Well
it’s almost that ‘make your mind up’ time of the year and the burning
question is, which race point are we going to use for the 2004 Grand National?
The Pau liberation site has proved to be a bad choice several times in the 2003
season, with several organizations moving to other liberation sites, because of
persisting adverse weather conditions. The car park liberation site at Pau is
situated in the south of France, at the base of the Pyrenees Mountains and is
famous for it’s early morning fog and mist. Many of the Classic Clubs are now
looking at San Sebastian for their longest old bird races and the British
Barcalona Club are certainly going there in June 2004. The 2002 season saw me
visit Pau, with the London & South East Classic Club pigeons for the fifth
time and I think it is common knowledge that I don’t like the liberation site.
The car park site, in my opinion, is far to small and it is sited next to
playing fields, which have large light staunching, with thick wires strewn
between them. On my first visit to Pau, I pointed out how bad the site was and
was told I could liberate on the playing fields, which I did in the 2000 season,
but it was still far from perfect, with birds flying near the staunching and
wires. This site must rate as the most important liberation site on the
Continent, as many National races are liberated there. I don’t really know how
they liberate more than a thousand pigeons in comfort, as the site is far too
small and has all those obstacles. In every other aspect, the site is first
class, with full watering and facilities for the convoyers. My ol’ mate, Phil
Fishlock, convoyer for the C.S.C.F.C., came back from Pau this year and said he
had problems people around the transporter in the night and lads trying to
borrow money. No chance with our, Phil! About 300 yards down the road from the
Pau site there is a massive car park, which serves the local sports stadium,
this would be a brilliant new liberation site.
I
was very pleased our Falaise race was so successful, as I think the Young Bird
National should be flown from France and proposed that we went there for the
2003 event. I stopped off at the Falaise liberation site three times in the 2002
season while on my convoying travels in France. I think National and Classic
racing should be a test for the pigeons and thought Falaise would be a perfect
race point for the Young Bird National race, which has now proved right. The
site is a one hour drive from Caen and I must say I think it is first class. It
is situated between the castle and the hospital at Falaise, and is very spacious
for liberations, with specially installed water stand pipes for the pigeon
transporters. Being very near the hospital, it is nice and quiet at night and is
about the same flying distance as Guernsey. Falaise gets my vote for a good
French race point for the young birds! In this week’s article, I’ve included
some photos taken at the Falaise National this season by Geoff Allen, the N.F.C.
assistant convoyer.
Paul
and Arthur Bridgewater of Godalming
My
late friend, Eric Cannon, took me on a loft visit to Paul and Arthur
Bridgewater, who have been premier fanciers in the National and Combine events
for many years. Paul won 1st. open N.F.C. Nantes on his 21st.
birthday, with a game natural blue hen bred from birds obtained locally. Paul
won the Nantes National at his first attempt at National flying and the champion
blue hen was his sole entry in the race!
Paul
and his father, Arthur, race their highly successful team of pigeons on both the
widowhood and natural systems. The partners are only interested in south road
channel racing and pair half their 24 widowhood cocks in December, and the other
half in March, with the ten pairs of natural racers. Paul said he has his own
method of widowhood, with the cocks never being broken down and only showing the
hens on the short training races. On their return from the race the cocks get
the hens for the rest of the afternoon and all the old birds are fed on a first
class widowhood mixture.
On
my visit to the Bridgewater loft I was shown their star bird, a widowhood Van
Hee red chequer cock, which had won 1st. club, 1st. Surrey
Federation, 2nd. open S.M.T. Combine Niort that season and during the
winter won 1st. Ash Vale Open Show, which was by far the strongest
local open show for racing pigeons. Paul told me during the season his widowhood
cocks won far more than his natural racers. The loft’s performance in recent
seasons , racing inland and from France must be described as fantastic, winning
1st. open Combine Penzance (3,592 birds), 1st. open
Combine Plymouth (2,108 birds), 1st. open Combine Guernsey (10,090
birds), 2nd. open Combine Niort, 4th. open Combine
Bergerac, 8th. open Combine Bergerac (twice), 1st.
Section, 1st. Open N.F.C. Nantes, 5th. Section, 12th.
Open N.F.C. St. Malo (10,034 birds), 4th. Section, 21st.
Open N.F.C. Sartilly (8,396 birds), 6th. Section, 44th.
Open N.F.C. Saintes (5,070 birds), 9th. Section, 63rd.
Open N.F.C. Pau, several times 1st. Federation in inland races and
many other premier prizes in the National Flying Club and London & South
East Classic Club.
Paul
started up in pigeons at the age of 14, with a pair of birds from a local
fancier and his first loft was 6ft.x 6ft., and his first club was the local
Godalming club, which was one of the strongest club’s in the Surrey
Federation. Paul has been in the sport for nearly 50 years and his father,
Arthur, who is his partner today, helped and encouraged him on starting up. The
Bridgewater’s have four lofts, with the widowhood cocks being housed in the
main 20ft. racing loft. All trapping is into sputniks. The main family raced is
Busschaerts from John Palmer and Jim Fisk of Guildford, with some introductions
of the Jan Aarden family. Paul reckons that generally the widowhood cocks are
best up to middle distance and then the natural pigeons do better at the long
distance. The partners like to train from Hayling Island on the south coast, but
once the season starts the widowhood cocks arte not trained, flying out around
the loft twice a day, with the natural racers going to the coast regularly
through the season. Their 40 young birds are all trained to Hayling Island and
have to race the full programme, through to the Young Bird National. Paul rated
Eric and Pat Cannon of Godalming as the top local fanciers and said they were
simply the best!
That’s
the ‘NATIONAL FORUM’ for this week. I can be contacted on Tel: 01372 463480
or Email: keithmott@btopenworld.comKeep cleaning out the feathers, it will soon be show time!
