NORTH ROAD CHAMPIONSHIP CLUB LERWICK – SPONSORED BY NORTHLINK FERRIES
Where is Lerwick? Well, for those of us that like a little bit more detail and a few facts of where the longest and most prized NRCC race is liberated from I have pulled together just a couple of points to help build the scene. Shetland is an archipelago in the North Sea of around 100 islands with only 16 of them inhabited however. The Shetlands have a total population of 22,920. The largest island is known as The Mainland of which, Lerwick is the capital and largest town. Statistics show that Lerwick sees on average around 13% of sunshine a year with the remainder being predominantly cloudy so not much call for sunscreen! Not only this but also, the Shetland Islands are famously wet and windy, being buffeted by winds from both the west and east and at least 2 mm (0.08 in) of rain falling on more than 250 days a year. February is known as the windiest month, with an average of nine gale days. In addition to this, it is very rare that liberation from Lerwick takes place on the calendared day with the expectation of holdovers being the norm for the NRCC from this particular race point. So, just that short introduction can be very off putting for fanciers and any seasoned North Road flyer will tell you that it takes a special, different, type of pigeon to brave the obstacles and challenges Lerwick can throw at you and a strong constitution for the fanciers who sit patiently looking skyward waiting for their birds to come. Respect must be shown to Lerwick, the Shetland Isles and for the Northern most parts of Scotland for all of her untamed beauty and unpredictability and without doubt, this years NRCC Lerwick race sponsored once again by Northlink Ferries proved to be another challenge with Mother Nature showing her colours gloriously! Teasing convoyer Dave Pettitt on the with sunshine and warmth that could have rivalled the Costa Del Sol at times, this t-shirt and shorts weather was not to last and not reflected on the mainland. The following report from Dave gives a clear and concise breakdown of just how changeable and challenging it was for Dave and weather advisor Ray Luffman to get the right break in the weather for a liberation: 16th July 2025 (Wednesday) Transporter left Calverton at 13:50 which was slightly early than previous races and proved to be very useful in making our specified destinations in a timely manner. The onward journey continued to Wetherby. East Coast Fed pigeons picked up and loaded, leaving at 16:45. Onward to Ecclefechan. We arrived at Ecclefechan at 19:15. Sides opened upon arrival. Pigeons were lightly fed, then watered. We refilled the water tank; sides were opened until 11pm. Overnight stay. 17th July 2025 (Thursday) Upon waking at 04:30 birds were checked and water emptied. At 05:00, we continued our onward journey. Arrived at Aberdeen Docks at approx. 11:30am. The shutters were opened and the birds were fed shortly after arrival, with the water replenished. We embarked the Ferry at 15:00, where the lorry was secured and pigeons were safely stowed. The Ferry left port at 17:00. Weather was good, sea was calm. 18th July 2025 (Friday) Awoke at 06:00. Docking at 07:30, disembarked at 07:45. Refilled the water tanks. We arrived on site at 08:30. I had a conversation with Ray Luffman, race adviser, as the weather forecast for the next few days wasn’t good on the mainland. The shutters were opened and I watered the birds. Pigeons were Fed at 14:00, water replenished. The skylights in the lorry were opened to allow ventilation. The shutters were closed around 23:00, as we went to bed. 19th July 2025 (Saturday) Woke at 05:00. The birds were checked, shutters opened. The Weather on site was overcast, cloudy with some drizzle. When discussing the weather with Ray Luffman, he informed me that the line of flight was not good; therefore, a holdover was called at 08:00. The weather did not improve on site, although no further rain, for the rest of the day. Pigeons were Fed and Watered at 14:00. Shutters remained open throughout the day until we retired for the evening, at around 22:00. 20th July 2025 (Sunday) Awoke at 05:00. The weather was vastly improved on site. Sunshine, blue skies and temperatures resembling a summers day.
This was dampened somewhat with a weather update from Ray Luffman. The mainland was suffering from bad weather. Rain would not clear in time to allow a race to take place. A holdover was duly called. We tidied the corn store, ensuring that there was no loose corn, nor damaged bags. This was cleared, swept through and the bags replaced accordingly. The drinkers were cleaned, thoroughly. Water replenished. Pigeons were Fed at 14:00. Watered filled. We had access to a standpipe, in order that we could refill the water butts. Shutters remained opened all day and ironically, the weather was fabulous! We closed for the night around 23:00 and went to bed.
21st July 2025 (Monday) The weather was good again on site. Some cloud cover, with breaks of sunshine throughout the day. Unfortunately, the weather throughout the North and East Coast of Scotland prevented a liberation. Therefore, again, a Holdover was called. Birds were checked, shutters and roof vents opened, with the water topped up early morning. They were fed c. 14:00 with the water replaced.
Shutters were closed for the night, around 22:00. Early to bed, ever hopeful! 22nd July 2025 (Tuesday) awoke at 05:00hrs. The sky was blue with a few wispy white clouds and the sun shining. The sea was calm and visibility was excellent. Phone conversation with Ray Luffman at 05:45, confirmed that the line of flight was good and that we should liberate, with on-site conditions being excellent. We liberated at 06:00 into a Southeast Wind. The Birds cleared very well. On a personal note, I would like to thank Merv for his help, assistance and advice on this trip. His knowledge proved invaluable, by having the previous experience of this race, to ensure that we were able to arrive at the designated places in good time, know how to complete the administration on numerous aspects and ensure that the entire trip ran as smoothly as possible. Thanks to everyone involved in the organisation and running of this event. I am aware and am appreciative of the efforts that you all make to secure a race that all can enjoy. The NRCC committee would also like to thank Merv for his help and support. Merv’s experience and knowledge, for what is the NRCC’s most prestigious calendared race, is very much appreciated and we are truly grateful.
Now, on to what can only be described as an unbelievable Lerwick with Section members again being represented across the board. In total there were 141 members sending 811 birds with only six pigeons arriving on the night to be timed in and on the result sheet. As the night drew in, it was clear it was going to be an early start for the rest of us who’d sent and the following morning it was not too long before verifications started going through to Steve Howells who continued to updated the result throughout the day. An absolutely stonking performance from the loft of Section H’s Terry Haley taking 1st Section, 3rd Open, timing in 3 out of his 4 before the race closed with 2 on the night and both in the top twenty. Graham and Michael Britton from Section E timing in 10 out of their 16 with 5 of those in the top 30. D Wilton and Son again making their mark taking 1st Section I, 9th Open. Previous winners from 2023 Russ and Denise Skinner from Section C almost repeated the double and sat pretty at the top of the result and taking 2nd Section, 2nd Open chased in close contention by another previous Kings Cup winner, Brian and Angie Garnham of Section C who took 3rd Section 4th Open. All seasoned distance flyers who know the challenges of what Lerwick can bring. What cannot be overlooked either were the 2 pigeons that arrived on the night after the hours of darkness, one from the lofts of J & S Dangerfield who won this years NRCC Thurso and one from Ireland Brothers, both lofts who have made their mark in this year’s race NRCC race program. Matt Mason also made a big impact again taking the first 4 Section B Positions with a return of 14 out of the 17 birds he sent. It cannot be ignored either that there were a fair few new fanciers that sent to Lerwick this year that had the thrill of seeing their birds come no matter what the position on the result. Reports also of good returns from the East Coast Fed who were also transported by the NRCC and released at the same time. What has been reflected throughout has been the condition of the returning birds. Despite a bit tired, they have been in brilliant condition. Credit again to our convoyer Dave Pettitt for the care of the NRCC birds.
John Lensons Lerwick
John Lenson, Long Sutton. Section C, 1st Open NRCC Lerwick 2025. Timed at 20:44:30 from a distance of 513 miles 909 yards and doing a velocity of 1021.8078 with ‘Archie’, a blue chequer 2020 cock bird flown on the widowhood system.
This year has been a good year for John Lenson with the NRCC after taking multiple positions at Perth 27th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 41st and 63rd Section C and then going one better at Thurso taking 2nd Open, 1st, 19th, 53rd and 57th Section it is little surprise to see him go even one better winning Lerwick. In addition to this John has also had an exceptional season in his club taking 5 x 1st to date and multiple top positions on the results sheet. Ironically, John hasn’t sent to Lerwick for a few years and was in two minds whether or not to send to Lerwick this year as he wasn’t sure his pigeons were good enough!! John races in the Sutton Bridge and District Club alongside his life long best mate, Terry Winterton. Another super flyer who is no stranger to the NRCC. As young lads, John and Terry’s gardens used to back on to each other and although John wasn’t born into racing pigeons, he took an interest in the sport after visiting a relative in Gedney who kept them. That interest in pigeons grew and as teenagers John and Terry decided to chip in together and buy an old Tooley Clock that they shared between them, and began racing, albeit each to their own lofts. They joined the Sutton Bridge and District Club, which at the time had a good 15/16 members in it. More often than not race day would result in both boys making a dash for the clock when a pigeon appeared on the horizon, building a healthy competitive relationship that has continued to this day. Now both in their eighties and still firm friends John tells me ‘Thank god we don’t have to run for the clock now!’ After getting married and moving house in 1967 John set up a new loft and started over again. His new team of pigeons were Konnipius from Ken Kippax. Previously racing natural it was Ken Kippax who persuaded John to race Widowhood and he hasn’t looked back since. John now has an established family of pigeons that he has nurtured over the years and nowadays only exchanges the odd pigeon with Terry. They are mainly Soontjens and Van Loon Pigeons. The Soontjens came mostly from Brian Clayburn who was one of the first to bring them into the country. John then became friends with Ian and Dave Maddison of Hartlepool and this is where the Van Loons came from. Dave and Ian had a top pigeon who was a 5 x 1st Fed winner, ‘Wayside Emperor’ who was bred down from the original birds they purchased back in 1993 from Planet Brothers. The pigeon was even better at stock being responsible for several UNC winners and John was lucky enough to get some direct children on loan over the years and introduce them into his stock. John can also take credit for breeding a Midland National Winner for Stewart McCurry in 2014 which was named ‘The Lenson Hen’ in his honour. Gaining a 3rd Open Lerwick previously, John’s win this year has been a long time coming and is well deserved. Ironically, John doesn’t set his stool out for any one particular race and what is very obvious is his love for the sport. He is a pigeon man through and through and tells me ‘I just love the sport.’ Johns winning cock bird was also 6th Section, 13th Open from the NRCC’s Thurso this year. I would also like to mention the that the sire to Johns Lerwick winner is also a brother to the bird that sired Johns Thurso Section winner and who he has now named, Harles.’ In preparation for NRCC racing, John sends to his club races up to the first NRCC race at Dunbar. After that they have no further club racing and are rested in between the NRCC races, just getting loft flown twice daily. On the day of basketing the hens are shown and on return they are given roughly 2 hours with their hen as reward. Feeding is Bamfords WW Express with a bit of extra protein. On closing, John has named his Lerwick Winner ‘Archie’ after his grandson. He would like to thank Ian and David Maddison and life long friend Terry Winterton. I would like to personally thank John for allowing me into his lofts and for his welcoming hospitality. I am looking forward to seeing you lift the Kings Cup John and have no doubt that you will continue to take those top positions. Congratulants on your win, it is long over due and well deserved!
Terry Haley, Watford. 3rd Open, 1st Section H Lerwick. Timed 06:48:31 from a distance of 585 miles 1383 yards. Velocity 978.6239. Hen No. 1 who clocked first is a blue Chequer Pied GB23C35205. A gift bird from Brian and Karen Hawes of Harlow, who stated it was an Arden pigeon bred from a team of long-distance pigeons they had paid a lot of money for. She is a granddaughter of “De Cas” so within her pedigree she has winning Barcelona International stock and other long distance blood lines. Brian and Karen were as pleased as I was to have bred this hen that has, within this race, also won the London North Road Combine. She has previously won 1st Thames Valley Fed Perth 349 miles last season as a yearling. This season she has also won in the Greater London Long Distance club the following: 1st Fraserburgh (only 2 birds on the day) I finished 1st, 2nd and 4th – 420 miles. 3rd Perth 349 miles. 7th Dunbar (beaten by 2 loft mates) 310 miles. Hen No. 2 that got 3rd Section, 17th Open, is a blue chequer yearling GB24X02035. She is a daughter of hen No 1 and the sire is my B.B.C National winner. Last year as a baby she was 2nd section Dunbar 310 miles. This season prior to Lerwick she won 1st club, 1st Thames Valley North Road Fed Berwick 288 miles. Hen No 3. 4th Section, 51st Open is a blue bar GB19N42370. Another gift bird from Brian and Karen Hawes of Harlow. Three weeks prior to this Lerwick race she was 2nd club, 2nd Thames Valley Fed Thurso 492 miles. She has previously flown south and won many positions over the channel in National and classic racing and is the Dam of many good birds bred for me. I fly all my pigeons on the natural system to our small back garden lofts and have done this for over 60 years, fed mostly corn collected from farms with mixtures added. After the first round of young birds, they go on to pot eggs for the rest of the season only keeping 22 pairs that all go racing, North and South, no stock birds or prisoners kept. I fly in the Thames Valley Fed on the North Road which is now a small Fed of only 5 clubs (of which only 3 send) I have won the Fed this season about 7 times, sometimes taking the first 6 places. Finally, I must thank my wife Karen for caring for the birds whenever necessary. Also, my younger brother Steve who takes them to work for a 30-mile toss when he can. Then thanks to David Petitt for looking after the birds so well during the long holdover at Lerwick, my three hens all looked very fresh and well, I think it must have been the decent bit of food mine had for a change! I wish to congratulate Mr Lenson for the remarkable win of this race, and also Ray Luffman and Robbie Wilton and Sons for their performances. It might encourage some more fanciers down this part of the south to come and have a go and join the NRCC to test their birds at long distance, for a reasonable price, without vet fees and paperwork etc and I won’t mention some questionable channel liberations these last 2 seasons!
Matt Mason, Hawthorn Hill. 5th Open, 1st Section B Lerwick. Timed 21:10:48 from a distance of 490 miles 1549 yards. Velocity 948.5606. My race at Lerwick turned out to be another fabulous team performance for myself and the birds. My brave little yearling warrior was time in at 21:10 hour’s flying 15 hours and 10 minutes on the wing, she was one of only 4 birds on the day and to top it off she was the only yearling on the day, a formidable performance if I’ve ever seen one by a young gutsy yearling. She was bred by my good close friend John Chipperfield of Hearn Bay and is bred down from his good pigeon Lady Teresa who his responsible for no end of winners and a great racer herself. My yearling hen was sent sitting eggs of 14 days and was keen as mustard on the nest, she has already done good in the NRCC this year having flown all the previous races…. As everyone knows at my loft, I am a real hard task master and if the birds are fit, they’ll go every race. The race turned out to be a exceptional performance yet again from my birds as I timed 6 yearlings in race time and a 2 two-year-old, all featuring well up in the open result as many fanciers to this day never timed in. I would like to thank John for all his advice and more importantly letting me obtain pigeons from what I believe to be one of the very best small distance performing lofts in the UK.
Ireland Brothers
Ireland Brothers, Carlton. 6th Open, 1st Section A Lerwick. Timed 21:30:00 from a distance of 497 miles 1481 yards. Velocity 942.1516. Firstly, we would like to thank the convoy team for doing a suburb job in taking care of the pigeons. As always, the birds returned in fantastic condition after such a long time in the crates. Our section winner was bred by Richard Turner of Workshop. She is from his Jonker combine hen and a son of his superb Slatey Jonker cock. She was raced out to Dunbar as a youngster and has had Dunbar and Perth in the NRCC this year. She has also won the club from Whitley Bay and 2nd section Notts fed. She has been a consistent reliable Pigeon for us. We decided to add three yearlings to the team with 41 being one of the chosen ones, to give us a bit of youth in the team. She was sent sitting seven-day old eggs. The feeding is kept as simple as can be with the birds always allowed to eat as much as they wish and a few fats added towards the last few feeds prior to basketing. On the day of liberation after arriving home from work the clock was set up and we began to sit waiting in hope of getting a day bird. I anticipated a good bird maybe around 18:30 – 19:00 o’clock. As time went on and it didn’t appear that they were any birds making their way home and then it filtered through that a couple had made it back into Boston around 20:30 which gave us hope again. We thought that if they were over the East coast side of Boston it may take another hour or so for them to get into Nottingham. So, we continued to wait again anxiously for that day bird to arrive. As the night started to draw in, it didn’t seem as though we were going to get a day bird and we decided to call it a day around 21:45 and as the night had drawn in and we were sat in darkness. The loft lights were left on just in case and we went inside. I made sandwich and sat down to watch the last part of the England ladies football game and we were soon celebrating as England had scored a goal and had taken the game to extra time. Then, to my amazement I received a notification on my phone from Benzing showing a bird had arrived. As I looked, I noticed it was the 41 hen from Lerwick! To say I was overjoyed was an understatement. I ran outside to go and greet her and even forgot to put my shoes on at the door and there, she was taking a well-earned drink. She will now be known as the Lioness named after the ladies England football team where they showed courage to come back and score a goal. She had shown courage to keep going and get back to her home where even the dark wasn’t going to prevent her from doing so. As said in my previous article from Fraserburgh we have had a fantastic season so far and we will continue to work hard with the birds as I believe my mum is looking down on us and we will get that NRCC winner one day.
Moore and Ransome, Chatteris. 7th Open, 1st Section F Lerwick. Timed 05:55:13 from a distance of 535 miles 195 yards. Velocity 941.5910. Bred for the job! 301 was definitely bred for the job with both parents being consistent club racers and winners. More importantly both grand sires have won Lerwick, one being “Young Keano” who flew it three times taking 2 x 1st and 1 x 2nd at club level. Also, winning an NRCC merit award. Three great grandparents also won Lerwick, one for us being sire to “Young Keano” who was 1st Club Lerwick, 2nd section NRCC 26th Open. The other two winning for Russ and Denise Skinner, “Gunta” and “Lola” both winning the Fed from Lerwick. He was prepared for Lerwick by having every race up to Perth, where he was our 1st bird. He then had two weeks off and then went every other week on the short fed races until Lerwick. His nest mate 302 was our second bird. She was 2nd club, 2nd F/Sect, 15th NRCC section and 59th open, prepared much the same way. Not bad for a nest pair. We would like to congratulate all the other winners and particularly John Lenson the “Kings Cup” winner and we strongly admire the performances put up by our longer distance flyers. What some of these fanciers do is incredible. Both birds were flown on the roundabout system, with a light feed at the start of the week, building up with a superstar and energy mix before basketing.
Miss M Judd, Huntingdon. 8th Open, 1st Section E Lerwick. Timed 06:07:03 from a distance of 534 miles 1085 yards. Velocity 929.668. GB24Z00890 Is a blue w/f hen. A direct Colman stock via the late Frank Bristow. She is paired to a Kenyon cock which was 1st section 5th Lerwick when Frank was 1st and 2nd open Lerwick.
D Wilton and Son, Grays. 9th Open, 1st Section I Lerwick. Timed 08:24:21 from a distance of 603 miles 668 yards. Velocity 924.2099. He’s a four-year-old cock who has flown Lerwick in both 2023 and 2024. He was 10th combine Lerwick and this year he is 2nd. He’s flown Thurso the same number of times and was our second bird on the clock this year from Thurso arriving just after 5am in the morning. He has also scored for us from Berwick and Perth this year in the London combines. We usually fly on the Widowhood system, but this year we let all the Lerwick birds go down on eggs, which is something we don’t usually do. When he arrived home from Lerwick this year he had a hole in he’s crop, other than that, he was in great condition. His sire is a direct Van Ouwerkerk Dekkers cock leant to us by Duncan Goodchild and his dam is a daughter of our hen that we won 2nd BICC Barcelona National with in 2017 when she was paired to a son of Mark Bulleds die hard from 2005. This was also a very good breeder for us and this hen was the last egg he ever filled. We’ve now decided to put the cock to stock we feel he’s more than earned he’s retirement.
As always, the NRCC would like to thank everyone for sending in their photographs and the information about their section winners. It is always is a pleasure and interesting to read the members own words about what motivates and encourages them and the different ways they prepare for the longer races. On a final note from us, we would like to thank the people of the Shetland Isle and specifically the people of Lerwick who have, over the years, become a great help and support with allowing us to refill the water tanks and have been welcoming hosts. We would also like to thank our sponsors for this race, Northlink Ferries, who have looked after us incredibly well and been patient and accommodating when the weather has dictated holdovers and changes to our return journey. It is greatly appreciated and we look forward to next year. On a final note, for anyone wishing to send to Dunbar for the young bird or old hens’ race, please send your entries to Christina Norman at the same address as before. Please also look out for news on the NRCC’s Day of Champions 2025
A full result can be viewed here
Dunbar postal entries to be posted to: Christina Norman, Phinius Farm, Hobole Bank, Toynton All Saints, Spilsby, Linclonshire, PE23 5DG
Christina lincolnshirelondoner@gmail.com