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The British International Championship Club race from St. Philbert was won by the Caister-on-Sea partnership of Chapman & Eastoe. Competing against 8345 birds the winning bird travelled the 372 miles in six hours, 46 minutes and one second, an average speed of 54 miles per hour – beating the odds and clinching top honours.
The Chapman & Eastoe partnership consists of Nicole & Glen, who have been racing pigeons together for 15 years. They both work full time and manage the birds together, working around Glen’s shift pattern.
They sent their 3 year old chequer hen in preparation for the challenge of Bordeaux (later in the season) but she is now to be retired to the stock loft in the hope of producing more winning pigeons. The bird’s sire was brought from Stuart Wilcox and the dam from Eric Higginbottom.
Their winning hen bird had been raced on the natural system until this season and then switched to widowhood. Glen said that she is a big hen and he has found that he can get bigger pigeons into condition easier, on the widowhood system. Prior to the St. Philbert race the hen bird had three club races on three consecutive weekends, flying 110 miles, 132 miles and 157 miles to bring her into condition.
Although in recent seasons the partnership have taken a number of section wins in both the National Flying Club and the British International Championship Club, Glen & Nicole where obviously delighted and overjoyed to be crowned National winners.
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Bradwell Pigeon 