NRCC Thurso

by George Wheatman

 

MANY people will be delighted that the winner of the North Road Championship Club's final old bird race of the season from Thurso was Bill Hall, of Boston. He is a popular fancier with a lot of friends in the sport.

Bill, racing under the partnership name of W Hall and Son, although son Terry's help these days is restricted to mainly administrative tasks because of his work commitments, won a hard race by two yards a minute over Section One winners Mr and Mrs W Brennan and Son, of Lincoln.

The winning velocity was 1146ypm and this made him a clear winner of Section Two by 28ypm from ever-present Mamwell Brothers, of Louth.

Held over until Monday the birds had to face a strong wind for the whole of the race and this was a real test of the quality of the 2, 750 birds sent by 318 members.

As always there were excellent performances throughout the sections and last year's winners, GV and W Britton, of Newborough, topped Section Three again to enhance their reputation as being among the best distance fanciers in the NRCC.

Section Four was won by the Norwich partnership of DJA Robinson and CA Gosling, while the always consistent Miss M Judd, of Ramsey, won Section Five.

Two more outstanding NRCC competitors, Mr and Mrs S Kaschner, of Diss, and I and S Rich, of Isleham, were neck and neck for Section Six, and the best of the London fanciers who have been impressive all season was R Chapman, of Elstree.

Section Eight featured the Ipswich area members and club President Bob Preston was third behind DC Quinton, and the section winners Mr and Mrs T Ivatt and G Sewell.

Bill Hall's winner was a blue chequer two-year-old cock bird sent for the final race of the season on widowhood after flying all year on a celibate system he has used for all the previous races.

It was bred by NRCC chairman, Brian Garnham, and is a cross of his Wildermeersch family, being a gift as a young bird when Bill was trying to build up a team. At that stage he also received gift young birds from Carl Upsall and Trevor Frost partnership, and from his big friend George Watts, all of which have proved to be good pigeons.

After being in partnership with son Terry, racing from Terry's home in Kirton, Bill has competed from his Pilgrim Road address in Boston for only two years.

"I haven't even a proper loft," he said. "The lofts are still at Terry's and I converted two sheds I had."

He has had a good season in Boston Central RPC, featuring prominently in the results most weeks, and this came as no surprise for local fanciers who are also supporters of Boston United football club.

Bill lives within a stone's throw of the football ground and, pre-pigeon racing season, fanciers visiting the ground noticed how well Bill's birds were flying round home. They were in the air when they went into the ground and still flying when they came out. Some thought Bill should have been in charge of the football team who, then, might have been fitter and not facing a relegation battle.

Fast closing in on his 75th birthday, Bill had been considering retiring from the sport which he has enjoyed since the age of 12 but this win, and cajoling from his fancier friends, has persuaded him to carry on. He started the season with 32 birds and has finished up with 27, having lost some at Lerwick.

He pays tribute to Brian for giving him a bird of this quality, and it has been a source of amusement this year as Bill has asked Brian to look at the race results when he has been beaten by his own pigeon.

For a long time now Bill has raced pigeons obtained from Albert Sayers, of Louth, and a hen off the originals had a good race from Lerwick this year, before being sent back to Thurso and returning safely home.

Ironically, this hen is paired to the Thurso winner and this is the first time he has beaten her home in a race.

"It is a good pigeon, and it was a good win," concedes Bill. "It is what we all aim for, hoping for a bit of luck at the same time. I do try hard, although I don't always let people think I do."

The winner has raced every weekend this season, having also been to Dunbar and Fraserburgh with the NRCC. When not competing with the NRCC he has gone to Boston Central's club races from Driffield when the birds are taken by Bill and George Watts.

Bill explains his system thus: "I pair up just after Christmas, breed one pair of young birds off everything and then I try to race celibate.

"When I go training I take the hens in one basket and the cocks in another. If I can, I try to keep them all the time celibate.

"I leave the bowls with the cocks who stop in the place where they had been breeding and, before I send the cocks, I turn the bowls over.

"When the cocks and hens go to the same race, of course, they are all mixed up on Saturday. I leave them together until bedtime on Saturday.

"I am not on widowhood. I used to be, but I have not got enough pigeons with gradually coming back into the game. Next year I might be able to go full widowhood.

"The pigeons do fly well round home but you get that with celibate pigeons. The hens are looking for the cocks, that is why they fly so well. When the cocks go out they cannot see the hens. They are all shut off in darkness.

"I try to race celibate but it doesn't always end up that way. The Thurso cock did see his hen before he went this time, for a minute or two, but she went to the race as well. She was the Lerwick pigeon. She has always beaten him before, but I knocked the stuffing out of her by sending her to Lerwick.

"I usually send the hens one week, and the cocks the next."

Bill has a reputation for having very tame pigeons and he explains: "The pigeons are tame. They come all over me, scratch me and make me bleed. I try to shoo them off. The art of keeping pigeons is that they want to be hungry at all times, but not starved.

"If you go over the top with feeding you can't get them in, you can't discipline them. You can't do anything with them if you overfeed.

"They must have enough. If you are going to overfeed, shut them up and don't let them out because you are going to do nothing with them."

Bill says he is at the wrong end of the town for the shorter races but "over the distances it starts to level up a bit."

Before moving into Boston, he was a successful member of Swineshead and District Flying Club, and was delighted that another former member, Gordon Fisher, had enjoyed a fine win from Poitiers with the British International Championship Club.

Bill, who has survived two major heart operations in recent years, was employed in agriculture all his working life, and says he loved it. He still keeps agricultural hours and likes to be about early in the morning to tend to his pigeons.

His outlook on life is reflected by the fact that he volunteered for National Service in his younger days. When many of us would have welcomed the chance to avoid it, Bill spurned the opportunity of deferment which was possible because of his agricultural work because he thought it was unfair if he did not serve while all his friends were being called up.

Bill is full of praise for his friend and mentor Albert Sayers, a top-class flyer with the NRCC.

"I would be nowhere in pigeons without Albert Sayers," he said. "Albert used to say to me the way you are going on you could not fly a kite. He put me on the right lines. He looked at the pigeons I had and said they were lovely pigeons, but I would be better off getting rid of them. So I got some off him and started afresh.

"He is my mentor. If I want to know anything I pick up the 'phone and ask him. He tells me what to do. He is a marvellous man. We have friendly competition between ourselves and Richard Quibell, of Horncastle.

"Most of my pigeons are still Albert's, except those gift birds from Carl, Brian and George."

Bill sent 14 birds to Thurso and got them all back, a contrast to some well-established lofts who are still a big percentage missing.

Of his feeding methods, Bill says: "I feed Bucktons widowhood mix, and Bucktons Diat is brilliant for racing up to 200 miles or so.

"I give them that stuff drom the bees, put it in the water once a week. I treat for canker and cocci. I use chicken pellets for cocci. Laying pellets, feed them once a month. It is a cheap and good way of keeping cocci at bay. I also give multi-vits once a week. I am all for cheap racing, but spend money where I have to."

Convoyer Phil Ringe, again grateful for all the assistance he had with line of flight information, once more had to show all his reknowned patience but, after awful weather over the weekend, he said he was aware early on Monday morning that a liberation would be possible. The next day it was raining again.

Chairman Brian Garnham said it was a hard test for the final old bird race of the season but, again, the quality of the membership had shown through and the Thurso race had been the culmination of another good old bird season.

 

 

NRCC Thurso

by George Wheatman

 

MANY people will be delighted that the winner of the North Road Championship Club's final old bird race of the season from Thurso was Bill Hall, of Boston. He is a popular fancier with a lot of friends in the sport.

Bill, racing under the partnership name of W Hall and Son, although son Terry's help these days is restricted to mainly administrative tasks because of his work commitments, won a hard race by two yards a minute over Section One winners Mr and Mrs W Brennan and Son, of Lincoln.

The winning velocity was 1146ypm and this made him a clear winner of Section Two by 28ypm from ever-present Mamwell Brothers, of Louth.

Held over until Monday the birds had to face a strong wind for the whole of the race and this was a real test of the quality of the 2, 750 birds sent by 318 members.

As always there were excellent performances throughout the sections and last year's winners, GV and W Britton, of Newborough, topped Section Three again to enhance their reputation as being among the best distance fanciers in the NRCC.

Section Four was won by the Norwich partnership of DJA Robinson and CA Gosling, while the always consistent Miss M Judd, of Ramsey, won Section Five.

Two more outstanding NRCC competitors, Mr and Mrs S Kaschner, of Diss, and I and S Rich, of Isleham, were neck and neck for Section Six, and the best of the London fanciers who have been impressive all season was R Chapman, of Elstree.

Section Eight featured the Ipswich area members and club President Bob Preston was third behind DC Quinton, and the section winners Mr and Mrs T Ivatt and G Sewell.

Bill Hall's winner was a blue chequer two-year-old cock bird sent for the final race of the season on widowhood after flying all year on a celibate system he has used for all the previous races.

It was bred by NRCC chairman, Brian Garnham, and is a cross of his Wildermeersch family, being a gift as a young bird when Bill was trying to build up a team. At that stage he also received gift young birds from Carl Upsall and Trevor Frost partnership, and from his big friend George Watts, all of which have proved to be good pigeons.

After being in partnership with son Terry, racing from Terry's home in Kirton, Bill has competed from his Pilgrim Road address in Boston for only two years.

"I haven't even a proper loft," he said. "The lofts are still at Terry's and I converted two sheds I had."

He has had a good season in Boston Central RPC, featuring prominently in the results most weeks, and this came as no surprise for local fanciers who are also supporters of Boston United football club.

Bill lives within a stone's throw of the football ground and, pre-pigeon racing season, fanciers visiting the ground noticed how well Bill's birds were flying round home. They were in the air when they went into the ground and still flying when they came out. Some thought Bill should have been in charge of the football team who, then, might have been fitter and not facing a relegation battle.

Fast closing in on his 75th birthday, Bill had been considering retiring from the sport which he has enjoyed since the age of 12 but this win, and cajoling from his fancier friends, has persuaded him to carry on. He started the season with 32 birds and has finished up with 27, having lost some at Lerwick.

He pays tribute to Brian for giving him a bird of this quality, and it has been a source of amusement this year as Bill has asked Brian to look at the race results when he has been beaten by his own pigeon.

For a long time now Bill has raced pigeons obtained from Albert Sayers, of Louth, and a hen off the originals had a good race from Lerwick this year, before being sent back to Thurso and returning safely home.

Ironically, this hen is paired to the Thurso winner and this is the first time he has beaten her home in a race.

"It is a good pigeon, and it was a good win," concedes Bill. "It is what we all aim for, hoping for a bit of luck at the same time. I do try hard, although I don't always let people think I do."

The winner has raced every weekend this season, having also been to Dunbar and Fraserburgh with the NRCC. When not competing with the NRCC he has gone to Boston Central's club races from Driffield when the birds are taken by Bill and George Watts.

Bill explains his system thus: "I pair up just after Christmas, breed one pair of young birds off everything and then I try to race celibate.

"When I go training I take the hens in one basket and the cocks in another. If I can, I try to keep them all the time celibate.

"I leave the bowls with the cocks who stop in the place where they had been breeding and, before I send the cocks, I turn the bowls over.

"When the cocks and hens go to the same race, of course, they are all mixed up on Saturday. I leave them together until bedtime on Saturday.

"I am not on widowhood. I used to be, but I have not got enough pigeons with gradually coming back into the game. Next year I might be able to go full widowhood.

"The pigeons do fly well round home but you get that with celibate pigeons. The hens are looking for the cocks, that is why they fly so well. When the cocks go out they cannot see the hens. They are all shut off in darkness.

"I try to race celibate but it doesn't always end up that way. The Thurso cock did see his hen before he went this time, for a minute or two, but she went to the race as well. She was the Lerwick pigeon. She has always beaten him before, but I knocked the stuffing out of her by sending her to Lerwick.

"I usually send the hens one week, and the cocks the next."

Bill has a reputation for having very tame pigeons and he explains: "The pigeons are tame. They come all over me, scratch me and make me bleed. I try to shoo them off. The art of keeping pigeons is that they want to be hungry at all times, but not starved.

"If you go over the top with feeding you can't get them in, you can't discipline them. You can't do anything with them if you overfeed.

"They must have enough. If you are going to overfeed, shut them up and don't let them out because you are going to do nothing with them."

Bill says he is at the wrong end of the town for the shorter races but "over the distances it starts to level up a bit."

Before moving into Boston, he was a successful member of Swineshead and District Flying Club, and was delighted that another former member, Gordon Fisher, had enjoyed a fine win from Poitiers with the British International Championship Club.

Bill, who has survived two major heart operations in recent years, was employed in agriculture all his working life, and says he loved it. He still keeps agricultural hours and likes to be about early in the morning to tend to his pigeons.

His outlook on life is reflected by the fact that he volunteered for National Service in his younger days. When many of us would have welcomed the chance to avoid it, Bill spurned the opportunity of deferment which was possible because of his agricultural work because he thought it was unfair if he did not serve while all his friends were being called up.

Bill is full of praise for his friend and mentor Albert Sayers, a top-class flyer with the NRCC.

"I would be nowhere in pigeons without Albert Sayers," he said. "Albert used to say to me the way you are going on you could not fly a kite. He put me on the right lines. He looked at the pigeons I had and said they were lovely pigeons, but I would be better off getting rid of them. So I got some off him and started afresh.

"He is my mentor. If I want to know anything I pick up the 'phone and ask him. He tells me what to do. He is a marvellous man. We have friendly competition between ourselves and Richard Quibell, of Horncastle.

"Most of my pigeons are still Albert's, except those gift birds from Carl, Brian and George."

Bill sent 14 birds to Thurso and got them all back, a contrast to some well-established lofts who are still a big percentage missing.

Of his feeding methods, Bill says: "I feed Bucktons widowhood mix, and Bucktons Diat is brilliant for racing up to 200 miles or so.

"I give them that stuff drom the bees, put it in the water once a week. I treat for canker and cocci. I use chicken pellets for cocci. Laying pellets, feed them once a month. It is a cheap and good way of keeping cocci at bay. I also give multi-vits once a week. I am all for cheap racing, but spend money where I have to."

Convoyer Phil Ringe, again grateful for all the assistance he had with line of flight information, once more had to show all his reknowned patience but, after awful weather over the weekend, he said he was aware early on Monday morning that a liberation would be possible. The next day it was raining again.

Chairman Brian Garnham said it was a hard test for the final old bird race of the season but, again, the quality of the membership had shown through and the Thurso race had been the culmination of another good old bird season.