THREE BORDERS FEDERATION FOCUS

WITH KEITH MOTT

2006 FEDERATION CHAMPIONS

Congratulations to the Esher members for winning the Federation Points Trophy for the second season on the trot! The club which is based at the Westend Sports & Social Club, led the Federation Points from the very first race of the 2006 racing season and finished up winning the Trophy by a big margin. I was a member of the Esher & District R.P.C. for many years and it’s a club that is close to my heart. I didn’t race there very often in recent years, but when I did, I must say, it was the most enjoyable pigeon time, I had. The Esher is the best pigeon club I’ve been a member of and the members are a great bunch of lads! I’m very pleased and proud to write that the Esher won the Three Borders Federation Points Trophy again in the 2006 season. Well done lads! The first three clubs up for the trophy were: Esher (217 points), Hersham (205 points) and Wimbledon (187 points). A great club performance in one of the strongest Federation in the south of England!

The Federation has had a very successful 2006 racing season in spite of the ‘bird flu problems, with good birdage and a new young star emerged from the Hersham club, in the form of Iran Malik. Although the racing name is Iran Malik, there are in fact three partners, including his best friend, Dean Shah and his cousin, Samir Khan, and next season all three will have their names in the racing title. The three lads have worked very hard with their young birds and taken the Federation by storm, winning: 12th, 21st. Federation Blandford (1831 birds), 1st, 2nd. Federation Lulworth (1) (1620 birds), 4th, 7th, 14th, 17th. Federation West Bay (1404 birds), 1st, 2nd, 23rd. Federation Lulworth (2) (2101 birds), 5th. Federation Exeter (1327 birds), 2nd, 7th. Federation, 6th. open S.M.T. Combine Yelverton and finished up the season by winning the Federation Individual Points Trophy. Fantastic young bird flying by any ones standards!

Imran’s first Federation winner of the season was from Lulworth (1) and he won it with his good Janssen blue chequer hen, ‘Lady Ace’, and she was sent feeding a pair of five day old youngsters. She was 90 seconds in front of the next pigeon to the loft, which recorded 2nd. Federation. Imran says, she was very keen on her babies, because she wouldn’t let the cock bird sit on them and they knew she was going to do well in the 97 mile race. This game little hen was bred from two gift Janssen stock birds from his uncles, Khan Brothers of Kingston, and they are down from their successful ‘Zola’ bloodlines. The Lulworth (2) race produced the biggest young bird birdage of the 2006 season, with 2101 birds being sent, and the Malik loft won the Federation with their dark chequer hen, ‘Classic Ace’. She was bred down from the Wall, Lunt, Green & Galley of Manchester bloodlines and is a grand daughter of their famous racer, ‘The Classic Cock’. The Federation’s longest young bird race was flown from Yelverton (180 miles) and the birds had a hard fly in a north wind. Imran tells me he had a really bad trap as his good widowhood dark chequer cock, ‘The Special Cock’, came home with a hen in tow and spent a lot of time clapping around the sky with her before surrendering his race rubber. When he finally got on the clock he recorded 1st. club, 2nd. Federation, 6th. open S.M.T. Combine and secured the Federation Individual Points Trophy for the Tolworth loft. This game cock was first bird on the clock the weekend before from the L.&S.E.C.C. Yelverton race and is a full brother to the dark hen, ‘Classic Ace’, the partner’s Lulworth (2) Federation winner, being a grand son of Wall, Lunt, Green & Galley’s ‘The Classic Cock’. A great line of winners!

Garry Dye of the Esher club has enjoyed a brilliant season racing in the Three Borders Federation and had led for the Individual Point Trophy right from the first race, when he won the Federation from Wincanton. The Banstead loft lost the Points Trophy to Imran Malik, by one point on the last race! It think it is now common knowledge that the Federations last race from Bergerac was the hardest race of the 2006 season, with the birds having to fly the 450 mile coarse in a strong North East wind. The Dye loft finished the old bird season as it started it, by winning the Federation, but this time Garry recorded the only bird on the day of liberation in the Federation from Bergerac. Garry recorded this fantastic performance with his champion racer, ‘Lenny’s Boy’, and he also chalked up 3rd. open S.M.T. Combine from Bergerac. Garry also won the longest old bird race in the Esher club in 2005 from Bergerac, with his good widowhood blue chequer pied cock, “Lenny's Boy”, and he is mainly bred from the Van Reet bloodlines, with his grand sire coming from Johnny Keywood of Hersham. This game pigeon has a wonderful racing record winning: five seconds including, 2nd. club, 2nd. Federation Lulworth and then went on to win 1st. club, 20th. Federation, 46th. open Combine (1,795 birds) Bergerac in 2005. This wonderful pigeon is also the sire of many premier racers including, ‘Young Lenny’, winner of 1st. Three Borders Federation Wincanton (1,563 birds) this season. Garry Dye and his partner, Lenny Graham, start the 2006 season as they finished the 2005 season, winning the Federation! The Dye loft won two young bird Federation races last season and came out and won the first race of the 2006 season with the widowhood yearling blue chequer pied cock, ‘Young Lenny’. Garry tells me, he moved house recently and the loft had only been up in the new garden for about six weeks before the start of the 2006 season and for the birds to come out to win 1st. & 2nd. Esher club, 1st. & 5th. Federation on the first race is amazing.

Garry Dye’s 2006 old bird performances in the Three Borders Federation were: 1st, 5th, 21st. Federation Wincanton (1,656 birds), 12th, 24th. Federation Wincanton (1,805 birds), 1st, 19th, 22nd. Federation Kingsdown (1,775 birds), 2nd. Federation Exeter (1,690 birds), 5th, 7th, 20th, 22nd. Federation, 8th, 10th, 41st. S.M.T. Combine Yelverton (2,241 birds), 6th. Federation Taunton (1,457 birds), 15th. Federation Wadebridge (1,223 birds), 3rd. Federation Exeter (1,557 birds), 16th, 22nd, 23rd. Federation Portland (1,376 birds), 21st, 23rd. Federation, 36th, 38th. S.M.T. Combine Messac (1,550 birds), 2nd, 14th. Federation West Bay (788 birds), 20th. Federation Lulworth (1,068 birds), 1st. Federation, 3rd. S.M.T. Combine Bergerac (1,012 birds). A fantastic loft performance!

The Federation will be holding it’s first winter meeting at the University Vandals R.F.C, Walton, on Tuesday 24th. October 2006, kicking off at 20.00hrs. Any Three Borders Federation news, please give me a ‘bell’ on 01372 463480.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (FEDERATION PRESS OFFICER).