Solway Federation Prize Winners by Steven Dalgliesh

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The Solway Federation AGM and prize giving is tomorrow, 1pm Eastriggs Social Club.

Here is the list of prize winners and a short article from our very own WP Wortley who, once again, we are thankful to. 

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The following are the Federation Trophy Winners for season 2024.
Highest Prize Winner was Jackie Gilmour from Hoddom and penning this part of the report is poignant as Jackie regrettably passed away two weeks before the presentation.   He was a super fancier with a lifetime of experience in our hobby and would have been ever so proud to have stepped forward to accept his trophies.   More importantly he was one of nature’s gentlemen and will be sadly missed.   Jackie won the Festival of Britain Challenge Trophy for Highest Overall from the O.B. Open Race, the Sir John W.Buchanan Jardine Trophy for Highest East Section from the O.B. Open Race and the W.J. Gass Challenge Cup for Best Average from the O.B. and Y.B. Open races.   The plan was that the O.B. Open race would be flown from Guernsey, being convoyed by Lanarkshire Federation, but due to conditions at the race point the convoy was brought back to England and liberated at Cheltenham.    
Mervyn Halliday, who resides at Penpont in the extreme North West of the Federation area and is a member of the NIth Valley Club, was 1st West Section Federation 3rd Open with a strongly fancied 2 y.o. Blue Cock. which was a super pigeon on the day.   Mervyn receives the Ryan Nith Challenge Trophy for Highest West Section from the O.B. Open Race.
Ewan Hind from Lockerbie receives the Richard Rennison Trophy for 1st Yearling from the O.B. Open Race, which was 7th East Section 9th Open Federation.  
Johnny and Brenda Morgan from Lockerbie receive the Sir John W. Buchanan Jardine Trophy for Highest East Section from the Y.B. Open Race and the S. and T. Allen Gold Ring Challenge Shield.   The partners were actually 1st and 2nd Open Fed. from the Open Race with a  Blue and Blue W.F. Cocks.
Stanley Boyd from Dumfries Flying Club receives the W. Kirk Challenge Cup for Highest West Section from the Y.B. Open Race and the Albert Hay Trophy for Best Average in the West Section from the O.B. and Y.B. Open Races.   It should be noted that Stanley took the first five positions in the West Section of the Fed. from the Y.B. Open Race with these five pigeons being  9th, 12, 13th, 14th and 15th Open.   It should be further noted that from the O.B. Open Race from Cheltenham he was 8th Section 19th Open with his first arrival.      
Dennis Anderson from Annan receives the George Grant Challenge Trophy for Highest Overall from the Longest Inland Race and the J. Wallace Rose Bowl for 1st Yearling from the Longest Inland Race.   The longest race was flown from Maidstone with birds being duplicated out of the S.N.F.C. into the Federation.   The winning pigeon is a home bred yearling Blue Chequer Cock that did not just win the Federation but was also 1st Open National.   Having raced as a youngster, it was paired late February 2024 and having reared a pair of youngsters was then put on Widowhood.   He was given one training toss at the gateway to the season and was then lifted into the third race in the Federation programme.   Having been introduced to the basket he thereafter went through the programme and was 1st Club 4th Federation from Cheltenham the week previous to the National.    The National winner has been named ‘El Sid’.    
Sean and Linda Trodden from Springfield receive the Percy Cameron Memorial Trophy as East Section Fancier(s) of the Year.   Having formerly resided at Egremont in West Cumbria they now reside at Springfield, near to the Blacksmith’s Shop at Gretna Green and are members of Springfield
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Club.    The family of pigeons, which the partners primarily work with, is that of Theo and Raymond Rutten, who were five times Dutch National winners and Champions of their Club on more than forty occasions racing from 60 miles to 650 miles.   From the outset when they first competed in Springfield in 2016, they made their presence felt, scoring consistently and at the close of the season received the trophy as East Section Fanciers of the Year.  They won it again in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023 and here we are in 2024 and they are once again winners of the trophy.
Karl Guenther and his grandson, Lewis, receive the Cochran Cup as West Section Fancier(s) of the Year.   Karl previously competed in partnership with his good lady, Liz, and now competes in partnership with Lewis.   They reside in Dumfries and are members of Brydekirk (West) Club.   In 2004 the partners were presented with the trophy as Runners-up to the Solway Fed. Fancier of the Year and the following season they were presented with the trophy as Federation Fanciers of the Year.   In 2011 they were awarded the trophy as Runners-up to the Federation Fancier of the Year and in 2012 were once again presented with the Trophy as Federation Fanciers of the Year.   In former years an independent adjudicator was invited to view the weekly Federation results after which he selected the fancier of the year and runner-up to the fancier of the year.   It was decided eight years ago, however, that fancier of the year trophies would be presented to the top fanciers in the East and West Sections of the Federation with the winners being decided on a points system.   With the new format in 2013, the partners were awarded the Cochran Cup as West Section Fanciers of the Year; they won it again in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.  The loft title was subsequently changed to Karl Guenther and grandson with the new partnership winning the trophy in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and here we are one year down the road and they have won it again.