Dagenham Marking Station Article

Wiley · September 5, 2020

Dagenham South road

Blimey where has the time gone? Anyone that knows me personally will know its been a difficult few months for me, and to be honest the pen has taken a back seat. However, lets come back with a vegengance.

Last time I wrote, I said i would give a mention to a blast from the past of the London North Road Combine. That blast of the past was the great partnership of dagenham Stevie White & Sons. Stevie was dominating the London North Road combine at its peak. Stevie was also doing it regionally in the london region when it had over 6,000 members. I have attached a few photos of Stevies Loft and trophy haulage in one year, as well as Stevies top pigeon White eyes a cock who had 15 x 1st to his credit, a fantastic pigeon to own.

I would like to mention one of the Dagenham marking stations great supporters Duncan Goodchild, who has supported the marking station at its birth. Duncan races pigeons on behalf of the legendary fancier David Hales who sadly passed away last year, and Duncan has done a phenomenal job in my opinion. His results this season 5th, 113th and 114th National St Phil 7500 birds, 2nd, 16th & 47th National Barcalona, 1st, 7th, 18th and 20th National Perpignan, 63rd, 71st and 106th National Bordeaux (sent 4), 15th Combine Le Mans, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 9th and 31st National Narbonne. As you can see some of these races Duncan was timing in as if it was a sprint race, and as a fancier with international hopes, these sort of results aspire myself to work even harder.

Another friend and old club member of mine on the north road that I would like to congratulate is Michael Connolly of the Joe Connolly and Son partnership. Micky has won the only London North road combine race of the year from Aycliffe with 63 members sending 937 birds. I knew Mickys dad very well and it was Joe, who gave myself the pen name Grasshopper. Joes ambition was always to be considered in the same leagues of the great Alf Baker, he called Alfs book the bible. Joe sadly passed away some years ago now but even before his passing he in my eyes was considered onenof the greats of the north road. With Mickys win it takes the partnership to 8 x 1st London North Road Combine, with Mickys help Joe certainly achieved that ambition of being at the same table with the great Alf Baker.

So what about our marking station whats new? 'The big dreamers' marking station seems to be growing from strength to strength, and we already have 7 applications sitting on the table before the season has even ended and if these all get accepted by the Thames Northern and Eastern Counties club it would give us 25 flying members, and amongst those names sits many passed London North Road Combine winners, and Essex and Kent Amalgamation winners. Is there a club/marking station locally that can offer that sort of competition? For those who have shown an interest and are considering applying, I would suggest doing so the earlier the better. The south road gives so many options and so many races on a weekly basis. If sprinting is your game, theres a sprint race every week, if middle distance is your game you have the chance for channel racing with the Bicc, Ubi, Nfc and BBC, and the way their programs sit you potentially could have one of them each week until the real long distance and marathon events start, but even then there is middle distances races inbetween to make your mouth water. Those ex-north roaders have all said how good the condition the birds arrive in.

As i said due to personal reasons the pen hasnt been my biggest priority of late so i am so far behind with results. The young bird season has been really good for the marking station, and many are happy how the education for their birds inland is progressing, and they are looking forward to having a good team due to minimal losses as yearlings. Foster and Finan have been the partnrship to watch young birds, and week in week out they have either won it or have peppered the top positions in the result.

This success continued with all members that sent their young birds to the bicc at falaise. Foster and Finan provisionally sit 12th open and 9th east section. Slav Zielinski had a great young bird and old bird race. For young birds he was 29th open, 18th east section, and i believed 13th open in the old bird race. Dean Burns was 39th open 24th section, Bernie and Jamie Wilson was 81st open 41st section, and Edward Santos was 101st open 52nd section. I dont think it will be long before the 1st national winner since the marking station forming will be crowned. 2 weeks prior Micky and Michael Connolly had a great result in the old bird race being 8th open who is a daughter of their top pigeon 88 a 7x1st club and 4x1st federation winner as well as being 3rd, 9th and 9th open thurso all timed in on the day.

I do apologise for not having the details of the previous weeks racing, it would fill the book up I am sure. However on the 5th September the marking station was racing from Lyndhurst, with a 9am liberation in a north westerly wind. 1st marking station was Dean Burns, who is helped tremendously by his wife Sharon. Deans pigeon is one from his own family that he has blended together for a number of years now. 2nd, 3rd and 4th was the partnership all of dagenham are talking about Andrew Foster and Lee Finan. Their first bird was out of their number one stock cock, with their 2nd bird on the clock a pigeon who has had a 2nd and a 3rd previously. Their 3rd timer and 4th marking station is out of their Southend sid cock.

The marking station has many ideas that we are hoping to run over the winter and in early spring so watch this space.

Sayonara for now

Grasshopper