NORTH WEST GRAND NATIONAL 2014 BLACKPOOL PRESENTATION NIGHT & RACE REVIEW and Photographs
Blackpool weekend Prize Presentation 2014.
The North West Grand National Nation Flying Club held its annual prize presentation and dinner dance at the Ruskin Hotel, date as usual Saturday of the Blackpool Pigeon Weekend when sixty members and guests enjoyed the usual top quality four course meal. Again this was a joint affair with the Bamford Gold Ring Presentation. Guest of honour for the evening was the internationally known Gerry Clements who praised the club for retaining membership numbers as many organisations where struggling due to the fall in participating fanciers. With his warm banter and wit Gerry was a brilliant guest and stayed into the early hours chatting to various members.
Chairing the evening, treasurer Rob Owen, thanked the club sponsors Bamford Corns, Photographer Peter Bennett and NWHU for their continued support and mentioned some well-known guests in attendance, Tony Merrick from Cumbria, Alan and Hilda Hindhaugh from Washington Tyne & Wear, and the top Scottish loft of . Praise was also given to the National performances of some of the members present including R & B Smith and Green & Hilson. Also noted that each of the clubs race winners had timed multiple entries in the top ten when winning the race and just a glance at the result had proved they were worthy winners indeed. Warm thanks where given to the B & I Transport team for making it so easy to organise racing, top people and of course the condition of the birds on arrival home was as usual superb. A special mention was made of George Hilson a big supporter of the club who could not attend due to ill health whose good spirit and enthusiasm was sorely missed. Of course no presentation can take place without mentioning the people running the six marking stations Colin Wood of Workington, President Terry Phifer & Mike McAlinden of Barrow, Jim Sephton of Kendal, Alan Bamford of Preston, George Hilson and George Hilson at Ramsbottom, and Dave Moss and Chairman Jim Frost at Rainhill. To link all these together we have Secretary Niki Waterhouse and second lieutenant hubby John Waterhouse. We are fortunate indeed to call upon fanciers of the caliber. This is the main strength of the club, a lot of very good officials.
In a difficult channel series the club where fortunate to avoid the worse of the weather, and whilst velocities where low, returns into the North West where better than most.
Once again a high proportion of members won pool & prize money and indeed many members, year in year out, pay for the rings and subs out of prize money.
Carentan was the first race flown on the 25th of May, there is always a good turnout for this race with a high percentage of members sending with plenty of pool money. Liberated @ 09:00 in a N.E wind the renowned Burtonwood loft of R & B Smith narrowly came out on top winning 1st West Section 1st Open. Green & Hilson put up another top performance being 2nd Open & 4th Open 1st & 3rd East Section, sandwiched in between for 3rd Open and 4th Section Mr. & Mrs. Corefield sandwiched in between. The East section had a particularly good race with Mr. & Mrs. J. P. Walker having two in the top eight Open. Completing the top ten where Terry Carroll of St Helens and Alan Crook of Hesketh Bank.
Another performance that caught eye in the prevailing conditions of the day was Jim Sephton of Kendal flying 350 miles and winning the North section and 26th open, other Kendal lofts of Barry Blamire and Peter Robinson & Son completed the first three in the section.
Meanwhile in the middle section B, M J Riding timed a well fancied bird to win the section ahead of one of the clubs most prolific winners Peter Heywood of Chipping.
A fortnight later Fougeres was the race-point and another hard but fair race ensued. We try to update the lib line with the leading times for Sunday and where already to post the ‘winners’ when our last clock station forwarded information. Out of the blue came an outstanding performance from the Kendal clock station and this was, after verification, to prove the winner. Don McCartney flying into Bolton-le-Sands, on the North West coast, recorded a velocity of 1195.44 to be 1st Open 1st B Section to prove you can win to this position provided you have the right bird. It was marvelous to see that the first three positions filled by three different section winners, namely Mr. & Mrs. Keith Molyneux of St. Helens and George Hilson & George Hilson of Bury. Indeed Don McCartney had three birds in the top 17 of the race, and brother Maurice also took a good open position flying into Carnforth. As Maurice said to me over the phone, ‘didn’t our lad do well’? Well Maurice, your ‘lad’ did very well. Other top ten positions went to Jimmy Hampson of Southport, Ian Pedder of Garstang, Rob Waterhouse and Son, of Rainhill and Kenny Owen of Warrington. Meanwhile our North section 1st and 2nd K Charnley and Ian Johnson took 19th & 21st Open respectively.
Fourteen day later we were at Messac always a difficult date after a long channel season and yet another sub 1200 velocity. With the increase in distance and a cold uncompromising N.W. wind the birds had to be superbly conditioned and of the right quality.
Cometh the hour cometh the man, in this case two men and it was no surprise to see the club champions George Hilson and George Hilson come out top, and well deserved after finishing 2nd and 3rd in the previous two races. Indeed the East section fanciers showed their true quality and had an excellent race with Jimmy Hinchcliffe, George. Holker & Sons. Paul Hart all in the top eight open. Indeed they all timed several good birds, when some fanciers where struggling to time in. I glanced at Green & Hilsons ETS sheet; it was no surprise to see most of their birds back in good time. How do they do it? Once more the first three positions open where taken by three 1st Section winners. Yes it was that man again Don McCartney of Bolton-le- Sands who caught the eye! Flying 435 miles in ten hours fifty four minutes and with a velocity of 1172 YPM, the same pigeon which won 1st open Fougeres was 2nd open Messac. This champion bird now named ‘The Wizard’ was a first cross between Don’s own family and the Welsh Wizard’s Derek Jones’s of Wrexham family, well done Don. Third open and 1st West Section was Bill Dickinson of Wigan with a well fancied bird, whilst 2nd West section Frost/Owen/Moss, yet again with a good bird from Messac, took 5th Open. Taking 2nd B section and 3rd B section, 9th & 10th Open where two big players in the club Peter Heywood and Jim Kenyon. The north section was won by the prolific Barrow-in-Furnace winning loft of Tony Johnson with his wonderful team of distance De Klacks, closely followed by another loft always there on a hard day, gentleman K. Czaplinski.
The old bird series over it is always in September usually after club young bird racing that the club hold their two young bird races. The race points selected usually are good and members, particularly to the longer sections, look forward to flying for N ring and Gold ring prizes.
The first young bird race was from Bedhampton on the 7th of September. Blessed by good weather and a south east wind the birds made short work it. Flying 244 miles into Garstang, Lancashire, and Ian Pedder enjoyed a great race taking 1st, 2nd & 4th. Yet again Green & Hilson topped the East Section winning 3rd, 5th, 6th open, just holding off Mr. & Mrs. Jefferson of Tottington, who timed a well pooled bird taking plenty of cash. Winning 1st & 3rd in the west section and outstanding pigeons on the day was Steve Stringfellow of Hesketh Bank, Stephen’s birds being in red hot form. 2nd West Section, the well-known loft of R & B Smith. The north section lofts always have a struggle into Cumbria but B. Lloyd of Kirkby-in-Furnace, flying 250 miles timed one of only two entries to take the ring prize closely followed by the ever present Tony Johnson taking 2nd section. Excellent returns with quite a few hundred birds making the result.
As usual the Littlehampton race was a tough affair and with the wind changing to a strong north west in was a fact that only young birds, well-motivated, in top class form and condition, would come to the fore. It was a good introduction to the club for new member young bird specialist Derek Rooney of Warrington. Derek had entered the previous young bird race with plenty of confidence but although he had a good race conditions on the day proved difficult for the shorter flyers. I half expected him not to send the second race but it had not dented his confidence that he had never had young birds better prepared and so well motivated. You can see that with a winning velocity of 1134 ypm, south east based Littlehampton flown into a cold North Westerly was a tough test. However the club fared much better with returns than most organisations on the day. Back to the race and Derek took 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th, 9th, open. a sensational performance on a tough day. I did not think the longer flying fanciers would be in the hunt but no, that man Ian Pedder, who had his young birds in imperious form, was only narrowly touched off, coming 3rd & 6th Open flying 36 miles further. C. Barlow of Lancaster flying 243 miles taking 4th open. Bamford gold race winners Wilson & Iddon continued their good young bird series by taking 5th Open whilst Rob & John Waterhouse who had a cracking campaign throughout took 10th Open taking bragging rights from his mate John Tamman of Liverpool who flew his customary good race taking 11th Open. In the East Section once more, with 1st east section, that makes it first section in all five races, were Green & Hilson, what a fantastic series they have had. They timed a well fancied bird to scoop more money into their already overflowing prize & pool pot. It was a war of attrition into the north-west but after 7 hrs. and 29 minutes the ever present Tony Johnson took top spot followed by A & A Chorley of Kendal and yet again B. Lloyd timing a well fancied bird for 3rd spot.
Highest prize winners, annexing all open average trophies available, were once more George Hilson & George Hilson. This Bury loft is one of the most powerful in the country and one of the few to have the fire power to win all along the line. Club, semi national, national is no different to them. They expect their birds to compete and do they compete. Runner-up highest pools & prizes was the Merseyside loft of Rob Waterhouse & Son, a well-deserved performance. This loft win’s all along the line, especially when it gets a bit tough. Third highest prize & pool winners the nationally known loft of R & B Smith. Their birds perform at all levels and all distances. It was good to see North Lancashire lofts well represented, and Ian Pedder of Garstang, Peter Heywood of Chipping, and Don McCartney of Bolton-le-Sands where 4th , 5th & 6th in the list respectively. Of course they are all top class flyers and frequent visitors to the prize table. M/M Keith Molyneux of St. Helens, Derek Rooney of Warrington, and Southport area lofts Jimmy Hampson, Stephen Stringfellow and Alan Crook completed the top table. It was good to see Cumbrian lofts of Tony Johnson, Brian Lloyd, Palmer & Shields and D & W Butterworth so high up on the money list. Perhaps it is because the club ensure the bulk of prize monies go back into the section that generates it, thereby fanciers have a good chance of fair financial returns. In fact there were 55 members on the prize money, lower than previous years, but still club is proud of its record of keeping costs low and pay out high.
The club's web site was well received. The club's result package was continually being refined to give a complete financial and race breakdown and ensure the members & secretary can receive the information they require at the touch of a button. In 2014 all races would be again transported by Diane Bonney and Keith Iddon, the channel programme starting at Caranten on the 31th May, Fougeres on the 14th of June and Messac on the 28th of June. The young bird race-points and dates have yet to be decided but are likely to be Bedhampton and Littlehampton.