WELSH SOUTH ROAD NATIONAL FLYING CLUB
FALAISE RACE REPORT.
The second race in the WSRNFC programme took place on Saturday 23rd May when more than 1,000 birds were liberated at 12.15 along with the Welsh South Road Fed pigeons. All organisations in North West France on the Saturday delayed their liberations due to full cloud cover in the area, and liberations started to take place from mid morning onwards. There was a forecast of some localised fog patches in the Channel and these were due to burn off by midday. The wind was forecast to be light north or north easterly with broken cloud and plenty of sunshine en route – almost perfect conditions you would think. However, for some seemingly unknown reason, the vast majority of the Welsh pigeons seemed to struggle, even though the leading pigeons were being clocked in the East of Wales recording velocities in the high 1200’s.
The following report is based purely on fanciers’ first bird verifications and I should once again point out that the final result may differ considerably. So here goes……
The race winners are certainly no strangers to success as the Nantyglo partnership of Gareth and Stuart Treharne have achieved some truly outstanding results in recent years, including 2 x 1st Open BICC and 1st Open WSRNFC in 2014 alone!!
In this Falaise National they clocked two pigeons together which look likely to finish at 1st & 2nd Open velocity 1286. This is what Stuart had to tell me about their latest National win:-
“The first bird which I have included a photo of Dad holding is a yearling hen a Hans Eijerkamp Van Loon X Janssen and is a half sister to the bird which topped the section from BICC Le Mans last year with the same sire this being a direct Eijerkamp - a direct son of Abel when he was paired to another top class racer Carly. The mother is a granddaughter of Don Leo and Fabio which were full brothers and top racers. She bred 2nd section Le Mans with the BICC last year . The second bird, also a yearling hen, is bred from a direct son of Raoul and Xavier Verstraete’s Top Star when he was paired to a direct daughter of IVO of Rutz and sons . It was the first channel race for both hens and for all of our entries this year, as due to family commitments we didn’t send to the weekend of the Carentan National or the BICC Falaise race so the birds had to be jumped from 90 miles into Falaise as the older birds were last week into Alencon with the BICC . It was a real tester and we are disappointed to have 12 missing from an entry of 43 of mostly yearlings the majority never having been over the channel before so lacked that much needed experience on a hard day. Hopefully one or two will work back.”
Well done yet again Stuart and Gareth on another top class performance. A full loft report, recently completed, can be found on the BICC, Fancierchat and Elimar web sites as well as in this month’s edition of the Racing Pigeon Pictorial.
The Pontypool partnership of Ian and Tracy Bromley are thereabouts once again in the shake with their first on the clock doing 1277 ypm to take probable 1st east section and 3rd Open, this result following on from their 3rd Open in the Carentan National of two weeks previous. Unfortunately, I do not have any further information on Ian and Tracy’s timer.
The outstanding Pontypool partnership of Ron Scammell and Paul Peploe come in next on the provisional result with a pigeon on 1252 ypm for 2nd East section and 4th Open. Paul Peploe forwards the following information on yet another top performer for the partners:-“The pigeon is a full brother to a double National winner(Bonn & Saverne) which we bred for Derek & Clive Flowers
The sire is winner of many top club, Fed and National positions the bloodlines are our Jan Aarden / Karl Herman families crossed with Phil Edwards of Cwmtillery National winning family
The dam is our 1st National Picauville winner. She was bred by B Clarke (Rhymney)and she as many other top club, Fed and National positions. She is also the dam of our 2011 WSRNFC Gold Cup and double RPRA regional award winner and our 2014 2nd Open BICC Tours winner.”
Yet another multi National winning partnership are at 3rd East section 5th Open – none other than Preece Brothers & sons of Cwmtillery who clocked one of their entries to record 1248 ypm. The partners clocked
A 2YR OLD CHEquer ROUNDABOUT HEN ,SHE IS GRAND DAUGHTER OF GEOFF COOPERS WRIGGLER ON THE ONE SIDE AND GWASTED FLOODLIGHT WHO WAS 2ND AND 4TH WSR NATIONAL TARBES ON THE OTHER SIDE and containing the best of the Preece’s CHANNEL FAMILY.IN HER LAST THREE RACES this season SHE HAS BEEN 4TH WSR FED SALISBURY , 5TH WSR NATIONAL CARENTAN two weeks previous.
Staying in the east section we have the husband and wife partnership of John and Pat Webber of Six Bells who clocked a bird on 1247 ypm to take 4th east section 6th Open. The Webbers clocked a blue hen bred by Ray Lambert and was one of their annual inter loft exchanges with Ray in 2014. She was bred in Ray’s stock loft from a very potent gene pool. Flew all stages to Littlehamton as a young bird where she had a week out and was stopped. This year she has flown consistently to the loft, flying to her mate this week. She arrived in perfect condition (well done Phil) ready for her next outing.
Mark Sparey of Abertillery comes in next on the provisional result with a bird on 1245 ypm to take 5th East section 7th Open. Mark’s timer is a yearling hen that was unraced last year as a young bird and was at Carentan with the Welsh National two weeks ago. Her sire is a grand son on Etienne Laerliens Kanibal Barcelona whilst her dam is a daughter of Mark Gilbert’s Champion Darkie when he was paired to a daughter of Brockamp’s George.
Just a mile or so down the valley to the south east is the former mining village of Llanhilleth where we find the bird that is likely to take 6th east section 8th Open on 1241 ypm for the partnership of G Lewis & son.
At 2nd Centre East section vel 1239 ypm we have one to the Treharris loft of Wyndham Rees. This should be a “pick me up” for Wyndham who hasn’t been in the best of health recently. Unfortunately the phone number I had for Wyndham was unobtainable.
The Tredegar father and son partnership of D & G Bruton are in again following on from their Carentan success with one for 3rd Centre East section. The bird clocked is a two yr old grizzle cock, sire was bred by S. Foster Blackpool being a grandson of Koopmans Kleine Dirk the dam was bred by A. Mcfenton from the best of the Lambert and Davies grizzle family, This pair has bred the Brutons some very good birds both being very inbred . Last year the grizzle cock was Old Bird of the Year in the club winning 6 prize cards and his best National position was 20th Open Nort sur Edre, 1st Heads of Valley 2 bird club and 1st Rhymney Valley show race. This year he has been 4th club Purbeck, 1st club Salisbury 34th fed, 1st club Lyndhurst 25th fed and 2nd club Falaise 1st Rhymney Castle show race.
My old mate Spencer Jones, now in “self imposed semi retirement” from the sport clocked a good one from his small team of racers to feature well up in the result at 10th Open to maintain hios excellent record in National competition both in Wales and cross border with the BICC.
Daniel Pipe, the winner of the recent Carentan National, flying under the colours of R Strickland & Grandson comes in with another good timer . Daniel clocked a Frank Sheader Soontjen round about cock that was 4th Fed Lyndhurst the previous week and had also won 3rd Fed Lyndhurst in 2014. At Falaise he was on 1232 ypm which should be good enough for 7th east section 10th Open.
Moving around the sections now and we have young Brett Jones with a bird on 1234 ypm which looks good enough for 1st Centre west section 11th Open on the provisional result I have before me.
This is what Brett had to tell me about his first venture on the direct south route:-
“Hi Gareth just forwarding the information about my first arrival in the south road National race from Falaise.
The mother was bred by a nice gentlemen known locally as Dr Watkins via a cock that should be in my possession by now with all the arm twisting I’ve been doing over the past three years!!!
The sire is a cock bought at the clearance sale of a very good friend and top class pigeon fancier Mr Clive Akers.
The cock was flown on widowhood and prepared by my “loft manager” “Poison Pen” Les Hughes,[ traffic warden retired].
Brett’s good friend and top class fancier Robert Pugh of the Morris & Pugh partnership could well be placed at 2nd Centre west section with a bird close behind. They clocked a very consistent hen that was 10th WSE Combine against 7,300 birds the week before Falaise and has also won 10th Open WSE NFC into the bargain. She is of the partners’ old reliable Red Fox Janssen bloodlines that has been winning top prizes at club, Fed,Combine and National level for years.
Third Centre west section goes to a bird racing to the Ynyshir loft of Wayne Morris and Dean Webb. The partners clocked a full sister to “The Special One” a van de Rhee cross Planet Van Loon. These are the last off the Billy Coles Van Loon pigeons from 1989
Over in the West section the winner was clocked at the Glyncorrwg [pronounced glin-cor- roog] loft of John Lewis recording 1196 ypm.
John’s first in the clock is a two year old Braspenning cross round about hen. She was at Carentan two weeks earlier and also won 1st club 2nd section in the Fed race from Lyndhurst the week before Falaise. Her half sister is a Combine winner from Brussels for John’s grandson Corey.
The Ystradgynlais[ pronounced Ust- rad- gun- lice] partnership of Bryan and Anthony Williams look to have 2nd section position in the bag with a bird on 1182 ypm. This is what Anthony had to tll me about their timer:-
“The bird that came for us is a Wildermeersch x Van Reet hen and the parents have bred many, many winners here with the sire being a gift bird from Eddie Ketye from the Midlands. She is raced on the roundabout and exercised once a day only as we are stuck for time in the week. They have had every race so far this year but will now have 2 weeks off before the next channel race. Her dam is a daughter of the foundation mealy pied Van Reet we bought in 2000 . Her sister won Saintes and her other sister bred our BICC winner in 2012”.
Roy Davies and daughter then come in with a bird 3rd section. This one is a two year old widowhood cock having his first channel race on the south road. The loft is on a hot run of form at the moment having topped the Fed four times already this season whilst racing on the south east route.
Well that’s a race that many who entered won’t forget in a hurry [but would love to be able to!!!]. If some of the detail on winning fanciers’ pigeons is scarce I can only apologise but can assure readers that I have done my best to give the fanciers and their pigeons the credit that they deserve.
I ask fanciers yet again- if you know you have timed a good bird which appears well up on the provisional result please get in touch with me as soon as possible on the day after the race, or at least make yourselves available for me to contact you. As one fancier told me “Gareth we don’t sit at the computer all day” – true enough but sometimes I have to if I’m to get the race report out on time. All I ask is that you help me give you and your pigeons the credit they deserve. The ball is in your court gentlemen.
Gareth Watkins