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The Joe Murphy Column


Ian McKay
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The Joe Murphy Column

 

Last night Margaret and I settled down to watch the TV programme ‘Flights of Fancy’ on the BBC 4 programme but have to say that I was very disappointed in this representation of our sport. It was like going back to the year dot when I was a ‘wee laddie’ in short trousers. Showing fanciers with old clocks and thimbles, plus the liberations in old transporters to me did nothing to enhance our sport. Nowadays we have state of the art transporters, with ETS systems and everything being computerised a great stepping stone away from what we observed. We as a sport have contributed thousands upon thousands to ‘Charities’ throughout the land and this was not mentioned. Not that it matters but the price of a pigeon has increased too fold since the days showing with now web sites and on line auctions where you can purchase birds from all over the world. I’m sorry but this programme did nothing for me and if I was being honest left a bitter taste in my mouth as it was more like a documentary of ‘In times gone by’.

 

Honest Man

 

A few weeks ago there was an advert in the BHW with a fancier selling some of his stock birds on- line in ‘Pigeon Chat’. My mate Guy Reed purchased a hen at the sale and asked if I would collect it and bring it to Blackpool show and he would get Ed Rann to meet me and he would take it back to the Isle of Wight. (Thus saving carriage and they go on about the Scotsmen being tight just kidding Guy). We made arrangements to go to Kevin’s for the evening and I visited the fancier concerned Gerald MacPherson who lives just outside Dundee and collected Guy’s bird. Gerald showed me some of his pigeons and I being a curious fancier asked him why he was parting with so many top quality pigeons. Gerald was very honest and said he wanted to cut down on his stock pigeons and create some room for youngster stock. He had bred from all the birds on sale and had enough direct from them and rather than wait till they were too old he decided to sell them now; which was fair enough. However during our conversation Gerald told me about a male pigeon that he had purchased this was a direct son of the famous ‘Mistral’ a half-brother to ‘Euro Diamond’, ‘Blauer Barcelona’ and ‘Monica’. The dam of Gerald’s pigeon was ‘Hannah’ also a ½ sister to Euro Diamond as both were bred from the famous ‘George’. Gerald showed me a lovely picture of this cock and his pedigree (which he scanned for me and I have attached to this story) you all know about the Brockamp pigeons so I do not need to say anymore. Gerald had a hen of the same lines that he wanted to mate the cock with, however after the first 2 rounds of eggs being clear he took the hen away and mated her to another cock. He then mated the ‘Mistral’ cock to a yearling hen and in the first nest only one egg was filled, after this all eggs from the cock were clear. So he mated him to another hen but the same thing happened in the first nest. So Gerald went into the loft and took the cock outside and released him into the sky never to see him again. I said ‘Oh my goodness Gerald you never’ he stated that if he was not filling his eggs he was no good keeping him as a stock bird. Yes he could have put him on the market and resold him but why burden someone else with this problem. He lost money on this investment but as he said ‘These things happen in life and it is all part of pigeon racing, but I can assure you Joe every pigeon that was sold on the website has been bred from these past few years, as I have children in my race team ’. I have known Gerald and his brother Mike for many years in-fact I visited Mike on the morning of the Reims Gold Cup race of 2016 when he timed at 06-32am flying 585 miles to win 1st section C 2nd open Scottish National Flying Club. One of the first times I met them and their father was at the late Jock McKinnon entire clearance sale here in Thornton when they purchased Jock’s 1st open SNFC Falaise winner of 1979 ‘Lorna’ named after his daughter. (A daughter of ‘Lorna’ also won 1st open SNFC Rennes for Eddie Newcombe I think this was his 1984 winner) The MacPherson brothers have always tried to purchase the top winners or direct children from them and this continues to the present day. I have always found them to be pleasant and honest as the above episode has emphasized and I thought the above incident would be of interest to readers of the column as well as the fanciers who purchased birds from the website sale.

 

Good SNFC Birds

 

This week I start with Davie Allison of Hamilton who has 2 pigeons that are worth a mention the first is a blue pied yearling hen SU15L 6381. She won 3 times from the Scottish National during the 2016 season with her first section E prize being 44th from the Buckingham race a distance of 289 miles against 2084 birds. She was then entered into the Littlehampton race a distance of 373 miles and she won 37th section E from an entry of 4482 birds. Davie then set her up for the Ypres race (which is a good race to send yearlings to for their first attempt a distance of 446 miles and she won 31st section E 177th open from an entry of 2323 birds. His second pigeon is a chequer hen SU11 5853 she is also a 3 times national section winner with her first win from Ypres in 2013 when she won 70th section E from an entry of 2356 birds the following year she was entered into the Buckingham inland national with an entry of 2941 birds competing and she won 14th section E 109th open. Then last year 2016 she again went to Buckingham and won 55th section E from an entry of 2084 birds. I have included a picture of Davie that I took at the SHU show of the year as he judged the best in show at this event. Our next birds belongs to G A Firth of Lockerbie with blue bar hen SU14S 6418 as a yearling she won 31st section A 372nd open from Portsmouth a distance of 316 miles with 4767 birds entered into the race. Then in 2016 she was entered into the Buckingham race a distance of 241 miles and she won 27th section A 58th open from an entry of 2084 birds. She was then set up for the Gold Cup race from Reims a distance of 517 miles and she won 8th section A 52nd open from an entry of 1330 birds. As you will see another 3 outstanding pigeons and I wish the above fanciers all the best with them in the forthcoming season.

 

Davie Allison

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Brockamp top pigeons

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Son of Mistral

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Son Mistral Ped

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Joe’s Joke

 

Wife versus Husband. A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, 'Relatives of yours?'

'Yep,' the wife replied, “In-Laws''

 

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 and www.pigeon-chat.co.uk also www.pigeonbasics.com who wish my weekly contribution portfolio on pigeon topics from Scotland.

 

© Compiled by Joe Murphy

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