Keith Mott

Three Borders Federation AGM

The Three Borders Federation recently held its AGM at the Vandals Rugby Ground in Walton and in spite of the adverse weather on the night the turn of club delegates was first class. The new club to join the Federation, Greater Harrow H.S, was welcomed in the membership and there will be thirteen clubs competing in the Federation in the 2012 season. Officers for the 2012 season are: President – John Keywood: Life Vice President – Mrs. Radford: Vice Presidents – M. Angell, D. Blackwell, Mrs. S. Read, Mrs. A. Bishop, P. Johnson: Chairman – D. Lebby: Secretary & Treasurer – Bryan Poulton: Auditors – Alan Tullett, Angela Fox: Race Advisor & Transport Manager – Dom McCoy (01784 240566): Weather Advisor – Steve Appleby: Press Officer – Keith Mott (01372 463480).

Young Bird Breeder / Buyer Sale for 2012 - It was agreed that the Federation should again hold a sale at the Spelthorne Club H.Q. with the date agreed being Friday 9th March 2012. Mike Smith would check with David May to see if he would again be auctioneer. A proposition by the South Downs club and seconded by the Spelthorne club that the opening bid for any bird should be £25 and any member with 2 birds buying back the second will pay £15. All other arrangements as previous years.

Transportation for 2012 – The Chairman advised the delegates that at the recent Officers meeting action was required due to the anticipated increase in the number of crates estimated for next year, due to the Harrow club membership, and the capacity of the existing transporter not now being sufficient for at least 5 races and with a young bird season not being affected by young bird sickness next year this number could be 8 or 9 races. Therefore a larger is vehicle required or the added costs of second vehicle needed to be taken into account in the budget for next year. During the discussions that followed the Secretary did point out that some clubs were not filling their crates fully and this was adding to the problem of excess crates and therefore it would be now be necessary for all crates to have the number of birds contained written on the front flap should they need to be topped up. Also suggested by delegates, was some penalty payment by those clubs not filling crates correctly. The Secretary did say that at this time, in view of the uncertainty at present, it may be better for this year to continue using the existing transporter with a standby transporter available as required and Officers had already started making enquiries in this respect. The situation may become clearer now the race programme has been agreed.

The 2012 Federation race programme is: Old Bird: 7th April - Wincanton: 14th April - Wincanton: 21st April – Yeovil: 28th April – Honiton: 5th May – Newton Abbot: 12th May – Alencon (SMT): 19th May – Newton Abbot: 26th May – Messac (SMT): 2nd June – Yelverton: 9th June – Messac (SMT): 16th June – Taunton: 23rd June – Tours (SMT): 30th June – Taunton: 7th July – Yeovil: 13th July – Bergerac (SMT): Young Bird: 4th August – Blandford: 11th August – Wincanton: 18th August – Yeovil: 25th August – Blandford: 1st September – Taunton: 8th September - Newton Abbot: 15th September – Yelverton (SMT).

BRYAN POULTON

I was talking on the phone to Bryan Poulton, the Three Borders Federation secretary the other day and he told me October 2011 marked the end of his 25th year as Federation secretary. A really brilliant achievement and congratulation to Bryan from all the membership! Bryan was born in Hersham, near Weybridge in Surrey, and first became interested in pigeons as a 14 year old when visiting his friend, Dave Newman, who was a pigeon fancier. Bryan's father wasn't a fancier but was very keen on greyhounds, so with Dave's help Bryan obtained pigeons from Harry Wheatcroft of Reigate and Freddie Ranaboldo of Mo1esey, to start himself off in the sport. He started racing his pigeons in 1954 and says he admired the performances of Freddie Ranaboldo and Charlie Maycock, who were the premier local fanciers at that time. He had his first race with young birds in 1955, flying in the Walton RPC and recorded 3rd and 4th club. The first Poulton loft was an orange box on stilts and after some help from local fanciers, including Mark Finestone, he progressed to a 20ft loft with a large bay. Bryan says he likes the loft to have plenty of air circulation, but it must be dry and warm. The loft houses 30 natural pairs of racers, which are paired up on February 14th. Bryan says he likes to treat them as pets and tends to over feed them. He has no stock birds, only breeding from his best racers, and has a young bird team of about 50 birds each season. His pigeons are the original Heide family bred from the Wheatcroft cock birds and the Ranaboldo hens. He thinks the original Harry Wheatcroft stock came from Rey Brothers of Scotland. In recent years, he has introduced the Dordin and Cattrysse pigeons with outstanding success. The Poulton pigeons are now his own inbred family and he says they have always tended to be better from the longer races. From the Continent, he maintains that his best performance was racing from Bergerac in two clubs on the same weekend, taking the first three positions in one club and the first two in the other, all with birds clocked on the day of liberation. Bryan's wife takes a big interest in the pigeons. She says he is always looking for new ways to get some improvement in his birds' performances but finds that even though he took early retirement, lack of time is his biggest problem. He really is one of the sport's workers, being President and Treasurer of the SMT Combine, Secretary and Treasurer of the Three Borders Federation and acting Secretary of the Walton RPC as well as being a member of the L&SECC and NFC.

In the 2008 season Bryan sent to his first NFC race for fifteen years, when he sent a small natural team of birds to the Tarbes Grand National and recorded his good seven year old blue chequer pied hen on the day of liberation, flying 564 miles, to win 1st Section E, 10th Open. This game hen was bred from Bryan’s base families of Cattrysse and Dordin, and being sent to Tarbes sitting 14 day old eggs returned in excellent condition. On her build up to the Tarbes National she had two inland races, a Messac race when she scored 4th club and had several good training tosses before going to the National. She has scored many times from France including: 2002 (as a yearling): 1st club, 2nd Three Borders Federation Bergerac, 2003: 3rd club Bergerac, 2005: 2nd club, 11th Three Borders Federation, 24th SMT Combine Poitiers, 2006: 6th club, 20th Three Borders Federation Bergerac. A wonderful hen! It's always great to hear of any premier worker in the sport winning a good prize with his pigeons. It's hard to excel at racing with very limited time in the loft, so I was delighted to hear that Bryan Poulton, the hard-working Secretary of the Three Borders Federation had won the NFC Section E. from Tarbes.

A few season ago Bryan won the Federation from Seaton. This racepoint is a 125-mile fly from the south coast and Bryan's game 4 year old blue cock beat 1,249 birds to win. Bryan tells me that he really likes the longer races, having won the longest old bird race from Bergerac and Bordeaux about 13 times, but has enjoyed a good 2002 season, having won 1st Federation Seaton, 4th Federation, 14th Open SMT Combine Messac, 2nd, 6th, 9th, 14th Federation, 8th, 26th, 44th Open SMT Combine; 13th Open Amalgamation Bergerac (454 miles). A wonderful loft performance!

All the Poulton pigeons, old and young, are raced through to the longest race and are fed a good mixture, with beans and maize. They are also given a few peanuts and condition seed and for training all the birds are treated the same. Once they beat Bryan home, he moves them on to the next point. He likes to see a good eye with a full circle but maintains that at the end of the day, the basket, not eyesign, will tell which are the quality pigeons. He likes his pigeons sitting l4-day-old eggs for the longer races and says that through the years he had admired many fanciers, including Alf Baker, Alex Fleming and Freddie Ranaboldo, but the most consistent today are Trussler Brothers of West Molesey, because pigeon racing is a way of life to them and they win out of turn. Bryan maintains that you must line breed to form a successful family of pigeons, and then pair the best to the best. He says he worries about the moult but has never changed the food, apart from adding a little barley and linseed. He doesn't breed latebreds these days as he believes that youngsters should have race experience. He is very keen on deep litter on the loft floors, but this must be kept completely dry. On many occasions, he says, the ugly and mad pigeons prove to be the best racers, but he likes his birds to be tame and quiet. He believes the sport has been going downhill over the years and he thinks it's because the social side of any club has taken second place to fanciers wanting to win at all costs, rather than having the pleasure of taking part. The sport depends on the losers as there is only one winner each week. In the sport of pigeon racing, like most things in life, you will only get out of it, what you put in - and if you put the effort in, you will be rewarded. Bryan told me that for people like him, giving a great deal of their time in the administration of the sport for the benefit of others would be better spent with the pigeons, but for the most part, they have to depend for success on the basis of 'anything to come, be glad of it' and I agree with him!

There you have it; a near year started and a new racing season to look forward too! I can be contacted with any pigeon news on telephone number: 01372 463480. See yer!

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.