BT STEVEN DALGLIESH
SNFC Billericay
Info from WPW on the top Solway performers.
Sean and Linda Trodden from Springfield were 1st South Section. Having formerly resided at Egremont in West Cumbria they moved across the Border to Springfield and having settled their team soon made their presence felt with a succession of outstanding results in the Club and Federation. In time they chose to compete from the National and in 2018 were 1st Section 2nd Open S.N.F.C. Maidstone and in 2021 were 3rd Section 13th Open Huntingdon. Move forward to 2022 and they again won the Section from Upper Heyford and then won the National from Yeovil with Mealy cock ‘Springfield Dream’. 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. Notwithstanding the quality of their Rutten lines, the partners have continued to visit Holland for more than two decades and have occasionally introduced stock from other Dutch fanciers. The Mealy cock was indeed bred from stock introduced from Bas Van Beveren, who is another superb fancier who primarily works with a team of Janssen x Lambrecht pigeons supplemented with select introductions. Sire of the National winner bred several really good pigeons including birds to win in the Club and Federation. Move forward to 2024 and the partners were right up with the leaders from the Blue Riband event from Alencon to be 1st Section 2nd Open National, the winning pigeon from Alencon being is a 3 y.o. Mealy hen that had five races as a youngster. It was introduced to the partners' unique Roundabout method as a yearling going through the Fed programme, scoring several times. It was worked on the same method as a 2 y.o., scoring on a number of occasions and then competed from S.N.F.C. Alencon and was 15th Section 61st Open. Inn 2024 it was coupled in February, reared a pair of youngsters and was then put on Roundabout. It competed from the Inland National from Kettering and was 34th Section 110th Open and thereafter competed from Maidstone and was 16th Section 26th Open. Sire the same Mealy cock that bred the Yeovil National winner with the Dam having been bred from a Rutten cock x a hen from Bas Van Beveren. Not only do these pigeons win for Sean and Linda but win for other fanciers who are fortunate enough to obtain the bloodlines, consider for example that in 2017 John Gilmour from Ecclefechan won the S.N.F.C. Blue Riband event from Alencon with 2 y.o. Dark Chequer cock ’Gilly’ the Dam of which was a Theo Rutten, that was obtained from Sean and Linda Trodden. The Section winner from the recent race from Billericay is a home-bred 2024 Blue Bar cock, which contains the partners well proven Theo Rutten lines, it raced as a youngster and went to Cannock as a yearling. It was paired in February this term, reared a single youngster and was the put on the partners Roundabout system. It went through the Solway Fed. Programme to Cheltenham and was then prep’d for the Billericay National. On preparing birds for target races the partners normally basket train but as Sean underwent surgery in Glasgow in recent months, basket training was very much curtailed. When I spoke to Sean to obtain particulars of his most recent winner I was asked to place on record his thanks to the several people who assisted Linda with the birds when he was in the Hospital, particularly fellow Club members Jamie Carberry and Stephen Allen.
Sean and Linda Trodden from Springfield were 1st South Section. Having formerly resided at Egremont in West Cumbria they moved across the Border to Springfield and having settled their team soon made their presence felt with a succession of outstanding results in the Club and Federation. In time they chose to compete from the National and in 2018 were 1st Section 2nd Open S.N.F.C. Maidstone and in 2021 were 3rd Section 13th Open Huntingdon. Move forward to 2022 and they again won the Section from Upper Heyford and then won the National from Yeovil with Mealy cock ‘Springfield Dream’. 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. Notwithstanding the quality of their Rutten lines, the partners have continued to visit Holland for more than two decades and have occasionally introduced stock from other Dutch fanciers. The Mealy cock was indeed bred from stock introduced from Bas Van Beveren, who is another superb fancier who primarily works with a team of Janssen x Lambrecht pigeons supplemented with select introductions. Sire of the National winner bred several really good pigeons including birds to win in the Club and Federation. Move forward to 2024 and the partners were right up with the leaders from the Blue Riband event from Alencon to be 1st Section 2nd Open National, the winning pigeon from Alencon being is a 3 y.o. Mealy hen that had five races as a youngster. It was introduced to the partners' unique Roundabout method as a yearling going through the Fed programme, scoring several times. It was worked on the same method as a 2 y.o., scoring on a number of occasions and then competed from S.N.F.C. Alencon and was 15th Section 61st Open. Inn 2024 it was coupled in February, reared a pair of youngsters and was then put on Roundabout. It competed from the Inland National from Kettering and was 34th Section 110th Open and thereafter competed from Maidstone and was 16th Section 26th Open. Sire the same Mealy cock that bred the Yeovil National winner with the Dam having been bred from a Rutten cock x a hen from Bas Van Beveren. Not only do these pigeons win for Sean and Linda but win for other fanciers who are fortunate enough to obtain the bloodlines, consider for example that in 2017 John Gilmour from Ecclefechan won the S.N.F.C. Blue Riband event from Alencon with 2 y.o. Dark Chequer cock ’Gilly’ the Dam of which was a Theo Rutten, that was obtained from Sean and Linda Trodden. The Section winner from the recent race from Billericay is a home-bred 2024 Blue Bar cock, which contains the partners well proven Theo Rutten lines, it raced as a youngster and went to Cannock as a yearling. It was paired in February this term, reared a single youngster and was the put on the partners Roundabout system. It went through the Solway Fed. Programme to Cheltenham and was then prep’d for the Billericay National. On preparing birds for target races the partners normally basket train but as Sean underwent surgery in Glasgow in recent months, basket training was very much curtailed. When I spoke to Sean to obtain particulars of his most recent winner I was asked to place on record his thanks to the several people who assisted Linda with the birds when he was in the Hospital, particularly fellow Club members Jamie Carberry and Stephen Allen.
Ryan Campbell from Langholm was 2nd and 3rd Section. Ryan developed an interest in the pigeon hobby as a schoolboy at Canonbie and when nine years old became a member of Langholm Club in partnership with his grandfather, Bill Evans. The years moved forward and through his work he resided at different locations but retained and interest in the hobby being for a time a member of Dumfries Flying Club and thereafter Lockerbie Club. In recent years, he moved residence once again to Langholm because of his work and is a member of the local Club. His pigeons are housed in a loft 32’ x 8’ located adjacent to his home. Birds trap through a Universal trap and are timed by ETS. Old birds are managed on the Natural system with Young Birds being worked in the conventional method From the first National of the season from Kettering he was 3rd Section 12th Open with a 3 y.o. late bred Blue cock that was unraced as a youngster but intensely trained during the winter months. It went through the Fed, programme as a yearling having bred a youngster at the gateway to the season to be 14th in the 2024 Shropshire Final One Loft Race. In 2025 it again went through the programme, scoring several times including gaining a 1st Club and featuring in the Fed. Result. In 2026 it was paired the week before the Blackpool Show and bred two youngsters. Worked Natural it went through the Fed. Programme, scoring several times including 4th Fed. from Charnock Richard. Sire contains the lines of John Smarts’ ‘Crosshill Ace’. Dam is a Lambrecht, which Ryan obtained from Alan Mortimer from Elgin. The bird that was 2nd Section from the recent Billericay National is a home-bred 2024 Blue Chequer cock that topped the Fed, as a youngster and was 9th Fed. the following week. Worked on the Natural method it went through the Federation Inland programme as a yearling. It was paired the week before the Blackpool Show in 2026 and thereafter went to every race in the programme to Brighton. It went to the National covering his third round of 16 day old youngsters and driving his mate. Dam is a Blue Chequer hen that contains 50% the lines of the famous Lincia Hen of Stefaan Lambrechts and 50% the lines of Ad Schaerlaeckens. Sire was obtained from Daniel Clayton from Wolverhampton. The second pigeon to the loft to be 3rd Section is 2 y.o. Mealy cock ‘6667’. Sire is a Herman Ceuster from M & A Lofts from Liverpool. Dam is Theelan/Staf Van Reet from Murray and Mills, being an inbred daughter of a pigeon named ‘Just the Job’, which was one of the best ever pigeons to fly in the Algarve Derby Arona, bought in Blackpool in 2023. The Mealy cock was actually bred for stock and spent his first year in the stock shed. It got past Ryan one morning but pleasingly, returned three days later and stayed in the Racing Section of the loft. In 2025 it had three races but returned a week late from its fourth race and was thereafter ‘put by’. In 2026 it was paired the week before the Blackpool Show, reared a single youngster and thereafter went to every inland race in the Fed. programme and the Inland Nationals, returning from Brighton on the second day. It went to Billericay covering 10 day eggs and his actions in the nest box suggested he was very, very keen. Ryan has named him ‘Lucky Devil’ on account of his ring number and said “I hope he has a few more positions to claim yet before being returned to the stock loft!”
