Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past & present

PETER NOTRIDGE

OF WEST CROYDON

I think you would have to go a long time before you would find a better all round and more respected pigeon fancier than Peter Notridge. He loves to win the short ones as much as the long 'uns and has topped the Federation and Combine from the shortest and the longest. He says over the years he has held nearly every job in pigeon racing, from convoyer to auctioneer. Up to that year, when one of his Combine winners died, you could have the rare experience of seeing two S.M.T. Combine winners perched under one roof at the Notridge loft. Peter is one of only a very few fanciers who have won the S.M.T. Combine twice since it was formed in 1968. Peter's two wins were recorded from Niort in 1968 and from Nantes in 1971. The 1979 season was another good one for the Notridge pigeons, the highlight of which was from the Nantes National when he recorded 1 st clock station, 3rd Sect. E. 4th Open (10,367 birds). Peter's record flying the S.M.T. Combine in recent years is second to none winning 1 st Combine Niort, 1 st Combine Nantes, 3rd Combine Laval, 4th Combine Niort, 4th Combine Bergerac, 5th Combine Laval, 6th Combine Le Mans, 6th Combine Nantes, 9th Combine Rennes, and 9th Combine Angers. The Notridge loft has won the Surrey Federatioin many times and the Croydon Fed. twice, with 1974 being his best year at club level, winning ten 1 sts in two clubs.

Peter had two self-built lofts at Croydon, a racing loft 12ft x 9ft and a stock loft 6ft x 5ft. Peter's son, Mark, raced in his own right with some really first class performances put up in his first two seasons, with birds from his dad, flying to his 8ft loft which is built on to Peter's stock loft. The 20 racing pairs were trapped through open doors and deep litter was used in both lofts. The race team is flown on the natural system and is fed on a good mixture of beans, peas and maize when racing and beans, peas, and wheat when resting in the winter. Peter says the natural system is the best way to get the best out of all your birds at all distances. He doesn't like sending birds racing week after week and maintains that to compete you must have two teams, one for Channel and one for inland. He said that there is no such thing as a short or long distance pigeon, it's all down to how you manage and train them. The birds are only trained lightly because they are given an open loft for most of the day during the summer. Peter was a training instructor in slating and tiling and he took the birds to work with him, in any direction, for training. No training is given before the first race as Peter uses the race as a guide to how much training the team needs. Youngsters are, given lots of short tosses, then about four races after which Peter says they are set up for life. Peter has his own family of pigeons bred down from his old ‘Budgie Cock’ and these are backed up with his family of Roosebroeck pigeons obtained from Louis Govaerts of Luton. The Roosebroeck pigeons have been highly successful for many top fanciers and the strain was imported into this country by Louis Govaerts from Belgium, his homeland. The Roosebroecks are ‘ace’ on widowhood in the sprint races, but Peter has scored from as far away as Pau with them. The birds are paired up in mid March and a good bird is purchased and crossed into the family every year. Peter has also purchased and bred with success birds from P. J. Thomas, J. L. Roberts and W. Price. A hen from Louis Govaerts bred Peter's dark chequer cock 'The Violet Eyed Cock' which has won many positions in the first ten prizes including, 1st Woodside Open Guernsey, 1st club, 1st Federation Exmouth, 1st club, 5th Federation Seaton, 2nd club, 2nd Federation Exeter, 3rd club, 7th Federation Blandford, 3rd club Exmouth (twice), 3rd Sect., 20th Open Guernsey (N.F.C.) and lost three more races through bad trapping. This great pigeon was put in the stock loft and up to his fourth season he was clocked from every race entered.

Peter's dark chequer hen 'Canterbury Belle', the Niort Combine winner died of old age in 1979 and she was a treat in the hand, of medium size with an apple body. Three weeks after winning the Combine she was sent to Bergerac to return home with a damaged wing. Peter said he had no idea how she got home with the damaged wing but she was clocked and recorded 10th club. After this race she was retired to stock and bred many winners. 'Canterbury Belle' bred two hens '62812' and '62813' in one nest and the Notridges called them 'The Twins'. '62812' has to her credit 1st club, 3rd Federation, 4th Combine Niort and 1st club, 2nd Federation, 9th Combine Rennes. '62813' won 1st club, 4th Federation, 4th Combine Bergerac and is the dam of grizzle cock 'Canterbury Silver Mist', the Nantes Combine winner. 'Silver Mist' was a wonderful pigeon in the hand and his full performance is 1st Club, 1st Federation, 1st Combine Nantes, 2nd club Avranches, 4th club Rennes, 3rd club Nantes, 2nd club Bergerac, 3rd club Blandford, 7th club Blandford, 4th club Weymouth, 5th club Dorchester, flying the English Channel 19 times.

After a long and very full racing career he was put to stock and bred winners. A great pigeon! Another outstanding racer, retired in the stock loft, was the 1970 bred blue chequer hen 'The Federation Hen' winner of 1st club, 1st Federation Exeter, 1st club, 9th Federation Exmouth, 2nd club, 4th Federation Blandford, 2nd club, 6th Federation Dorchester, 2nd club Blandford, 4th club, 6th Fed. Blandford, 3rd club, 7th Federation Exmouth. Another good hen to die of old age was the dark Roosebroeck hen bred by Louis Govaerts, and she was the dam of 28 different winners when paired to five different cocks. One of Peter's best sprint birds 'The Black Cock' was a son of her when paired to the Roosebroeck stock cock 'Louis'. The star of the 1979 season was the handsome blue pied cock 'Chucky' and his full performance is: 1979­1st clock station, 3rd Sect. E., 4th Open Nantes N.F.C. previously winning 1st club, 5th Federation Exmouth, 1 st club Exeter, 3rd club Plymouth, 4th club Blandford, 4th club Dorchester, 6th club Plymouth, 6th club Weymouth. This cock was Peter's ideal type of pigeon and had a wonderful eye, as well as good looks. His sire was Peter's good Van der Espt stock cock 'The French Cock' when paired to a Govaerts hen, closely related to 'The Federation Hen' and 'Archie's Hen', another good Channel winner for the Notridge loft.

Pete first kept pigeons when he was 12 years old but spent most of his time in his uncle's loft in Hackbridge where he learnt how to race. He joined the West Croydon club which was North Road in 1952 and he won his first race from Berwick at the age of 15. After demob from National Service, Peter didn't have much time for pigeons as he was very keen on athletics and football. He met and married his wife Ann and they moved into their Croydon house where he restarted the pigeons in 1963, racing South Road in the Croydon H.S. In 1963 he bred the founder bird of his present day family, a dark pied cock, 'The Budgie Cock'. 'Budgie' won 1st club Bournemouth, 1st club Exmouth, 1st club Tours and was put to stock because of his bad trapping. Putting him to stock was a good move on Peter's part as he was sire of 'Canterbury Belle' and countless other winners.

Peter had four years as West Croydon H.S. secretary at different times and was the club's chairman and was a vice president of the Surrey Fed. Peter had very clear cut ideas on what he thinks was wrong with the sport and was always ready to give a productive opinion. He was very much against pigeon breeding stud farms and said they were taking the cost of stock up above the economy of the working man. Novices and beginners should never buy from these places, he said, but from good consistent local fanciers. Pete was interested in eyesign and said all his winners had good eyesign. He was always busy in the winter judging shows, including eyesign classes and when judging eyesign he based his judgement on the eyes of his own pigeons.

A pigeon very highly rated by Peter was his Roosebroeck blue chequer white flight cock 'The Fighter', and he said as long as there is daylight this cock would fly. His performances over the Channel were incredible flying 16 hours many times, winning 1st club Niort, 1st club Angers, 4th club Bergerac (twice), 4th club Angers, 5th club Bergerac, 5th club Laval, 10th club Le Mans (smash), 11th club Niort. This cock was below medium in the hand and was always flying on exercise when the others have dropped. He had wonderful feathering and nice deep wings. Peter called him 'The Fighter' because of his outstanding courage.

There you have it! Peter is still racing pigeons very successfully in the Croydon area and is the President of the Surrey Federation. I can be contacted on telephone: 01372 463480. See yer!

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.