Below is what Joe said last year: m now in my 8th year of coordinating the Sporting Challenge, which was first created to help promote the sport of pigeon racing within Scotland, with the main purpose being to have a one bird nomination competition emerging between fanciers that compete against each another in the SNFC Gold Cup race from Reims with their nominated birds. The highest placed bird on the open result becomes the outright winner of the sporting challenge. The selection for entry into the challenge is I ask the first 2 fanciers in each of the 7 regions from the previous year’s Gold Cup race if they wished to partake in the sporting challenge. Out of the 22 people asked only 14 fanciers are prepared to take up the challenge. The previous year's winner is always asked back to defend the trophy and I’m happy to say that Maskame & Mackie from Peterhead have accepted this year’s challenge and they are going for the ‘Double’ with their very good blue cock Richmond Maverick. Last year we again experienced a very hard race with only Richmond Maverick being the only bird on the open result and many good pigeons did not make it home. The other invites went to my Fancier of the Year Dennis Anderson of Annan and the runner up turned down the invitation. Like last year I have again given the fanciers the opportunity of introducing a reserve pigeon in the event of them loosing their original candidate. This was well received last year although it was more work for me I have found it very interesting compiling the information on all these wonderful pigeons. I’m now in my 8th year of coordinating the Sporting Challenge, which was first created to help promote the sport of pigeon racing within Scotland, with the main purpose being to have a one bird nomination competition emerging between fanciers that compete against each another in the SNFC Gold Cup race from Reims with their nominated birds. The highest placed bird on the open result becomes the outright winner of the sporting challenge. The selection for entry into the challenge is I ask the first 2 fanciers in each of the 7 regions from the previous year’s Gold Cup race if they wished to partake in the sporting challenge. Out of the 22 people asked only 14 fanciers are prepared to take up the challenge. The previous year's winner is always asked back to defend the trophy and I’m happy to say that Maskame & Mackie from Peterhead have accepted this year’s challenge and they are going for the ‘Double’ with their very good blue cock Richmond Maverick. Last year we again experienced a very hard race with only Richmond Maverick being the only bird on the open result and many good pigeons did not make it home. The other invites went to my Fancier of the Year Dennis Anderson of Annan and the runner up turned down the invitation. Like last year I have again given the fanciers the opportunity of introducing a reserve pigeon in the event of them loosing their original candidate. This was well received last year although it was more work for me I have found it very interesting compiling the information on all these wonderful pigeons. ’m now in my 8th year of coordinating the Sporting Challenge, which was first created to help promote the sport of pigeon racing within Scotland, with the main purpose being to have a one bird nomination competition emerging between fanciers that compete against each another in the SNFC Gold Cup race from Reims with their nominated birds. The highest placed bird on the open result becomes the outright winner of the sporting challenge. The selection for entry into the challenge is I ask the first 2 fanciers in each of the 7 regions from the previous year’s Gold Cup race if they wished to partake in the sporting challenge. Out of the 22 people asked only 14 fanciers are prepared to take up the challenge. The previous year's winner is always asked back to defend the trophy and I’m happy to say that Maskame & Mackie from Peterhead have accepted this year’s challenge and they are going for the ‘Double’ with their very good blue cock Richmond Maverick. Last year we again experienced a very hard race with only Richmond Maverick being the only bird on the open result and many good pigeons did not make it home. The other invites went to my Fancier of the Year Dennis Anderson of Annan and the runner up turned down the invitation. Like last year I have again given the fanciers the opportunity of introducing a reserve pigeon in the event of them loosing their original candidate. This was well received last year although it was more work for me I have found it very interesting compiling the information on all these wonderful pigeons.