Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past & present

BILL WOODS

OF SHAFTESBURY

Bill Woods was a very rare breed of pigeon fancier, as he raced only the widowhood system yet won top positions in long distance races year after year. The loft only raced cocks and was full of champions, with some cocks winning eight firsts in channel races. In 1994 the loft won: 12th. Section, 258th Open N.F.C. Nantes, 1st Section, 11th Open N.F.C. Saintes, 1st. Section, 10th. open N.F.C. Pau, 2nd. Section, 4th. open B.B.C. Nantes, 10th, 12th. Section, 26th, 30th. open Central Southern Classic Bergerac. This great fancier lifted the N.F.C. ‘S. G. Biss Trophy’ for Best Average all Old Bird races.

Bill was 100% widowhood and was living proof that the longer races can be won with unpaired cocks. He sent only a small team to the Nationals and very rarely sent to the young bird classic races. The loft had two sections which house the 32 widowhood cocks and was painted throughout in a nice light blue, which I thought was very restful for the inmates. The widowhood racers were paired up on February 14th. and the hens were taken away when their babies were 15 days old and then the cocks were trained. Bill said widowhood was a great system for holding the birds' condition. The cocks never saw the hens on marking nights and only got the hen for about two hours on arrival home from the races. To Bill feeding was the most important factor in widowhood racing and the longer the race, the shorter the break down period.

Bill was a very fit 65 years of age when I met him and was born and bred in Dorset. His garden was very small and the 20ft x 6ft loft almost filled it. The location was not the best for a pigeon loft, being less than 6ft away from the house and netted around with telephone wires. The main families raced were Wildemeersch from Mitchell Bros and Louella, Matthys of Geoff Kirkland, Verheye and Busschaerts from Louella and distance birds from Nigel Llewellyn of Southampton.

One of the stars in the Woods loft at that time was the blue pied Wildemeersch widowhood cock, which was Champion Yearling in West of England Combine in 1994, winning 1st Open Combine (6,000 birds) Plymouth and 6th Open Combine Plymouth. This cock was of Mitchell Brothers / Louella lines and handled above medium, with very silky feathering.

Bill had been a pigeon fancier for 40 years and had won countless top prizes including 3rd Open Pau (NFC), 10th Open Pau (NFC), 6th Open Palamos (BBC), 6th, 14th, 16th Open Nantes (NFC), 11th Open Saintes (NFC), 29th Open Bordeaux (NFC), and three times 1st Open in the mighty West of England Combine, to list just a few. Bill said his most thrilling experience in his time in the sport was when he won 3rd Open Pau National.

He bred between 40 and 50 young birds each season and never sent them over the Channel. He trained up to 35 miles and the hens raced the whole card, with the cock only getting one or two races. For Bill the moult was the important factor for good success the following year.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT