Seventy four Northern Classic members entered 556 young birds in the young bird classic from Picauville on Saturday September 11 th, with a total cash purse of £2,624. The birds were liberated at 8-30 am in a strong sw wind along with other feds that were convoyed by the North Derbyshire Fed.

Dave & John Hawkins of Dunsville in Doncaster had what seems to be an almost impossible dream of a race clocking the first ten pigeons in the open result. Three birds actually arrived together but the race winner recorded a velocity of 1816, trapped like a missile and was quickly clocked, knowing it was a fast race, the other two were waiting as Dave came out of the loft. Another bird was clocked immediately followed by another four, which were all in the clock within a minute, to be backed up by another two. Little did they know that Classic history was being made as winning the top ten prizes at this level had never been done before the nearest being Nigel Cowood taking the first five places from Weymouth in August 2000.

Dave and his father John have raced pigeons very successfully in the past at their previous location in Moorends, winning as many as 8 x 1sts in the Fed in one season. However they realised that they needed pigeons of a different class when they competed against Mark and Dick Evans before their move. Naturally they approached Mark and Dick and obtained some of their National winning Vandenabeeles, which are largely responsible for the current success. Moving to Dunsville in 2002 a new loft was built to their requirements, a mirror image of that of their good friends M & D Evans, and together with their methods the rest they say is history.

The old birds were paired on January 1 st and a team of 80 ybs were bred, the two rounds going onto darkness. Dave and John’s system is identical to the traditional system, where the birds are darkened from 5pm until 9am and taken off the system on June 21 st.The sexes are separated as soon as they can determine cocks and hens, when they remain separated until after the first race when they can pair and sit eggs if they wish.

Road training starts about six weeks prior to the first race and is done in easy stages, the first toss from 5 miles and building up gradually to Leicester,70miles,at least twice then usually three times a week in between races. The birds are raced every week, with nothing being stopped for future as they feel that the vandenabeeles are bred for the longer distances. The team had been reduced to 62 before racing and towards the end of September 57 remained with very few losses. From the very first race the team have been winning and regularly arrived home in groups, six together from Buckingham (1) then 15 together a week later from Buckingham (2) then 30 together from Buckingham (3) a week after that the 100 mile race point After two Newbury’s they raced from Chale on the Isle of Wight with the Midlands National and really moved up a gear and probably excelled again a week later at Picauville with the Northern Classic.

Dave and John race weekly with Broadway Hotel and the Doncaster Social with the Doncaster Fed and have had a very good season to date before the ybs started against some very good fanciers. The feeding of these winged athletes is Versele Laga Best All Round combined with Junior UK mixed in equal quantities, fed to appetite morning and evening after exercise. The water fountain usually has Rhonfried products added, Blitz form and Gerwit W with Gem products at other times. The actual race winner is a Vandenabeele x Van Hee blue cock,racing to eight days with the next nine birds all being Vandenabeeles from M & D Evans’s superb family. Words cannot describe what Dave and John have achieved what is a fantastic performance winning £946.Remarkable and unbelievable does not do it, but the clock does not lie. Congratulations to you both on this magnificent result you are the latest members to join the elite Northern Classic winners club reserved for only the very best in the sport of pigeon racing. Tony G

THE GOLD RING RACE

A GOLDEN PERFORMANCE BY

DAVE & JOHN HAWKINS

The gold ring race was a great success once again with Dave and John Hawkins living up to their names “treasure island” story. For sure these lads had the map and found the gold the map being the M & D Evans Vandenabeeles and the “treasure” well that’s about 6 grand in cash. For not only were the father and son partnership 1 st, but they also took 2 nd, and with it the second share of the “booty”. Talk about “treasure island” its enough to make Long John Silvers parrot faint. Incredibly Dave and Johns winners are a pair of nest mates which makes their performance absolutely amazing. John told me that the reason that these two were chosen is because of their brother “42” a big winner for Dave and John. Still only a yearling he has 30 club and fed cards already! The winner of the Gold Ring is a lovely small to medium blue pied which has already done some damage with1st, Whitley Bridge 2B championship,34 th, section 42 nd,open Chale 4,753 birds in the MNFC,Followed by 12 th, Section,13 th, open Northern Classic Picauville 556 birds and was unbelievably beaten that day by 10 loftmates.Now finally it has taken 2 nd,section,2 nd,open, 1 st,MNFC Gold Ring, winning a total of £5,134.47 plus a T3 clock which will probably be needed as the old one must have a worn out trigger by now! The nest mate’s sister was only lightly raced and was taking her first bow in the winner’s enclosure and what a first bow, taking 2 nd, Gold Ring with total winnings of over £2,500.Truly solid gold nest mates. Mike Lakin