Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past & present

Three Borders Federation (Yeovil)

Members of the Three Borders Federation sent 2,230 birds to Yeovil for the third old bird race and members were given a false liberation time as there was an escapee at the liberation site. Federation convoyer, Dennis Shepherd, released the birds at 10.30hrs into a variable wind, which had an easterly element in it and the membership enjoyed a good steady race. The South Downs club were the Federation Champions in the 2010 season and have shown some good early form this season, winning 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 12th and 15th in this Yeovil race. Top loft performance was put up by Crook & Iddenden and they recorded 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th Federation, to kick off their 2011 campaign, after their brilliant performances in the 2010 season. Vic and Lou Emberson of Banstead broke up the lads run by recording 3rd Federation.

Andy Iddenden and Colin Crook have 63ft. of loft, with the 12 pairs of stock birds housed in a 10ft. section with a fight and the rest of the loft being for the racers. Trapping is open doors for the old birds, “Super” traps for the youngsters and the whole structure is cleaned out every day. The old birds are raced on the widowhood cocks and celibate hens systems and the whole loft is paired up on Boxing Day, so the first round of eggs from the stock birds can be floated under the racers. The widowhood cocks start the year by rearing a pair of youngsters and their mates are taken away while sitting the second round of eggs. They are repaired five weeks before the first Federation race, then are given about six 20 mile training tosses and are put on the widowhood system two weeks before racing begins. The racers are fed on a first class widowhood mixture and are not broken down, not even for the short sprint races. The lads like to show the hens for a long time on marking night, could be as long as an hour, with the cock bird on the bowl and his mate outside the box. They are never allowed to tread. On their return from the race the cocks get their hens for two or three hours, depending how hard the race has been. Colin and Andy enjoy all Federation racing from 80 miles through to 450 miles, but have a go at the odd Classic race from time to time. Andy told me the cocks stay on the widowhood system all the time and are never repaired for the longer races. The main families kept are Staf Van Reet and a new one called Hongerloot, which have been very successful.

Colin Crook & Andy Iddenden’s wonderful performance racing in the Three Borders Federation in 2010 were: (OB) 14th, 18th Federation Wincanton (1,584 birds), 1st, 2nd, 6th Federation Wincanton (1,916 birds), 25th Federation West Bay (2,163 birds), 17th Federation West Bay (2,016 birds), 14th Federation Exeter (1,135 birds), 2nd Federation (758 birds), 2nd SMT Combine Messac, 8th Federation Kingsdown (1,233 birds), 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Federation Kingsdown (1,089 birds), (YB) 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th Federation West Bay (1,292 birds), 1st Federation (923 birds), 1st SMT Combine Yelverton. Chris Slight and Trevor Taylor of the Esher club won the SMT Combine from Messac in June 2010 with their champion yearling Staf Van Reet black hen, ‘Non-Returnable’, which was bred by Crook & Iddenden. In the same race Colin and Andy were 2nd Three Borders Federation, 2nd open SMT Combine, being beaten by the black hen that they bred and gifted to the partners from Esher. The icing on the cake for Colin and Andy was to win 1st open SMT Combine from the last and longest young bird race, flown from Yelverton in mid-September and finish off a brilliant season in great style!

Colin and Andy’s 2010 Yelverton SMT Combine winner was their ‘darkness’ Staf Van Reet blue chequer hen, ‘The Combine Hen’, and she was bred from stock birds obtained from Paul Arnold of North Cheam. Her sire is their good dark pied cock, ‘Keith’, and he is a grand son of Paul’s champion breeders, ‘Santa Vos’ and ‘The Guvnor’. She was a member of Crook & Iddenden’s 50 bird strong young bid team in 2010 and had one Federation and the two L&SECC Guernsey races on her build to her Combine win. She was never paired up and flew natural to the perch. A nice twist the story is she was lost off top of the loft when very young and returned home with an orange plastic ring on her leg, just before training started. Colin says he has never taken the ring off and she still wears it today! The partners had so my star birds in the 2010 season it’s a bit hard to pick out individuals, but one must be the widowhood grizzle cock, ‘The Dove’, and he won several premier prizes in 2010 including 2nd open SMT Combine Messac. A few years ago Paul Arnold brought in some Roland / Janssens pigeons to try and bred Colin a pair of white grizzles. The hen of the nest pair is the dam of ‘The Dove’ and also the grizzle widowhood cock, ‘Dusty’, winner of 1st Three Borders Federation Wincanton and 1st South Downs Premier Honiton in 2010. These two brilliant racers have different sires, both being Paul Arnold Staf Van Reets. A fancier who has been out standing for the last 30 years is Frank Carson of Mitcham and he bred Colin and Andy’s good Gaby Vandenbeele blue widowhood cock, ‘Frank’, and he has won a list of premier positions including 1st Three Borders Federation Kingsdown. This game cock raced to Frank’s loft as a young bird and yearling and when Frank packed up in 2008, the pigeon was gifted to Crook & Iddenden, too set the place alight with brilliant performances.

The partnership of Crook & Iddenden enjoyed a wonderful 2006 racing season, which was one their best, with highlights being 1st Federation West Bay, 1st, 2nd, 9th. Federation Lulworth. Colin and Andy were racing eight hens on the widowhood system and they tell me these hens were whacking the widowhood cocks every week. Colin says they have the system tuned just right and all their premier positions, including the two Federation winners, were won with widowhood hens. The West Bay Federation winner was the Staf Van Reet mealy pied hen, ‘Lady’, and she was home to win the Federation from Lulworth, but wouldn’t trap and finished up 9th, being beaten by two loft mates. Her sister, ‘Busy Lizzy’, recorded 2nd. Federation from Lulworth. The hen I really liked was, ‘Dark Lady’, another Staf Van Reet and she recorded 1st. Federation Lulworth. These three great hens were all from the Paul Arnold bloodlines.

The Crook & Iddenden partnership had 50 young birds this season, putting the 40 first rounders on the Darkness system and left the 20 second rounders natural. The youngsters are put on the Darkness on weaning, being closed down from 5p.m. until 8a.m. every day, and are taken off the system on the longest day in mid-June. The young bird team get lots of training tosses up to 35 miles before the first Federation race, then get two tosses a week once the season starts and all race the full racing programme. Colin told me, the partners started with 50 babies and never lost one training before the first race. They are raced to the perch, but if they want to pair up they are allowed too and nest bowls are put into the section.

The Surrey partnership of Vic and Lou Emberson won 3rd Federation from Yeovil and have won many major prizes in National racing in their years in the sport and topped it off in the 2005 season by recording 1st open B.I.C.C. Alencon National. Vic’s recent account of the Alencon race was; “On the day of the B.I.C.C. Alencon race the wind was strong westerly and we were expecting the winner to be in the East Section. On arrival, the cock came out of the east, confirming our belief that the winner would be in that section, but what a pleasant surprise we had when we were informed we had the leading pigeon, which is now named ‘Valiant Leader’. This cock is half brother to our 2000: 1st open Alliance of Specialist Clubs Millennium race and car winner, ‘Alliance Leader’ and is also related to ‘Ellie’, our 2004 N.F.C. Fougeres old hens winner”.

Back in the summer of 2000, I had the honour to be asked to be assistant convoyer to Peter Wilcox for the Alliance of Specialists Clubs’ Millennium La Ferte Bernard National race. I had met Peter several times on the road, while convoying for the Classic, and have always rated him as one of the best convoyers in the sport. Peter is a living legend on the convoying scene, having done the job for nearly 45 years and 38 years for the British Barcelona Club. He has been in the sport since he was 12 years old and won 1st. open N.F.C. Pau in 1966, the year England won the Football World Cup. His winner was his champion Spangle white cock, “Snow White Willie”, and he was sent to Pau (550 miles) sitting 12 day old eggs. This game cock flew the English Channel 32 times, winning Bordeaux as a yearling and flew Guernsey five times as a young bird. A wonderful racer owned by one of the legends of pigeon convoying! There were 1,435 birds entered in the La Ferte Bernard National and were liberated at 08.30hrs. in a north west wind.

The Banstead partnership of Vic and Lou Emberson won the race with their champion three year old Staf Van Reet blue cock, “Alliance Leader”. This game cock flew 220 miles to win the Millennium National and had previously won 1st club, 1st London Federation (1,925 birds) Pool, 2nd club, 7th Surrey Federation (2,195 birds) Exeter and 2nd club, 7th London Federation from Exeter. His parents were one of the best stock pairs at the Banstead loft, breeding many club and Federation winners and were bred down from the lines of Champions “Toy Boy”, “Majestic” and “Princess 85”. When I visited the Emberson’s loft at that time, in 2000, they had enjoyed a wonderful season, winning 25 times first, five of them being 1st open Federation, and also won four times 2nd open Federation, 2nd open Combine La Ferte Bernard and 221st open N.F.C. Nantes.

Vic had pigeons as a child, but really started racing in 1988 at the Banstead lofts. His uncle is, Fred Emberson, who has been an outstanding channel racer in the London area for many years and he was a great help in getting Vic started in the sport. He races 20 cocks on the widowhood system and pairs up in mid-January with the Federation sprint races in mind. The racers are put on the widowhood system after the first round of youngsters and are broken down from Saturday until Tuesday morning during the racing season. Vic mixes his own corn and the main family kept is Staf Van Reet because he likes sprint racing. The widowhood cocks are not trained during the racing season, just exercised around the loft twice a day to keep them fit. The partners have two very smart self built lofts and the stock birds have a nice wire flight, to get out into the weather. The race team are trapped through open doors and sputnik traps. Vic’s wife, Lou, and his sons, Carl and Neil, are great workers with the pigeons and he says a lot of his success is down to their help. The Emberson loft has won the Federation countless times through the years and has recoded 1st open National several times, including 1st open N.F.C. Fougeres (old hens) in 2004. A great pigeon partnership!

The first ten in the Yeovil Federation result were: 1) Crook & Iddenden: 2) Crook & Iddenden: 3) V. Emberson: 4) Crook & Iddenden: 5) Crook & Iddenden: 6) Crook & Iddenden: 7) M. Gumble & Son: 8) Crook & Iddenden: 9) Crook & Iddenden: 10) A. Stoner & Son.