Scottish National Racing Pigeon Club Lillers Old Bird National
&
Yearling National
For our last old bird National of the season we were at Lillers France, Lillers is situated in North Eastern France close to the Belgian border.
As with our Andrezel National we were again convoyed and liberated along with the Up North Combine. Some 19.000 birds were released at 7.30 am on Saturday 18th July into a light North West wind, conditions were good from France up to the North of England and the Middlesburgh area where a band of low cloud and rain was hugging the coast, further inland conditions were good, on the channel the wind reported was South West.
The SNRPC had a good entry of 685 pigeons competing for the first open prize of a silver medal, each season the SNRPC presents it’s National winners with silver medals except in Reims our main race in which our 1st Open winner receives the coveted Solid Gold Medal, race section winners in each race receive a bronze these medals are presented to keep by the respective winners and new medals are struck to be competed for yearly. This season we again incorporate our Yearling National in this race with the 1st yearling winning the Silver Medal.
1st
Open 1st Section B, P W Virtue Cockburnspath
The old adage states that the cream always rises to the top and in this case it was again well and truly proved correct when that exceptional distance flyer Peter Virtue of Cockburnspath timed his 4-year-old blue pied cock at 18.53. This was followed by three more on the night and four next morning of his eight pigeons entered.
Peters first three in the clock incredibly took exactly the same open positions he won out of last seasons Arras National 1st, 5th and 12th Open with his next three timers winning 34th, 67th and 108th Open.
The 1st Open winner is a 4-year-old blue pied cock bred by John Duthie of Dundee her sire is a Janssen who has bred some outstanding winners for John while the dam is granddaughter of George McAloneys Speckle hen.
She has been a good consistent racer for Peter and her racing record is:
17th Open SNRPC Y.B National Leicester.
107th Open Newbury. 155th Open Wanstead Flats.
25th Open Wanstead Flats. 39th Open Wanstead Flats.
In club and Fed racing she has won 1st Club 3rd Fed Ripon twice.
2nd Club 3rd Fed Wakefield. 2nd Club 3rd Fed Leicester.
4th Club 12th Fed Leicester, 5th Club 5th Fed Wakefield.
Plus other minor positions, a very good all round pigeon topping it all now with a National win.
(photo 1,P W Virtue) (photo 2, Blue Pied Cock 1st Open)
2nd Sect B 3rd Open, Norman Renton Foulden
Norman completes an excellent season by winning 1st yearling and the silver medal, what a year Norman has had; it’s only a few weeks since he won our Andrezel National and now this recent success.
Normans performance out of this race must rate as one of the best of the season he had 13 on the night and stopped clocking after his 10th pigeon at 20.59 otherwise he would have taken another good few positions in this race he also had a few early morning birds which would have taken good positions.
His first timer, 2nd Sect 3rd Open was a 2006 Blue Pied hen her sire was bred by Derek Norden of Langholm a Kirkpatrick same way bred as Jacks Boy 1st Open Rennes 1998. Her Dam was a gift from Ian McLaren of Largoward in Fife bred down fron Brain Denny stock; she also has some of Dennis Dalls Gold Award Winner Rebecca 11 in her breeding.
Yearling Silver Medal Winner
3rd Sect B 4th Open
The Yearling medal winner’ Silver Dream’ her sire is a Blue Van Hee bred from the sire of Normans 2004 Tours winner crossed with a hen from Wilf Flockhart Tranent while the dam is from a hen from Bobby Caruthers Bonnyrigg crossed with a Van Loon a gift from the late Paddy Stewart Northern Ireland. Margaret and Norman met Paddy some years ago at a dance in Greenlaw where he was playing in the band.
Silver Dream
Normans wife Margaret is very interested in the pigeons and is a great help to Norman she keeps all his records and paperwork up to date and is always there to help whenever necessary with the birds, Norman and Margaret are a good team and their results and performances over the years certainly substantiate this.
2nd Open 1st Section C. John Anderson Anstruther
John is another fancier with 4 on the result sheet, his section and second open winner is a 3 year old Chec cock, he has previously won for John, in last seasons Arras National he was 19th Open 17th section he also won 14th Open in the Kingdom Association Wanstead Flats race.
The sire is a son of John’s original Vandenabeele pair and the dam is bred from a pair gifted to John by a friend James Anderson of Northern Ireland the original pair flew the channel twice for John before being kept for breeding. John has been keeping racing pigeons since 1946 and all our members will be delighted to see him winning the section medal from this race.
John Anderson Anstruther
8th Open 2nd Section C Pete Patrick Thornton
Pete’s 2nd section 8th Open winner is certainly bred for the job her sire is a son of his 2nd Open Cholete pigeon flying 636 miles and he is a full brother to Trails Spark paired to his Padfield hen.
The Dam was an exchange pigeon bred by Ian Gilmore and is a grand daughter of the Gold Award winner Rebecca ll that great pigeon of Dennis Dall’s.
She was feeding an 8 day old youngster at the day of basketing, she scored as a young bird and went to Arras as a yearling this year she went to Wanstead Flats prior to Lillers.
Pete Patrick Thornton
3rd Section C 11th Open Dennis Dall ladybank
This 3-year-old hen is another Kingdom pigeon steeped in pure distance bloodlines; the sire was bred by John Trail crossed with Dennis’s own old family that have been winning from the channel with great consistency for years. She was raced up to Wanstead Flats with the Kingdom and as a two year old she won 2nd Open in the Kingdoms Wanstead Flats Open race. This was her first venture over the channel, one to watch for the future I would think.
Dennis Dall ladybank
1st Section E, 22nd Open. Kerr Stainthorpe Lesmahagow
Kerr has been winning from the channel for a great many years and it’s great to see him win 1st Section from Lillers with his 2-year-old dark hen. According to Kerr this pigeon is tiny but she obviously has what it takes, this year she had 7 races up to Maidstone and was sent with her eggs hatching on the Tuesday prior to basketing and she had thrown her third flight. She was bred from a hen bred by Ian Brown of Powmill, Kerr purchased her at their Fed sale, this hen is Robert Cormack and Black of Drummore the sire is from Kerr’s own family. She was a good racer as a young bird and was on the result from the Y B National.
Kerr is very grateful to John Callan and David Davidson for training the pigeons.
Kerr Stainthorpe
2nd Section E, 28th Open. 3rd Section E, 31st Open
John Callan Lesmahagow
John is another fancier who need’s no introduction, when it comes to distance racing he is a very consistent performer he timed his two section winners at 21.40 and 21.47 with another very early at 04.52 the following morning, this one was not far away on the night that’s for sure.
John’s first timer and 2nd section winner was a two year old chec Pied hen her Sire is a Van De Weggen bred by Raymond Moleveld and the Dam is a Steve Wright Jan Aarden she went to the National sitting 11 days and had 5 races up to Maidstone then 8 training tosses at 40 miles 12 days before basketing.
The 3rd Section winner is a Steve Wright Jan Aarden yearling hen she had 4 races to Maidstone then trained as above she had thrown her third flight and was sitting 13 days on eggs.
John’s early morning pigeon is another Van De Weggen this time from the Dutchman Jan Polder lines he was prepared the same as the above two and was sent sitting 13 days.
The Lesmahagow club had a very good race from Lillers, a great example of how good the returns were is Bernard Wofenden, Bernard works away from home in Azerbaijan and when he is home it’s for a month at a time his pigeons had only 2 races they are given the open bowl when he is away on his return they were trained every day for 4 weeks he sent 3 and got 3, his first bird was timed at 10.02 next morning, well done Bernard.
1st Section F, 81st Open Luke & Patterson Renfrewshire
Matt and Sadie Luke’s section winner is a yearling blue wf cock the sire is an Eagleson Busschaert and the Dam was bought at Porter & Richardson’s clearance sale at Blackpool a couple of years ago. He had 5 races up to Maidstone where he was 1st Club and also won a prominent Fed position.He had 2 50 mile training tosses the last on on the Monday prior to basketing. His nest position was 10 day eggs.
2nd & 3rd Section F. 103rd, 138th Open J & J Gormanly Lenzie
Joe and Jean’s first bird was a blue late-bred hen, breeding is Mr Perry & Son X Van Den Brooke, and the dam is a Van De Brooke from Frank Quinlan. Their 3rd sect winner is a yearling blue cock the sire again a Van Den Brooke and the dam Karel Guenter
Both these pigeon have earned their winter perch.
Joe and Jean’s birds are fed on the best of beans, barley and Emperor Mix form Gordon Geddes.
1st 2nd 3rd &4th Section D, 131st, 132nd, 134th & 135th, Open Joe Lewcio Alloa
Joe takes the first 4 positions in section D his first two are yearlings and his fourth and fifth pigeons are 3 year olds. Once again he shows what a consistent flyer he is at the distance.
Joe Lewcio
By the time this report appears in the press the young bird racing will be underway, many fanciers are experiencing very erratic training it is hoped that losses are not too severe and that we get a chance to build for the future.
The SNRPC Late Bred Sale takes place on Sunday 20th September again at Newbridge Bowling Club viewing starts 6pm for a 7pm start where we will have pigeons from the finest distance lofts in the country up for auction, this is a great opportunity for fanciers to replenish their stock lofts with some real quality.
Further details plus sale lists will be published in the BHW and our web site in plenty time prior to the sale.
Duncan Knox
For the Scottish National Racing Pigeon Club