Joe Murphy Article 5th August 2023

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The Joe Murphy Column

I start this week’s column by highlighting some of the winning pigeons from the national races flown from
France. I mentioned that A W Robertson of Edinburgh won 1 st region B 6 th open from Falaise with the same
blue bar cock that had won 3 rd region B 3 rd open from Alencon a few weeks ago. I had a fancier inform me
this is the same blue cock that won 2 nd section B 8 th open from Alencon last year from an entry of 713 birds.
Therefore, this blue cock will now win his SNFC Silver Award for this truly outstanding performance. Each
and every one of us reading this would love to own and race a pigeon of this calibre; to win 3 times in the
top 8 open positions in 3 national races is exceptional. A GREAT PIGEON and we congratulate A W
Roberson on these exceptional performances. Another terrific performance was to the loft of Michael Main
of Portlethen in the north section. Mike won 1 st north section 56 th open flying 573 miles; and his wife
Dorothy said to him; ‘Looks like we're going to the Glynhill for the Doo Do again this year’; Brilliant. I also
noticed that Dave and Callum McDougall of Peterhead recorded a bird to win 2 nd section G flying a distance
of 602 miles; well done lads. Tom & Mary Paterson of Plean had an outstanding race from Falaise timing in
5 of their 7 entries to win section and open positions; these being section D – 1 st -8 th open; 2 nd D-13 th open;
D5- 33 rd open; D6-51 st open & D7-52 nd open. They have had a good season as they won 6 th section D 49 th
open from Alencon and also had 2 birds on the Upper Heyford results winning 16 th & 32 nd section D plus
they won 11 th section D and an open position from Brighton. So, you will see they have had a great season
with the SNFC well done to you both. The only other section D fancier to make the section and open Falaise
result was Peter Keogh of Broxburn who won 2 nd & 4 th section D 10 th & 31 st open, well-done Peter. 1 st section
E winner was D Gillespie of Blantyre who won 22 nd open timed at 21-19pm on the day; with the winner of
1 st section F 46 th open is J Meikle of Kilmarnock who timed at 07-28 the next morning.

Results

We now turn our attention to the young bird racing season; which can be a complete nightmare no matter
how many trainings tosses you give the babies. This past week as been a nightmare with the heavy rain and
some federations moved their first young bird race a day earlier to Friday 21 st July as the forecast for the
Saturday and Sunday was to be horrendous. Many of you may have noticed how bad the weather was at the
British Open Golf which was on TV.
Angus Federation
This was one organisation took the forecast on board and held their first young bird race on the Friday.
Arbroath HS had 6 members sending 146 birds to Newtongrange for the first young bird race of the 2013
season, the convoy was liberated at 08-15am into a light north west wind at Newtongrange on 21 st July.
Graeme McKenzie takes the 1 st & 3 rd positions with the winning doing a velocity of 1124-8, Graeme is also
3 rd club. Charlie & Glen Cameron are 2 nd & 4 th with their first bird doing 1124-5. A & A Shepherd are 5 th &
6 th .
North of Scotland Federation
News from George Duthie with the result of the Brechin 2 young bird race flown on 22 nd of July with 24
members sending 792 birds these were liberated in a very light north east wind. Winning the east section and
1 st x 30 open places where 22 members sent 757 birds. R Bain of Fraserburgh & District wins 1 st 2 nd & 6 th
with A W Buchan of the same club winning 3 rd 4 th & 5 th positions. Peterhead & District members Maskame
& Cordiner are 7 th & 8 th with Colin McRae of Fraserburgh & District taking the next 3 places in 9 th 10 th & 11 th
open. The West Section had 2 members sending 35 birds and these were A Cormack of Buckie & District
who took the first 3 places in the west section and won 32 nd 33 rd & 34 th open. P Thomson of Elgin & District
takes the next 3 places in the west section and also wins 35 th 36 th & 37 th open.
Clubs First Bird
Fraserburgh & District winner R Bain velocity 1316.660
Peterhead & District winner Maskame & Cordiner velocity 1290.538
Fraserburgh West End winner A Higgins velocity 1268.039
Inverurie winner S Witherspoon velocity 1096.195

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Buckie & District winner A Cormack velocity 1035.040
Elgin & District winner P Thomson velocity 837.406
Well Done to R Bain on topping the federation and to A Cormack on winning the West Section. Guarantee

Falaise North Section Winner

My good friend Michael Main of Portlethen, who won 1 st section G 56 th open SNFC Falaise flying 573 miles
with his 3-year-old dark white flight hen; has forwarded me some details on her breeding, which I think may
be of interest to readers of my column. This season she had 5 races out to 147 miles with no training, then
into Falaise sitting on 10-day old eggs. In 2022 she was flown hard having 7 races with the Federation, then
the inland National from Upper Hayford a distance of 357 miles, she then went to the SNFC Alencon Gold
Cup event a distance of 604 miles, returning home two hours out of race time when only 3 birds made it
home within race time in the section. As a young bird she had 4 races out to 160 miles; then in 2021 she had
five races out to 211 miles. Her sire was bred for stock in 2019 to replace my ‘Number One’ stock cock bird,
which had the blood lines of all my best birds over the years. Her dam was a dark pied hen from 2013 that
had flown over 500 miles 5 times. She in turn was off my dark hen bred in 2003 that won 1 st section 8 th open
at the Young Bird National. As a matter of interest Joe, my hen’s pedigree goes back some 60 years for me
and my late father, all starting with birds that were being timed in at 400 to 600 miles back then. I have also
introduced birds that are off birds which have performed at 500 plus miles. Falaise proved to be a very hard
race with only 2 birds timed in in the north section. Mike has also forwarded a photograph of his winning
hen for the column, my thanks to Mike and I wish more fanciers would take up the offer of promoting their
winning pigeons within my weekly column.

Two top lofts in Scotland

Well, that’s the old bird season over for another year, and it has been not a bad season at all; at least we
managed to have 2 channel races from France, when some other organisations didn’t (which is such a pity).
Many fanciers up here in Scotland (maybe not as many as we would like to think) still have some long-
distance bloodlines and like to test them out from over the channel. The thrill of timing in a bird that has
covered 450 to 500 on the day (or early next morning) is what dreams are made of. Two Lofts that have
stood out to me while watching the results coming in are both father and son partnerships. I have compiled
their performances to show readers of my column their wonderful results.

SNRPC

A S Thomson & Son of Port Seton Charlie & Glen Cameron of Arbroath
Positions won; Positions won;
Race Point; Billericay 332 miles; Race Point; Billericay 365 miles;
Section Open Section Open
B9 11 C2 10
B10 12 C5 19
B25 32 C11 43
B30 42 C12 44
B35 50 C16 57
B60 113 C23 83
C24 93
C30 124

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Race Point; Eastbourne 385 miles; Race Point; Eastbourne 419 miles;
Section Open Section Open
B2 2 C5 51
B8 8 C6 52
B15 15 C8 54
B31 36
Race Point; Brighton 375 miles; Race Point; Brighton 410 miles;
Section Open Section Open
B1 1 C1 2
B9 15 C3 6
B14 21 C9 37
B19 33 C10 38
B24 43 C15 54
B51 100 C22 98
Here is an interesting point; the Thompson cheque cock pigeon who won 2 nd open from SNRPC Eastbourne
and also won 1 st open SNRPC from Brighton in the same year; has been named ‘Seton Prince’ which is very
appropriate as his mother was ‘Seton Queen’ who won the SHU Dewar Trophy in 2016. She won 25 th
section B 45 th open from SNFC Ypres flying 428 miles and then won 1 st section B 2 nd open SNFC Roye
flying 494 miles. The sire of ‘Seton Prince’ was bred by Malcolm Taylor from his Geerinckx x with a
Herman Ceuster.

From the Scottish National Flying Club races in 2023.

Race Point; Upper Heyford 287 miles; Race Point; Upper Heyford 325 miles;
Section Open Section Open
B1 22 C12 203
B18 121
B49
Race Point; Brighton Race Point; Brighton 410 miles;
Section Open Section Open
Did not make the result C1 12
C2 13
C13 83
C14 84
C15 85
C18 105

4
C21 120

Race Point; Huntington 274 miles; Race Point; Huntington 308 miles;
Section Open Section Open
B25 76 C3 8
159 C4 9
C5 10
C6 11
C10 15
C11 16
C12 17
C13 18
C15 20
C18 33
C19 34
C37 71
93
95
Race Point; Alencon 536 miles; Race Point; Alencon 573 miles;
Section Open Section Open
B2 2 C4 12
B8 33 C14 54
95
Race Point; Falaise Race Point; Falaise 543 miles;
Section Open Section Open
Sinclair’s Did not make the result C1 5
They sent 2 x 6-year-old hens C4 30
Both returned today 25 th July C8 39
Within an hour of each other. C10 42
The Cameron father and son partnership have 4 blue bar hens who won twice in the nationals in 2023; their
NEHU rung won 5 th section C 10 th open Huntingdon also won 10 th open SNRPC Billericay. Their winner of
12 th section C 17 th open Huntingdon also won 1 st region C 12 th open from Brighton; Another blue hen won

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10 th section C 15 th open Huntingdon and 8 th section C 39 th open SNFC Falaise. Their blue bar hen won 14 th
section C 54 th open Alencon and she won 4 th section C 30 th open Falaise. A blue chequer cock won 13 th
section C 18 th open Huntington and then won 2 nd section C 13 th open Brighton. There are other birds who
have done well for the partnership but I have highlighted these pigeons as they have won twice in national
races in 2023. Well done lads you have had a season you dream about, so enjoy it. Our Kevin would also
send his congratulations to you both, as I know how close the 3 of you were, Joe M. Both these father & son
partnerships have had seasons we dream about; The above results are truly outstanding and we take our hats
of to them ALL for a truly wonderful season, and may I wish them well with the young bird racing.

Obituary

Charlie Miller of Blackburn;
Joe Fleming of Blackburn phoned to tell me that Charlie had passed away at the age of 94 years in a care
home in Broxburn. Charlie was a great character and very successful ‘doo man’ both in the racing and
showing side of our sport. He also won at Blackpool Show with his birds which is a testament of the quality
of pigeons he housed; with some of his stock birds coming from the famous John Bell. Joe told me that
Charlie was also a very dedicated racing man, and he went to Belgium and purchased 24 youngsters and
annihilated the club and federation with them. He was a hard training and Joe remembers away back in
1966, Charlie trained his youngsters from Lockerbie every day prior to the first young bird race. On the
Friday (day of basketing) he had a bad training toss, and the young birds were not home. These turned up at
18-00 hours and some of the club members went and helped him basket some of them and take them to the
club hut for race marking. Low and behold the next day he won 1 st 2 nd & 3 rd places in the club with these
same youngsters. It was a sad day away back in 2011 when Charlie stopped racing as he was a good member
to the club and federation. One of Charlie’s greatest assets was ‘Telling a Story’; and Joe remembers a funny
one from his early days in the RAF. He was posted near Scarborough in north Yorkshire and his Sargent
Major told him to were to get the tins of paint for the Rada Station so that it would blend in with the lemon
country side. Charlie collected the paint and started to paint the station the only problem was the paint was
‘Orange’ instead of Lemon and when the Sargent Major came to see how he was getting on he could not
believe his eyes. ‘He said to him; ‘Well this will not blend in with the countryside as the German’s will see
this from abroad’. Charlie was a great companion to Joe Fleming; and to my old pal Jimmy McGinty and
John Bird, and he will be sorely missed. To his family and friends, we send out heartfelt condolences. Rest
in Peace Charlie’.

Space Weather
27-day Space Weather Outlook Table Issued 24-07-2023
UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest
Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index
2023 Jul 24 165 12 4
2023 Jul 25 165 10 3
2023 Jul 26 160 5 2
2023 Jul 27 155 15 4
2023 Jul 28 155 12 4
2023 Jul 29 155 10 3
2023 Jul 30 155 8 3
2023 Jul 31 160 5 2
2023 Aug 01 165 5 2
2023 Aug 02 165 5 2
2023 Aug 03 165 10 3
2023 Aug 04 165 8 3
2023 Aug 05 170 5 2
2023 Aug 06 175 5 2
2023 Aug 07 180 5 2
2023 Aug 08 180 5 2

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2023 Aug 09 180 5 2
2023 Aug 10 180 10 3
2023 Aug 11 175 8 3
2023 Aug 12 175 8 3
2023 Aug 13 175 5 2
2023 Aug 14 180 5 2
2023 Aug 15 180 5 2
2023 Aug 16 175 5 2
2023 Aug 17 175 5 2
2023 Aug 18 175 5 2
2023 Aug 19 170 5 2

Please continue to keep the news flowing; to Joe Murphy Mystical Rose Cottage 2 Flutorum Avenue
Thornton by Kirkcaldy KY1 4BD or phone 01592 770331 or Email to joejmurphy1@gmail.com
REMEMBER THE J IN THE MIDDLE or log onto www.elimarpigeons.com www.fancierchat.co.uk
www.pigeon-chat.co.uk who wish my weekly contribution portfolio on pigeon topics from Scotland