Coutances YB National Coutances OH National

1st Open 1st Section J 1st Open 1st Section G

John & John Brady from Benfleet Dave Deveson from Newhaven

Well another season over with and this year seems to have gone quicker than ever. Our thanks and

gratitude must go to everyone who has taken the time and effort to assist at all marking stations, your

help is invaluable. We hope to see you all next season.

On board for our final race was 911 young birds sent by 131 members and 244 old hens.

After a one day holdover Nigel liberated the convoy at 8.15am in to a westerly breeze becoming

south westerly across the channel.

Warmest congratulations to our Coutances YB National winners John & John Brady from

Benfleet 1st Open 1

st Section J.

There are not many young/old hen Nationals in the last 10 years that have not included the names of

J & J Brady in the top section of the result, indeed this BBC from Coutances completes the set for

the father and son partnership having now won their 4th

National. The list now includes BBC young

birds, NFC 1st and 2

nd young birds, BICC old hens first 5 birds and the farthest distance young bird

race from Tours 288 miles, add to this their 6 second placed Nationals that they have had and it

amounts to some exceptional young bird/old hen flying.

Their first bird a brave blue cock GB16B20709 must have flown most of the race solo as there were

very few pigeons in J section. His motivation was, just like our other pre race youngsters access to

the widowhood boxes, this cock selected the top box then decided to protect the other 11 boxes.

His breeding is 50% direct Jos Thone 25% Ewin Scheffer 25% Des Coulter, the sire on the hens side

is none other than our “NAVAJO CHIEF” our greatest pool pigeon ever, winning over £3,500 till

retired and the dam is "ZUNI" 2nd

National BICC in 2012 and 2013

Our old hen section winner GB15A21083 was our first pigeon in last years NFC Guernsey young

bird National finishing 42nd

Open National 14th section scooping 1

st gold ring scheme, she has been

raced lightly raced since and will improve from this race. Her sire is a brother to our 2008 NFC YB

winner and her dam is "ZUNI" 2nd

National BICC 2012 and 2013 so she is a 100% Jos Thone pigeon

The partnership team John senior a licensed London taxi driver and John junior who represented

Great Britain in the European Championships in Gymnastics and is now based in Las Vegas as a

Cirque Du Soleil performer and keeps in constant touch via skype, the partnership are now hoping

to continue a run of form with the NFC Coutances and the BICC Guernsey.

John Brady John & John Brady

A fantastic performance from two very hard workers Alan & Jill Webber of Abingdon timing

these two pigeons in Oxford with a breezy South West wind to take 2nd

& 3rd

Open 1st & 2

nd

Section D. Our two birds came together with the cock trapping immediately whilst the hen had a

quick look around before coming in. The cock is a light blue chequer who has had every race so far

taking fourth position from a Yeovil race, otherwise just performing consistently. He was sent sitting

12 days and is very protective of his nest. His sire is a gift bird from Eamon Kelly of Daniel Aerens

bloodlines, the dam is from a grandson of Bartoli bred by S & P Kulpa when paired to hen bought

from Roger Lowe.

The hen is a blue chequer pied and was bought from Roger Lowe, sent flying to the perch, we don’t

have any other details about her, although I suspect Roger will now supply a pedigree if we ask. Like

the cock she has had all races so far winning fourth place from a Honiton race. We have had many

good birds from Roger since 2009 and have won a number of races with them including the BB&O

Federation.

We would like to congratulate J & J Brady on their outstanding win and all the other section

winners, and to thank all officers of the club for their hard work it is much appreciated.

Alan & Jill Webber

4th

& 5th

Open 1st & 2

nd Section G is Derek Reid from Weybridge. The first two young birds

clocked were from my old Janssen family (Smit-van Winkle and Planet Bros.)

The old hen is the best hen I have ever raced a Grandaughter of my National Flying Club winner.

Last year she was 76th Open NFC YB National and 5

th Open BICC 4,792 birds and 1,904 birds

competing.

This year she has been 3 times my first bird e.g. telephone result only 15th

Open 2 weeks ago BICC

Guernsey, her nest mate has been nearly as good (hence racing old hens for the first time).

Derek Reid

Next flyers to time in Section D & take 6th

Open are Ray Eccles & Son Brendan from Baldock.

Our 6th Open pigeon has been very consistent this season have being sent to four races and always

been in first five home and being tame we have always liked her. She is bred down from a Jingles

hen that we bought from Mr James from Bristol. The Grandfather was bought from the late Derek

Smith of Great Ayton of the Lolita strain. Unfortunately the old cock escaped but on the good side

we still have the parents of the young hen so we can breed her like again.

Ray & Brendan Eccles

Behind Derek Reid in Section G we have Mick and Lyn Chaplin from Woking. The winning

pigeon is a dark chequer pied cock raced to the perch and having his fourth race of the season and

second across the water after the BICC from Guernsey last week. He arrived with an old hen and

both were wet and it was raining hard at the time.

The Old Hen is a 3 year old blue hen having her second race of the season after the BICC from

Guernsey last week. She had been a widow hen all season but paired up a month ago and sent sitting

chipping eggs. This was only her 8th race and 6 of those have been old hen races where she has

always been clocked her best position being 12th

Open in the BICC. All 12 hens sent returned but

some late in the day and most but most of them were wet.

Mick & Lyn Chaplin

2nd

Section J is Joan Cook and David Taylor from Over near Cambridge. This is the first year

we have flown in partnership and are over the moon with the result.

The blue white flight young bird hen we timed (who has odd coloured eyes) is from a hen purchased

from Mark Bulled with 5 other youngsters last season. The dam GB15P07107 is from Mark’s Red

Bull sprint family. The sire of GB15P has won the club from Poitiers and Alencon both times in

first 100 BICC. The dam was 4th

BICC Le Mans and she is from Mark’s good Red cock who has

been 7 x 1st with the M11 Club.

Joan Cook & David Taylor

1st Section C is Graham Clift from Tirley. The provisional section winner is a full brother to my

1st NW Section CSCFC from a week ago, bred from a son of Mark Gilbert's "Southfield Dream" 2

nd

Open NFC Tarbes when paired to a son of "Perpignan 06" who is responsible for a number of top

National pigeons for Mark. The dam is a yearling gift bird from Steve Bennett of Bristol from a cock

of the Gerrit Lahuis lines of Nigel Templar when paired to a daughter of the "Unlucky cock" 2 x 2nd

Nationals for Mel Mayo of Wales. This pair in their first two nests this year have bred 2 x 1st Section

winners. The second pigeon provisionally 3rd

Section is from a grandson of "Southfield Supreme" 1st

International Dax who is also the sire of my 2nd

Section 36th Open NFC Saintes earlier this year,

when paired to a daughter of "Southfield Melissa" 1st International yearlings Bordeaux. The dam is a

daughter off Geoff & Catherine Cooper's "George" when paired to a daughter of Brockamp's

"George". Of the six birds sent three returned on the day and one next morning.

Graham Clift & George Harding

1st Section A is Stan & Kim Brimecome & Son Stanley from Portsmouth. The winner of section

A is a Ko Nipius hen, bred by our own stock, raced on darkness, she has only been sent to 3 races

prior to this one. The nest box partner took 2nd

Club, 2nd

Fed at Kingsdown 1 with the Solent Fed.

We had 2 home on day of race out of 5 entered.

Stan & Stanley Brimecome & Betsy

2nd

Section A is Kevin and Vera Cooper from Liss. This bird is bred from a pair of youngsters

gifted to us by Tommy Powers when he moved last year. (Kevin took a fancy to the cock bird when

he was vaccinating Tom’s birds and Tom said when he moves he can have it). The sire is a Frans

Vuegels cock purchased from Lier Market and the dam is from Tom’s Huybrechts family. This

youngster has had 17 training sessions, this was his first race.

We race with the Five Heads Pigeon Club who only do Specialist Club racing, no Fed racing. The

birds are fed on a no bean & maize mixture, young birds are on the darkness system.

Kevin & Vera Cooper

2nd

Section C is Ray Beaconsfield from Marlborough. Ray timed a mealy Ponderosa UK Stud

Janssen cock from his mealy pied hen who took 2nd

Section in 2015. Ray selects one pigeon that he

is going to work on a one to one basis with i.e it exercises around the loft on its own and is singled

up from training on its own too and in the last two seasons this has worked as both Mother and Son

have been 2nd

Section for him.

Ray would like to congratulate all the winners.

Raymond Beaconsfield

1st Section E is Gary Lewis from Newport, Shropshire. The winning cock pigeon is a cross of

Gary's old lines and the Soontjens of Dave Harris of Newport, flown on the darkness system, he has

flown four races through to Kingsdown in Bell (Tong) Flying Club in the Gloucester Federation,

Gary also timed three other young birds within nine minutes of his first arrival, all in good condition.

Having flown consistently well with his team of darkies and having minimal loses he took up the

challenge of joining the BBC, the right choice on this outstanding performance, Gary would like to

thank his good friend and past flying partner John Jones for timing in his birds whilst he was sunning

himself at the Who Dares Wins One Loft race, where his entry also made it through on the day, to

round a fantastic weekend off, Gary also won the Bell FC, along with being fourth and sixth, top

flying on all accounts, well done Gary. (thanks to Dave Harris for info).

Gary Lewis & Josephine

2nd

Section E is Tom Howarth from Aston by Budworth, near Northwich. I race with my partner

Ann who helps me whenever she is not at work. It has been a hard year this year, we only keep 12

pairs of racers and we breed about 30 young birds.

The little blue hen that came for us is a R & B Smith pigeon x with A Stanway who has retired from

the sport and was sent on a 2 day youngster. The young birds are trained by my good friend Colin

Lindop of Crewe, they go 50 miles 3 times a week and race twice a week. Without his help I

wouldn’t be able to have enjoyed days like this. He takes the birds for me to these races, I can’t as I

work 7 days a week with a Roses Nursery with my sister.

The nearly hen was picked out when me and my best friend Clive Riley was talking and he said

“This will make one hell of a bird”. Well you weren’t wrong, she drives me nuts from training to

racing she would never go in, sometimes she just sits there and will even strike off and come back 3

hours later. On the day of the race I was mad busy at work so was Ann, at 3pm there was no

customer there so I set up the ETS, just got it set up and was walking back down the garden to be

met by a customer who knew where I would be, looked up and the hen was sat on the roof. I shouted

her and for the first time ever she went straight in. I explained what I had to do and the customer was

fine. It was the greatest feeling I have ever had.

The BBC is the best challenge any one can take, me and Ann are still on top of the world.

Thanks again to Colin, Clive and Bob for all the help and well done to everyone else and all the best

for the rest of the season.

Tom Howarth & Ann

1st & 2

nd Section B is Mark and Julie Gower from Fordingbridge. They say behind ever man is a

good woman and that saying has never been more true for Mark. I do not know how he copes with

Julie.

My first pigeon is a naturally flown young bird and is a Van Rijn pigeon the dam being from Brian

Hawes (South Dakota lines) and the sire is direct from Leo van Rijn.

She has had 1 x 50 mile race from Littlehampton and 1 x 100 mile race from Maidstone (where she

took 12 hours to get home) and a few training tosses in between.

My second pigeon is a De Weerdt hen, sire is direct from Bernard De Weerdt and the dam is from

Andy Parsons stock (daughter of Chubster merit award winner from Tarbes).

At the time of writing this at 6pm on the Sunday I have 3 home out of 10 but hopefully a few more

will work back,

I would like to thank friends Gordon & Pat Emm for taking my birds to the marking many times of

which I couldn’t do without.

Mark Gower

Just behind Mark in Section B is Brian young from Bournemouth. I had a small blue hen which

was my first choice. She has been sitting for quite some time and was eager to return to her nest.

Her sire is from Terry Wareham a Club mate and is a Rauw Sablon. The dam is a Van Rijn from the

late Arty Baverstock.

I have been lucky with only a few losses, I never trained much, but they went out at 7.00am and

again 5.00pm. When I did train they would be back in 30mins. What a waste of diesel.

Brian Young

Old Hens

Our Old Hens winner has had a tremendous 6 days firstly provisionally 2nd

Open from the BICC

Guernsey Old Bird Race and now topping the BBC Old Hens race. David Deveson from Newhaven

1st Open 1

st Section G. The winning pigeon is an Eric Cannon Hen (Sitting 14 day eggs). The racing

hen continues to perform consistently across the channel. The parents originate from Mick Tuck of

Witney from his Eric Cannon stock.

David confirms that the bird was named after his grandaughter, Jessica and is pictured with his

grandson Teddy - both over the moon with winning.

David Deveson & Grandson Teddy

1st Section D 2

nd Open is Dave and June Newman from Aylesbury with a hen who was 13

th Open

CSCFC Coutances Old Hens only 6 days before.

Blue Checker Hen GB15N83061 bred from a Nigel Bennett Staf Van Reet Pigeon.

Used as Widowhood Hen. Having 2 inland races this year Exeter and Portland then Central Southern

Classic OH Coutances on Monday 22nd

August flying 189 Miles in 3hrs 17mins achieving 13th

Open

and 6th NE section. Sent to the BBC Coutances OH Thursday 25

th and taking 2

nd Open and 1

st

Section D.

Tom De Martino wrote of Staf Van Reet Pigeons "Staf Van Reet's were based on Old Janssens. They

are strong, tenacious pigeons that fly week after week and recuperate quickly". This certainly rings

true of this little yearling and she is still as fit as a fiddle!

Dave and June Newman

2nd

Section D Barry Sherman and Steve Wells from Oxford. Our pigeon is the same hen that was

2nd

Section 15th

Open Guernsey and 3rd

Section 12th

Open Coutances in last years old hens races .

She is bred from a Drapa cock X Koopman hen.

Steve Wells

2nd

Section G is Derek Reid from Weybridge. (please see young bird report for details).

1st Section J is John & John Brady from Benfleet. (please see young bird report for details).

1st Section A is Johnny Attrill from Salisbury. These are the races I plan my season on and just

hope the wind is right for one of them. At 142 miles I must have a north wind S, NE, SE. NW, SW.

(west or east) Isn’t any good to me not to win it, and I'm in it to try and win it. If I'm going to win

with a west wind I'll have to move east, or east wind move west, well I not, I'm up the middle

(Salisbury). I entered the CSCFC Coutances young bird/ old hens race but the wind was west wind

so I decided not to send and I entered BBC Coutances young bird/ old hens when the wind was

showing having east in it SE/NE had a chance so I entered 51 young birds & 6 old hens. The young

birds were all December bred and put on darkness, they have been well trained and well raced.

Saturday (race day) came and they were held over (atmospheric conditions), ok they will go up

Monday then NW wind, they won't go up Sunday worst than Saturday, but no they went up Sunday

absolutely hammering down with rain at my lofts and Ringwood, Blandford and you could not see

the IOW from Bournemouth. I phoned Nigel Rigiani and said why have you let them up its

hammering down with rain here (birds were expected) Nigel said that Steve Appleby said the

weather was fine here (Yorkshire maybe) Salisbury no, hammering down my 1st old hen came out of

the north as did my others they could not possibly come on line as it (rain) would have knocked

them down. They were all wet and had a job to fly just look at the velocity's to see it wasn't a good

race. I don't usually moan (never have before) but I felt that I needed to, 51 young birds sent 18 back

that's not good and you know I race a fair young bird.

Anyhow that's that, nothing I can do about it now my 1st old hen was a German bred Schellings and

my 2nd

old hen and my all pooler was a daughter of “Nightmare” (Bosua) my 1st young bird was a

son of “Nightmare” he was wearing his anorak, no on a serious note he was drenched took 3

minutes to come in anyhow well done all the winners and all at the marking station.

Johnny, Kacey Leigh & Jay Henry Attrill

1st, 2

nd & 3

rd Section E is Young Fancier Louis Yemm from Newcastle, Staffordshire. Team

Yemm would like to thank Neil Boulton of Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent for another fantastic team of

pigeons, Our first, third, and fourth birds are all from his family of pigeons.

Our Second bird bred by Steve Winsor of Clayton, Thank you Steve!

We would also like to thank Steve Ector for training the birds while I am working away.

A very proud Dad, Uncle and Friend Leon Yemm.

Team Yemm, Louis, Logan, Lloyd, Harvey & Scarlet

1st, 2

nd & 3

rd Section C Mark & Clare Brown from Woodlands St Mary. First, congratulations to

all the winners from Coutances on what turned out a very tricky race with the early birds making

good times and others struggling.

Our little chequer yearling hen who won provisionally 1st Section 19

th Open was actually our first

arrival from the BICC Guernsey race the week before raced on Monday and finished provisional 18th

Section 44th Open. She was rested and basketed again on Thursday for this BBC race.

Our 2nd

& 3rd

Section winning hens are two nest sisters bred from the stock loft and the sire is a half

brother to our 2010 NFC winner and Gaby Vandenabeele breeding, the 2nd

placed hen has 2 x 1st

Club and 1st, 3

rd, 7

th Federation to her name.

These hens now be rested and entered back into the NFC race this coming weekend.

Mark Brown

2nd

Section A is Keith Davison from Southampton. My first pigeon a blue chequer pied

GB14H47306 Sire DCH GB10N74727 Willy Jacobs Janssen DCH hen GB11J09078. GB10N74727

sire was 2nd

Section 2nd

Open NFC Alencon 2009. Hen was a BPH Frans Lemmens from Hasaelt via

Rex Doe from Cornwall. GB14H47306 first race from Kingsdown 9th July 2016 didn’t start racing

until this year.

Second bird blue chequer GB14B18164 Sire is Ken Hines extreme distance bird. Dam is Jim

Shepherds Southwells.

Keith Davison

Mr & Mrs Nigel Shaw from Basford flying into Section E 281 miles. The pigeon for us was a 2

year old chequer hen bred by David Sara out of syndicates young couple flown celibate. I would just

like to say well done to Louis.

Nigel Shaw

Next in to Section C is Frank Quinn from Devizes. Well what a race. At one point I thought we

would not see anything. I only sent 4 yearling old hens and got three. My blue pied hen was bred by

Jackie Traynor of County Durham, she is a De Rauw Sablon who has flown consistently this year

out to Saintes and was my second bird in last weeks old hens race in the Classic.

I reckon this is the most mixed up season I have had, so many loses, better men than me might have

an answer. Well done to all who got them.

Frank Quinn

1st Section B is Cottrell, Richmond & Son from Wimborne. GB14N71077 BCH Hen "Merrifield

Mizzle" has flown very consistently for us and always looks the part.

She was timed at 06.44 Sunday morning from Bordeaux this year to take 87th Open.

She was sent due to hatch having been paired up after Bordeaux to "Supermoon" our 5th

Open Pau

cock but the hen we had marked down to go had been in the garden and was dirty wottle so we could

not send her.

77 has not been trained since Bordeaux just exercised around the loft but she had a good wing so we

sent her. She beat the 5 hens we had flown in the C.S.C.F.C the week before which I thought were

in good nick. It just goes to show that we know nothing about pigeons!

The sire of GB13N53736 "Rattles", a very consistent racer for us, he was 4th bird to the loft from

Bordeaux in 2015, timed at 17.12.20. His sire is a gay pied cock put to stock off our 153rd

Open

BICC Pau international hen bred by D Vowles of Street, Somerset, off his R and M Venner blood

line which we have blended into our distance family.

The dam of GB14N71077 was taken from around the loft in 2014.

Martyn Richmond & Tony Cottrell

2nd

Section B is Mike Staddon from Crewkerne. Provisionally 2nd

, 3rd

, 4th, 5

th Sect. B

BBC Coutance O.H. After fearing the worst after a poor decision to liberate on Sunday 28th

August

at 8.15, I waited in the rain with my friend Lawrence Cowley for the birds to arrive. My first 2 hens

arrived together after 4 hours 20 mins. Two nest mate sisters 35 and 36, they are like twins, identical

in every way-colouring, eyes, everything. Both small to medium. Known at my loft as the terrible

twins, they were in excellent condition. Their sire is a great little character, though only small will

fight to get you out of his box and an excellent racer. The dam was one of my best racing hens

containing all my best old bloodlines, unfortunately lost to a peregrine in 2015. The twins were sent

natural sitting 15 days after being on widowhood all season only yearlings. I hope they have a big

future. I feed versele laga corn. All my hens were raced and trained with the young birds and had 4

tosses on the combine transporter prior to going to Coutances.

Congratulations to all the open and section winners on a difficult day I was pleased to get 10 out of

10 on the day. My thanks to the team at Salisbury marking station – they do a great job.

Mike Staddon

Weather Report Saturdays forecast was for thundery down pours to develop in some areas of the channel which is

exactly what materialised. They were identified migrating northwards over the open sea mainly

towards the West Country and upon arriving reported by some people during the afternoon.

Liberating the convoy to negotiate thundery activity in the channel was not an option as electricity in

the air and pigeons do not mix as we have learnt from past races. Obviously this weather situation

was responsible for the holdover. Examining the channel early on Sunday morning showed broken

cloud and sunshine and clear of any rain. When the cloud broke over the Coutances race point Nigel

had the BBC convoy away soon clearing the site northwards. The winds had changed direction over

night from easterly on Saturday to south westerly on Sunday veering to a more westerly direction

along the south coast. They were fresh enabling the leading pigeons to achieve quite high velocities.

The showery activity over southern England was forecast by the Met Office to move away eastwards

during the morning. Even the T.V. weather forecast confirmed this. But as the morning progressed

this proved not to be the case. In fact they generated outside the forecast to become wide spread and

heavy in nature especially over the West Country. This development certainly would have affected

the birds arriving off the channel in all areas of southern England.

Steve Appleby

Trophies

Please could all 2015 winners make sure all trophies are returned to me cleaned before September

10th 2016.

Dinner presentation Saturday 19th

November. The prize presentation will be upon us before we

know it. Anyone wishing to attend the dinner please contact me. Don’t leave it too late as we had a

full house last year. Ticket price is £35 per person. Accommodation can be booked with The

Marsham Court Hotel on 01202 552111. Please mention the BBC when booking for reduced rates.

Clare Norman. Tel: 023 8057 3919. Email: secretary@britishbarcelonaclub.com