Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past & present

HAGILOUKA & COUCH

OF TWICKENHAM

This week I am going to feature the Middlesex partnership of Andy Hagilouka and the late Ken Couch who were one of the most consistent Pau racing lofts in the London and South East Classic Club for many seasons. Both these fanciers were very single ­minded in the approach to racing pigeons, with the Pau Classic being their main aim each season. Their performance from the London and South-East Classic Club Pau race were outstanding winning 1996 - 18th Open Pau; 1997 - 36th Open Pau; 1998 - 3rd Open Pau (on the day of liberation); 1999 - 8th, 46th and 59th Open Pau and, of course won the London and South East Classic Club Pau Diploma of Merit Award with the champion hen, ‘Miss Consistent’ who had been in the first 50 Open positions three times to win the award.

Hagilouka and Couch raced 24 pairs on the natural system, pairing up in mid-March with the long-distance Channel races in mind and had an open loft all the year round, winter and summer. After the racers had reared a pair of youngsters they were put on pot eggs and training began with a 50-mile toss, then the birds got two chucks from the south coast every week through the racing season. The racers were hopper fed mostly beans and just before Pau were given single-up tosses from the south coast. The normal build-up for Pau was one inland race, then one short Channel race and then into the main event, sent on chipping eggs or a small youngster. Ken said they don't like to give the team too much racing before Pau, as it takes too much out of them and doesn't help their chances at 550 miles.

The late Kenny Couch had been a fancier for 60 years and started racing with his late father, who was a premier Channel flyer in the Barnes area, winning many top positions including 15th Open Nantes National Flying Club. He maintained that Federation racing as we know it, is on its way out and the way forward is Classic and National Channel racing. Kenny also said families of pigeons are old fashioned and the modern game is based on just good pigeons from different lofts. The partners maintained that the main factor behind their outstanding success from 550 miles was feeding good beans and peanuts and the open loft their birds got every day.

Their loft was full of class, long-distance pigeons with the premier bird being the champion blue pied hen, 'Miss Consistent'. This Cattrysse pigeon had won 1993 - 2nd Club, 34th Open Combine Nantes, 1994 - 1st Club. 7th Open Combine La Ferte Bernard: 1995 - 1st Club Bergerac (on the day); 1997 - 36th Open London and South-East Classic Club Pau; 1998 - 3rd Open London and South-East Classic Club Pau (on the day) and 1999 - 46th Open London and South-East Classic Club Pau. This brilliant hen was bred by George Caller from Cattrysse pigeons obtained from Rod Berry of Ashford and was one of an exchange kit of youngsters with Andy Hagilouka. 'Miss Consistent' won the London and South-East Classic Club Pau Merit Award in 1999 and Andy said she liked to be sent to the long distance on a two day old youngster. Another outstanding hen at the Twickenham loft was 'Chris's Girl' and she won 1st. Club Nantes (twice) and 1st. Club Bergerac. The star of the 1999 season was the blue cock, 'Kenny's Boy', winning 8th Open London and South-East Classic Club Pau and he was bred down from the best Deweerdt and Johnny Wills bloodlines. The loft had won countless club firsts Channel racing through the years and in the London and South-East Classic Club 13th. Open Guernsey (Young Birds); 9th. Open Angers (Yearling Derby); 24th. Open Guernsey (Young Birds) and 22nd. Open Nantes (Yearling Derby). A brilliant loft of Channel racers!

The loft was in Andy Hagilouka's garden and he had been in the sport since he was ten years of age when he started keeping a few fantails. Although he was raised in Brixton, London, his family are all from Cyprus and said he was the loft manager and Ken was the main trainer, enjoying his runs down to the south coast. He first started racing in the Effra School Club in Brixton and can remember winning 1st Club Avranches when he was a young lad. Andy moved into his present address, in Twickenham when he married his wife, Chris, in 1975 and started racing straight away. He had been a very good fancier in his own right, winning from every stage through France, lifting the Continental Average many times and said, all his life he has only been interested in Channel racing. He said, to got pigeons out of the long distance you must feed Cyprus potatoes! Andy and Ken joined forces several years ago and decided from the outset that they wanted to race from Pau (550 miles) and the rest is history.

Andy and Kenny kept only two pairs of stock birds, their retired best racers, and bred about 40 youngsters each season. They raced the young birds very lightly on the natural system to the perch and they tried a few on the darkness in 1999 but thought the system was rubbish and can affect the birds badly in later life. The young birds got well trained from the south coast and only got one or two races in their year of birth. They were hopper fed a first­class mixture of beans, peas and maize and as yearlings had to race from a 300 mile racepoint in France. The partners liked their two-year-old pigeons to race from Pau (550 miles). Andy said he rates Johnny Wills, George Burgess and Eric Cannon as the best Pau racers. The partner's natural racing loft was very homely and quiet, with the inmates looking very happy and all trapping into sputnik bay-type traps. These two gentleman were great workers in the sport, with both of them being on the London and South-East Classic Club committee for several seasons and Ken was the chairman of the Three Borders Federation.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT