Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past & present

STEVE BUCKLE

OF NORTHWOOD

Steve Buckle races his 18 widowhood cocks on the north road and enjoyed a brilliant 2004 season, with the highlight being 1st Open London North Road Combine Thurso. He won the Combine with his good Janssen blue widowhood cock '03', and he is bred down from a long line of outstanding winners. Steve says he races the widowhood system because it fits in with his working hours. The racers are paired up in January and the cocks are given two training tosses prior to racing and no more. He breaks down the birds on races up to 350 miles, after that they are not broken down and the hens are shown on making nights for all races. The racers are left with their mates for at least half an hour on their return from the races, but if it's a hard race they stay together overnight. Steve doesn't train in the racing season and says everyone talks about the importance of exercising widowhood cocks, but he.has found that if he gives them two days complete rest in the loft, he gets excellent results. Training doesn't suit his lifestyle, so he tries the alternative, they fly an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening, if they are lucky! His widowhood pigeons race up to Berwick 300 (miles), after that he selects a small team for the longest races. Steve maintains preparing for long distance events involves feeding and 10 days prior to a long­distance race, he changes the food, giving more carbohydrate, more peanuts and sunflower seed. His favourite condition for his 500 mile racers is pink skin, white wattle, sparkling eyes and keen to see their hens.

A great widowhood system, which has won in the 2004 season: Old birds: 2nd, 4th. Club Doncaster, 1st, 3rd, 4th Club Ripon, 1st Club Scotch Corner, 1st Club Berwick, 3rd Club Wetherby, 1st, 3rd, 4th Club Ripon, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th Club Wetherby, 1st Club, 1st Federation, 1st Open London NR Combine Thurso. Young birds: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th Club, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th Open Federation Leicester, 1st Club Newark, 1st, 2nd, 4th Club Newark, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Club Doncaster. Great pigeon racing!

Steve keeps 35 young birds each season and trains them up to 40 miles, then he comes back to 15 miles and holds them at 15 miles for the whole racing programme. The youngsters are raced through the whole programme and are fed 11/2oz of  F2 young bird mixture every day. Steve races his own semi-darkness system, where the youngsters are shut up at 6pm when the widowhood cocks fly out and are raced to the perch.

Steve was 39 years of age when he started up in the sport. In the beginning he was introduced to pigeon fancier, Dickie Paddock, who gave him his first 16 latebreds from his race team and Steve says they were good birds, but at that stage didn't have a clue how to race them. A big miserable Northerner from Durham called, Tony Drainer, told him how to race young birds and he did everything that he said to the letter. Steve and Tony are great friends, and Steve won the first race he entered, which was down to an American air base on the M1 motorway and was fascinated in watching a fencer releasing his pigeons from a training basket every morning. He went to speak to him and he introduced himself to Terry Haley. He invited Steve and his friend, Gavin Cole to his pigeon club, the Watford NR Flying Club, with the view of joining as fully flying members. Gavin joined the Wattord, but Steve was out of the radius, so joined his local Millend Club, which is near Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire. On starting up Steve had two small lofts, one 8ft x 8ft loft that he bought for £60 from an elderly widow whose husband used to show pigeons and the other an 8ft garden shed with a sputnik trap on the front.

Steve's present loft is a 16ft x 8ft Ellis loft, with apex roof and sliding door trapping. He says he has never used deep litter, but the loft must be dry and good ventilation is essential. Steve maintains he is really pleased with his loft and he believes it is a big contribution to his success. His families of pigeons are Demeesters, Janssen and Staf Van Reet, but told me he has no stock birds, with all his young birds being bred from the racers. He used to have stock birds, but found if he lost a bird in a race it was always off the stock team. He has never paid any money for birds from, who Steve describes as, some great ambassadors of our sport, Sheridon Leonard, Dickie Paddock, Eddie Kneller and John Adams, but has won many good races with their gift pigeons. Steve's two main breeding pigeons are the Janssen cocks '03' and '01', which are the best two racers. He says he likes sprint racing and is just learning long distance!

Steve says his most thrilling experience was winning his first race. His hand was shaking so much he couldn't put the rubber in the thimble. He told me the 2004 season had been great fun, winning the Combine from Thurso and taking the first six positions in the Federation from Leicebter with his young birds. Through the years the Buckle Loft has had numerous Club and Federation wins and was the Young Bird Champion at the Millend Club in 1988, his first season of racing. The very strong Watford Club has now opened their radius and Steve now races with them in the Thames Valley Federation. He has been the Champion of the Watford North Road Club for the last three years and in the 2004 season won the Scottish Averages (longest races). The Buckle Loft won Berwick with the Janssen cock '01', and Thurso with the other Janssen cock and Combine winner '03'.

Steve told me he never shows his pigeons, as he would not put his birds in a smoke-filled, hot room in the middle of winter, as they will get too stressed. He is the club's Federation delegate and with fellow clubmate, Ray Neil, are responsible for taking the pigeons to the Federation transporter every week. Steve has never practiced linebreeding, but says it is something he has yet to try. He never breeds latebreds, as he doesn't see any particular value in them, unless you were helping someone start up with breeders. When his birds are moulting he gives them a higher protein mixture, with various oils. He thinks the moult period is the most important time of the year. The pigeons are not parted when they are moulting, because he thinks they are happiest when they are with their hens and are more relaxed.

Another 'On The Road' bites the dust! I can be contacted on: 01372 463480. See yer!

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT