Robery Harris & son, Alfie (photo courtesy of Chris Sutton)
First open and first east section was won by Robert Harris from Ramsgate with a three year old on 847mpm over 608 miles. The winning pigeon for Robbie is a hen, anmed Robbie's Madam raced on the natural system at time of basketting. This hen was unraced as a baby because she was lost off the loft one Saturday morning when he let the youngsters out forgetting that the Scottish National had been liberated from Ypres a little time before. She was reported in Edinburgh later that same evening to his surprise, bearing in mind the fact that he hadn't trained his youngsters yet. The chap that had her in wanted to keep her so Robbie said he could. The Scottish fancier then gave her two training tosses after which she returned to him, but when she was let out next time she set off back for Ramsgate and has stayed there every since. The breeding contains the bloodlines of the Gebroeder Bruggeman and their famous pigeon Orhan, and the bloodlines of Piet Lazeroom and other long distance pigeons from North Holland. Robbie's Madam also flew the Pau internationals in 2013 & 2014.
Robbie's Madam (photo courtesy of Chris Sutton)
Eddie Philpott
E Philpott of Great Yarmouth was second open and first north-east section with a four year old cock on 793mpm over 691 miles. The breeding of this bird is made up of 50% Tom McEwen (Petite Rose), 25% Van de Poel, 25% Barber & Wilkinson. All of the above lines were given to Eddie by John Barber, for which he is very grateful. Without his help, training and taking his birds, Eddie would not be able to race. Flown on the widowhood system, preparation in 2015 has been three inland races with the Norfolk and Suffolk CC, winning second club Littlehampton, followed by BICC Tours. Then into Cannapaville with the Norfolk and Suffolk CC and Agen BICC International where he arrived at 10am on the third day.
Lucien Gherghina
Lucian Gherghina from Harrow timed a yearling on 785mpm over 639 miles to take first centre section and third open. This gutsy little hen was actually found in the sputnik trap as Lucian wasn’t present when she arrived. She is bred down from gift pigeons obtained from a Liverpool fancier who has since sadly passed away. The hen was sent feeding a small baby and her last race was the BICC Agen international in late June.
Jack Harris' two timers
The Dagenham loft of J Harris and Daughter took second east section and fourth open with a six year old hen on 752mpm over 632 miles. The partners timed a second pigeon, a five year old cock on 712mpm to take seventh east section and ninth open. Jack sent five pigeons, three going to Perpignan for the third time. All three have been in the result the last two years. His first two pigeons were two of that three, they were his first two pigeons in the last two years. First on the clock was twelfth open in 2013 and eighteenth open in 2014 and now fourth from Perpignan in 2015. This hen is a half-sister to second open Perpignan, sixty-eighth open Tarbes and eighty-first open Bergerac. On the dam’s side she is of the J Biss, Southwell, Keynon bloodlines and her sire was bred by Jos Siebum of Holland. Jack's second pigeon, a five year old cock, has won sixty-sixth open Bordeaux, twenty-eighth and seventy-first open BICC and one thousand, nine hundred and eighty-seventh open from Agen international. The sire of this cock is the grandson of three Spanish Diploma winners bought from the British Barcelona Club stud. The dam was bought from Jimmy Shepherd. She in turn was sixty-fifth open Bergerac, eighteenth open Perpignan, the dam of pigeons to score from the long races and also the grand-dam of Jack's first pigeon this year. The first two pigeons had three channel races, the last one being Poitiers on 13th June where they had about ten hours on wing.
Neil Jones & Granddaughter, Remi
Neil Jones of Sandwich in Kent comes in next at third east section, fifth open with a two year old chequer cock racing home to a large squeaker to record 746mpm. This one has a lot of John Puddephatt bloodlines in his make up and this season he’s had a few Arras [80mile] trainers across the channel with the Wingham club, followed by BICC Poitiers in the run up to Perpignan.
Geoff & Clayton Preece
Next up we have the Perpignan specialists, Geoff and Clayton Preece of Dover who clocked six pigeons to finish at sixth, eighth, thirteenth, twenty-fifth, thirty-ninth and fifty-second open, fourth, sixth and tenth east section etc. First on the clock was Wiggins, a chequer widowhood cock, fifty percent line bred to Woodall's Dragon Boy and fifty percent Stoffell of Hermes x Marseille Star Bloodlines. Eighth open was a blue widowhood cock of Stoffell 270 x Hermes Blodlines with previous prizes including, Perpignan 2011 - sixth national, first national yearling, Perpignan 2012 - eighteenth national, Barcelona 2013 - twenty-fourth national, St Vincent 2014 - sixty-seventh national, Pau 2015 - eighth national and St Vincent 2015 - eighth national.
Alan Turner
Alan 'Wally' Turner is always there or thereabouts in the long hard international races with the BICC and in 2015 he is enjoying one of his best years at international level. In the Perpignan race Alan clocked a six year old cock to record 735mpm for fifth east section and seventh open. This cock is bred from birds bought from John Searle of Gt Abington and which are of Krouwel Pollman bloodlines from Holland. This has been a very consistent pigeon for Alan. Its wins in 2015 include, fifth section, seventh open Perpignan, also flying Pau this year homing two days late. In 2014 it was fifty-first open, thirty-third east section from St Vincent, twenty-second open, eighteenth east section from Perpignan and sixty-sixth open, twenty-ninth east section from Pau.
John Halstead
Completing the top ten and in first west section is John Halstead from Kington Magna with a four year old cock on 710mpm over 632 miles. This is John’s second section win in consecutive races with the BICC following his success at Le Mans . For Perpignan John brought out a single entrant, his 2014 section winner which last year finished twenty-first open. This dark chequer pigeon made a very similar speed to last year to win the west section again. Only four weeks earlier this cock, named Nyland Platinum, flew Barcelona winning fifth section, twenty-eighth open. He has always been a stayer and gained his name Platinum by winning the platinum ring race run in conjunction with the High Littleton Tours young bird race when he flew nine and a half hours as a young bird to scoop the £1,400 prize. He is of the Biss x Southwell family with his sire being Big Bucks, a top breeding son of Nyland Ashley, who was second open BICC Barcelona in 2008.
Around the sections
Second centre section and twenty-eighth open went to Adi Zepciuc from Edgware and was clocked on 564mpm over 640 miles. Adi timed a hen of Vanbruaene bloodlines.
Daniel Dumitriu from Harrow was third centre section and thirty-third open with a three year old on 450mpm over 640 miles.
Second west section and twenty-fourth open was a five year old on 591mpm over 646 miles for P Holley from Frome. The Holley timer is a hen sent sitting ten day eggs. She is a real trier this one as she was thirty-fourth open BICC Barcelona at the beginning of July. Bloodlines are a mixture of Wim Muller, Desmet Matthys and Raymond Moleveld. Her other preparatory races in the early part of the season were from Fougères and Messac, then Barcelona and rested for a month before basketing for Perpignan
Paul Stevens with Joll Rogers, Neil Sales & Clive Rogers
Paul Stevens and Son from Hallatrow were third west section and thirty-sixth open with a five year old on 438mpm over 655 miles. The partners timed their blue cock named Y’Olde Warrior. Paul was very pleased to get the cock on his first attempt at Perpignan. Y’Olde Warrior is bred from stock obtained from Alwyn Hill and based on Luc Van Coppenalle x Leo Pronk and Etienne De Vos bloodlines. Prior to this race it had flown the BICC programme including Pau international. Paul sent three birds to Perpignan and two are back home at Sunnyside Lofts.
Second north-east section and forty-ninth open went to Nicolae Babes from Ely with a five year old on 325mpm over 685 miles.
That concludes the report on the British International Championship Club race from Perpignan, in conjunction with the international.