Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past and present

Esher & District RPC Winter Open Shows

The Esher club held their series of open racing pigeon shows at their HQ, The West End Sports and Social Club in November and December and the turn out each week made them the ‘hottest’ shows in Surrey this winter. The club got the up stairs committee room for the shows this year and what a brilliant venue it turned out to be, with plenty of good light, space and ventilation. Mike Charlton and Roy Barnett organized and ran the shows this time and on behalf of the membership, I must say, well done to those two gentlemen, they were some of the very best shows we have had at Esher and we have had very good ones through the years. The birdage was very good with all the pens being filled up most weeks, making the £50 a class prize money outstanding and the winner take all £1 nominations were also well supported. Talking to Mike Charlton on the last evening he said, ‘We have maintained decent levels of prize money as well as making £224 profit for the club. This will enable us to purchase a new laser printer and some computer consumables for the club ETS marking system, which was one of our main objectives’.

Betty and I were lucky enough to winner the Esher ‘Show Points Trophy’, making it 18 times that we have won a show points trophy and this time we lifted it with 60 points. We did show a few old birds which took some good cards, but because of the intent of pairing up early we exhibited mostly young birds this winter. My team of eleven young birds were strong this year and I decided to show them this winter, with some good success. The competition at the Esher Friday night open shows is ‘red hot’ with big birdage and good prize money. While I was away in Newcastle judging the NEHU Show my wife, Betty, and Peter Taylor took my six young hens to the Esher for the handled show and won 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th. The following weekend was the big one for me as I had entered five young hens and four young cocks in the C.H.A.S.E. Show hoping to win my dad’s trophy, ‘The Fred Mott Memorial Cup’ for the second time. On the Friday night I entered my sole five young cocks in the Esher YC handled class and won 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and BIS. The BIS winner was our Keith Arnold / Staf Van Reet blue pied cock, ‘Foxwarren Wonderer’, and he is a grandson of the ‘Perfect Pair’. I took my little team to the C.H.A.S.E. Show on the Sunday morning to win 1st and 2nd young cocks (38 birds) and Best Young Bird in Show, lifting the ‘The Fred Mott Memorial Cup’. It was a great thrill to win the ol’ man’s cup again and finished off a very special weekend of showing for me! The Best Young Bird was my Brian Denney blue chequer pied cock, ‘Foxwarren Saga’ who also recorded 3rd at Esher on the Friday night and he was bred from two grand children of Champion ‘Tuff Nut’. On the weekend ‘Foxwarren Wonderer’ won BIS at the Esher open show and 2nd young cocks at the C.H.A.S.E. Show. A couple of weeks later Betty and I entered four young cocks in a very strong through the wire class at Esher and won 1st, 3rd, 4th. The winning pigeon this time was a grand son of Brian Denney’s Champion ‘Tuff Nut’, in the form of our handsome blue chequer cock, ‘Foxwarren Renegade’ and he previously won 2nd in the Esher handling show.

Runner up for the ‘Show Points Trophy’, on 42 points, was Dick and Brian Trussler. The brothers have enjoyed a brilliant young bird racing season in 2011, with the highlights being: 1st, 2nd, 9th, 24th Three Borders Federation Taunton (1,525 birds), 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 97th, 117th, 123rd open L&SECC Carentan (young bird), 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 12th L&SECC Carentan ‘Gold Ring’ (£1,070). Fantastic pigeon racing! Dick and Brian’s first two birds on the ETS from Taunton to record 1st and 2nd Federation were both Dave Hawkins / Gaby Vandenabeele ‘darkness’ youngsters raced to the perch, as was the first bird home from the L&SECC Carentan Young Bird Classic. The brother breed about 60 youngsters to race ever season and Dick told me they are trained and raced hard, because they won’t win prizes sitting on their perch.

Malcolm May won the old bird Eye Sign and Fancy Colours classes and at the end had the third best points tally, on 25 points. Mal won BIS at the eye sign evening with a handsome mealy cock and you could see he had a very special eye through the wires and without even picking him up! The last show had a great atmosphere, being staged a week before Christmas and after the show the member enjoyed a celebratory ‘bring in’ fish and chip supper. In recent seasons the Esher club have finish the show series with a big Fancy Colours class and invite ladies from the West End Sports and Social Club to judge through the wires. This year Margaret Mazzina, Lynn Bezant and the ‘West End Village News’ editor, Angela Stockbridge judged and I must say the ladies took the task very seriously and did an excellent job. The ladies certainly know a good pigeon when they see one! Three of the clubs workers won classes in the form of the club secretary, Allen Palmer, retired club chairman, Chris Slight and the club’s resident ETS man, Roy Barnett, who won BIS with a nice blue chequer cock. It was nice to see some of the kids at the shows winning cards, including Tyrone and Fabian Buggy, and Sasha and Katie Mott.

The 2011 Esher open show winners were: Week 1: Old Eyesign (Judge: Dennis Sheppard) 1st Malcolm May: Young Bird Eyesign (Judge Dennis Sheppard) 1st Slight & Taylor: Week 2: Old Hens TW (Judge: Richard Nicholas) 1st Trussler Brothers: Young Hen Handled: (Judge Richard Nicholas) 1st Keith & Betty Mott: Week 3: Old Cocks TW (Judge John Cudmore) 1st Allen Palmer: Young Cock Handled (Judge Brian Goodwin) 1st Keith & Betty Mott: Week 4: Old Hen Handled (Judge John Keywood) 1st Trussler Brothers: Young Hens TW (Judge Steve Appleby) 1st Trussler Brothers: Week 5: Old Cocks Handled (Judge Terry Haley) 1st Roy Barnett: Young Cocks TW (Judge Brian Chitty) 1st Keith & Betty Mott: Week 6: AA Fancy Colours (Judge Angela Stockbridge) 1st Malcolm May.

Spelthorne SRFC Winter Open Shows

I recently had a contact from Terry Smart, the chairman of Spelthorne South Road Flying Club, regarding the results of their recent set of open shows. The pigeon club is a friendly little organization and have excellent facilities at their HQ at Staines Road, near the famous Sunbury clock tower. It was nice to hear my ol’ sparing partner, Terry Smart who lives in Walton-upon-Thames and was the breeder of the very first pair of pigeons Phil and I had when coming into pigeons as young boys in the 1950’s. Smarty raced in partnership with the Groombridge family at that time and is from a good pigeon racing family, with his dad being an outstanding pigeon fancier in the Kingston area for many years. Some of my readers may remember Terry as the hard working Secretary of the London & South East Classic from a year or so after its formation and I am sure a lot of you out there have diplomas written by his wife Carole, who was also a major part of the secretarial set up then. Her diplomas were a joy to read written in such a fine script. Terry was one of the pioneers of the L&SECC in the early days and with his wife, Carole, was the Classic secretary and driving force for many years. When chatting to him a few months ago, Terry said, ‘The Spelthorne club, flying in the Three Borders Federation is a laid back and friendly pigeon club and when the Hersham Royal British Legion Flying Club had to disband through loss of head quarters a few seasons ago the members of the Spelthorne Club voted to take any member of Hersham on block if they cared to join. The Hersham members thought this was a fine gesture and four of their membership accepted with thanks. The four members that accepted had never flown in any other south road club other than the Hersham namely, Crook & Keywood, Dick Blanchard, Les Penycate and up and coming novice Neil Abbo. A really sporting club’. The Spelthorne SR club had a series of five open shows on Sunday lunchtimes and as is the norm, club members donated all the prize money for the events. The members would firstly like to thank the judges for giving their time to the club some of them travelling many miles to do so, and to the non members who gave their support. The club members were very pleased with the attendance and with the show winners receiving in excess of £50 for winning a class, which is better prize money than winning a race.

Show 1 - Old Hens (TW): Judge Keith Mott, President of the L&SECC: 1st Ian West & Son, 2nd Mr. & Mrs, Danny Allison, 3rd Mr.& Mrs. Danny Allison, 4th (the late )George Kimpton.

Show 2 – Old Cocks (TW): Judge Derek Bellchambers of the well known National and Classic winning partnership of Bellchambers Brothers: 1st Slight & Taylor: 2nd Joe Szarvas, 3rd Crook & Keywood, 4th Crook & Keywood.

Show 3 – Young Hen (TW): Judge Don Herbert the esteemed Channel flyer: 1st George Kimpton, 2nd Mick Nunn & Son, 3rd Mr. & Mrs. Danny Allison, 4th Mick Nunn & Son

Show 4 – Young Cocks (TW): Judge Brian Goodwin from the outstanding Combine winning partnership of Mr. & Mrs. Goodwin: 1st Joe Szarvas, 2nd Slight & Taylor, 3rd Joe Szarvas, 4th Keywood & Crook.

Show 5 (Two Classes) AA Hen (Handled):  Judge Terry Hayley the Watford ‘Ace’ racer: 1st Les Penycate, 2nd George Kimpton, 3rd Mick Nunn & Son, 4th Les Penycate: AA Cocks (Handled): 1st & BIS Mr.& Mrs. Brian Goodwin, 2nd Mick Nunn & Son, 3rd Mr. & Mrs. Brian Goodwin, 4th Mr. & Mrs. Brian Goodwin.

Congratulation to the 2011 ‘Champion Showman’ of the Spelthorne South Road Flying Club, Mick Nunn & Son, who the show trophy with 26points.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.