‘Steve ‘Kasch’s in at Perth’
Perth historically shows itself to be one the best supported races in the NRCC and this year, the numbers did not disappoint and proved again to be well supported with excellent returns with many fanciers getting a full house. On-board with us to sponsor the race this year was Solosan. Who are they? Solosan are a company made up of team of passionate bird lovers committed to solving real-world problems and making a difference through the provision of the best hypochlorous acid products and solutions for the care of all birds. This year the NRCC used the Solosan products to sanitise the drinkers and water tanks on both the lorry and trailer. The use could not be more straight forward and very effective and I may say that I have even started using it in my own lofts on my drinkers and feeders and it works out very cost effective. To find out more you can visit their web site at www.solosan.co.uk or even better come along to the NRCC Day of Champions at Springfields in Spalding on 29th November and say hello to the Solosan team as they will be present.
Now on to the race where 218 members sent 2204 birds and after a two-day holdoverMonday, 2nd June brought a break in the weather and at 7:00am convoyer Dave Pettitt had the birds away into a westerly wind, turning north westerly on route. Despite the Westerly wind three sections featured in the first three of the provisional result, however, this did not show that the provisional winner and confirmed open winner Steve Kaschner from the Norfolk village of Brockdish had two arrive together and that he would go on to finish 1st and 2nd Open in the 2025 ‘Solosan Perth Race’.
S Kaschner 1st Section F 1st Open – Brockdish – Norfolk
When Steve Howells called me to confirm Steve Kaschner as the winner, he told me it was only going to be a matter of time before it happened as Steve and his partner Bridget’s performances had been threatening this for a while. Having taken section wins previously, they rubber stamped Perth by taking both top slots of the leader board to secure their winners place.
Steve said ‘this was just the tonic as it had been a dreadful start to the season with several pigeons being shot and persistent hawk attacks so to say ‘they were feeling despondent would be an understatement’.
Our racing system is quite simple as both going out to work so time is limited.
My partner Bridget looks after the hens and they are competing really well for her.
We both work and flying cocks and hens and because of work commitments training is a bare minimum. The cocks are just loft flown and the hens only if we feel they require a ‘sharpener’ so they will go twenty miles mid-week.’
Feeding starts with protein at the beginning of the week to replace any muscle, working towards fats and carbohydrates towards the end of the weekend. Peanuts are a menu favourite for the birds!
We don’t show either partner for the NRCC races and just basket them straight from their sections but they will be left together until Sunday or, the following day of their return.
Our winning pigeon is of ‘Gert de Swaef’ origin from Bob Fenech and has always been a very consistent pigeon, always in the leading bunch. Her sister was 1st section F 3RD Open Dunbar last year.
We had second pigeon just a second later, which is also a Bob Fenech Cooreman pigeon crossed with a Jeremy Nicholson Van den Bulck.
Bob and Jeremy’s pigeons have a big influence on our loft along with other pigeons from Terry Winterton and club mate Gary Hunt which we blend in with our old Geof Kirkland pigeons.
In closing we would like to thank all the people that have congratulated us including friend Nick Barran whose birds are fitting in well with our own.
Parry & Ellis 1st Section A – Westwood -Nottingham
Malc Parry, there’s a name from my past. Mal a retired publican has returned to the North Road three years ago. I can indeed remember Malc winning a car in the then Midlands Championship Club race from Thurso. 1987 the year!
His Perth section winner is a hen pigeon through Robert Rea of the partnership “Rae & Magill’ from Larne, Northern Ireland.
This two-year-old hen is flown on total widowhood scored in the section from Fraserburgh in 2024. The birds paired on 14th February allowed to rear youngsters and then separated.
They are trained 20 miles three mornings a week and are only allowed loft exercise if the weather is good. Once the birds have Dunbar with the NRCC they go every other week with the NRCC only.
Feeding depends on the weather but will start light working up to a heavier feed with protein and fats toward the day of basketing.
On the day of basketing Malc opens the boxes for the cock half an hour before basketing and will let the hens out to fly which trap back to the cocks which are waiting in their bowls.
Hubert Walker – Newark – 1st Section B
Three years ago, the retired fencing contractor and landscaper Hubert Walker made his return to the North Road Championship Club and North Road racing and topped the section twice on his comeback.
I asked Hubert when his season started? His reply ‘it never ends, its 365 days a year and then continues into January and around the 3rd week January everything is coupled and the eggs from the breeders are floated to the racers as this way I can get two rounds from the breeders not too far apart’.
If both eggs come off, and there is no reason they shouldn’t if you have taken care and prepared for the mating, the racers are allowed to rear two youngsters.
No birds are flown out until the youngsters are weaned.
As the youngsters are parted the old birds are split and it is only then that they are allowed out. This usually is about a month before the first race and as soon as the fitness level rises, training will begin. They have about six tosses to get them going and a couple at 20 miles and in to the first race with the Nottingham and District North Road Federation.
A team of 24 cocks are house and around 24 to 30 hens, some cocks may be double paired and the total widowhood system is practiced.
They are sent every week in the club with selected birds going to the NRCC.
Some weeks the birds are run together and some weeks they are not and if we are basketing on a Thursday they never see their mate they are just basketed from the loft.
No hard and fast rule but on the return, they will be left for 3 or 4 hours depending on how the race was. Feeding, this is adjusted as the work load increases and as to how much, well that too is dependent on work and of course the weather.
Huberts section winner is no ‘sport pigeon’ for she topped the federation from Dunbar last year too. Her sire Romein Klien cock from Stuart Knowles and the dam is a Lambrecht from Ian Stafford.
1ST Section C – G Hoyles & R & P Pratt – Wyberton – Lincolnshire
Gary Hoyles is no stranger to success with pigeons be it on the South or North Road. A few years ago, he was 2nd Open Midlands National Lesay Young Birds being beaten on that occasion by wait for it, that double Kings Cup winner Frank Bristow. In 2020 Gary, with his Partners Paul and Ryan Pratt, would go to win first Open Midlands National Carentan, now the guys are back on the North and notching up club and federation wins with the Peterborough & District Federation and judging by this result it won’t be long before they on the podium at the NRCC Day of Champions.
The section winning hen that has finished 4th Open is raced on the celibate system. The team had five training tosses prior to the first club race and she had been in every race leading up to Perth. The hens were not shown to the cocks on the Friday, but were allowed to mix with them on the Saturday when they returned from the race. Feeding for the hens is along the lines of 1oz per bird made up off 80% diet mix and 20% Vanrobaeys widowhood mix – and topped up with a handful of barley until two or three birds go to the drinker. They got full widowhood mix on Wednesday night before basketing and on the Thursday morning.
This hen has already won as a yearling and was bred from two pigeons gifted to Gary by my good friends Paul Dawson and Glyn Stone. The father is a son of John Bradley’s Joe 90 and the mother is a full sister to their Potteries cock which was second in the Pride of Potteries Loft race. Our returns are all in good condition from the race. Congratulations to the overall and section winners.
Les Berry – 1st Section D/E – Leicester – Market Harborough
Les Berry and Son are two other fanciers who have just returned to the North road and what better way than to top the section. Again, another loft flying cocks and hens on total widowhood. Les tells me that the winning cock’s hen was second to the loft too and are of M & D Evans Vandenabeele bloodlines.
I wonder if he’s a pal of Hubert Walker as Les also pairs up after the Blackpool weekend and as soon as the youngsters are weaned his 16 cocks and 16 hens are parted and on widowhood.
Once parted they get a good half dozen ‘chucks’ and are raced every week in the Northampton Federation.
Prior to the race the bowls were given and as soon is the cock is calling deep in the bowl, they are basketed.
1st Section H – Neil & Jackie Andrews – Ware – London
New or returning members to the NRCC are certainly making their mark and Neil Andrews and his partner Jackie are no different. They only joined the NRCC a week before Dunbar this year! Encouraged to do so by club mate John Lamprell and Christina Norman the new secretary, Neil knew her and her husband from their time in the North London Federation, where they both flew.
Neil went on ‘I have now had two races with the club and returns have been excellent as is the condition of the birds. The convoying team and transport are first class.
I have raced the sprints for several years but last year my enthusiasm was starting to wane a little and I wasn’t quite feeling it, then sadly just before the race season we lost my mother and my heart just wasn’t in it at all.
A few conversations later and Christina had me joining online and then talking me through the online entry and believe me if I can do it any one can!
Despite my birds having won 30 x 1st federations over the last 7 years my mind was made up and I was going to give the NRCC a go.
Pairing as a rule takes place in January however, because of circumstances, they wasn’t this year and I just put them together in February for fourteen days.
Normally I race cocks and mess about with a few spare hens but this year I raced both. I didn’t pair as I was considering a year out. I just left them together for 3/4 days now and again after 14 days together in February some went down and were sitting about 4 or 5 days and then parted.
Both cocks and hens are raced and both had four races and then went in to Dunbar
The partners are not brought together for the NRCC races, the hens I take from the loft and the cocks are given their bowl.
The section winner went to Dunbar and she finished third section.
‘I’m always interested in how the fanciers found their birds on the return, well in Neils case a picture paints a thousand words as she had been the victim of a falcon strike as most of her secondaries had gone
When the birds return, they are left with their partners until Sunday morning.
Her sire is from my pal Ricky Herron from Sunderland, he’s won the North London Federation and bred a federation winner too winner for my club mate and is of the Frans Zwols origin. Her dam has bred 4 federation winners from another good pal Mike Lycett, she’s mostly Wijnants from Golden eggs line. In closing I am pleased to report returns from Perth were 100% minus a few feathers!
Sparkes and Simmons – 1st Section I – Ipswich
Only two birds entered by this partnership and their section winner is an unpaired hen out of a son of Xavier Verstraete’s ‘Xtra’ that in turn is out of the famous ‘Top star’ paired to their special hen ‘233.’
The birds are given an all-round mix throughout the racing season with additional maize being fed on a Thursday, or Wednesday, if we are basketing on Thursday.
Its only our second season of late with the NRCC as we are expecting it to grow again.
We have only allowed the race birds to pair up around two weeks ago. We have some young in the nest for Thurso. We are thoroughly enjoying racing with the club, thank you.
Mick Tuck – Godalming – 1st Section G
Here is what Mick says of his Perth race and I understand his Fraserburgh one was equally as good ‘Firstly I would like to congratulate the open and other section winners. My section winner is a 2022 Blue Cheque hen bred down from my old Eric Cannon family, with generations of long-distance performances in her pedigree. She was flown on the natural system, sitting 12-day eggs having had a few club races up Worksop 134 miles prior to the NRCC Perth. This hen has been a consistent racer and was 3rd Godalming club Perth last year and will now be rested until next year.
My pigeons have an open loft all year round and are fed the Countrywide “Irish Mix” twice daily. The loft has two compartments, one for 15 pairs of old birds and a smaller section for up to 26 young birds. The loft is scrapped out daily, fresh minerals and grit are given every few days and garlic is added to the drinking water. Other than that, they are treated with 4 in 1 tablet prior breeding and racing, plus their annual PMV vaccination.
Reading through these notes you will observe just how many of the winners have made their return to the north road and the NRCC and why not, we are the only classic club that guarantees 30% of your race entry fee as prize money not to mention the many guaranteed £100 nominations on the many trophies. If you fancy joining us here you will be able to find out just what we are about and don’t forget the NRCC Day of Champions at Spalding on Saturday November 29th.
