for the weekend had some federations changing their marking days, but we remained on schedule for a Saturday race. The birds 1300 of them, cleared well at 07 30 hrs in one batch, quickly disappearing. So no apparent raptor attacks at the liberation site.

The weather at the home end was rather dull but dry. The winners made good time recording into the high twelve hundreds.

The majority of the convoy made hard work of the flight with many reporting erratic returns, the majority thereafter reported good returns, so not to sure what the problem was but they struggled for pigeons that had been at over two hundred miles the week before this sprint of eighty odd.

Well that’s it for the year, congratulations to all this years winners; it’s not been an easy year.

This week’s federation winner is George Mann of Airdrie.

George Mann with his federation open winner

 

If you are ticking a sheet for everything you wish to achieve in pigeons, George Mann has achieved it. National winner, box ticked. Combine winner, box ticked. Federation and Open winner again the boxes are ticked.

George is a highly respected fancier who others look up to and admire in the sport of pigeons. He has served his club Airdrie District well and is always available to help others within the sport.

I took the time to take a short journey down to Cairnhill to visit this week’s federation winner.

I sat with George initially in his lovely conservatory which overlooks his loft, something we all wish we had. A perfect environment whatever the weather. We discussed many aspects of the sport and the difficult season that had just past for most fanciers.G.eorge stated it was the worst he had ever experienced.

George reflected on seasons past and mentioned there is no easy answer to the difficulty we have in the sport, but George still has the enthusiasm for the sport and you can tell he only looks forward to his next race. When i was a boy joining the sport of pigeons George Mann was top class, he produced performance after performance within the Scottish Midland Federation and Scottish Central Combine that took some beating. George continues within the Lanarkshire to get to the very top and enjoys the top competition at club and federation level.

As with most fanciers we talked and talked before I realised I better visit the loft before it gets dark.

   

George Mann's loft -  Inside racing section of George Mann with light coming in through roof space - Georges National winner and breeder of winners , having another moult in the stock section

George Mann s Roundabout hen boxes with door to close over to keep them from pairing 

Georges loft is a brick type garage with a apex roof with ventilation (The right ventilation his very important George commented) along the top, it has four sections .One for stock, racers nest box section, roundabout hen section and a young bird section. The loft is around twenty eight feet with a corridor it has Perspex light on the south facing roof space as the front of the loft faces north. Again George stated this is very important.

The floor has wooden grills and the birds have access to the loft via two sputnik traps.

He uses the ETS system for recording his arrivals, always checking that it registers as he has been caught out with this before.

 

The birds are a variety of strains with GWP Macaloney lines,Lambrechts,Soontjens and Ceusters with some distance lines of George Rankin & Son and Jock Allison.

The birds are raced on the roundabout system with the hens out first and trapped back into the nest box section, before being fed in their own section and thereafter locked in each perch till the evening exercise.

The cocks are thereafter out and returned to the nest box section.

The youngsters around 45 are placed on the darkness and taken off around 1st June as George doesn’t like them carrying nest flight into the following year.

They are privately trained around six flight initially, before going twice per week with the Airdrie transporter. They are also exercised in the evening, flying well for up to an hour.

They are fed the best of versela laga and tuerlings mixture as birds need variety of corn with no break down mixture used.

George states he hasn’t had much problem with the young bird sickness but if any youngster doesn’t eat he gives it a charcoal tablet and will fast it for a number of days.

This year he used the Duzwork brand of treatment for paratyphoid as a precautionary treatment and felt this was positive.

He uses the double vaccine which the youngsters receive leaving the nest. They receive a number of grit mixtures including red stone and matrix.

George uses stainless steel water  dishes which is possible a we secret for stopping infection.

 

George like most observes the behaviour of his birds and through experience can determine the health of his flock.

Like most he said he keeps to many stock birds and needs to cutback to stop his hobby becoming a chore.

 

We assessed his pigeons and handled a few excellent specimens that keep George at the top end of the results.

His federation open winner is a medium size blue cock with superb pectoral muscle formation and extremely silky feathering .His breeding is from Sire out of a Ceuster bloodlines from Mr & Mrs Dickson of Spalding .Dam was a gift from Ralph Valentini of Coatbridge out of Wade Bros of Durham ,Andre Roodhooff bloodlines-Out of the top breeder Jean.

 

George relived the race that day stating I had calculated that if I have a bird around the two hour mark it will be decent. Well high out of the south east two birds came racing to the loft before the two hours, after the initially circle his blue cock hit the house roof and the other carried on down towards Coatbridge.

George felt within himself it was a decent time as the bird was racing to the loft.

When I handled him on 13th October he had only four or five flights to moult, so was well on his way to finishing the moult this year.

Well congratulations to George on his winner and for a very enjoyable afternoon talking pigeons.

  

Note-The federation presentation night will take place on 7th October in Carrigans Bar, Hamilton. John Quinn or federation secretary can be contacted to reserve your tickets.

I hope you have enjoyed the Lanarkshire news over the racing season ,it is hard work at times but its great to give fellow Lanarkshire members the credit they deserve.

   

Danny Mitchell wins Clarkston with another Irish import.(Fast boat to Belfast,ha ha) - Kevin Docherty wins Uddingston & Dist - George Mann (R) wins Airdrie Dist anf 1st Open federation

     

Billy Gordon (R) wins Cambuslang - Wullie Smart wins Newmains & Cambusnethan. What a season! - Tommy McDonagh wins Greenfield

Arthur Morrison wins Blantyre

 

Carluke HC

03/09/16
1 W Gardner 976 2 W Gardner 892  3 W Gardner 854 4 W Gardner 807 5 A Wilkie 799

Well done Wullie,sorry no photo at present time

 

Coalburn HC

1. R Logan 1043 2. R Logan 909 3. A Suckle 777 4. J Callan 723 5. D Murray 707
Well done big Ronny, great winner and well done everyone else who timed in from another hard race

The  south section of the federation is 200 yds of the winners nearly every week,tells you the birds are not coming out the south,which makes the present race programme appear unfair to those fanciers!

 

Clarkston & Dist

1st D Mitchell & Son 1103 2nd T Corrie Son G/son 1099 3rd D Mitchell & Son 1054 4th T Corrie Son G/son 1037 5th T Corrie Son G/Son 1003
Well done Danny,winning the race with one of his Irish imports.This weekend Danny won the section in the SNRPC young bird National. 
Tom Corrie Son G/son win the bag of feed nomination and also the club young bird averages

 

Newmains HC 

14 members sent 227 birds..
1 W Smart 1227  2 Eadie &Kelly 1223  3 W Smart 1213  4 W Smart 1212  5 T McGinn 1172

Well done lads holding their form right till the end.

 

Cambusnethan & Morningside

15 members /236 birds
1st W Smart 1227 2nd Eadie & Kelly 1223 3rd W Smart 1213 4th W Smart 1212 5th T McGinn 1172

Well done Wullie

 

Uddingston & Dist

1st K Docherty 1189 2nd J Cameron 1170 3rd J Cameron 1133 4th J Cameron  5th J Cameron

Well done Kevin

 

Cambuslang HC

1st W Gordon 1117  2nd W Gordon 1002 3rd W Gordon 988 4th W Gordon 949 5th W Gordon 931
Well done Billy ,coming into form for your National race.

 

Blantyre HC

1st A. Morrison 976 2nd Tallis & mcdonagh 974 3rd W.Semple 907 4th Tallis & mcdonagh 869 5th Tallis & mcdonagh 865

Well done Arthur.
Arthur Morrison wins acc and nom 
Well done all

 

Burnbank HC

1st R Cushley 1120 2nd R Cushley 1119 3rd W Boswell 1024 4th R Cushley 1004 5th R Cushley 902
Another great race for Robert winning four 
young bird races on the trot. Well done m8 
And hope you are well soon Robert is in hospital 
This result should perk him up 
Well thank goodness that the last race as its my(Walter) worst season in the last ten years.
What with the Reims race and the young bird losses. I am glad to see the season over for once. 

Here are  this years trophy winners in the Burbank club

William Mc Fall wins
the young bird ko 

William Reid wins
the golden feathers cup for 1st yb 3rd race

Peter White wins
the woodhead trophy for 1st Kettering

Baird McMillan wins
the Strathclyde gearbox trophy for 1st Billericay

Alex Mc lnnes wins
The Rennes trophy for first bird Reims

James McGuire wins 
the old bird ko
the Kelly cup for first four race average
the yearling shield for first yearling Melton Mowbry
the Maxwell rose bowl for best average 2nd 3rd 4th old bird and young bird races

Robert Cushley wins
Sartilly rose bowl for 1st bird Arras
the Mc Cormick shield for 1st yb Thirsk
the alpine transmission cup for 1st yb Retford
the Uddston soc club trophy for most points in yb racing
the Cambell cup for longest old bird and longest yb races 
and the young bird average

Walter Boswell wins
the longest four inland average old birds
the yearling average for all races except Billericay
the R McNaughton mem cup for best average Billericay and Ypres 
the David Baird mem cup for best average Kettering old bird and Retford young bird 
the  Leckie mem trophy for most points old bird and young bird racing
the old bird average all fed races
and the combined average all fed races

Well done to all our club trophy winners 
and Well done to the guys who did not win anything
but send birds every week to support our club 
and without whom we would have no club 
hope you guys make the top table next year 

Well thats it for another year all the best guys

 

Low Waters

1st Torrance & Mann 1165 2nd A Nelson 1140 3rd A Nelson 1005 4th J Green & Son 964 5th Torrance & Mann 959
Well done Alan & John and the other members.

 

Airdrie Dist

1st G Mann 1241 2nd Beekman Bros 1190 3rd GWP Macaloney 1188 4th I Rankin 1177 5th GWP Macaloney

Well done George on your win and 1st Open federation

 

Coatbridge SC

5 sent 54 birds

1st Sharp Cummings Durning 1232 2nd Sharp Cummings Durning 1050 3rd Christie Bros 1031 4th Pollock & Cairney 1027

Well done lads on your win and 2nd Open federation

Winning pigeon  Sire True Blue 1st Yearling Open 2015
 Dam Koopman bloodlines

 Congratulations to GWP Macaloney on another outstanding season from ourself.

 

Final  Young Bird Average Board

 

1st Eadie & Kelly 1211 2nd W Smart 1204 3rd I Rankin 1154 4th GWP Macaloney 1149 5th T Richardson 1140 6th T McGinn 1137 7th J Cameron 1131

8th T Corrie Son G/son 1116 9th Tallis & McDonagh 10th Sharp CummingsDurning 1109 

Well done the Bellside wizard

  

Final Combine Average Board

 

1st GWP Macaloney 1180 2nd Tallis & McDonagh 1145 3rd J Cullen 1121 4th Torrance & Mann 1121 5th J Lawrie & Son 1106 6th W Boswell 1095 7th G Lightbody 1088 8th Lindsay & Henderson 1087 9th Eadie & Kelly 1086 10th W Smart 1083

 

Well done to Lanarkshires best GWP Macaloney

 

 

Tom Corrie jnr