Analyze Chateauroux National

Last year at this time, in conjunction with Marseille, there was no middle-distance competition. This year, however, we have seen a real response, with over 21,000 pigeons taking part in what is already the fifth middle-distance competition of the season.
The pigeons were released at 7.30am. The temperature in Châteauroux was 14°C, with clear skies and a light SW'ly wind.
With speeds close to 1600 m, long distances are greatly favoured. This was the case at Châteauroux which, after the announcements for the short distances, saw the bulk of the troops flock to the north of the country, with the main target being the province of Antwerp in both categories.

 

Top 10 national old birds

1. K VAN MASSENHOVEN de Retie, 1590,0102 m

2. 9. Reijnen-Bolton de Baarle-Hertog, 1574,4525 et 1560,6331 m

3. J Huybregts de Merksplas, 1569,3403 m

4. H Hermans de Pulle, 1569,0483 m

5. J Keirsmakers de Nijlen, 1564,7625 m

6. W De Troy de Berlaar, 1563,3788 m

7. J Vercammen de Vremde, 1562,3917 m

8. S Brugmans de Halen, 1561,4354 m

10. De Weerd-Berckmoes de Lille, 1559,2186 m

The top 10 remain firmly entrenched in the 1500m speeds; this will also be the case in the top 100.
The omnipresence of Antwerp leaves very little room for the other provinces and PRTs, and even less for Wallonia. The top 100 is hardly evenly divided, with Antwerp taking 68 prizes to Limburg's 17, Flemish Brabant's 9, East Flanders' 5 and Walloon Brabant's 1. LNL, Hainaut and West Flanders have no representatives in the national top 100.
The top 100 is highly diversified, even if it has a strong Antwerp connotation. And yet, a few amateurs do it again and again. These include Reijnen-Bolton ranked 2, 9, 33, 49, 51, 64, 75, 78, H Hermans 4, 15, 28, 43, 62, G Loockx 32, 41, 84, 87, S Brugmans 8, 12, 94, 95...
Only Pierre R & D shows the Walloon colours in the top 100.

 

Top finishers by province and EPR
Antwerp, K Van Massenhoven de Retie, 1590.0102 m, 1 national
Limburg, S Brugmans de Halen, 151.4354 m, 8 nat.
East Flanders, Team Baetens de St Niklaas, 1558,9061 m, 11 nat.
Flemish Brabant, M Bommerez de Heverlee, 1557,9339 m, 13 nat.
EPR HBW, Pierre R & D de Bossut-Gottechain "BW", 1534,1331 m , 71 nat (Balcaen-Dubois de Ellezelles "H", 1525,5911 m, 111 nat)
West Flanders, R Cools de Ruiselede, 1498,1083 m, 339 nat.
EPR LNL, T Defrene de Onoz "N", 1481,0801 m, 576 nat (D Lemestré de Geer "Lg", 1477,8764 m, 631 nat and JP Degée de Hotton "Lx", 1413,2505, out of nat.) 

 

The zones in a few words

 

Zone A1, 542 old
D Schreel from Gits won the zone, but only scored 1316 nationals. Only the top 6 went on to the nationals. It's a massacre for Zone A1, which had taken 6.7% of the national total.
Price by 10, let's just mention Roose-Pyra's 4/6 ranked 2, 5, 11, 24 and A Vansieleghem's 3/4 ranked 36, 45, 52.
Zone A2, 823 old
We're still a long way from the top 100, but R Cools de Ruiselede won the zone and the West Flanders provincial as well as being ranked 339 nationally. The first 100 classified are present at the national, which represents less than one pigeon out of 8 basketed.
Among the prizes by 10, we have R Van de Gehugte classified 22, 23, 33, 66, 82 for a 5/7. We also note clear rounds such as the 2/2 of K Debacker classified 5 and 25, M Casaert 30 and 44 or the 3/3 of J Maenhout classified 28, 54, 55, as well as the 1/1 of M Putman 78 and F Debacker 81.
Zone A3, 1086 old
We made a timid entry into the top 100 with R Ingels de Laarne, who won the zone and was ranked 81 nationally. There were only 2 in the top 100 and the zone lost many more feathers at the end of the ranking as the last 64 fell outside the national.
The top 100 included J Pappens ranked 4, 5, 13, 27, 40, 100 for a 6/10 and De Schepper-De Temmerman ranked 12, 20, 24, 25, 50, D Vermassen 8, 22, 23, 54, 59... Among the clear rounds, we have the 1/1 of Jacobs R & K 9, De Caluwe-Deduytschaver 36, G Ryckaert 78...
On the Walloon side, we find Balcaen-Dubois 3, Harchies C & C 10, K Saudoyez 32, Lequenne-Houfflain 35...
Zone B1, 963 old
We're approaching the top 10 with Team Baetens from St Niklaas ranked first in the zone and 11th nationally. However, the zone only occupied 3 places in the top 100 and the late closing meant that 14 prizes were lost.
Many amateurs were not satisfied with just one prize in the 10-prize draws, but the series were limited. We will pin B Steveninck classified 25, 26, 27, 30, 50, 74, 76, Murez-Marichal 22, 42, 56, 60, 65, Team Baetens 1, 6, 15, 89, 95... without forgetting the 2/2 of J Vermeir 9, 52, the 1/1 of Coppens-Segers 62, D De Wolf 69...
S Verplancken 8, D Dusausoit 12 and Genlain-Dupont 16 make up the Walloon top three.
Zone B2, 1332 old
The top 10 was reached with J Huybregts from Merksplas, placed first in the zone and 3rd nationally. The zone came away with 38 prizes in the top 100 and finished the competition with a bonus of 150 prizes.
J Vercammen finished in the top 100 with 4, 12, 34, 50, 62, 67, 68, 94, 95, followed by H Hermans with 2, 5, 11, 16, 26, 82, P Vervloesem with 13, 23, 41, 56, 81, 84... Some amateurs had no faults. These include the 2/2s of J Keirsmakers classified 3, 33, H Smits 27, 43, and the 1/1 of L De Ridder 75.
On the Walloon side, we find only P Bert 88, in the top 100.
Zone B3, 1175 old
This is the national top par excellence. With K Van Massehoven de Retie, the zone took national victory, 37 prizes in the top 100 and finished the competition with 136 additional prizes at national level.
The top 100 included some fine prizewinners such as Reijnen-Bolton ranked 2, 4, 15, 19, 20, 26, 29, 31, 45, 48, 53, 77, G Loockx 14, 17, 33, 34, 68, 75, 76, I Renders 37, 40, 42, 44, 63, 65, 85...
On the Walloon side, we have Pierre R & D 27, 78, the only 2 pigeons in the top 100.
Zone B4, 1140 old
The top double is obtained by S Brugmans de Halen ranked 8 national. The zone occupies 17 places in the top 100 and finishes with a bonus of 117 prizes.
Just note Veulemans-Perilleux ranked 11, 22, 24, 34, 39, 46, 49, 66, or S Brugmans 1, 2, 16, 17, 30, 35, 58...
There was no Walloon presence in the top 100.
Zone C, 1014 old
Only the top 3 are in the top 100, including L Ceyssens de Meeuwen ranked 65 nationally. There was a significant deficit at the end of the ranking, with only the top 162 appearing in the national rankings.
We will remember the series of prizes won by T Weytjens ranked 12, 26, 30, 31, 36, 50, 55, 77, 78, 79 for a 10/14 in the top 100 and D Lemestré ranked 17, 42, 43, 53, 58, 84, 86...

 

A few figures
Speed of the winner, 1590.0102 m
Gap between the first 2, 3'23
Speed of the 100th place finisher, 1528.6513 m
Speed of the last classified, 1420.0948 m
Duration of the competition, 41'03''
Average gap between 2 pigeons, 1.2 seconds


Top 10 national yearlings

1. 3. L VAN MECHELEN de Oud-Turnhout, 1595,4528 et 1591,7426 m

2. 5. 6. Van Oeckel B & N de Oud-Turnhout, 1595,0226, 1586,3264 et 1586,1733 m

4. De Weerd-Berckmoes de Lille, 1587,8882 m

7. P Vervloesem de Rijmenam, 1586,9841 m

8. Team Hooymans.be de Mol, 1581,5473 m

9. Dockx L & G de Koningshooikt, 1580,8399 m

10. Op de Beeck-Baetens de Putte, 1579,7798 m

As in the old races, Antwerp dominated the competition with a trio of winners in the same place, including a double, and the entire top 10 in its own hands. These are also the 3 highest speeds in the competition, old horses and yearlings combined.
The top 100 is indisputable. Antwerp is omnipresent with 84 prizes, followed by Flemish Brabant 8, Limburg 7 and East Flanders 1. In other words, the top 100 only concern the north of the country, where West Flanders is absent. Not a single one is attributed to the Walloon region.
Already a repeat performer in the top 10, Van Oeckel B & N has the longest series of awards in the top 100, ranking 2, 5, 6, 14, 20, 23, 24, 40, 44, 45, 46, 53, 57, 59, 80, 86.

 

First arrivals by province and EPR
Antwerp, L Van Mechelen de Oud-Turnhout, 1595.4528 m, 1 national
Limburg, Vanmeert R & K from Zelem, 1574.9336 m, 11 nationals.
Flemish Brabant, F Tobback de Hofstade, 1562,7922, 27 nat.
East Flanders, B Steveninck de Hamme, 1556,9311 m, 54 nat.
EPR HBW, R Decelle de Nil St Vincent "BW", 1520,3924 m , 282 nat (O Poussart de Vaulx-lez-Chimay "H", 1520,3726 m, 283 nat) 
EPR LNL, V Kockelmans de Avennes "Lg", 1508,0236 m, 459 nat (Thibaut-Boons de Sombreffe "N", 1507,5704 m, 465 nat and JP Degée de Hotton "Lx", 1435,8513 m, 2294 nat)
West Flanders, Lannoo-Ballegeer de Moerkerke, 1505.9944 m, 491 nat.

 

The zones in a nutshell, 

Zone A1, 778 yearlings
Pollin M & G de Snellegem won the zone and was ranked 1983 national. Only the top 11 were placed nationally. Among the longest series in prices per 10, we find Roose-Pyra classified 2, 11, 22, 37, 43, 52, 71, M Versavel 6, 8, 14, 24, 46, 65, R Verhaest 13, 28, 34, 67, 69, 87, 88...
On the Walloon side we find M Lizoen 38, Ollevier L & B 39, C Godderis 42...
Zone A2, 1730 yearlings
Double for A Goeteyn de Deinze who is ranked 431 national. The zone is also in dry loss since only the first 253 are in the national, that is to say hardly more than a pigeon for 7 engaged.
The top 100 is C Debacker who is ranked 6, 7, 10, 29, 35, 49, 63, 77, 95, or also Lannoo-Ballegeer who starts with 3, 14, 15, 16 for already a 4/8.
The south of the country starts with Van Parys-Debusschere 34, C Nottebaert 52, T Masure 57...
Zone A3, 1687 yearlings
The prize goes to R Buyst from Lokeren who is ranked 201 national. The late closing meant that the national lost another 70 prizes.
The top 100 shows D Vermassen ranked 6, 9, 10, 27, 34, 45, 58, 60, 89, De Smeyter-Restiaen 12, 26, 39, 85, 92, De Bock-De Smeyter 20, 21, 31, 59, 93, J Pappens 17, 25, 65, 78, 94...
The south of the country arrives with Baert-Debusschere 7, 22, S Dernicourt 19...
Zone B1, 1588 yearlings
B Steveninck de Hamme won the zone and was ranked 54 nationally. The zone only obtained one place in the top 100 and lost another 72 prizes at the national level.
Team Bartens broke into the top 100, finishing 4, 9, 15, 27, 28, 29, 30, 33, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 57, 63 and 88. He is closely followed by G Van Limbergen ranked 2, 21, 26, 37, 65, 71, 81, 100... Note however the 1/1 of Filipovics A & D ranked 64.
The south of the country did not reveal much. We note Murez-Marichal 41, Leturcq-Duponchelle 86, JP Place 87, S Verplancken 94, the only ones in the top 100.
Zone B2, 2315 yearlings
We remain in the top 10 with P Vervloesem de Rijmenam who wins the zone and is ranked 7th nationally. There are 27 yearlings from the zone in the national top 100. As for the fast fence, it resulted in 157 additional prizes.
The top 100 included some fine prizewinners. This is the case for J Vercammen ranked 5, 10, 14, 22, 29, 35, 37, 38, 48, 54, 62, 63, 64, 68, 81, 82, 84, 92, 93, A Roodhooft 7, 42, 56, 57, 88, 91, Noeyens-Lenaerts 17, 61, 71, 83, 89, 99...
There are no Walloon colonies in the top 100.
Zone B3, 1773 yearlings
We find the first 5 of the national including L Van Mechelen from Oud-Turnhout who also wins in the zone. The top 60 find a comfortable place in the national top 100. No less than 232 additional pigeons earned a place in the national.
In the top 100, Van Oeckel B & N are ranked 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 15, 16, 26, 29, 30, 31, 34, 36, 38, 47, 51, 80, 85, 87, 92. Others also took advantage of the space to rank several times. B Verbeek was ranked 10, 22, 48, 49, 54, 84, Thys N & R 7, 14, 42, 44, 70, 75, 91...
Antwerp's domination still leaves no room for Walloon colonies in the top 100.
Zone B4, 1926 yearlings
We are still in the national top 10, with Team Hooymans.be from Mol winning the zone and occupying the national 8th place. The top 10 pigeons join the national top 100 while 239 additional pigeons take their place in the national.
In the top 100 there are some great prize series including G Verbruggen ranked 5, 19, 29, 30, 51, 62, 64, 65, 87, 94, 95, Verbruggen B & Z 14, 25, 26, 48, 60, 73, K Van Rompaey 15, 34, 78, 90, 93...
A few places are left for the Walloon colonies who start with R Decelle 49, O Poussart 50, A Adam 66...
Zone C, 1302 yearlings
Victory went to Raets JM & K de Vliermaal who was 91 in the national, the only one in the top 100. At the end of the competition, the losses were severe as the last 125 classified in the zone were not present at the national.
The top 100 provided some fine prize-winning series, such as T Weytjens ranked 2, 10, 25, 28, 53, 57, 60, 72, 73 for a 9/18, V Kockelmans 7, 15, 18, 42, 47, Raets JM & K 1, 14, 45, 48, 80, Bassez B & L 13, 36, 38, 71, 86, E Emo 37, 43, 55, 84, 87...
In addition to V Kockelmans, the south of the country is also well positioned with D Lemestré 8, P Droussin 41, R Mathoul 49, C Loviny 54...

 

Some figures
Speed of the winner, 1595.4528 m
Gap between the first 2, 6 seconds
Speed of the 100th place finisher, 1546.0263 m
Speed of the last classified, 1405.8291 m
Duration of the competition, 46'19
Average gap between 2 pigeons, 0.85 seconds

 

M Philippe