Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past & present

SMT COMBINE WINNERS

OF 1980

The S.M.T. Combine enjoyed a great season in 1980, with members sending nearly 19,000 birds to the six races. All the Old Bird Channel events were first class races, but the Young Bird Plymouth race was a near smash with very poor returns.

The Combine held its first race from Vire and members sent 3,667 birds, the convoy was liberated on the appointed day in a N.W. wind and although the race was very hard, with only six birds recording over 900 y.p.m. the returns were very good. W. Mead & son of Isleworth topped the Combine with a nice three year old mealy hen called 'Ellen', sent sitting seven days. The parents of 'Ellen' were obtained from J. Somerville by Mrs. Mead for a birthday present for Wally in 1975. The partners said this hen hates being caught and has previously won: 1978-2nd club, 11 th Federation, 64th Combine Laval and 1977-6th club, 17th Federation Wadebridge. 'Ellen' was bred from the best Sion lines and won the E. Matthews Perpetual trophy for 1st Combine Vire.

It was the Surrey Federation's day from the Combine's Le Mans event with Surrey members taking the first 14 positions. The convoy was 3,203 birds strong and the clear winner, on 1231, was Jimmy Maynard of West Croydon. Jim's bird was in all pools, lifting £105 and first clock nomination winning the Benzing 261 clock. Jimmy's Combine winner a two year old Stichelbaut pencil blue cock called 'Golden Moth' was bred from Descamps Van Hasten pigeons obtained from Stan Towers. He was sent to Le Mans with his hen laying her second egg on the marking night and he previously won 1978 -10th club Blandford, 9th club Vire, 1980­ - 7th club Vire. Jim had come close to winning the Combine before with his good Krauth hen 'Silver Lady' which recorded 2nd S.M.T. Combine (2,615 birds) Niort in 1978.

Members sent 2,820 birds to Angers and Jimmy Holman, the West Croydon H.S. secretary, timed two birds in 30 seconds to win 1st and 3rd Combine. Members enjoyed a good fast race with good returns and this was the second Combine race on the trot to be won by a West Croydon H.S. member. This race was a West Croydon day with the club's first three birds in the first five Combine positions. Jim's Combine winner was a four year old dark chequer hen called 'Westcombe Win' bred from gift birds from Mr. Sullivan of Carshalton and D. Nunn of Stepney. ‘Westcombe Win' won 5th Le Mans in 1979. Her brother had to his credit 3rd club Le Mans, 9th club Angers, 1st club Niort, 12th club Bergerac all won in 1979 which was a very hard season for Channel racing. The second bird on Jim's clock, recording 3rd Combine, was strawberry mealy cock 'Westcombe Jim', and was bred from Janssens and Kirkpatrick pigeons obtained from D. Nunn of Stepney.

The Combine sent 2,441 birds to Melle and once again with a lot of west in the wind the winners were on the Surrey side of the Combine. Sparrowhawk Bros. of Mitcham won the Combine, on 1137 y.p.m, with a two year old Sion blue hen called 'Miss Ann', she was sent sitting over due eggs. The late Charlie Sparrowhawk said she has been a very consistent racer and on her build up to the Melle Combine win she flew Le Mans and Angers. 'Miss Ann' lifted the Byatt Perpetual Rose Bowl. Charlie had been a pigeon fancier all his life. He joined the Mitcham Common F.C. in 1935 and raced pigeons obtained from the late Harry Hoad of Horsham. Gits pigeons from A. H. Turner of Blackpool and Barkers from Joe Brooks of Bromsgrove were obtained in the early days and these were the base of the Sparrowhawk Bros. family.

The Combine held its blue riband race from Bergerac and a good race was enjoyed with plenty of day pigeons. The late Gerry Byrne, the Kingston ace, won the Combine, lifting clock and the Shephard Perpetual Memorial Trophy. Gerry's star pigeon was his yearling blue chequer hen 'Miss Magic', she was bred down from his old Black Magic family, which have been outstanding in long distance races. Gerry had recorded many top positions in the Federation and Combine, including 2nd Combine Plymouth, 5th Combine Nantes, and two weeks before he won the S.M.T. Combine from Bergerac, he recorded 11 th Sect., 19th Open (5,894 birds) Pau N.F.C. The Bergerac ‘kings’, George and Mick Worsfold of Woking won 2nd Combine Bergerac after previously winning 1st Combine Bergerac twice.

Members sent 4,647 birds to the young bird Plymouth event and returns were very bad with the convoy encountering rain en route. The Combine winner, doing 975 y.p.m. was a Busschaert x Sion blue chequer hen called 'John's Dream', owned by the late John O'Connor & son of Kingston. This game little hen also recorded 18th Sect., 32nd Open (10,510 birds) Avranches with the N.F.C. two weeks previous to her Combine win. 'John's Dream' won the Combine clock nomination and won the H. Goodwin Perpetual Trophy. She was bred from one of the O'Connor's best old birds, a three year old Busschaert called 'JR' and he was bred by J Soderland. 'JR' has won racing,1978 - 5th club, 25th Combine Angers; 1979 -1st club, 15th Combine, 1st Surrey Championship Club, Plymouth, 1st club, 24th Combine, 2nd Surrey Championship Club Angers, 2nd club Blandford, lifting over £350. The O'Connor's Combine winner made it a grand slam for the Kingston club, with Gerry Byrne winning the longest old bird race Bergerac.

Well that’s your ‘FORUM’ for this week, next time we are going to have a look back at the S.M.T. Combine winners of the 1987 season. My telephone number is: 01372 463480.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (FEDERATION PRESS OFFICER)