Keith Mott writes...

ARTHUR PAYNE

OF KINGSTON

Arthur Payne started the 2005 season, in the same fashion as he finished the 2004 season – winning pigeon races! He chalked up 1st. club, 6th. Three Borders Federation, from the first race of the 2005 season, from Lulworth in April. He won the season opener with his brilliant Huybregts blue chequer cock, ‘Kenny’, and this great pigeon has lots of previous good form, winning in 2004: 1st. club, 1st. Three Borders Federation, 4th. open S.M.T. Combine Poitiers, 1st. club, 9th. Three Borders Federation, 11th. open S.M.T. Combine Fougeres. A brilliant performance! Arthur named the handsome blue chequer, ‘Kenny’, after his breeder, the late Ken Besant of New Malden, who produced him from stock birds obtained from John Keywood of Hersham. Back in the 1970’s I flew in the very strong Kingston club, Surrey Federation, with Arthur and he was always one fancier to look out for, especially in the channel events. This great fancier is now 78 years of age and told me that after racing in the Kingston club for over 50 years he was very sad to see this great club stop functioning at the end of the 2003 season. 2004 was Arthur’s first season racing in the Surbiton Flying Club and won ten races last season, taking the first three positions several times. He enjoyed a brilliant season in the Three Borders Federation, recording 10th. open Exeter (1,292 birds), 8th. open Lulworth (2,384 birds), 9th. open Fougeres (1,137 birds), 8th. open West Bay (2,105 birds), 3rd. open Exeter ( 1,584 birds), 1st. open Poitiers (823 birds), 10th. open Lulworth (1,629 birds), 18th. open Kingsdown (1,140 birds). A brilliant loft performance! Arthur’s son-in-law is Bobby Besant of the old double National Flying Club winning partnership of C. H. Besant & sons of New Malden and he enjoys his Saturday afternoons at Arthur’s loft, helping him clocking in.

Arthur’s set up consists of two small lofts, which are scraped out regularly and they are very open, as he is a fancier who likes plenty of fresh air for the inmates. He says he’s always been a scraper man and has never used deep litter on the loft floors. The old birds are raced on a type of roundabout system, with 25 pairs of racers being paired up in February. Never having driven a car, Arthur just rides a bike, so his hens are trained on the local pigeon transporter twice a week. The cocks are not trained, but exercised round the loft every day. The racers are fed a good widowhood mixture, being broken down in the early part of the season and are given extra maize as the races get longer. Just like the normal widowhood system, the hens are shown to the cocks on marking night and they race every week in the Federation. Arthur told me that ‘Kenny’, his first winner of the 2005 season, had flown in 25 races over the last two seasons. The Payne loft houses several families of pigeons, including Janssens from Mark Kidby, Huybregts from John Keywood, Winckels and the newly introduced Eric Cannon long distance family. The main stock cock was a Winckel called ‘Peanut’ and a lot of his winning bloodlines are in the loft today. This wonderful old cock was Arthur’s favourite and used to come into the back kitchen, and eat peanuts off the table. ‘Peanut’ was never raced from France, but won many inland races for the Payne loft. He was a good racer, but a better breeder, and has bred no end of winners for Arthur. A grandson of ‘Peanut’ won two races in the 2004 season. Two of the top racers in the loft today, ‘The Image’ and ‘Queenie’, are direct children of the old blue cock and Arthur says ‘The Image’ is the image of his father, and has won races every season. ‘Peanut’ was bred by C. H. Besant & sons and strayed in to Arthur’s loft as a young bird, but liked the Payne loft so much, he kept coming back and was gifted to him. A wonderful old pigeon!

Well that’s it for this week! I hope my readers have enjoyed looking at Arthur Payne’s recent winners! My phone number is: 01372 463480. See yer!