POITIERS NATIONAL FLOWN 13th June

A slightly mixed mixed reception - on the race post mortem. Most thought it was an excellent race, but those behind the Channel fog bank in the west country did not. Even so, six 1st Section winners filled the first seven places, so they were widespread enough.

Race winner (and 1^st Sect ‘H’) was Glen Moon, 71-y-o retired footballer of yesteryear who also has Bordeaux notched up on his bedpost. He asks me to apologise to BBC Members for winning again (with his tongue in cheek), and says he will give the prize money to his wife Angela (Annie) as a penance.. His winning bird is a DCWFC Jan Arden x Janssen, bred by Paul Davies of Stapleford Abbott, near Romford in Essex, but now living on Jersey as a near neighbour of Glen. (The sire of this bird has 20-1sts to his credit, so no slouch).

Prior to going to Poitiers the cock won 1^st St Malo 45 mls, a point he has a total of 3-1sts from by the way, and was in the shake up at Messac earlier. When those early results came out I thought the Channel Islands were a bit off the pace, and Glen’s pal Willy Healy now asks if Glen’s winner is fast enough for me? Yes it is Willy, he needs a swift kick in the slacks to make him slow down for the rest of us.

1^st Sect ‘A’ 7^th Open were Maplesden & Shipp (Loft 1) of Portsmouth. Malcolm (“Buddy”) Shipp is a 44-y-o Civil Engineer who proves the adage that you can’t keep a good man down. Last year their entire loft of birds, and loft accoutrements, were stolen. Everything! The lot! So they started again, with Kees Busua’s stock from Dordrecht in Holland. Their Section winner is a Blue hen in her second race. In her first event (NFC, this year) she was their first timer. Partner “Chunky” Maplesden is 60-y-o and, says Buddy, he does his share of the work. If their last year’s caller comes again, says Buddy, he may well be surprised.

2^nd Sect ‘A’ 12^th Open. Bartlett & Jones of Southampton, sent 8, got 7, a well known name these past 20+ years, having won 1^st NFC Nantes & Car, 3^rd & 5^th BBC and M/C Nom, the first four in BICC, CSCFC Car Nom and lots more. Robbie Jones (The team partner passed on some time ago) still flies the Janssen Van den Bosch and his Ylg BCH is related to most of those winners. Married, with three children, he has been ‘in’ pigeons for about 24 years. A firm believer in lots of training against the wind he is a cert to continue his winning ways if I am any judge.

3^rd Sect ‘A’ 13^th Open Almost a coincidence, for the last time this 5-y-o Blue Janssen hen flew Poitiers (in 2006) she was 4^th Sect, 14^th Open for her owner 56-y-o John Oakes of Romsey. There is obviously some quality in this Natural hen, but she has not been heavily raced.

1^st Sect ‘B’ 5^th Open were Brian & Sue Crutcher. Brian has been in hospital for the last month recovering from a serious operation. His good friend Brian Tucker has been taking care of things at the loft extremely well. Brian C has been directing the management of the birds from his hospital bed with regular calls to Brian T and messages via his wife Sue. Brian and Sue have kept racing pigeons all their married life and Brian had them as a boy, some 39 years now.

The bird that won this Section is one of a draft of 10 Corbett Busschaerts purchased from LPW in 2007. This dark chequer cock is raced on widowhood and has taken club cards as a yearling. He has been a very consistent bird for them racing across the Channel from 100 - 300 miles. The partnership were 3^rd Sect 18^th Open, in the last BBC race from Messac. In the past they have been 2^nd and 3^rd Pau Classic, 4^th Bergerac Classic and have had many other outstanding results over the years. Brian was let out of hospital for the day to watch the birds come home from this race and what a tonic it proved to be for him. Hopefully in the near future he will be released from hospital to begin his long convalescence so we’d better watch out as he’ll have a lot more time to spend with the birds and it will show in the results! Brian and Sue would like to thank members of their club, Branksome and Upper Parkstone SRFC, for their kind support during his illness. Particular thanks to Terry Anderson for taking the birds to Fed races and doing his clocks. Also thanks to Arte Bavestock for taking their birds to the BBC marking.

Brian Tucker would also like to thank his wife Isabel for giving him the time to look after Brian and Sue’s birds at short notice.

2^nd & 3^rd Sect ‘B’ – 11^th & 16^th Open respectively were Shaftesbury brother fanciers, racing to their respective homes 100 yards apart, in the shape of Bryan and Bill Woods. They started in the sport 55 years ago, and won 1^st & 2^nd in their first race, and are still going strong. Bryan (who was 71-y-o the day after Poitiers) flew a 4-yo Laban cheq cock who was just opening his scoring account. Looks like he has the idea now. This win follows Bryan’s 2^nd Sect in the CSCFC a fortnight ago. Bill says his 3^rd Sect winner is a pure “Heinz 57”, a 4-y-o BCC bred down from an assortment of Houbens, This/That, strays and anything passing. Bill says he had 4 of his 6 entries within 45 minutes, so they can’t be all that bad.

1^st Sect ‘C’ 2^nd Open was Bill Bresnahan’s (Liverpool) Hermans Ylg in the capable hands of Jeremy Wright RPRA 1LR Manager, not only winning BBC money but the RPRA Ylg Ł5,000 prize too. One hell of a Ylg !! Around 370 miles on his own shows a terrific racing ability and superb fitness. Sire of this bird was trained 50 mls as a YB, and not raced till a 2-y-o when he won 2nd in the 3B Continental Club, a week later 1^st Wigan 2B Fougeres. The following year started off with 3^rd MNFC Lessay, then 1^st Ormskirk 2B Lessay. Another stalwart of this loft is the Van Wanroy cock winner 1^st Sect 13^th Open on the day NFC Tarbes, 722 miles, the first time in 110 years a bird has flown over 722 miles into Liverpool. That bird also topped the Eccles 2B and the Greater Distance club Tarbes.

Bill is a carpenter by trade, and the base of his old family is John Brocklehurst’s (Stockport) family.

Richard & Anna (Crowley & Green) were 2^nd Sect ‘C’ and 6^th Open. The pigeon timed (see photo) was a blue two year old Dutch ( Jos v.Limpt / De Klak) cock flown on widowhood which was bred by The Raymond Moleveld Breeding Centre. This was one of twelve purchased as young birds in 2007. This cock called “ Bofors “ is a handsome bird, one of their favourites. It was found exhausted and cared for by a Welsh fancier when it was lost in last years BBC Messac race, the fancier kindly nursed it to health before liberating it to return later that season. This season it has flown: Minstead and Littlehampton with the WESRC, BBC Messac, BICC Saran and now BBC Poitiers.
It will now be prepared and targeted at the CSCFC Bergerac race.

3^rd Sect ‘C’ 8^th Open Chris Howse & David Parsons MRCVS.

A 4-y-o BCC widower. Flew Tarbes NFC on day 114th open last year.

Was 71st Open CSCFC St. Nazaire last month and he will now go back to Tarbes NFC this year.

The sire is a full brother to 'Windup' 1st open CSCFC Bergerac, also flew Pau on day in 2007! The dam is a Jan Arden. The pigeon is now named jay as it was his grandson's third birthday on Saturday and he was sat waiting with Chris when the bird arrived.

1^st Sect ‘D’ 15^th Open.
David Glover former BHW editor, and his wife Joan.

Their bird is a 2 year old cheq hen timed at 16.11 for the 418 mile trip and raced on a roundabout system. Their “breed” is a mixture of several strains, all of decent LD families, and they had 8 of their ten entries home by 6.30 p.m. on the day.

2^nd Sect ‘D’ 20^th Open. Peter Wells of Dunstable seems to have decided to continue in the limelight following his 2^nd Sect 2^nd Open BBC Messac just last month, not the same pigeon though.
Peter is a long term ‘Man at the top’ and if anyone can think of something complimentary that hasn’t already been said about him, please send it on!

1^st Sect ‘E’ 26^th Open, Richard Spooner of Stafford, a Blue widower that took 5^th Sect 24^th Open Messac as a Ylg, 4^th Sect 42 Open Poitiers as a 2-y-o behind its loftmate which was 1^st Sect 27^th Open, then last year it was 9^th Sect 35^th Open Messac again behind its loftmate which was 5^th Sect 20^th Open.

Looks like this pair know their way round.

Sire is a 14-y-o paired on to a Ylg dtr of a 13-y-o, the old Jack Roberts Delbar stuff via Peter Prinold. Richard says that his wins are as much due to his clubmates who set clocks etc, and those who basket, mark etc, as to the actual birds themselves, a factor of which I am well aware, and he asks me to offer a salute to his local lads Stan and Pete Stopka of Stafford District Homing Society without whose help he may not have done so well.

2^nd Sect ‘E’ 28^th Open. Mr/Mrs J & T. Barnett & Dtr, Telford.

3^rd Sect ‘E’ 37^th Open Mr & Mrs A Shore, Crewe

1^st & 2^nd Sect ‘G’ 3^rd & 4^th Open went to Doug Gatland at Reigate. 1st Sect G, is 'Firman' a six year old blue chequer pied widowhood cock.
This cock was bred and gifted to the late Ron Firman in 2003. When Ron passed away in 2005, the cock was brought back to Doug’s loft and broken in during the autumn. He has flown right through to Tarbes, his best performance prior to Poitiers being 21st Open LSECC Bergerac 443 miles. Preparation for Poitiers has been 3 inland races, the Lion Brewery Guernsey Open, Alencon and Tours with the London South East Classic Club. Sire of 'Firman' won 11th and 24th Open BBC San Sebastian and was bred by Duncan Harvey of St Buryan in Cornwall.
The 2^nd Sect winner is 'Adam's Boy' a three year old blue chequer widowhood cock, his preparation was identical to that of 'Firman' and he has previously won 1st Club, 3rd Fed, 34th SMT Combine Poitiers and has also raced through to Tarbes. His Sire is a full brother of 'Firman' and his dam was again bred by Duncan Harvey this time being a daughter of Duncan's 40th Open NFC San Sebastian.

3^rd Sect ‘G’ 21^st Open Stephen Howard & Son Guildford

2^nd Sect ‘H’ and 9^th Open was Richard Mauger, still flexing his muscles after his recent success at Messac when he was 1^st Sect, but this one was a Blue Van den Abeele hen. Richard was also 11^th & 23^rd with his two RPRA 1Loft Race birds, so had a good day. His French Fed birds at Poitiers, up an hour and a half earlier, arrived only a minute earlier than the BBC hen.

3^rd Sect ‘H’ and 14^th Open was R.Legg & Sons, Guernsey.