Mark Gilbert (photo courtesy of Chris Sutton)
First open and first centre section was a three year old on 840mpm over 562 miles for Mark Gilbert of Windsor. This is Mark's second winner with the BICC this season, the first being from Poitiers. Both pigeons are bred down from Starlight which was second international from Tarbes for Etienne Meirlaen of Belgium. The winner from Pau is a direct son of Starlight. Southfield Melissa's Star must have made the channel crossing the night before as she dropped into Mark's loft at five to seven CEST in the morning of the second day of the race.
First open (photo courtesy of Chris Sutton)
Geoff & Catherine Cooper
Geoff and Catherine Cooper of Peasdown St John timed a two year old on 762mpm over 562 miles to take second open and first west section. The Coopers timed two further pigeons to also take second and third west section. A bird on the day wasn't to be so the Coopers had an early start the next monring and at 07:45 a chequer hen dropped onto the landing board. She must have crossed the channel the night before but not early enough for her to make the journey up to Peasdown St John. A few weeks ago this game little hen was also 1st section from Alencon with the BICC, so 2 x 1st sections this year! As a yearling she flew the programme through to St Vincent International, 533 miles.Her sire is a son of George, 1st national Tarbes and a great breeder when George was paired to a sister of Farmer George, 1st International Bordeaux. Her dam is a daughter of Etienne Meirlaens Starlight 2nd International Tarbes.
Geoff with first section
Catherine with second section
Catherine with third section
R & N Steptoe
R and N Steptoe of Oxted were third open and first east section on 755mpm over 548 miles. Neil timed a three year old hen that raced Agen as a yearling and again as a two year old. It was raced on the widowhood system earlier in the season and then re-paired and sent to Pau sitting ten day eggs. The sire is Red Rocket which was bought from Clive Turner and which was timed three times from Pau, the best being ninth open, London and South East Classic Club on the day. The dam is George's Girl, bought at George Humphrey's bereavement sale and which was first Messac and twenty-second open London and South East Classic Club Pau on the day. George's Girl contains the House of Aarden Rainbow Warrior bloodlines.
Dean Childs
Dean Childs of Wickford was fourth open and second east section with a two year old on 739mpm over 574 miles. Dean timed a second pigeon a two year old on 706mpm to talso take tenth open and sixth east section. First to clock was a chequer hen that flew Agen last season as a yearling and this season it has been to every channel race. It is a grand-daugher of Black Shadow and Kannonbaal Barcelona. Second on the clock was a dark cock which also flew Agen as a yearling. It is bred from a double grandson of Tuff Nut and a half-sister to Mark Gilbert's Southfield Marseille.
Fourth open for Dean Childs
Mark Bulled
Mark Bulled of Harlow was fifth open and third east section with a three year old on 734mpm over a distance of 583 miles. Mark timed a hen sent sitting eggs after a period of celibacy. She is bred from his own family of distance birds he can trace back to the 1950s. She is a granddaughter of Legacy, 1st Grand National Tarbes and Sergeant Cecil, 1st Classic Tarbes. I timed a 3 year old hen bred from my old family of distance birds. When you consider how closely related Sergeant Cecil and Legacy are, this hen is therefore very very inbred which is where Mark gets his best performances from. She has had 2 inland races and 2 races from Fougeres 242 miles.
Fifth open for Mark Bulled
Marius Sepciuc of Kingsbury clocked a two year old on 732mpm over 571 miles to take sixth open and second centre section.
Neil Coleman
Neil and Philip Coleman of Dover were seventh open and fourth east section with a four year old on 718mpm over a distance of 547 miles. Neil and Philip clocked Rainbow Dash, named by Neil's daughter. Rainbow Dash is bred from a pigeon purchased from Spencroft Lofts being Kirkpatrick/Van Hee on the dam's side and on the fathers side is bred from a pigeon that flew Bergerac on the day for the partners. Rainbow Dash has had six trips across the channel before this year and has won prize cards in the club.
David Hales with Duncan Goodchild
David Hales of Hockley was eighth open and fifth east section with a three year old on 713mpm over 576 miles. This 2015 blue chequer widowhood cock is now named Tubby's Boy. His preparation was a couple of inland races, then Alençon and Cholet with the BICC. He has been brought on slowly using both the East of England Continental Classic and BICC race programmes. His half brother was the fifth bird home and that is the fourth international running that he has been clocked, his best being seventh Perpignan in 2017. The sire of both is the outstanding cock bird Tubby, which has many good international positions including 120th international Pau and 677th international Marseille.
Calum Edmiston
Calum Edmiston of Horley was ninth open and third centre section with a three year old on 709mpm over 543 miles. Calum timed eight birds from this Pau race and this is his fourth time in the top ten nationally in successive long distance races. His first timer was a blue hen from his Volkens X Van der Wegen family.She is a half sister through the dam to his BICC diploma of merit winner, Red Rain. The sire is a son of the No 1 Volkens stock hen that has bred Calum four top ten birds in classics and nationals. She had Alencon and Messac in preparation and was sent sitting 16 day old eggs.
Around the sections
John Black
John Black of Hitchin timed a two year old on 621mpm over 602 miles to take first north-centre section and forty-eighth open. John's section winner was a grizzle, widowhood cock, the sire of which was bought at the BICC latebred sale in 2014. It contains the old Grooter family bloodlines. The dam is an eight year old Van Den Plas bought at the McMillan and Son bereavement sale in Leyton Buzzard.
That concludes the report on the provisional result of the British International Championship Club race from Pau.
Fanciers wishing to have their information included in these reports can contact me direct at pigeonkaren@gmail.com