THE RACING PIGEON 27 OCTOBER 2023
10
Around the North East WITH BARRY PEARCE
Alnwick, so whoever has bought the loft has been left not only a ‘palace’ of a set up, he has also been left a team of proven pigeons, so best of luck Gary. I’m going to show you the readers photos of both set ups, where the UNC and her loft mates flew so well to, and the set up that the
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2024 season will see just YB’s flown to, but both set ups are as good as any allotment set ups I’ve seen, and I’ve seen 100’s. A new sitting cabin has been erected at Alnwick, not as good a one that was at Chevington, but still quite tidy, and as I know these lads like to be as comfortable as can be when at the garden, I’ll bet further additions will be soon put into it. So we had our Greggs breakfast buns, a cup or tea, and it was into the lofts to see and to handle quality stock. The main lines are Cooremans, Houbens, Soderlund & Maddison’s, a brother to ‘Dino’, one out of Ian Jamieson’s 1st UNC winner ‘Shadow Boxer’, and the best of Clive & John Jackson’s of
The 5,140 YB,s that were sent by the UNC members that were liberated on Wednesday 13th September at 8am at Maidstone were led home to the Chevington Drift HS partner- ship of John Mallan and John Mowbray. This partnership have had a absolutely brilliant 2023 season, with Federation wins of 15 across both the OB and the YB season, which obviously got them the top spot in this highly competitive Coquetdale Federation.
Ace sprint cock winner.
The two John’s.
One recent Sunday morning, I headed up to Alnwick on what was a far from nice Sunday morning, on an over 140 miles odd round journey to see the lads, and if you are wondering why Alnwick, when the YB that won was raced to Chevington Drift, let me explain. Both John’s don’t live at Chevington Drift, John Mallan lives at Alnwick and John Mowbray lives at Shilbottle, both lads, who are both working full time, had to spend quite some time driving from their respective homes to Chevington, which has proven to be to much for both. Although they have had an absolutely blinding season at Chevington flying to Gary Douglas’s old loft which John Mowbray bought from Gary as he was going into part- nership with Davie Barron, it’s back to Alnwick for John Mallan, where he and his brother Martin flew so well right up to 2021. In 2022 both John’s combined to fly at Shilbottle for the one season, only the YB season, but what a season that turned out to be. There was just the two Fed wins, but the Feds YB Averages was won, and from the two longest races, Chelmsford, a disastrous race, and then the Maidstone YB, the YB team flew two brilliant races, with one blue hen taking both the NEHU and the UNC's YBOY trophy. The Chelmsford race when some lofts were waiting for one, this loft had returns into double figures, with one even arriving at about 8pm in the dark. The YB National they had 10th, 65th etc UNC, this still flying as Mallaburn Bros, but then with the loft at Chevington already in place, and being flown in at as Mowbray, Son & Allan in season 2021, 2022 saw the two John’s set up the Shilbottle loft to fly that years YB’s which were bred elsewhere, and as we now know, they were flown
Going to need another shelf!
Cornwall Heremans-Ceusters. A Belge 13 hen was bought as a YB direct from Cooremans by Jimmy Commons, a pick of any YB’s that were on offer, Jim being out there with Bob Fenech. John took a shine to this hen after visiting Jimmy being friends with him, and after some persuading John got the hen from Jim. Now even at 10yo she has bred with a blue pied cock of Jackson & Son lines 2x1st Fed winners this year, but the undoubted pick of the many top pigeons she has bred is one that is simply known as ‘The 12 Hen’. On the road and then put to stock this hen has been a revelation, it’s been just a steady stream of winners coming from her and down from her, over 25x1st Club, Fed, Section and even UNC positions being won from her, and her offspring are carrying on in the same successful way. One thing I will say about the many I
brilliantly. So with what was already in place, plus all the YB team were broken off to Chevington, only one going awol, this season began, and as already stated, what a season ending with a 1st UNC winner. I arrived at Alnwick to find only John Mallan there as John Mowbray was out in Turkey enjoying a break, but as he’s a Boro supporter, I bet he was watching us destroying Sunderland 4-0, sorry my Sunderland friends (not!). So John Mallan has returned to Alnwick, but he did say that his brother Martin isn’t to bothered about returning to working with the birds, but he will in all probability pop round on race days. Nevertheless John is reverting back to Mallaburn Bros & Stephenson, as a now retired ex fancier of that name says he will give John a hand, as he is busy with his own building etc business which he runs with a partner. The Chevington Drift set up has been bought, and from all the wins etc that the team won in the 2023 season, only eight were taken to Sitting cabin at Alnwick, John taking a call from Steve Wheatley.
Stock section at Alnwick.
handled this day, you couldn’t say that any were ‘weak to handle’, not by a long way. Muscled up, strong backs, built like body builders, maybe not to the long distance minded likes for such races, but they were well balanced, and I for one, a man who has handled many many top class pigeons, was suitably impressed. The plan this coming season is to breed a big team of YB’s, don’t forget this is the third sort of move in three seasons, a bit like having to start all over again, which they are, so a big team maybe close to a 100 will be bred and then flown to see what is left to go into the 2025 season flying a OB team which will be a team of yearlings only. That number will be about 25 or so pairs of those yearlings, which John will then aim to get down to say 18 pairs the year after. Don’t forget, John has a business to run, Martin at the minute is working full time, and
Stock lofts and corn and basket sheds at Alnwick.
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