Memory Lane

[MIL]

Yes, the Pencil was a Litherland pigeon. His mum "Frilly" was our no.1 hen at the time

Assassin - Yes a Direct Son of "SHADOW" - bred by M & D Evans

Gareth Gates - again bred by M & D. A Direct Son of "WESTKAPELLE"

Your nearly right on Houdini. He was 100% Verkerk.

I bought both birds at auction. The Sire was direct from "Olympic Shakira". The Dam was direct from "Olympic Survivor"

Incidentally, the mother of "Houdini" had a nest sister who was at Stock with Curtis Wall Lunt & Green

That hen is the actual hen of "The Merlin Pair"


Image of Houdini below

[NeilA]

Yes, the Pencil was a Litherland pigeon. His mum "Frilly" was our no.1 hen at the time

Assassin - Yes a Direct Son of "SHADOW" - bred by M & D Evans

Gareth Gates - again bred by M & D. A Direct Son of "WESTKAPELLE"

Your nearly right on Houdini. He was 100% Verkerk.

I bought both birds at auction. The Sire was direct from "Olympic Shakira". The Dam was direct from "Olympic Survivor"

Incidentally, the mother of "Houdini" had a nest sister who was at Stock with Curtis Wall Lunt & Green

That hen is the actual hen of "The Merlin Pair"


Image of Houdini below

houdini.jpg

Ah got it
For some reason I thought the Verkerk was bought in as a cross and I new there was a top pigeon there from a nestmate just had it a generation out
Fantastic birds

[goose1]

Lovely looker
You should put up Houdini performances Mike that was some pigeon

Hi Neil

Yea he was a good 'un no doubts about that but I'd be stuck to say who was "best".

In regard of "titles" he would arguably be our best because he won 2nd National Ace Sprint Champion of the UK.

In terms of races won, and Federations won "Eddy" would be our best because he won 11 I think it was and 5 x 1st Federations. All his Club wins were good birdage though - some over 400 birds etc

Some other good ones that spring to mind though were "Gareth Gates", "The Pencil" and "The Assassin"

Gareth won 1st 5,129 birds, 3rd 5,663 birds, 6th 4,650 birds etc.. Had we been on ETS in 2003 that 5,663 birds would've been a 1st not a 3rd - it was simply because I picked a different cock up 1st to win it


"The Pencil" was something like 10 times in the top 10 of the Federation with over 6,000 birds competing each time. He was a good un

"The Assassin" - I stopped him in June as a yearling. He'd won over £2,000 by then including 24th and 25th Open MNFC


Incidentally both "Gareth" and "The Assassin" feature in the breeding of "Eddy"

Happy Days

First class.

[MIL]

Thanks Gavin

[MIL]

Neil

What it was was this

I started racing the Gaby's in 2000 and by 2003 we were already winning numerous Federations, Open Races, RPRA Awards with them

On closer inspection I found that the Gaby's were excelling with a cross put into them (even if it was say Koen Minderhoud)

So, in summer/autumn of 2003 I went hunting for a cross to put into them

My research led me to the loft of Gerard & Bas Verkerk

As luck would have it the week after I contacted Bas about birds, Les Green had an auction of them - so that was where I struck

"Houdini" was the first one out of the pairing purchased at auction

The intention was to cross them into the Gaby's but I only really just started to do that in earnest when I sold up in 2007

[NeilA]

Whilst on the hunt for "Hammer" I found a couple others that made nice memories



You're right Gavin the wins feel like yesterday

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Great results mate hot competition aswell many well known names on that list
Like you say different winds in a big fed that’s class as different winds here for sprinting does make a difference unless your hit super form

[MIL]

Thanks Neil

I chose those 4 sheets (with some randomness) but as it happens they demonstrate a variation of wind perfectly

You've got a Southerly, a NNE, a Westerly and an ESE wind

Of those you'd only say we were favourites on the ESE wind as our Club is the furthest in the West

So, my point is, you CAN beat the wind

It's just that you gotta have something vastly superior to those birds who are in "pole position" that day - and that's not always easy

[Trev]

Yes, the Pencil was a Litherland pigeon. His mum "Frilly" was our no.1 hen at the time

Assassin - Yes a Direct Son of "SHADOW" - bred by M & D Evans

Gareth Gates - again bred by M & D. A Direct Son of "WESTKAPELLE"

Your nearly right on Houdini. He was 100% Verkerk.

I bought both birds at auction. The Sire was direct from "Olympic Shakira". The Dam was direct from "Olympic Survivor"

Incidentally, the mother of "Houdini" had a nest sister who was at Stock with Curtis Wall Lunt & Green

That hen is the actual hen of "The Merlin Pair"


Image of Houdini below

houdini.jpg

Some cracking pigeons and fantastic results

[Trev]

Thanks Neil

I chose those 4 sheets (with some randomness) but as it happens they demonstrate a variation of wind perfectly

You've got a Southerly, a NNE, a Westerly and an ESE wind

Of those you'd only say we were favourites on the ESE wind as our Club is the furthest in the West

So, my point is, you CAN beat the wind

It's just that you gotta have something vastly superior to those birds who are in "pole position" that day - and that's not always easy

You are so right there, that has been proven each week down here in our Federation this season, the wind really hasn't dictated the results, the top fliers have been there or there abouts regardless of the wind direction or strength !!
It obviously helps dictate their speed but not the direction they fly !!

[MIL]

You know the old adage as well as I do Trevor I'm sure

"Leading birds don't get pulled"