Keith Mott

LONDON & SOUTH-EAST CLASSIC CLUB 'FORUM'

We really are on the road this week, because as you are reading this week's British Homing World I will be in France convoying the L&SECC pigeons to Alencon for the first Classic race of the 2008 season. At the last Classic AGM I was elected as feature writer for the club and will be covering all the current winning loft through out the season. My ol’ mucker, Peter ‘Pedro’ Gretton, will continue as Press Officer and will cover all the ‘hot stuff’ the day after the race, to appear in the BHW the following Friday. Peter is one of the premier writers in the sport and I’m looking forward to working in partnership with him this coming season! I recently had a meeting with the chief of editorial at the BHW and we decided that I didn’t want to create a new page to cover the Classic features and would do all my L&SECC work in ‘ON THE ROAD’ under the old ‘FORUM’ sub heading. ‘Pedro’ will have the L&SECC official space in the BHW.

I must say, I’m really excited about getting back in the driving seat of the Classic transporter and convoying again this season! I previously stated in an earlier article that it’s a young man’s game and this convoying lark is very hard work, but I do enjoy being on the road with the pigeons in France. My son, Mark, did a brilliant job as my assistant convoyer with the young birds last season, but can only do two races this season because of work commitments and my ol’ mate, Brian Goodwin, is coming to the longest old bird race this time. I recently went on a trip to Holland with Brian and we doubled up in the same hotel room, and mate can he snore. I’m going to be stuck in that lorry with him for nearly a week in France! There has been a slight change to our programme this season and we will be going to Tarbes for the longest race instead of Pau. I’ve been to Pau six times with the Classic pigeons over the years and every time on my return home I’ve slated it in the BHW, as I consider it to be really bad liberation site, probably one of the worst in France. The committee seemed to listen this time and we are giving Tarbes a try out in 2008. I will be taking the CSCFC birds to Tarbes on our transporter and the L&SECC pigeons will be convoyed to Bergerac by the CSCFC on their vehicle. My two kids, Caroline and Mark, will be assisting me on the two young bird Guernsey races as they did last season. The 2008 London & South East Classic Club race programme is: 17th May - Alencon: 31st May - Tours: 20th June – Tarbes: 11th July – Bergerac: 16th August – Guernsey: 6th September – Guernsey. To mark the start of our new L&SECC ‘FORUM’ series of articles we are going to have a look at some of our Pau champions!

Longest Old Bird Race Diploma of Merit

The London & South East Classic Club has a Merit Award for pigeons that score three times in the first 50 Open prizes from the longest old bird race. Two of these were won in the 2007 season, by Alasdair Muir of Dorking and Darran & Des McFadden of Godalming, with pigeons recorded on the day of liberation from Pau (550 miles). In fact this was Alasdair’s second award winner in recent seasons! This week we are going to have a look at some previous winners of this wonderful award, which must be one of the hardest accolades to win in the sport.

Darran McFadden and his father, Des, were the Godalming club’s premier prize winners in 2007, winning a wonderful list of position in the Surrey Federation and SMT Combine, including twice 1st Surrey Federation. Darren tells me his best pigeon in the 2007 season was his three year old blue Staf Van Reet hen, ‘71807’, and she recorded: 1st club, 1st Surrey Federation Portland, 1st club, 12th Surrey Federation Truro, 2nd club Portland, 4th club Portland, 83rd open BICC Falaise (2627 birds), 193rd open BICC Alencon (4658 birds), 329th open BICC Falaise (3473 birds) and 531st open BICC Falaise (4294 birds). A brilliant 2007 performance!

In my opinion, Darran and Des’ best performance of the 2007 season was winning the L&SECC Diploma of Merit with their good white hen, ‘Cameron’s Snow Queen’, when she was clocked on the day to complete her trio of positions in the first 50 open, 19th, 39th and 29th open. This wonderful pigeon is bred from the ‘Stan the Man’ Kirkpatrick bloodlines obtained from the Louella Stud and she has a list of other outstanding positions including, 1st club Lulworth, 1st club Exeter, 2nd club Nantes, 2nd club West Bay, 3rd club Messac, 168th open BICC La Ferte Bernard, 204th open BICC Falaise and 278th open BICC Falaise. A great hen! ‘Cameron’s Snow Queen’ is mated to the McFadden’s good Eric Cannon blue chequer cock, ‘56851’, and he has a very impressive racing record too, winning 268th open NFC Guernsey (YB), 1st club Exmouth, 1st club Poole, 37th open BICC La Ferte Bernard, flew Bergerac (450 miles) twice on the day of liberation and was clocked on the day from Pau in 2007 to record 58th open L&SECC. This game cock is a grand son of Mick Tuck’s ‘Pau Star’, winner of 9th open NFC Pau (on the day of liberation) and is closely related to ‘Tucky’s Delight’ and ‘Tucky’s Choice’ both day pigeons from the NFC Pau National.  

One of our premier channel flyers in the south of England is Alasdair Muir and he has won two L&SECC Merit Awards. Alasdair is a past president of the L&SECC and has won a record three times 1st open, including twice in one season. He started racing in his native Scotland at the age of eight where he was helped by his father and flew in the very strong Carluke Club in Lanarkshire. He has now been in the sport over 40 years. Since moving to Surrey, Alasdair has won many major prizes in long-distance events including 1st open Pau L&SECC in 1996 with his champion blue cock, ‘Andy's Boy’. The wonderful long distance pigeon went on to win the Classic Pau Merit Award, for recording three positions in the first 50 open in the result from the longest old bird Classic race.  He is a natural racer and his team gets an open loft and regular training tosses from the south coast. He feeds a good mixture based on horse beans and his young birds only get three races then they are put on the shelf to mature.

Alasdair won the Angers Yearling Derby in 1997 with an unpaired blue chequer cock flying to his nest box. This game cock was one of several youngsters obtained from Johnny Burrow of Blackpool in 1996 and was bred from the Burrow Niort combine pigeon. The same season Alasdair clocked two birds from the Bordeaux Classic to win 1st and 3rd open, and chalk up a club record - a wonderful performance. Alasdair's Bordeaux winner was a yearling blue cock sent sitting eight-day-old eggs and had just reared a big youngster. He is a son of Alasdair's 1996 - 8th open Pau L&SECC winner and grandson of Andy's Girl, winner of 10th open Pau L&SECC and 26th open Pau NFC. Alasdair Muir a great long distance fancier!

Colin and Christine Crick of Stevenage won the Pau Classic in 2000 with their champion dark pied hen “Christine”, who was named after the wife who clocked her, as Colin was at work. This game Titmuss / Janssen hen won racing to a youngster, with 644 birds competing in the 560 mile race. This wonderful pigeon won the L&SECC Pau Merit Award for winning three positions in the first 50 open, with 1st, 25th and 28th open Pau, plus 49th open Bordeaux. A brilliant hen! Alasdair Muir of Abinger Hammer also won the Merit Award with a Pau Classic winning pigeon, in the form of his wonderful 1996 winner, Champion “Andy’s Boy”. This champion Scottish blue cock recorded 1st, 34th. and 9th open Pau to win the Merit Award. Peter Mahon of Brighton won the award, as did Ray Hammond and Ray Duffield, but the first man to win two was Roy Baker of Ash, in Surrey. Great long distance fanciers!

Alan Austin of Wormley clocked his good blue cock to record 44th Open in 1999 and won the Merit Award, it having previously recorded 20th and 21st Open. This game cock was bred from an un-rung latebred hen from Eric & Pat Cannon of Godalming and his best nest condition for Pau is sitting 10 days on eggs in the last three seasons. He had flown the Bordeaux Classic race as well as Pau. Alan has the old fashioned approach to pigeon racing, with his 24ft loft having bob wire traps, his 12 pairs raced on the natural system. He started racing in the Godalming Club in 1969 and is only interested in Channel racing. Alan works for BT and because of the lack of time he has to train his pigeons from wherever he is working, which is mostly from Reading.

It had always been my hope that Andy Hagiloukda and Kenny Couch of Twickenham would time their champion blue pied hen ‘Miss Consistent’ in good time from Pau to win her Merit Award. She had previously flown Pau three times, recording 36th Open and 3rd Open 1998, being clocked on the day of liberation. I'm very pleased to say that this hen was the partners' second bird on the clock from the 1999 event, with their first arrival recording 8th Open. ‘Miss Consistent' lifted the Merit Award with 46th Open. Brilliant pigeon racing! Their loft was full of class, long-distance pigeons with the premier bird being the champion blue pied hen, 'Miss Consistent'. This Cattrysse pigeon had won 1993 – 2nd Club, 34th Open Combine Nantes, 1994 – 1st Club. 7th Open Combine La Ferte Bernard: 1995 – 1st Club Bergerac (on the day); 1997 – 36th Open London and South-East Classic Club Pau; 1998 – 3rd Open London and South-East Classic Club Pau (on the day) and 1999 – 46th Open London and South East Classic Club Pau. This brilliant hen was bred by George Caller from Cattrysse pigeons obtained from Rod Berry of Ashford and was one of an exchange kit of youngsters with Andy Hagilouka. 'Miss Consistent' won the London and South-East Classic Club Pau Merit Award in 1999 and Andy said she liked to be sent to the long distance on a two day old youngster.

Peter and Leon McMahon are firm supporters of the north London Premiership football team, Arsenal, and the father and son partnership have named their pigeon set up, ‘Highbury Lofts’, after the ground where the football team play. They live on the south coast at Brighton and in recent seasons have put up some brilliant performances in National and Classic events, including 1st section A, 26th open N.F.C. Pau (4,085 birds) in the 2002 season. The partnership fly a magic 517 miles from Pau, in the south of France and have won the Pau Diploma of Merit with the London & South East Classic Club, for a pigeon that records three positions in the first 50 in the open result. Their Merit Award winner is their good blue chequer pied hen, ‘Highbury Queen’ and she flew Pau five times, recording 3rd, 12th and 19th open in the L&SECC. A wonderful performance! Peter and Leon had a brilliant season in 2002, recording: 1st section A, 26th open N.F.C. Pau (4,085 birds), 3rd section A, 59th open N.F.C. Saintes (3,887 birds), 21st section A, 200th open N.F.C. Nantes (10,150 birds), 10th section A, 293rd open N.F.C. Guernsey young bird National, 9th, 40th open BICC Pau, 33rd open L&SECC Bordeaux and in their club, the Brighton and Worthing 5 bird club, the partnership won the old bird average, ‘Ace’ fancier and ‘Ace’ old bird. Brilliant positions won at the very highest level of long distance pigeon racing!

Well that’s it for this week! I would like to wish all the L&SECC members the best of luck in this week Alencon race and I hope I’m coming to your loft next weekend to see your Classic winner! I can be contacted on telephone number: 01372 463480. See yer!

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT