"The Cobbler"
Northamptonshire
Ramblings
November 2010
Ramblings
November 2010
"The Cobbler"
Any views on Pigeon Racing in Northamptonshire to
Tel: 01933 410322 or
Email: russellbradford@talktalk.net
Copyright, all rights reserved, Russell Bradford 2010
Ramblers Itinerary Racing Pigeon Post RPP Index to Articles
Any views on Pigeon Racing in Northamptonshire to
Tel: 01933 410322 or
Email: russellbradford@talktalk.net
Copyright, all rights reserved, Russell Bradford 2010
Ramblers Itinerary Racing Pigeon Post RPP Index to Articles
I wrote in the last article that ‘not a lot changes’, and just to prove me wrong the significant news of the moment, is that Desborough club, in the north of the county has made a decision to change direction from north to south for 2011. The decision was I am told, more or less unanimous and I’m sure all the existing fanciers who race the south road, will wish the Desborough members the best of luck for next year, with the prospect of hopefully seeing some new Northamptonshire fanciers in the National results before too long. As always the rumour machine has been working overtime in the last few weeks about the situation with those who want to continue to race from the north, and clearly the Desborough decision will not prove helpful to the cause of the North Rd Fed. Mindful never to believe rumours that are always circulating, I spoke with Barry Andrews the North Rd Fed President, and he was absolutely emphatic that the Fed would not be turning south. However somewhere into the financial premise, sits the law of diminishing return, which in simple terms means (as with every club or organisation) if the membership decreases, then with fewer members to share the costs, proportionally the cost to each individual must undoubtedly rise.
NCC Prize Presentation
The Championship club held its prize presentation at the Ringstead Social Club in early October, with the Guest of Honour, Mr Dudley Holmes - East Midlands Regional Secretary, kindly agreeing to hand out the various diplomas; cups and of course those eagerly awaited cheques.
NCC Prize Presentation
The Championship club held its prize presentation at the Ringstead Social Club in early October, with the Guest of Honour, Mr Dudley Holmes - East Midlands Regional Secretary, kindly agreeing to hand out the various diplomas; cups and of course those eagerly awaited cheques.
Dudley & Sue Holmes
Other guests of the NCC included Neil & Eileen from Grahams Pet Foods, together with Gary & Wendy Loveridge, the club’s convoyer. Members enjoyed a cold carved buffet of Baked Ham; Scotch Salmon & Roast Turkey with Trifle to follow and everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the food judging from the queue for ‘seconds’. Mel Errington the club’s President introduced Dudley in his opening remarks, but in his preamble mentioned that in just the three years the club had been in existence, and in a club of just seventeen members, there were no less than six National section winners in the club, which clearly made for a hard club to win. Dudley followed on and agreed that he certainly looked for NCC member’s times and names in the Nationals, none less so than Andy Smith. Dudley presented the awards with a comment for each person up, which I tried to catch as follows:
Graham Caple - They do say that races can’t be won over on the Northampton side of the county; and yet in the hardest race of the year with the lowest velocities, Graham clocked the first bird on the second day to take 3rd, club from Saran, and a cheque for £43.00.
Rob Jarratt - I’m told that Rob is a young man on the move, with a 5th, at the notorious Saran plus an 8th, at Falaise and a cheque for £9.00
Jan Czarnota - The club is extremely fortunate to have such a generous benefactor as Jan, who has sponsored two competitions ~ Inland & Channel ~ and helped out financially with amongst other things providing the curtains for the Trailer. Jan collects prize cards for 4th; 6th, & 8th, at Saran plus a 9th, at Poitiers.
Mel Errington - Mel has put an enormous amount of work into ‘behind-the-scenes’ work on the club’s trailer and as the club’s President is as keen as anyone here to see the club succeed. Mel had a very creditable 4th, at Poitiers and a cheque for £30.00.
Rodney Oakes - The ‘Ever-Present’ Rodney of Rock & Roll fame, who devastated the inland racing program, winning the Inland Championship by a country mile, together with the £100 sponsored by Jan Czarnota. Ignoring all the inland wins Rodney also took 7th, at Falaise and 8th, & 10th, at the distance ~ Poitiers; plus a cheque for £183.00.
Graham Groom - Graham is another member to have put the NCC “on-the-map” with a section win in the MNFC, but far more importantly took a 2nd place in the Poitiers race, and collects a cheque for £65.00.
Albert Farrow - Albert’s crowning glory this year, apart from 3rd at Falaise and 4th & 6th at Alencon, was an impressive 1st; 2nd, & 3rd, in the Gold Ring race from Kingsdown, and picking up all the available gold ring money. Albert is the second highest prize winner in money terms ~ Cheque for £407.
Barry & Troy Hobbs - Barry & Troy have put Northamptonshire; not just the NCC, on the map this year with a quite fantastic performance in the British Barcelona Club race from Bordeaux ~ claiming a 2nd OPEN National, and obviously took 1st club into the bargain. They also had a 2nd, at Alencon and a 9th, in the Saran event. They share runner-up spot in the Averages and collect a cheque for £263.00.
Russell & Clare Bradford - Russell & Clare have had a real go at the distance this year with a 4th Open BICC at Poitiers 1st club, and 21st, & 22nd Open BBC at Bordeaux 2nd & 3rd club, after Messrs Hobbs, and share in the Runners-Up with a cheque for just 30P short of £300.00.
Andy Smith - Andy is clearly the man-to-beat in Northamptonshire - not just the NCC. He “cleaned-up” in 2008, and he’s done it again this year with a 1st & 2nd at Falaise; 1st & 3rd at Alencon; 1st & 2nd at the disastrous Saran race, plus of course the Averages Trophy ~ which is the Trophy he kindly gave to the club in Memoriam of his Late Mother. He also won the Channel Champion pigeon competition and the £150 very generously put-up by Jan Czarnota and pockets a cheque for £1,061.
Graham Caple - They do say that races can’t be won over on the Northampton side of the county; and yet in the hardest race of the year with the lowest velocities, Graham clocked the first bird on the second day to take 3rd, club from Saran, and a cheque for £43.00.
Rob Jarratt - I’m told that Rob is a young man on the move, with a 5th, at the notorious Saran plus an 8th, at Falaise and a cheque for £9.00
Jan Czarnota - The club is extremely fortunate to have such a generous benefactor as Jan, who has sponsored two competitions ~ Inland & Channel ~ and helped out financially with amongst other things providing the curtains for the Trailer. Jan collects prize cards for 4th; 6th, & 8th, at Saran plus a 9th, at Poitiers.
Mel Errington - Mel has put an enormous amount of work into ‘behind-the-scenes’ work on the club’s trailer and as the club’s President is as keen as anyone here to see the club succeed. Mel had a very creditable 4th, at Poitiers and a cheque for £30.00.
Rodney Oakes - The ‘Ever-Present’ Rodney of Rock & Roll fame, who devastated the inland racing program, winning the Inland Championship by a country mile, together with the £100 sponsored by Jan Czarnota. Ignoring all the inland wins Rodney also took 7th, at Falaise and 8th, & 10th, at the distance ~ Poitiers; plus a cheque for £183.00.
Graham Groom - Graham is another member to have put the NCC “on-the-map” with a section win in the MNFC, but far more importantly took a 2nd place in the Poitiers race, and collects a cheque for £65.00.
Albert Farrow - Albert’s crowning glory this year, apart from 3rd at Falaise and 4th & 6th at Alencon, was an impressive 1st; 2nd, & 3rd, in the Gold Ring race from Kingsdown, and picking up all the available gold ring money. Albert is the second highest prize winner in money terms ~ Cheque for £407.
Barry & Troy Hobbs - Barry & Troy have put Northamptonshire; not just the NCC, on the map this year with a quite fantastic performance in the British Barcelona Club race from Bordeaux ~ claiming a 2nd OPEN National, and obviously took 1st club into the bargain. They also had a 2nd, at Alencon and a 9th, in the Saran event. They share runner-up spot in the Averages and collect a cheque for £263.00.
Russell & Clare Bradford - Russell & Clare have had a real go at the distance this year with a 4th Open BICC at Poitiers 1st club, and 21st, & 22nd Open BBC at Bordeaux 2nd & 3rd club, after Messrs Hobbs, and share in the Runners-Up with a cheque for just 30P short of £300.00.
Andy Smith - Andy is clearly the man-to-beat in Northamptonshire - not just the NCC. He “cleaned-up” in 2008, and he’s done it again this year with a 1st & 2nd at Falaise; 1st & 3rd at Alencon; 1st & 2nd at the disastrous Saran race, plus of course the Averages Trophy ~ which is the Trophy he kindly gave to the club in Memoriam of his Late Mother. He also won the Channel Champion pigeon competition and the £150 very generously put-up by Jan Czarnota and pockets a cheque for £1,061.
Left-Right - Rodney Oakes; Andy Smith; Jan Czarnota; Russell Bradford; Graham Groom; Albert Farrow; Troy Hobbs; Mel Errington
Before moving on to the Raffles, Neil from Grahams Pet Foods stood to thank the club’s members for their continuing support in buying their corn from the company. He went on to advise that Grahams Pet Foods were shortly going to launch an ‘On-Line’ shop via their own web site, so perhaps they will have to add a world-wide-web address to the advert on the rear of the club’s trailer? With vouchers for £50.00 & £25.00 to be spent at Grahams Pet Foods, plus amongst many other terrific prizes a microwave and around a dozen bottles of alcohol it was decided to run two raffles and this proved sufficiently lucrative to fund the entire evening.
Sections in the National Clubs
The decision of the BICC to yet again alter the north section threshold from 600 to 650 miles has received a poor reaction in Northamptonshire from the feedback received, which is hardly surprising as this is the fourth section change for most members within a three year period (or four by next year). For members who live just a few miles apart and are in the same local club to find themselves in different sections is never likely to go down well. That said of course, wherever the section line is drawn there will always be winners and losers and in many ways any committee is in a no-win situation if it tampers with existing sections. That the section in the north needed altering warrants very little discussion, but why the original map (which is printed below) was not adopted when a north section was brought in some three years ago, defies logic. For fanciers in Wales to be racing in the same section as fanciers in Essex, when to the south of that line there are three sections (East; Central & West) is plainly wrong, but creating a section that now runs from the coast to approximately as far north as Leicester or Kings Lynn, makes for a central section that is well over 125 miles from the coast to the northern threshold.
Sections in the National Clubs
The decision of the BICC to yet again alter the north section threshold from 600 to 650 miles has received a poor reaction in Northamptonshire from the feedback received, which is hardly surprising as this is the fourth section change for most members within a three year period (or four by next year). For members who live just a few miles apart and are in the same local club to find themselves in different sections is never likely to go down well. That said of course, wherever the section line is drawn there will always be winners and losers and in many ways any committee is in a no-win situation if it tampers with existing sections. That the section in the north needed altering warrants very little discussion, but why the original map (which is printed below) was not adopted when a north section was brought in some three years ago, defies logic. For fanciers in Wales to be racing in the same section as fanciers in Essex, when to the south of that line there are three sections (East; Central & West) is plainly wrong, but creating a section that now runs from the coast to approximately as far north as Leicester or Kings Lynn, makes for a central section that is well over 125 miles from the coast to the northern threshold.
Interestingly I know a proposition has already been submitted to the BICC secretary; that must of course be circulated to all members prior to their AGM, outlining the abolition of the existing sections and the creation of new sections based entirely on RPRA Regions. This was tried successfully in the Narbonne Open race in 2009 without any quibbles, and makes for absolutely clear sections, without the (seemingly) constant need to keep tampering with section boundaries and artificial lines on a map. We will see how the BICC membership votes on this one.