Mark Bulled with daughters Abbie & Charlotte
Mark Bulled of Harlow timed a three year old on 1456ypm to take first open and first section J. This widowhood cock is named Rocky and is bred from Mark's Red Bull family. It has previously scored second open with the National Flying Club from Messac and first east section British International Championship club from Alençon. Of the five channel races Rocky has had this season, it has won the club in four of them and on the fifth occasion was beaten by a loftmate. The sire of this cock was also a good winner and Mark is now considering retiring Rocky to the stock loft. Mark sent thirteen cocks and had them all home within an hour.
Dennis Smith
Second open and first section D was a yearling hen clocked by D J Smith of Bethnal Green on 1436ypm. This is only Dennis' second year racing on the south road, as prior to this he raced north with the London North Road Combine. His hen was sent sitting a small squeaker and was extensively trained in the week leading up to basketing. This pigeon contains some of the best long distance bloodlines of Jimmy Shepherd and Paul Kendall. Dennis timed a second pigeon, to take second section D and third open with a cock that is a grandson of his north road Stonehaven winner when paired to a pigeon from Henderson of East London.
Gosling & Jarvis
Gosling and Jarvis of Mountnessing timed a three year old hen on 1404ypm to take fourth open and second section J. Keith and Mick clocked Ria, one of their best racing hens, the parents of which were both bred by Wall, Lunt and Green from Manchester. The sire is a Koopman from Astrix and Trinity whilst the dam is a Janssen from Blauwe Van Rocket and Blauwe Henrietta. Ria was raced on widowhood and exercised twice a day for one hour before being shut into a conventional widowhood box. This was an excellent weekend of racing from the partnership as they also timed second open from Barcelona with the British Barcelona Club and sixth open Barcelona with the British International Championship Club.
Mark & Karen Gilbert
Mark Gilbert of Windsor was fifth open and third section D with a three year old on 1402ypm. Mark clocked a second bird to take fifth section D and eighth open. This was a yearling on 1399ypm. Mark's two timers were brothers, the sire of which was a son of Dutch Master from Syndicate Lofts. The dam of these two timers was from M & D Evans' Golden Gaby. Mark clocked thirteen birds in six minutes from Fougeres.
Erik Neilson
Wearn Brothers and Neilson of Ramsdean clocked a yearling cock to take sixth open and first section A on 1401ypm. Jimmy & Erik's section winner was bred from John Gerard x Van Reet bloodlines. Second in the clock was a yearling De Klak hen and third was another yearling, this one bred down from Geoff Cooper x Brian Denney bloodlines. These three pigeons look set to take the first three in the section for Jimmy and Erik.
Peter Wells & two graddaughters plus a friend
P J Wells of Dunstable was fourth section D and seventh open with a blue yearling hen, flown on the widowhood system, on 1400ypm. Peter's hen contains Janssen bloodlines obtained from his good friend Simon Schofield of Leeds.
Alex & Tony Mackensie
Ninth open and third section J was a three year old clocked by A Mackensie of Chelmsford on 1397ypm. This was a Janssen x Busschaert cock flown on the widowhood system. It has previously scored from Le Mans with the British International Championship Club coming sixtieth open two years ago and seventh section, seventh open last year. Alex had excellent returns with twelve in forty five minutes and only two out of twenty missing at nightfall.
Mick Carrick
Mr and Mrs Carrick and Son of Chesham took tenth open and fifth section D with a yearling cock of Herbots Brothers bloodlines on 1394ypm. This cock was purchased from Brian Gill in Wales who had donated him to an internet charity auction. A full brother to two Welsh national winners, he went for the bargain price of £50.
Around the sections
The winning hen in section B
Mr and Mrs Mark Gower from Fordingbridge took the first three positions in section B with their first timed on 1226ypm. The section winner is a Vandenabeele hen flown on the roundabout system and bred from M & D Evans' stock. The four grandparents to this cock are Legend, Lady Bond, True Blue and Carla. Previously this season this hen had been to Messac with the National Flying Club but took eleven hours on the wing before reaching home. For Fougères, Mark gave her a new mate the day before basketing and this seems to have done the trick.
Mark Brown with Mia & Ben Brown
Section C was won by M & C Brown from Hungerford and was a yearling on 1287ypm. This husband and wife partnership timed Cassie, a blue Vandenabeele x De Rauw Sablon hen. The sire of this hen is a Vandenabeele cock from the race team and the dam was bred by the partners' good friend Steve Bennett of Bristol. Previously this season she has been to Carentan twice and then Messac. Second and third section were taken by Ernie Smith and Darren Baker from Swindon. Ernie and Darren clocked a two year old, Koopman cock as their first bird home.
Brian & Sue Stone
Section E was won by Brian and Sue Stone from Belper with a yearling hen on 1308ypm. This hen was a consistent racer as a young bird winning sixty-second open in the Midlands National Flying Club race from Wincanton. The sire is a son of Replay, a top Peter Van Der Merwe' stock bird and the dam is from Peter Van Der Merwe's Tournier lines. This hen is one of a batch bred for Brian and Sue by Anslow Farrar. Mr and Mrs Beckett and Sons from Dunston were second section. The Beckett's timed Charlie's Girl, a natural hen sent sitting a a five day old squeaker. M Hughes from Market Rasen took third.
Ken Abbott
The winner in section G was K J Abbot of Brighton with a two year old cock on 1390ypm. Ken timed a Reynaert cock, the sire of which came from Premier Stud. The dam was from a Reynaert from Ian Crammond when paired to a Robert Venus Supercrack from Bob Short. Raced on the widowhood system, this season this cock has flown Falaise, Carentan, Alençon, Cholet, and Fougères and was the first bird home on three out of five occasions. Crammond and Langstaff from Fontwell took the next three places in the section. Ian and Nigel's first in the clock contained Syndicate Lofts bloodlines being bred from a son of Outlaw when paired to a duaghter of Dutch Master. Their second pigeon was a Verreckt Arien bred by Ian Stafford.
Glen Moon
Glen Moon from St Helier on Jersey was first section H with a two year old on 785ypm. Glen timed True Grit, the same pigeon that topped the section for him from Niort. True Grit has won the two longest club races this season from La Roche - Yon and Jarnac. P Davies and W Healy, both on Jersey, took second and third section respectively.
That concludes the report of the British Barcelona Club race from Fougères.