Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past and present

The demise of ‘Ninja’

I had a phone call this week from Barry Buggy of Kingston to inform me that his son, Tyrone’s, best pigeon, the black cock ‘Ninja’, had disappeared from their allotment loft and is presumed killed by a Sparrowhawk. Black feathers were found around the loft site and it looks like he has been taken by the hawk. As Barry says, ‘thirty pigeons fly out all day on the open hole and it’s ‘sods law’ that the best pigeon is taken by a predator. Ten year old Tyrone, won a Hamworthy race in the ‘Lion Brewery’ Mid-week Club at the beginning of July 2008 and then the lad carried on the season brilliantly with his little team of babies, winning 1st, 2nd Hamworthy in the ‘Lion Brewery’, 72nd open L&SECC Guernsey (1) and 39th open L&SECC Guernsey (2). His small team were raced on the natural system and trained most days during the season. Great pigeon flying from young Tyrone! He won his first old bird race with his sole old bird, the black cock, ‘Ninja’, and he had raced the whole 2008 programme un-paired. The ‘Lion Brewery’ is a very hard club to win; having a big top quality membership and young Tyrone beat 145 birds to secure his first win. ‘Ninja’ was a gift ten day old youngster from Martin Penfold of Kingston and Tyrone’s mother, Sue; hand reared him to weaning age. The ‘Ninja’ was the sire of Tyrone’s best young bird in 2008, the black cock ‘Jekyl’ and he won 1st ‘Lion Brewery’ Mid-week Club Hamworthy and 72nd open L&SECC Guernsey. When I saw the Hamworthy result it was nice to see young Tyrone’s name at the top and all those premier fanciers below him. Well done mate, it was a great performance!

Goodbye to Tony and Dol Fletcher

Tony and Dol gave up their dry cleaning business and retired from work recently, and now spend over half the year in their house in France. After many successful years of racing their pigeons in the best competition they find have to give up the sport. I was very sorry to hear that they were leaving the sport as he is one of the premier fanciers in the L&SECC and of course President of the Pyrford club. On retirement and now spend most of the year in France, they have found it very hard to cope with looking after their birds and impossible to compete with them. They have recorded many premier positions through the years and have always gone out and purchased the very best direct stock birds, with no expense spared. Best positions won in recent seasons are: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 9th, 21st open London &South East Classic Club, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 10th Federation and 2nd section E, 19th, 56th open NCF. Their wonderful team of racers were bred mostly from direct Mike Staddon and direct Geoff Kirkland stock birds. They left the sport on a very high note, winning in 2007: 5th, 33rd, 42nd, 46th 55th, 64th, 143rd, 274th open L&SECC Guernsey and 56th open NFC with their young birds.

Tony and Dol flew in the Pyrford Social R.P.C. and two nicer people you couldn't find! Their record in the L&SECC was outstanding as since joining the club in 1994 they had won countless positions including: 1998 – 1st open Nantes (Yearling Derby), 6th open Guernsey; 1997 – 2nd open Alencon; 1995 – 4th open Angers, 7th open Poitiers, 7th open Vire; 1994 – 9th open Corancez. A brilliant loft performance!

Tony's & Dol's Nantes Yearling Derby winner was their Janssen blue cock called ‘Blue Fly’, bred down from Ponderosa bloodlines with his dam, a wonderful blue hen, winning 1st club, 1st Federation as a young bird. He was a widowhood cock, paired up two days before he was sent to the Nantes Classic and had previously won 43rd open Alencon L&SECC in 1998. This game cock was medium apple-bodied in the hand and had a full wing when he won the 1998 Nantes Classic, which was a wonderful performance.

Tony had been in pigeon racing for over 25 years, having previously been a budgie breeder and to say that he was thrilled to win the Classic would be an understatement. The main racing loft was 18ft x 6ft with open-door trapping, grilled floors and was made up of three sections. The loft had a lucky horseshoe, which I noticed was fixed upside down and when I asked Tony why it was fixed this way, he said that in Belgium they practise this 'to pour the bad luck out’ Since he turned the lucky horseshoe over in 1994, he has had fantastic success! He raced 12 cocks on the widowhood system and they compete up to 400 miles, being normally re-paired for the long-distance races at the end of the season. The cocks raced every two weeks, being broken down after the race, at which time their corn was beefed up with peanuts for the long-distance events.

They were paired up on January 7th and were trained hard for ten days before the first race, with the odd toss in the season. They were flown out around the loft for one hour morning and evening and were fed at the same time every day. The cocks were shown the hens on marking night and got their female on their return from the race. Their stock loft was full of successful Classic pigeons including ‘Flash’, winner of 2nd open Alencon L&SECC, 7th open Poitiers L&SECC and ‘Young Stretch’, winner of 1st club, 1st Three Borders Federation Weymouth, 6th open Guernsey L&SECC, A brilliant family of pigeons! All the very best to Tony and Dol, I hope they have a long and happy retirement.

 ‘Winning Systems’ by Steve Patrick

I also recently had a phone call from one of our premier fanciers, Steve Patrick, and I must say it was a pleasure to talk to him, as he is a very knowledgeable pigeon racer and interesting to talk too. Steve has recently produced a book called ‘Racing Pigeons and Patrick Brother’s Winning Systems’, which is packed with information on the winning methods adopted by these two fanciers over their near 60 years of winning at the top level. As Steve says in the book, it is written by a pigeon fancier for pigeon fanciers and covers their early days in Newbury, Berkshire, when they won Federations and Combines with their brilliant old Busschaert pigeons, right through to the High Littleton, Somerset days when they won 1st open NFC Pau, with Champion ‘Somerset Lad’. I like the sound of Steve’s famous Carrot and Cabbage juice! It is a great read and as well as being full of winning methods for the novices and the old hands alike, it is a bit autobiographical and shows the Patrick Brothers wonderful success over many years.

That’s it for this week! My phone number is: 01372 463480. See yer!