Rooster J. Cogburn

That willnae be allowed we man, Rennes isn't 500 plus to the Solway unfortunately

So we should continue to throw away our best doos every year and run the race into the ground because of tradition? Tradition is failing the club John, you know that as well as anybody. Look at the transportation that's been knocked backed for a start.

Until then I'll just stick to the boys races

Still not been given a credible reason why the Gold Cup race should be 500miles to the Solway and 550+ to the Central belt Does it make it fairer for the majority? Will it give better returns? Will more folk give it a try?

Aye, there comes a time when you have to admit every body apart from me, Geordie, Novo and Yeboah are wrong

Think it's about more than just timing on the day Davie. It's the biggest race of the season and it's poorly attended. Roye isnae a canter, it's still more than a test for the doos, but it's within the reach of more fanciers and pigeons. Think ye want something that's appealing to folk or the birdage will just shrink year on year-how can it do anything else? By all means keep Ancenis for those who want a bash at greater distances and fancy handing the South Section the prizes on a plate, ae John Quinn?

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I wisnae at the last meeting John, but whoever yer talking about tell them they have nothing to fear. They have my word

Who thinks that John? if anything records mainly show that the further the races the more short fliers on the result. It doesn't get any easier after the Solway. Good, give John Stokes another wee turn this year

They more than held their own in this year's Roye race and are never far away from Ypres. I'm pretty sure they did no bad from the previous 'short' Gold Cup flown from Liege tae

I suppose it takes different pigeons for 550 plus and 600 plus too? you know as well as anybody it doesn't get any easier as the miles go on. Racing from anywhere in France the Southerly fliers will always fly 60-70miles shorter than the central belt and the Northerly fliers 70-90miles further. With the number of hungry hawks in the skies at the moment looking for a tired meal, the days for pushing the boundaries are long gone-it's all been done. My thinking was a race where everybody has a chance of clocking on the day for the Gold Cup would be a good thing. The Gold Cup race if left as it is will dwindle in numbers year on year-there's top fliers with established families struggling to time, what chance do those just starting out at channel racing have? I've friends down in England who told me how much Scottish pigeon racing was admired in their area, some superb distance races with numerous birds on results often split by less than a yard etc. Now we've Gold Cup races lasting three days and hours often separting the first three in each section. That isnae good is it? Don't think a shorter Gold Cup race is guaranteed to sort all those things, but it's at least worth a bash and I can't imagine it'd be worst than what we're doing now.

Realise noo we have the dates wrong in our proposal, will have tae sort that out before sending them tae Mary

Why is that davie? So we can have less than a thousand doos next year and struggle to get a quarter of them home?

Surely it'd be nice to have the gold cup from a place that is more likely to give a result that semi resembles a race? Folk couod still send their very best to a race 60miles less could they not?

Possibly? going on tradition It's a distance that would give every section in the country a chance to time a Gold Cup doo on the night from an early lib in decent weather, as well as a night less in the basket. It's long enough to be good race and a test within reach of more of the membership/potential membership than Reims? Ancenis still there if ye fancy a longer yin?

A friend and I were discussing next year and the SNFC and threw this together. Saturday June 3rd - Buckingham Saturday June 17th - Maidstone Friday June 23rd - Roye Gold Cup (Wednesday basketting) Saturday 1st July - Ypres Saturday 1st July - Ancenis Friday 14th July - Burbure(Wednesday Basketting) Saturday 9th September - Buckingham Young Birds Yea or nay ??

Brought to me tonight by a local farmer, it has been pecking about there the past couple of days before he was able to catch it. Down in the body, but a nice youngster.

1st,3rd and 4th Section-ye'd be quite right to have another couple of wee wans the night!! Very well done

Well done W. D Provisionally 2nd and 25th BBC Bordeaux :emoticon-0137-clapping: Just shows ye can take the man out Avonbrig, but you'll never take the Avonbrig out the man

Got a nice message this morning from Albert Woodroffe. Woodroffe Bros-Top UNC loft for the 2016 old bird season. In amongst all the cheating carry on this week, it's nice to see real fanciers rewarded for doing what they do best. I've been to a few top lofts on visits since I started keeping pigeons and these guys stand out head and shoulders above anything I've seen. To me they personify the term good fanciers. 100% pigeon men, great thinkers whom I consider to be above all systems,feeds,supplements etc. such an intuitive style of keeping pigeons. I'm convinced Albert may have been a pigeon in a past life, seems to know what they want/need and when. It's not of a case of we do this on a Wednesday because this is what we always do etc. Very open minded and not once have I heard them brag, great workers in their local club and a credit to the fancy. Well done the Woodroffe Bros

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Feeling a bit daft.Had a conversation with a group of fancier friends on Monday night about how great a flier this guy was and how his performances from the long distance races with yearlings were unreal-in hindsight they quite probably were?

The bird belongs to Geordie Harris. Will message you his number

Sourcing pigeons is a different question . I only mentioned those fanciers as they often do/did win the old bird average and score in the Gold Cup in the same seasons and are exceptional fliers at every distance.

See some of the other lads on the site with very good returns with untrained youngsters. How did ye fare Peter?