Rooster J. Cogburn

Good luck everybody Interesting to hear you say about the yearling Mick. Was talking to a top experienced dooman at the marking who was saying the same thing. Would be great if it comes off Sent 11 to the race, I like them aw or I'd have been daft to send them but the main fancy is the chequer hen that was 161st Open Clermont 2011 and 19th open Alencon 2012. It will either end in sheer joy or complete despair Lets hope for a good race.

Good post Good post

There is a reason Ypres is so popular and it has little to do with distance or 'easiness'.

Of course there are locations at a greater advantage in long distance races, this is something I have never disputed. but You'll struggle to come come across a long distance race where one area has nigh on the first 200 positions every year.

I'm not sure what I've said that's made you think this Derek, as I've never implied anything along such lines.

This is something many seem to have in their heads nowadays, for what reason I don't know. You'd think nobody had ever timed a doo from Avranches,Rennes or Nantes without sending it to Newbury beforehand

I'm no feeling it Geordie, it should be about encouraging fanciers to have a go at the cross channel events with a view long term to improving the calibre of distance pigeon in Scotland. Not recognising fanciers for winning on the most unlevelled of playing fields, from distances that realistically should be catered for by feds and their next door neighbours.

Put the lid back on that bottle George :emoticon-0136-giggle:

Couldn't give a figure there, but I am sure there are 100s of birds that could go on to compete at these distances that are wasted and lost each year from these inland nationals and Leicester. They are bad stuff I tell ye

I may be speaking out of turn but I’m sure the races the majority of SNFC members wish to compete in are the cross channel events. In my opinion they will find this more difficult than it needs to be if they persist on supporting the inland nationals.

This popularity is false I believe. Many who voted to drop Newbury and Maidstone at the 2013 AGM have sent to these races, which is fair enough on their part but not what they wanted. Fed programmes are having to be tailored around these races , which again aids this 'popularity'. Doesn't affect Gold Cup? It would appear it affects Maidstone however? less birds at Newbury than last year and more birds at Maidstone, may be more feds on board this year, I couldnae say, but it seems a bit strange to me. I admire your record very much but the inland nationals are a slap in the face to many of the other best inland fanciers in the country. Who send with no chance of winning a good prize, despite their abilities as pigeon men. I don't think it's right these races should count for average trophies, fanciers in less favourable locations could be hours behind men who are hard enough to beat over four channel races without giving them a head start. It's all been said before now Will have to let the members decide I'm away back out to put some polish on the doos for next week have a nice day

Didnae have 40 for Coldstream, let alone the Gold Cup

I understand all proposals have to be in writing this year. Would it be possible for the proposer and seconder to put three separate proposals in to drop 1)The first inland national 2)The second inland national 3)The young bird national ??? Perhaps more sensible than a proposal for channel races only, as was discussed last year?

Not sure how it will pan out long term, but in the next 2-3 of years he could potentially have 300 doos at Maidstone (a comeback race to him with a high chance of a West wind) Could well turn out be the thing that gets cross channel and inland racing back on track

I can see it being a 5 race programme for the SNFC in 2014

Barney was a super breeding cock that produced a lot of good pigeons around here for Robert and others. Unfortunately he was killed by a hawk a couple of years back, think he was around 15 years old at the time and was still filling his eggs. We timed grandchildren and great grandchildren off him last year from over the water and all going to plan there will be some birds from this line going to our cross channel races in the next few weeks.

No and no

Dropping all SNFC inland races may be a bit extreme, but I certainly think getting rid of the first one would be a step in the right direction. Although the poll put up a couple of nights back only represents a very small percentage of the SNFC members, the decision to drop the first inland race was the slightly more popular choice. We shall see what happens in January.

Robert Cormack, in my opinion, is one of the greatest fanciers to fly into my area and indeed Scotland. He was twice 2nd Open SNFC. Including from Rennes against nearly 8000 birds. He won both the SCC cross channel race and the yearling Derby. These are just the highlights as he won 100s of prizes from 500 + miles. He raced the only birds I can think of to have won Section D twice from the Kings Cup and arguably his best ever pigeon was the great 'Freckles' 18th,12th and 7th Open SNFC Rennes. His birds could be called his own and they have a distinctive look about them, they were based on the pigeons of Rabbie Stoddart, Waddock Bros, Jimmy Feeney, Jock Reid, Jimmy Callan, the Ogilvie family, Colin Bain's 'Treble Joy', Carlin Bros, Black of Dromore and so on. A real top class fancier and man. The Telfers used to advertise their Black Jets as Scotland's sprint champions. A pair known as ' Madame' and 'Monsiuer' were responsible for over 80 1st prize winners and these fanciers topped the biggest federation in the country 16 times

First Inland National Poll

I disagree agree with ye on this wan Danny The whole country may send, but the whole country certainly doesn't race. Leicester is just a glorified fed race.

Aye Rab I've said before and will again-The Leicester young bird national is the least credible race on the programme. How this race was conceived is beyond me. Some members don't even fly 200 miles from Leicester, this into an area that when incorporating most of the members is close to 180 miles long and 110 miles wide. I'm sure if left as it is the inland nationals would dig their own hole, but what worries me is the damage it'd do to federations and channel racing in the process.

It was only talked about last year. I genuinely think it's time to add this issue to the SNFC AGM agenda. As with a lot of these things it's not the proposal itself, it's the people that propose them that get the votes. This is unfortunate. I'm sure a proposal to drop all three inland races won't be the most ridiculous at the 2014 meeting from what I've been lead to believe

I don't think I'd need to spread my wings too far to predict Newbury/the first SNFC inland race will be gone next year. At the same time If you don't put your ear to the ground, you won't hear the buffalo coming Well done on your Newbury result and good luck with the rest of your SNFC campaign

I'm long enough in the game to know if the fanciers who put their hand up at the AGM to drop the first inland race kept their birds in the loft last weekend or supported their own federations,the Newbury race last week would be lucky to wash it's feet. Scabs the lot of them As you say-time will tell. My opinion has not and will not change on the matter. You'd be surprised at how many 'distance' birds would come out the wood work if Newbury and Maidstone were no more.