WELSH SOUTH ROAD NATIONAL FLYING CLUB SAINTES 2015 REPORT By Gareth Watkins were racing alongside a large contingent of English pigeons which were racing to all parts of southern, central and northern England and with the westerly influence in the wind, the small Welsh contingent would in all probability be dragged off their true line home. Ian Bromley, 1 st Saintes WSRNFC 2015. The 450 Birds of the WSRNFC were liberated at Saintes at 6.30 am along with 3,726 birds of the National Flying Club. The first half of the 420+ mile course saw a light north, north west wind on the pigeons beaks helping to cool them down in the heat of south west France. This wind changed to a more accommodating south westerly in North West France turning west, south west in the Channel before taking another turn to westerly as the pigeons neared home. I calculated that the birds would complete the first 200 miles of the race in around five hours and the second 220 miles in just under five hours. Due to the fact that they Wind map of France on race day. This gave an ETA of around 9¾ to 10 hours for the leading birds.
the old bird campaign and this was only his third Channel crossing of the season. Weather map of France. As it happened the winner of the Welsh SRNFC race was clocked by the Pontypool partnership of Ian and Tracy Bromley at 16.23 pm to record 1266 ypm. Stock loft and aviary plus corn store of Mr & Mrs Bromley His sire is an M & D Evans Vandenabeele bred by Chris Vasey of Portsmouth and purchased by the Bromleys at a Europe Lofts auction. The dam is a Scammell & Peploe Staf Van Reet and this pair has now bred six 1st Fed winners plus a Saintes National winner, plus the partners 2011 Lillers young bird National winner. The hens section at the Bromleys loft. The National winner is a two year old roundabout cock which won 1st Fed as a young bird plus many other Fed turns in the past two years. He was raced on the roundabout system in the early races, having not sat a nest of eggs at the start of the season. However, the birds were mated specifically for the Saintes National and he was sent sitting his first nest of eggs of 2015. The winner has been lightly raced during The cocks section at the Bromleys loft. Ian was telling me that the cock flew around, clapping his wings for two and a half to three minutes before he decided to call it a day and enter the loft. His condition on return was excellent and is a fitting testimony to the care and attention on the part of the NFC convoyers who transported the Welsh birds to Saintes.
Well done the Bromleys on another National win- you ll be catching up with Ron and Paul soon! Mark Sparey of Abertillery is enjoying another good season in National racing with the BICC and Welsh SRNFC and in the Saintes race he clocked one of his widowhood team on 1247 ypm to take 2nd East section 2nd Open behind the Bromleys timer. Mark Sparey 2nd WSRNFC Saintes 2015. Mark clocked a three year old widowhood cock which has had every Channel race with the NFC this year. The sire was one of the original Deweerdts obtained from Mark Gilbert and the dam is a winner of 4th National Brussels and 13th National Bonn during her racing career. She in turn is also the dam of Rhiw Parc Tomos Mark s double GGDC Agen winner and multiple prize winner in National races. R Nicholls, Son & Grandson come in next at 3rd East section 3rd Open vel 1212 ypm. The partners clocked a two year old black pied hen sent feeding a big youngster and sitting six day eggs. She was 9th Welsh NRNFC Messac a couple of weeks earlier. Sire is the Nicholls top racer Jack Flash a Busschaert which was placed five times in the top twenty Open prizes in National races. The dam is a Westcott x Hansenne hen from Ray Reekes. Paul, Ray and Craig Nicholls, 3rd Open Saintes. The rest of the top ten Open positions are:- 4th Open Scammell & Peploe vel 1190 ypm. This is the same cock that was 2nd Open National two weeks previous from Nort sur Edre [came with National winner] and he has the following NATIONAL positions to his credit in 2015 alone:- 4th National Saintes; 2nd National Nort-sur- Erdre; 3rd National Messac (the week before Nort-sur-Erdre); 4th National Falaise; 21st National Fougeres; 29th National Carentan and 31st west section BICC Falaise. Not bad for a lifetime let alone a six week period in one season. Yet another champion racer for the Scammell & Peploe loft. 5th Open Spencer Jones vel 1189 with the same widowhood cock that was 6th National Fougeres earlier in the season. 6th Open and 1st Centre East section Williams Brothers, son & Burgham vel 1176. The partners had 2 widowhood cocks drop together after 10 hrs 48 mins. The first over the pad was a 2 yr old Cheq Pied Cock who was 12th Open Welsh National Carentan earlier in the season, his Sire is a g.son of Burgham Bros 'National Man' and his dam is a G.dtr of Mark Gilbert's 'Southfield Supreme'. The second over the pad was a 2yr old Cheq W/F Cock called 'Little Sprut', his sire was bred by Mark Sparey and is a half-brother to his 1st Open WSRNFC Bergerac winner, his dam was bred by Mark
Gilbert and is from a full sister to Rutz & Sons 1st National Barcelona when paired to a direct son of 'TUFF NUT'. Williams Brothers, son & Burgham, 1st & 2nd CE section Saintes. Third pigeon is also a full brother to the second pigeon. It proved to be a tidy race as they had 9 from 9 sent clocking at: 5.18, 5.18, 5.19, 5.32, 5.36, 5.43, 5.51, 6.35 and 6.39. The partners have asked me to pass on their congratulations to Mr & Mrs Bromley on their outstanding win. 7th Open Treharne & son vel 1175. The Treharnes had two together and these look to be 3rd & 4th section. These were both yearlings and the first cock was 2nd section in Nort sur Edre and is a Rutz pigeon being a grandson of Rocco. Second bird is bred from a son of Topstar and a daughter of Etterbak of Vrosch Meijers. 8th Open John Gunter vel 1172.9 9th Open Preece Brothers & sons vel 1172.8 10th Open L Thomas & son, Newport vel 1164. I have no further details of the above three pigeons. Moving around the sections now and the top three in the East section have already been covered in the Open result. Centre East section 1st & 2nd section the Williams and Burgham combo followed by Gareth and Stuart Treharne in third and fourth. Centre West section 1st velocity 1118 ypm Johnny Gauvain with a yearling cock which has had every channel race this season with the WSRNFC. This one was 2nd section 11th Open Carentan as a young bird and is a direct son of John s Pau National winner when mated to a Freddy Edwards cock of Kannibal lines. John Gauvain of Maerdy 1st CW section Saintes. Bryn Holmes of Aberdare takes 2nd section vel 1095 ypm. Bryn clocked a three year old hen of Kipp x Deweerdt bloodlines. The Deweerdts emanate from Guy Reed and contain Emiel lines. She was sent sitting 7 day eggs after being raced as a widowhood hen earlier in the season. Tony and Anthony Southwood third section on 992 ypm. This one is a three year old widowhood cock whose sire was gifted to the Southwoods by R H Webb & son and is a Van Loon. The dam was purchased from Adrian Ware and is a Staf Van Reet having topped the Fed for Adrian before his retirement from the sport
West Section 1st Mr & Mrs Campbell vel 1087. Despite phoning the partners on a number of occasions I was unable to get any information on their section winner. 2nd A & I McFenton, vel 1072. Andrew clocked a three year old round about cock bred down from Janssen bloodlines of Sheldon Leonard. 3rd Charlie Bradshaw Junior vel 968. If details are sparse or even non-existent on some of the pigeons featured in the result, the owners know why. If you want your pigeons performances highlighted then all you have to do is contact me on the day after the race is flown. As the meerkat says It s seemple. Next race Bergerac on July 17th convoyed by the Central Southern Classic Flying Club. Satellite image of France on Saintes race day.