LONDON & SOUTH EAST CLASSIC CLUB

APRIL 2011 NEWS UPDATE

by Keith Mott

The London & South East Classic Club recently held their two Breeder / Buyer sales at Leatherhead and Horsham, and as the organizer I think it is in order to report that they were an outstanding success. I was personally always keen to see the breeder / buyer auction sales come back, the like of the ones we held at Sutton, Stevenage and Maidstone in the mid-1990’s, which paid out good prize money in the first young bird Classic from Guernsey. They were scraped in favour of the ring nomination scheme which in my opinion have never really cut it and has now nearly faded away in recent seasons. Long gone are the days of these type sales raising many thousands of pounds, the like of the sales the L&SECC held in the early nineties and after the current event, I’m happy with the near £1,900.00 these two sales generated for our first Carentan young bird Classic in August. I was auctioneer for both the sales and the second sale at Horsham produced the highest priced squeaker, in the form of a Brian Denney blue chequer pied cock, presented by Betty and I and purchased by Clive Turner for £56. The two auction sales attracted 55 premier quality squeaker and these birds will be racing for 1st: £500, 2nd: £300, 3rd: £200, 4th: £120, 5th: £120, 6th: £100, 7th: 80, 8th: £80, 9th: £70, 10th: £70. Fantastic prize money for a 55 bird race!

The first sale was held at the Leatherhead Community Centre on 3rd April and I must say a big thank you to our secretary, Terri Hoskin, who gave up her ‘Mother’s Day’ and also wasn’t feeling very well, but came down from Buckinghamshire to do the admin for the sale. My pigeon fancier grand daughter, Sasha, was given the job of selling the raffle tickets and putting the members under pressure, she raising £53 for the Classic. For her efforts our game little nine year old won second prize, a proper uni-cycle, donated by my ol’ mate Barry Buggy. The Leatherhead venue is ideal for these types of events and just being three minutes off the M25, has made it the Classic’s main marking facility in recent seasons. We use the Community Centre for monthly committee meetings and the club steward, Paul, is always egger to oblige. On the day of the sale members turned up from all over the south east of England, including Essex, Sussex, Middlesex and Kent, and all enjoyed a good day. My good friends, Ced and Clive Allwright, made the hour drive up from Ashford in Kent to put their two youngsters in the sale pens. Thanks to all the people who helped out at the auction, with a special thank you to my ol’ muckers, Peter Taylor, Steve Appleby and Ken Wise, for their good work on the day.

We held the second sale at Horsham on 10th April and as always three of the main workers were Gordon Marsh, Geoff Foreman and Clive Turner. The auction venue, the YMCA Football Club has a wonderful hall and is the HQ of the Horsham RPC. The pigeon club members erect their pens for the Classic sale and L&SECC life vice president, Gordon Marsh, did the sale admin on the day. The Horsham RPC do wonderful work by running the CHASE Charity Show every winter and the YMCA is the venue used to stage it each year because of it’s perfect hall and great club facilities. Clive Turner is the L&SECC transport manager and maintains the club’s transporter, which is kept at his yard in Surrey. When ever you see Clive, his two young grand children, Ryan and Sharon, are always by his side and are very keen on the pigeons. Ryan is another good young worker and on the day of the second Classic sale helped carry and erect the show pens. A great young lad! The Horsham RPC was formed in 1947, with founder members including Dave Francis, Jim Sweet-Escott and Henry Light, grandfather of the club’s present secretary, Adam Light. In the early days the club basketed their birds at the goods inwards bay at Horsham Station as they went to the race points by train and the clocks were set at a near by pub called ‘The Bedford’. When pigeon road transport came in the club moved its H.Q. to a pub. The club has been at the YMCA Football Club for over 30 years and enjoys the first class facilities there, including a nice bar and hall to hold their prize presentation and pigeon shows. I’m told that member have up some good performances through the years, including three times 1st open London & South East Classic Club, 1st Section NFC, 1st Kent & Sussex Palamos BBC and many premier positions in the Federation and Combine. Thanks to the Horsham RPC members for all their help and hard work with the L&SECC Breeder / Buyer sale!

Clive Turner is some one who I used to converse with a lot with during the racing season as he maintains and garages the London & South East Classic Club transporter at his yard in Capel, and I used go there to pick up the lorry when convoying for the Classic. Clive is a great pigeon racer and is a premier winner in the Horsham club. He tells me he is a pigeon lover and races his 30 pairs on the natural system, but has a few cocks on the widowhood. He doesn’t keep the widowhooders for the sprint races, the whole old bird team race through to 450 miles and he pairs up on 14th February. He has three lofts and says the pigeons fly well around the loft, ranging the Surrey countryside around Capel. When I asked Clive what family of birds he kept he said, years ago they started off as the Busschaerts, which are the base family, but now he could call them ‘Turners’ as he has crossed in over many years and has now created his own family of pigeons which excel from 80 miles through to 450 miles. He says some of his original birds were purchased in Guildford market for £2 each! He has won many premier positions over the years, including 1st Section in the National Flying Club and 9th open L&SECC Pau (550 miles). Clive races about 50 babies each season to the perch and only gives them minimal racing for education purposes only, but likes to train them well down to the south coast. Clive Turner, another great worker for the L&SECC over many years!

This season saw me order extra ‘Gold Rings’ and I’m happy to report that all 400 were sold out by the beginning of April. The second young bird Carentan race in September is our ‘Gold Ring’ event and the babies will be competing for £1,780.00 prize money. Really, when ordering the rings, Terri and I were between the devil and the deep blue seas and had a great debate before deciding what type to order, the old type or the new ‘Combi’ rings. Which ever one we ordered, we were on a hiding for nothing, as both types would course complaint from both the clock and ETS brigades. I think it is common knowledge that I personally hate the ‘Combi’ rings, but I ordered that type because we thought most members would like the ETS type ring and we will be doing the same in 2012. The 2011 ‘Gold Ring’ prize money will be: 1st: £500, 2nd: £300, 3rd: £ 200, 4th £100, 5th: £100, 6th: £100, 7th: £100, 8th: £100, 9th: £70, 10th: £70, 11th: £70, 12th: £70. Fantastic prize money again!

In conclusion, I would like to remind member who have not paid their subscription that they are well over due and they should not be racing in other clubs. If you don’t receive your rule book and race sheets, you now know why. You need to pay your subs! All members who intend to get their timing machinery set and checked at their local club please take note of Clock Rule 14.6, which states that all the appropriate matter has to be in the secretary’s hands within 72 hour of clocking. Sorry for bringing this matter up, but if this rule is not adhered to it is going to hold up the publication of our race results and that is not going to happen this season. Thanks for that! It is very satisfying to see we have nearly £3,500.00. in Breeder / Buyer and ‘Gold Ring’ prizes already set up for the two young bird Carentan this summer and we haven’t even started to race yet. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our members the very best of luck for this seasons racing! The L&SECC press officers can be contacted on - Keith Mott: 01372 463480 and Daryll Luxford: 07876 133613.