Wiley Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 Berwick-upon-Tweed, a town in the county of Northumberland, and is the northernmost town in England, situated along the east cost at the mouth of the River Tweed. Its name is deprived from old English origins, meaning “Barley Village†and incidentally has been a classic race point for many pigeon racing organisations for many years. The London North Road Combine, kick started their racing schedule this year from this iconic race point on Saturday 31st May, as the birds were liberated at 7am in a light West, North, Westerly wind. From the buzz of activity on Thursday basketing night, many were suggesting the convoy just short of 2,000 pigeons would achieve excellent speeds. Unfortunately the story that unravelled, was a much slower affair then many predicted with the leading pigeons clocking a speed just over 43mph. The energy and excitement that was present on Thursday, had lowered by clock opening as many fanciers reported heavy losses, but as with races like these, there was also many fanciers reporting excellent returns. Bellow is the Convoyer's race report:“I left the Cheshunt marking station at 12.30am, I stopped at Peterborough by 2am for one hour. I arrived at Berwick by 9.30am, where I watered birds on arrival. The birds were fed, and watered again at 3pm. The transporter was then shut at 9.30pm. Saturday morning, I opened up the transporter at 5am, to which I topped up drinkers. The weather was very good at liberation site. I phoned Mr Chalkley at 6.30am, The Essex and Kent Combine had liberated at 6am. Mr Chalkley phoned with the weather report, and was told there was a lot of cloud around the Ripon and Doncaster area but clearing. We decided to liberate birds at 7am, all birds cleared well. Weather on route for the first 110 miles, was sunshine, blue skies and broken cloud. Got to Ripon, full cloud cover and slight ground haze, when I reached the Doncaster, Retford area the weather got a little worse, still full cloud cover, heavy mist, visibility not very good this lasted 10 to 15 miles. The weather started to clear around Stamford. From Peterborough to home weather was good.â€Ron Garrod What was refreshing to come out of the race, was that the 3 leading birds represented 3 different federations. The well deserved winner coming out of the east of the convoy, recording a velocity of 1269, to the now 2 times London North Road Combine Winners L J Stock & Son of Harold Wood. Les started in the sport like many fanciers by following his fathers interest, and they flew together for many years in the Dagenham area. He has lived and raced out of his current address in Harold Wood for roughly 28 years. In 1998, Les purchased 8 pigeons of the legendary Geoff Kirkland, and these have formed the basis of his family today. The Berwick combine winner is a fantastic apple bodied, 3 year old Blue Pied cock named 'Flashman'. He is a direct Grandson of Les' London North Road Combine Dunbar winner, and is from the line of Les' original purchases from Geoff Kirkland. The winning pigeon has won minor prize cards before, but he also has never let Les down, he is always very consistent being one of the first birds to arrive to the loft each race. He is raced on the basic widowhood system, however Les, no longer shows the hens before the race, and now sends the birds only seeing the bowl. He believes it makes the birds calmer and rest better in the basket, where in previous years showing the hens, the cocks would be fighting on the way to the marking station. The winner was prepared pre-season with regular training flights before the first race up to the distance roughly 30 miles, and then only loft exercise morning and night for one hour. The birds are fed twice a day, receiving half an ounce of Gerry Plus IC from Versele Laga of a morning, and of an evening they receive Versele Laga Widowhood mixture, with a small percentage of barley, to which they are fed to appetite a little at a time, until the birds show no interest in the barley. The birds receive clean water every day apart from the use of a multivitamin supplement on a Tuesday. The winning cock will be continued to race and is earmarked to be sent to the next London North Road Combine race Stonehaven. Les currently has a small team of natural pigeons that he is playing with on the south road, and in the future he is contemplating on training his young birds on both routes, to school them and also to allow him the option of sending both ways north and south road. 2Nd open London North Road Combine Berwick, fell to the partnership of A . Gadsdon & Son of Beckton, yet again a previous London North Road Combine winning partnership. Alfie started in the sport as a young boy because of the popularity of the sport, and nearly every house at the time raced or kept pigeons in the Custom House area, and his first lofts were made from old tea chests. Son, Ryans interest in the sport started like many father son partnerships, and his interest was kindled by being brought up alongside the pigeons. The family have been unfortunate the last 4 seasons at this particular race point or the equivalent Dunbar, as they have recorded now 2nd, 5th, 7th and 12th Open. The 2 year old long cast Dark Chequer widowhood cock now named 'Nearly Frank', has taken a number of top 20 prize cards in the federation in his short career, as he had been nursed along being a late bred in 2012. The sire of the 'Nearly Frank' was purchased from former club mate Billy Lynch from original Willy Thas lines, and has bred previous club and federation winners. The dam of 'Nearly Frank', was purchased as a late bred by Ryan's partner Amy, for his 18th birthday from the Legend and good friend of Ryan's, Frank Tasker, who 'Nearly Frank' is named after. The dam is the number 1 hen at the lofts, and has bred a host of good club, federation and combine pigeons. She is dam and grandam to many club and federation winners but its in the combines they feel this hens children perform at there best with results such as 2nd London North Road Combine Berwick, 5th Open London North Berwick, 8th Open London North Road Combine Whitton Castle, 9th Open London North Road Combine Aycliffe, 16th Open London North Road Combine Aycliffe. 'Nearly Frank' is raced on total widowhood, where both sexes go to each race. The partnerships cocks are exercised only once a day for a period of two hours, however the doors are opened after 45 minutes, the hens on the other hand are trained regular with the help of Georgie Fry. The birds are fed using three different types of mixture from Bamfords TOPFLIGHT, and the composition of grains varies each week dependant on the race. In the drinker the birds only receive Gems Strike 2 on a sunday, the rest of the week is clean water. The partnership this year are experimenting racing old hens, to which they are preparing for combine racing. The partnership also in the past, as well as winning the London North Road Combine, have been the Sprint Champions of The East London Federation. 3Rd Open London North Road Combine Berwick, yet again a previous London North Road Combine winning partnership in the form of Mr & Mrs Calverley of Dagenham. Tony started in the sport 1988, after watching his fathers birds return home for a number of years, felt that pigeon racing would be a hobby he would like to become more involved with. The 3rd Open London North Road Combine, could be considered old in racing terms at 7 years old, but with the performances the cock now named 'Special 1-1', has put up every single year is truly amazing and not many birds like him turn up in a lifetime. To his credit 'Special 1-1' has been 2nd Open London North Road Combine Whitton Castle, 3rd Open London North Road Combine Berwick, 22nd Yearling London North Road Combine Dunbar, 23rd London North Road Combine Berwick, 57th London North Road Combine Dunbar, 18th Essex & Kent Amalgamation Wetherby, 18th Essex & Kent Amalgamation Ripon, 22nd Essex & Kent Amalgamation Wetherby, 28th Essex & Kent Amalgamation Wetherby, 34th Essex & Kent Amalgamation Wetherby, as well as 4x1st West Essex Federation, 2x2nd West Essex Federation, 1x3rd West Essex Federation, 2x4th West Essex Federation, 3x5th West Essex Federation, 1x6th West Essex Federation, 4x8th West Essex Federation, 1x9th West Essex Federation, 1x10th West Essex Federation, 1x11th West Essex Federation, 1x13th West Essex Federation. Those are just some of this terrific pigeons performances, as club cards and a few federation cards unfortunately have been misplaced, but as can be seen this Blue widowhood cock is a super, super pigeon that still acts and performs like a yearling, as well as being sire and grandsire of winners. 'Special 1-1' was bred in the stock loft, from M & D Evans Gaby Vandenabeele's that he originally purchased from Joe Costello also from Dagenham. This special cock bird is raced on 100% widowhood and is shown his hen for roughly an hour before each race. This year Tonys birds received no preseason or in season training at all, as there is no local van or trailer and Tony is unable to drive. The cocks are exercised twice a day, at routine times and the birds exercise really well for one hour each time. The brands of feeding are from various companies, that Tony likes the look of and he will mix both brands of widowhood mixture together, and the birds are broke down one day a week on a sunday. No supplementation is used in the drinking water. 'Special 1-1''s future is now destined for the stock loft where he will enjoy his retirement being paired to the partnerships best hens.The partnership have had a few results in the past they are most proud of including there Young Bird London North Road Combine win, 1st South East London Amalgamation, as well as past Best Flyer Old Bird, Best Flyer Young Bird and Best Overall Flyer in West Essex Federation. The London North Road Combine Provisional Top 30, and Station winners are as follows 1 L.J.STOCK & SON HORNCHURCH 12692 A GADSDON SON CUSTOM HOUSE 12543 M/m CALVERLEY DAGENHAM 12474 A STOCKWELL S ILFORD 1242.65 K DOUGHTY ELTHAM 1242.46 VAN SANCHEZ DAGENHAM 1242.37 A & P WOODGER C.S.MARY 12418 B SCOTT DAGENHAM 12379 M/M BEVEN GRAYS 123610 B GEORDIMANIA DAGENHAM 1225.411 R & R NICHOLLS C.S.MARY 1225.212 T DUNN XROADS 1225.013 M CONNOLLY SON CUSTOM HSE 122414 J CONNOLLY SON NEWHAM 122215 M/M BEVEN GRAYS 121916 C PASTERFIELD DTR  TILBURY 121817 S BAKER SON CHESHUNT 121718 M/M BEVEN GRAYS 121619 M MOYNIHAN E.L.N.R 121320 F DAWKINS SON PLAISTOW 121121 A TAYLOR SON DAGENHAM 1209.822 D NUNN NEWHAM 1209.423 B WOODHOUSE SON E.L.N.R. 1206.224 J BENTON TILBURY 1206.025 M/M J`OBRIEN C.S.MARY 1205.926 L FINAN C.S.MARY 1205.727 M/M J SMITH ELTHAM 1205.128 B WOODHOUSE SON E.L.N.R. 1204.929 J COTTERELL DAGENHAM 1204.530 T GUNN C.S.MARY 1204.3 Tilbury station A & P Woodger 1241 Mr Mrs Beven 1236 R & R Nicholls 1225 Mr Mrs Beven 1219 C Pasterfield Dtr  1218 Mr Mrs Beven 1216 J Benton 1206 M/m J`o Brien 1205 New ElthamK Doughty1242Mr Mrs Smith 1205Mr Mrs Smith 1193Mr Mrs Smith 1179K Doughty 1174K Doughty 1160D Kennedy 1131G Brockie 1121Hornchurch L Stocks Son 1269 T Dunn 1225 Clark Bros 1199.6 T Dunn 1199 .4 Clark Bros 1197 Stevens 1193M Wallace 1188 N Martin 1183 DagenhamA Gadsdon Son 1254M/m Calverley 1247Van Sanchez 1242B Scott 1237B Geordimania 1225 J Connolly Son 1222A Taylor Son 1209A R Tubey 1207Cheshunt S Baker son 1217 L Niedzwiecki 1203 J Turnell Son 1194 L Niedzwiecki 1176L Niedzwiecki 1175 L Niedzwiecki 1164 S Barker son 1162 M/m Luffman 1158 StratfordA Stockwell Son 1242M Connolly Son 1223M Moynahan 1213 F Dawkins Son 1211D Nunn 1209B Woodhouse s 1206B Woodhouse s 1204.9M/m S Fenech 1204.2 The next London North Road Combine is from Stonehaven with a joint liberation with the Essex & Kent Combine. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers the best of luck, and I look forward to visiting the top 3 competitors.Grasshopper07712432824
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