Keith Mott Writes about winning fanciers past and present

Ced and Clive Allwright of Ashford 

Ced and Clive Allwright enjoyed another wonderful season in 2008, winning several firsts in the local club and Federation, but the highlight for the partners was recording 3rd Section E, 3rd open NFC St Malo (Old Hens) National, and coming so close to winning their fourth 1st open NFC National. Their 2008 ‘ace’ pigeon was their Jim Biss dark chequer natural hen, ‘Dark Malo’, and she had several channel races on her build up to her NFC success including BICC events and the NFC Tarbes (550 miles) race. Being a natural hen, she was paired up in March and won several other positions in her 2008 campaign including 2nd club Tours and 504th open NFC Saintes. She was bred from direct stock birds obtained from the late Jim Biss and was down from his BICC Winner ‘Larma’ bloodlines. ‘Dark Malo’ was sent to the St Malo National sitting ten day old eggs and a big youngster in the nest.

The 2007 season saw Ced and Clive finish up by winning their third National Flying Club race. This must be something of a record to win the National three times and I wouldn’t think many fanciers have achieved it’s equal in past years? The Allwright partners won the Guernsey Old Hen National in 2007 and to make it an extra special day also recorded 9th open Young Bird National. Their latest National winner was their champion yearling blue chequer hen, ‘Vera’, and she was bred down from the best of De Klak Janssen and Jim Biss bloodlines. The sire is one of the Allwrights best racers at the present time and he is the De Klak blue chequer, ‘Rumpy Pumpy’, winner of five firsts racing. He was bred by the north road flyer, Gary Rump of Bexley Heath, and was purchased at a breeder / buyer sale for £50. Ced said it was the best £50 they ever spent, as ‘Rumpy Pumpy’ has won five firsts and bred a National winner.

A really great pigeon! ‘Vera’, named after Ced’s dear late wife, had three races as a young bird including the very hard L&SECC Yelverton event and after several short races in 2007 was sent to Guernsey sitting due to hatch. Clive trained eight old hens with the young birds and picked out four for the Old Hens National, with an outstanding result. Ced and Clive’s 9th open Young Bird National winner was a game little Tasker / Haelterman blue hen named, ‘Amy’, and she was sent to Guernsey feeding a small youngster. She paired up with an old hen and hatched one of their four eggs, and Ced told me that the old hen sat at night and ‘Amy’ pushed her off the baby to sit it during the day. Ced maintains successful pigeon racing is mostly opportunist and pigeons quite often produce their own winning conditions. The partners were very proud that ‘Amy’ was the first pigeon into Kent from the Guernsey National and won ‘The Vera Allwright Memorial Cup’, which they presented after Vera’s very sad passing three years ago. I’ve been a close friend of the Allwright family for over ten years and when this wonderful lady passed away, it was a great blow to all of us, and I must say it is very pleasing to see the partners win her beautiful cup. ‘Amy’ was bred from the very best Haelterman bloodlines, Frank and Ann Tasker breeding her sire, and Clive says he can’t praise his good friend, Frank, enough as most of their success over the past ten years has come through the Tasker pigeons.

The partners won the Young Bird National for the first time from Pontorson (6,469 birds) in 1998 with their champion Haelterman blue pied hen, Champion 'Starlett', and both the parents where bred by Frank and Anne Tasker, from their fantastic 'Filmstar' bloodlines. The National Flying Club ended the 2003 season with a brilliant Young Bird National from Falaise in northern France, when members entered 6,175 birds and enjoyed excellent returns. This National proved to be a great delight for me personally, as my good friends, Ced and Clive, won the young bird race and recorded their second NFC win. The father and son partnership sent 15 youngsters to the National, recording their first bird, a 'darkness' blue chequer cock, now named ‘Falaise Supreme’, flying 164 miles. They topped up a brilliant day by recording the best five young birds and best old hen, by 30 minutes, in their local clock station. Ced and Clive's old bird looked like finishing up 7th Open in the Old Hens National result, this hen being clocked approx. 18 minutes after the Young Bird National winner.

Ced has been in the sport for 60 years, starting during the war years with the help of a friend who was a local National Pigeon Service rep. His father was an outstanding fancier in London and specialised in long-distance racing, winning many premier positions in the London N.R. Combine. In turn his father was a great fancier, making Clive the fourth generation of pigeon fanciers in the Allwright family and Ced has racing diplomas dating back to 1912. For many years Ced flew on the north road in partnership with his late wife, Vera, and says that she was a great worker with the pigeons. She clocked in many winners from the long distance, when Ced was at work. Clive became interested in his father's pigeons at the age of four and has been a partner for over 30 years. Ced says, Clive is a great worker in the partnership and selects, and purchases the new stock for breeding. They  race their 25 pairs on the natural system, with  Channel racing in mind, but like to compete in the  shorter races.

They have raced the odd pigeon on the widowhood system, but say they enjoy seeing their birds in the garden. They stagger their pairing up, starting in the first section in January and work through the loft, finishing the job in mid-March. The main racing loft is 30ft long, five sections, and all trapping is in to sputniks. The whole loft set up is in a big wire compound to keep out cats: The old birds are hopper fed on winter mixture and in one of their best seasons they were fed maple peas only. They say all corn must be of premier quality. Old bird training is from the west and north, wherever Clive is working, and he likes to take them 30 or 40 miles if he can. Ced has been an all round bird man for most of his life and for many years had a big bird room at the top of his garden where he bred prize Canaries and foreign Finches. On my many visits to the Allwright’s Kent home, I took great delight in looking around Ced’s bird room, when they were breeding. The partners enjoy showing their Racing Pigeons and at one time they kept one or two Show Racers, and have been very successful, winning most of the local club shows and points trophies. Ced Allwright is a great stock man and is always being asked to judge at the premier local shows.

LION BREWERY MIDWEEK CLUB

The ‘Lion Brewery’ Midweek Club at Ash had another successful season racing out of Hamworthy and Guernsey in 2008 and because of the free membership for juniors policy the club has now got a very strong ‘young fancier’ element competing against the old boys in the club, and beating them. How’s this for a great bunch of up and coming youngsters: Mary Campbell (aged 5) winner of ten top six prizes in 2008 including 1st club twice, my ol’ mate Tyrone Buggy (aged 11) winner of six positions including two firsts from Hamworthy and John & Anthony Woodhouse winners of nine top six prizes. Well done you lot, that is brilliant pigeon racing!

One of the main plus’ for me with the ‘Lion Brewery’ Midweek Club is they race mark on Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning for all Wednesday inland races and my birds can have a good 100 miles fly and not have a night in the basket. Great training for the long distance events! The subs are £25.00 and all young fancier under 18 years of age don’t pay any sub, but pay the full price for their birdage each week. That’s another plus for the ‘Lion Brewery’ Midweek Club in my reasoning, is having Mick Worsfold as club secretary! Mick Worsfold is a ‘straight down the line’; no nonsense sort of gentleman and every thing is spot on with him. We have been good friends for many years and must say it’s great to have him at the helm! Mick races his pigeons in partnership with his wife, Pauline, at their home in Bisley and their record Channel racing over the years is second to none, winning 1st open Combine (twice), 1st open British Barcelona Club (twice) and 1st open London & South East Classic Club (twice).

This 100 miles mid-week racing is proving to be a great help in getting pigeons ready for the main National and Classic events and ‘Lion Brewery’ members have figured high in several open results in the 2008 season. The first London & South East Classic Club Guernsey old hens classic of 2008 is the main one that comes to mine, with ‘Lion Brewery’ members dominating the open result in the form of Mike Armitage winning five positions including 1st open, Joe Szarvas clocking up 4th open and Mick & Pauline Worsfold recording 11th, 12th and 14th open.

Mike Armitage, the publican of the ‘Lion Brewery’ in Ash sent six widowhood hens to the old hen’s classic and had a brilliant race, timing in five of his entries to record 1st, 7th, 26th, 75th and 91st open. Wonderful pigeon racing by any ones standards! Mike’s classic winner was his good yearling blue hen, ‘LuLu’, and she was raced on Mike’s widowhood method, which he says is really a jealousy system. This game hen won the old hen’s classic by over 50 ypm and also beat the young birds classic winner! She had every ‘Lion Brewery’ Mid-Week Hamworthy race and three Federation channel races on her built up to her Classic win, and is not stranger to success having won several premier prizes for the Armitage loft. Her sire is Mike’s good racing cock, ‘Centenary Boy’, winner of 1st club, 365th open Nantes Centenary Race (65,000 birds) in 1999 and he was bred from Roger Lowe’s Hartogs and Mike’s old family of Marriotts. Mike has had a lot of good pigeons from Colin Taylor of Whitstable in Kent over the years and he bred the dam of ‘LuLu’.

That’s it for this week! For any pigeon comments my telephone number is: 01372 463480. See yer!