Corey & Roger Owers
First open and first section B was timed by Corey and Roger Owers from Crewkerne and was a three year old on 675ypm. Corey and Roger timed a second bird on 603ypm to take second section B and second open. This one was a seven year old. These were the only two birds timed on the day from Palamos. First on the clock was Corey Boy, followed by its dam, Gillie. Roger became interested in pigeons as a teenager and has raced to various locations around the south of the United Kingdom. Starting with the sprint races, he then moved on to the longer distances with Tony Hustler, Fear Brothers and Cannon bloodlines being housed in his loft. On moving to his current address, Roger answered an advert from Jan and Albi Deacon asking for donations for young birds in aid of Cancer Research and he ended up with an excellent Southwell hen from this investment.
Mark, Abbie & Charlotte
Mark Bulled of Harlow was first section J and third open with a seven year old on 482ypm. Mark timed a widowhood cock from his old distance family responsible for first National Flying Club Tarbes, firstLondon and South East Classic Club Tarbes, five x first London North Road Combine Lerwick, first London North Road club Thurso, etc. The Old Slate has been a good performer over the years – its best performances include tenth BICC Marseille and seventeeth LSECC Tarbes. He scored on the day at Bergerac as a yearling and has scored every season since. When Mark heard the BBC was going to Palamos he was the ideal candidate. He was prepared this year with a couple of inland races and then Falaise, 198 miles and Fougeres, 242 miles.
Tony Cotterell, Ollie & Martyn Richmond
Third section B and fourth open was as seven year old on 453ypm timed by Cottrell, Richmond and Son from Wimborne. The partners timed a blue chequer hen, Solstice Surprise. She was bred by Nigel Rigiani from his birds crossed with some of the partners' own bloodlines. She has flown in many races including Bordeaux, Pau, Bergerac etc. Solstice Surprise is a very consistent pigeon for the partners. The sire, GB 06 N 60918, is from Mr Alicante, a son of Comanchi, the Spanish Diploma and Golden Salver award winner (Willy Clerebaut/Ken Hine) This was paired to Lady Jane, six times Palamos and Barcelona. The dam is from a son of Northern Lights, GB 00 X 54597, second club Cholet, Nantes NFC, third Cholet, fourth Bergerac then Bordeaux with the BBC. Further British International Championship Club, eighteenth open,7,224 birds, Pau international, being the only bird on the day at 525 miles.
Walter Castledine
W Castledine of Farnham was first section A and fifth open with a six year old on 436ypm. Waler timed Hurlands Castle which in preparation for Palamos, had three build up races from Falaise BICC, Messac BBC and then Tours with the BICC. He was then left sitting 12-15 day old eggs until this race. Hurlands Castle was bred by Pat O Sullivan from Enfield out of a son of Limerick Lady when paired to Walter's Vander Espt hen which was bred by Nigel Llewellyn out of his old number 1 cock when paired to his dam. Over the past few years he scored from Tarbes 3 times NFC, Bordeaux 60th open BBC plus others. After his huge effort today, at six years old, Walter has decided to give him a happy retirement.
Bill Stribling
Bill Stribling of Weston Super Mare timed a three year old on 387ypm to take first section C and sixth open. This bird was bred by Bill from Venner lines obtained from Dave Vowles of Street, Somerset. The main stay of Bill's loft now are the Venners from Dave and the Van Newtons from his nearest pigeon neighbour Phil Newton. This bird won for Bill last year being seventy-seventh open Carentan British Barcelona Club and fourteenth section, seventieth open Cholet with the National Flying Club. In preparation for this race, it was sent to Palamos sitting twelve day eggs, with four inland club races up to 110 miles and three channel races, Tours BICC, Messac BBC and Carentan BBC. Bill was elated to see him turn up in good time and win the section from the longest race, Bill has now topped the section three times. He was also second section C in 2009.
Godfrey Kingswood-Cox
Godfrey Kingswood-Cox from Southampton was seventh open and second section A with a four year old on 215.5ypm. GB11S93208, now named Barcelos, in honour of the British Barcelona Club, is a grandson of Godfrey's original Blue Thunder 2, first open, only bird on the day, Central Southern Classic Flying Club, Pau. Winner of a Royal Pigeon Racing Association medal and this is the pigeon that the CSCFC Blue Thunder challenge cup is named after. Blue Thunder 2's son, Pollycock is the sire and among other things was the best pigeon in Europe over 5 national and classic races. Half brothers and sisters to Pollycock such as Thunder Bird and Lady Penelope etc. have scored well from the big races for Godfrey.
Marley Westrop
M Westrop from Sandy was first section D and eighth open with a three year old on 215ypm. The section D winner is a grizzle hen, a direct daughter of Marley's National Flying Club, section H Tarbes winning grizzle hen who is now retired. The section winner has flown nearly every race this year being rested three weeks before Palamos and then paired to get her sitting for the task ahead. This is the fifth time Marley has won the section from Palamos and if you traced her bloodlines back, some of those past winners would feature in her pedigree. Not that Marley reads pedigrees, as his only yardstick has been the basket and then only pigeons that race from 600 miles plus are kept. Marley is 94 years young and has raced pigeons all his life winning from Thurso and Lerwick on the north, Pau, Tarbes and Palamos on the south.
Dave Newman & Chris Sevier
Newman and Sevier timed an seven year old on 212ypm to take ninth open and fourth section B. Dave started with pigeons in 1984 and Chris (Sticky) Sevier, Dave's nephew, joined him five years ago. Although they enjoy the club racing scene, they look forward to the distance races with the British Barcelona Club or the Central Southern Classic Flying Club and in fact their red cock was taken out of retirement because of this year's Palamos race. A very experienced bird flying the channel some 40 times including Barcelona, two years ago, when he arrived just out of race time. This year he had twice x Carentan as race preparation and then was rested until this event. The feeding is farm peas and a general mixture and it was sent sitting eleven day eggs. The sire of the bird was a gift from club mate Andy Parsons, from his Cannon/Burgess family, the dam of the sire beingsixty-eighth open San Sebastian on the day with the National Flying Club in 2001. The dam of Dave's Barcelona cock was a gift from Dave's brother Paul, who gave up the pigeons some time ago, this from the best of the Louella Jan Aardens of the 1980's.
Dorin Melinte
Completing the top ten and in second section D is Dorin Melinte from Harrow with a two year old on 206ypm. Dorin clocked his only entry, named Unique Jnr after his father Unique which is the only bird in Romanian racing history to fly the super marathon race from Berlin five times in four seasons! He flew it twice in 2012, the year Dorin had purchased him from Balici Pavel. The mother is a Van de Wegen which Dorin got from Ujeniuc Liviu in 2012. She flew the Berlin race in 2012 and is a half sister to first open Berlin international FCPR Romania 2012 also raced by Ujeniuc. Unique Jnr was twenty-first open last year with the British International Championship Club from Agen international as a yearling and also flew Narbone international out of race time in the same season.
Around the sections
Third section A was won by G and M J Frewin and Son with a six year old on 181ypm.
Raymond Beaconsfield
Raymond Beaconsfield from Marlborough was second section C and fourteenth open with a five year old on 180.3ypm. Raymond timed his single entry, a blue hen, being a very consistent pigeon, this being the second time it has been second section. It has also scored from the British Barcelona Club race from Niort last season to win eighth open and was then fifty-eighth open and twenty-third section from Messac. This season she has been raced in both the previous BBC races being thirty-ninth open, twelfth section from Carentan and fifty-fourth open and seventeenth section from Messac. She will now be put into the stock loft. Her breeding is Janssen, bought from Tony and Mary at the Ponderosa UK Stud, the Janssens being mainly Raymond’s family of pigeons. They are of the 05 James Bond side of the family.
Terry Johnson
First section G and thirteenth open went to Terry Johnson of Ramsgate with a six year old on 180.5ypm. Vinca was bred from a son of Frank Perry's Llanover Lady the first open Palamos winner when it was paired to a daughter of Spartan, first open British International Championship Club from Barcelona when paired to the twice Lerwick hen. Vinca's last recorded performance was ninth open BICC Pau.
Keith Young
K Young of Guernsey timed a four year old on 196ypm to take first section H and eleventh open. The pigeon is a blue pied hen with Jan Aarden bloodlines. When Keith sent her to Palamos, she was feeding a fifteen day old youngster. In preparation for the Palamos race this year she was sent to Rennes which is 100 miles. In 2014 the pigeon flew St Malo and also Messac taking second club, then Niort with the British Barcelona Club and then Bordeaux also with the BBC from which she returned on the third day, it was a very hard race with no birds on the day into Guernsey. The pigeon's breeding on the sire’s side is from Keith's BBC Barcelona winner, 1st Channel Island section H, seventh open which is bred from his late friend Bryan Kett's BBC Blue Riband winner in 1999 from Palamos. On the dam's side, it is bred from Dave Impett of Blackpool’s Pau winning hen first section L, thirteenth open National Flying Club flying 747 miles. Dave gave Keith two bred from his winning hens when they were in Blackpool.
That concludes the report on the provisional result of the British Barcelona Club race from Palamos.