Keith Mott

L&SECC - March 2011 News Update

The month of March saw me put my ‘roving reporter’ hat on and have a day on the road visiting L&SECC members for the purpose creating some Classic articles. I drove over to Chertsey to have a well over due meeting with our new convoyer, Rube Johnson, and I must say it was a very nice hour spent in his company, talking about our experiences convoying on the Continent. Rube has never raced pigeons, but has been around them most of his life, with his brother, Paul, being a premier race for many years in the Three Borders Federation area. Paul is well known in the Surrey pigeon fraternity for being an outstanding all round pigeon racer and wins the Federation most seasons. Rube is equally well known for transporting and convoying pigeons, which he started when he was 21 years old and has been doing it on and off for over 40 years. He was the convoyer for the Three Borders Federation and SMT Combine for many years and I thought we had never met, but when he answered his front door to me, I knew his face, so we must have crossed paths at some stage. He has never convoyed north road and is looking forward to going down to Tarbes, as Bergerac is the furthest he has convoyed south road. Like myself, Rube loves France and maintains Messac is the best site out there that he has visited in recent years. I visited Messac with the CSCFC birds in the 2010 season and was very impressed with the marina liberation site there, and I think it is fair to say it is one of the best sites in France. The pigeons have a perfect fly out on their liberation, with no obstacles to hamper them at all and no our arrival on site the convoyers are given a code number to the lock of the Shower / WC block and this facility was spotlessly clean. Ian Mead will be ‘riding shotgun’ for Rube in the 2011 season and he is really looking forward to that, as they have worked together many time over the years, and Rube says, ‘it’s the old firm back together again’. The lads will have the luxury of working with our race advisor, Steve Appleby, who is the best in the sport. I would like to wish our convoying crew the very best of luck for the 2011 season!

I visited a couple of L&SECC winner lofts, including the Godalming set up of Vince, Sue and Jack Durrant, who won the first young bird Guernsey Classic in 2010. I have known Vince Durrant for about 30 years, with us being first introduced by our late great friend, Eric Cannon of Wormley, in the early 1980s and Vince was winning big things with his pigeons then and is still winning with them today. These days Vince has three partners in the form of his wife, Sue, and sons, Jack and Sam, who are very instrumental in the lofts outstanding success in recent years. Vince and Sue have two sons; both are interested in the pigeons, Jack is a keen footballer and works in the leisure industry, and Sam who is resident at University in Portsmouth. Vince tells me that pigeon racing has become very much a family sport, with everybody taking a great interest and involvement. The Durrant family enjoy all aspects of the sport, whether it is sprint or long distance racing and are always looking forward to the next race. Jack being the son living at home is a major part of the pigeon partnership and his specific interest is in National, Classic and long distance racing in general. A full loft report on the L&SECC winning loft of Vince Durrant and family will appear in the next couple of weeks.

The Classic committee held its March meet at the North Leatherhead Community Centre recently and it was well attended with members from as far as Essex, Hertfordshire and Sussex in attendance. It was nice to see Dave Bridger of Leatherhead back at our meeting and looking so well after his recent serious heart surgery. It is a very busy time for the Classic secretary, Terri Hoskin, and she told the meeting that the 2011 rule book was in order and was currently at the printers. Brian Doick gave a report on the Classic’s transporter, saying the vehicle was in good order, with all the legal formalities being sorted out and is waiting to have its curtains ventilated in early April. The L&SECC internet website has been up dated and is now in 2011 mode. The L&SECC ‘Gold Rings’ are nearly sold out, but there is still a few available from Keith Mott (01372 463480) or Terri Hoskin (01494 786026). Rings will be sold at £5.00 per ring plus £1.00 post and packing, with a maximum of ten rings per member. The rings are the ETS ‘Combi’ type and the ‘Gold Ring’ race is to be the second Carentan, which will be flown in September.

My mother passed away at the grand old age of 83 in January and it hasn’t been the best of times for our family over the last couple of months. We didn’t have flowers at the funeral and asked for donations for the CHASE Charity, which didn’t amount to a great deal of money, so my brother, Phil, and I doubled up the money and purchased a quality cup for the annual CHASE Charity show. We also purchased a twin cup in mum’s memory for the L&SECC. ‘The Iris Mott Memorial Cups’ are both perpetual and the CHASE cup is for the best Show Racer in Show, and the L&SECC one is for the best average of the two longest old bird races. We invited Phil down to the March meeting to present the cups and Terri Hoskin and Gordon Marsh accepted them on behalf of the two organizations.

The 2011 L&SECC race programme is: 7th May - Alencon (code 5001): 28th May - Tours (code 5044): 24th June - Tarbes (code 5055): 15th July - Bergerac (code 5005): 20th August - Carentan Young Bird / Old Hens (code 5092): 10th September - Carentan Young Bird / Old Hens (code 5092).

I would like to remind the membership that the Classic’s Breeder / Buyer Race will be flown for from the first Carentan Young Bird race in August 2011. The two auction sales will be held on:

Sunday - 3rd April 2011: North Leatherhead Community Association, Kingston Road, Leatherhead, Surrey. Penning is from 11.00hrs to 12.00hrs.

Sunday - 10th April 2011: Horsham RPC, YMCA Football Ground, Gorings Mead, Horsham, Sussex, RH13 5BP. Penning is from 11.00hrs to 12.00hrs.

The new Classic racing season is looming up on us fast and I must say I’m really looking forward to the 7th May. All the season’s preparation is falling in place nicely, which is full credit to our great team of officers. The last thing to complete the season’s preparation for me personally is I would like to see is the two Breeder / Buyer sales well supported. I think the Classic’s Breeder / Buyer are something that has been missed by the membership for a number of years and I’m delighted to see its return. The two sales will be a great day out for the members and hopefully will generate some good prizes for the first young bird Carentan race on 20th August. The L&SECC Press Officers can be contacted on telephone numbers: Keith Mott (01372 463480) or Daryll Luxford (07876133613).

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (L&SECC PRESS OFFICER).