BEARDMORE BROS & MORGAN

of Sandbach

by Les Parkinson

Brian Beardmore and Brian newsome

I have been contributing articles of one sort or another to the fancy press for the last 14yrs, during which time I have seen many come and go. Some have got to the top for a couple of years then drifted away into obscurity or gone to the ranks of the mediocre fancier, or in fact have drifted away from the sport altogether and taken up interests in another hobby.

Brian Beardmore and David Coward-Talbot

Brian Beardmore is not a fancier to take things lightly in the sport, he would not be content to be an also ran, that is not his way. You might look at the heading and think to yourself that with a partnership like that with three concerned the workload is somewhat cut back. In most partnerships that may be the case but not here because the Morgan part of the partnership is Brian's brother-in-law Basil who no longer takes any interest in the sport and in fact has not done so for a good many years. Then there's brother Eddie who, although keen during most of the racing season, is not a more frequent visitor when the weather changes for the worse, in other words a fair weather fancier. Eddie is the type that many of us would like around the lofts, very handy to do the training or take the birds to one of the clubs when there are a few on at the weekend, therefore he does serve a very good purpose to the partnership. That leaves the mainstay of the pigeon work to Brian who is as keen as any that you will come across and he does look after them very well indeed. With this in mind I am going to give more credit to the man who really is an "Ace" among pigeon fanciers. Getting back to what I started to say about contributing articles, during the last 14yrs I have had a reason to write many pieces in the local notes on this fancier due to the consistency with which he has always won prizes at all levels of competition.

Brian & Eddy Beardmore with dave Allen

The first time that I really did get to know Brian was during a 3yr spell that I had at E.R.F. trucks Sandbach, where Brian has worked since his schooldays. I used to spend quite a bit of time talking to him about all aspects of the sport and through these regular meetings it became obvious where Brian had gained a lot of experience from concerning the pigeons. Also working close to Brian was Charlie Peel who, along with brother George, really did set Brian up to become one of the best fanciers in Cheshire. Charlie no longer takes any interest in the sport, nevertheless he still has a few words to say to any pigeon men that he comes across. It really is a loss to the pigeon fraternity to lose such fanciers as Charlie because he is so knowledgeable about pigeon racing.

Brian Beardmore and Frank Garner

When one considers that the stock at Hassall Road has been there for the last 26yrs one has to admire Brian for this perseverance in keeping this family of pigeons together. The original purchases were rather expensive in 1964, in fact the £10 he paid to the late Jim Coppenhall for the first two Osman youngsters plus a further investment of £10 to the late Mr Dale of Middlewich for two from his family of Logans, making £20 in all, was a lot of money for the working man to pay for pigeons in those days. But on the other hand when one considers that this family of pigeons with the odd cross are still winning some 26yrs later it's a credit to the fancier. Anyway the original team of pigeons went on for the next 10yrs for Brian moved on to his present address where he made his next introductions, these being the McNeilly Delbars of Northern Ireland via Derek Potts. Then there was another introduction to this family from George Stubbs, "Ace" of "Aces" for many years in the Sandbach area. In fact Brian admits that George has been a big influence on his pigeon racing over the years and on this occasion he went to George for further additions to his present team. It was about this time that he also brought in the Peel pigeons, these being the Cattrysse & Goossens, which really did make this team of pigeons able to compete against the best in the Cheshire area. It was inevitable that when the Busschaerts were so dominant on the pigeon scene they would have to be tried, and an introduction came from Bob Ashley of Moston who had by this time built up an excellent team around the Kirby Blues. I must stress there has never been a big influx of birds into the originals, what families that have been brought in have only been in small doses so as not to breed the originals out altogether.

Brian Beardmore and Frank Howard

This team of pigeons have excelled over the years winning nearly all of the top honours that the Cheshire area has to offer such as having the only bird on the day in the Sandbach Open Gurnsey when 110 members entered pigeons for the journey across water. Then there is taking 1-2-3 club 1-2 fed by 11mins, 2nd club 2 nd fed Holmes Chapel on the same day; the following week 1-2-3 Niort with only two birds on the day in the club; 1 st sec L 32 nd open NFC Nantes. The 1990 season was no different as Brian was for the 15 th time in the last 20 years the highest prize winner with the Sandbach Club, a club that I might add has been one of the most successful in whichever federation they have flown for as long as l can remember.

Brian Beardmore and John Lawson

1990 saw 7x1sts, 6x2nds, 3x3rds, 5x4ths, 5x5ths some 20 fed positions, the OB inland YB & Grand Averages, OB points YB points, D Lea Sartilly winner, Rennes winner, E Rowson shield & the D Gleave trophy for the best young bird of the season. The winnings from the other clubs I do not have at hand at the time of going to press.

Brian Beardmore and Roy Harding

The lofts are nothing spectacular going on today's standards. The loft consists of two sections for old bird racers, one for the young bird team, and a section for the widow hens, leaving the end section for the stock, which also has an aviary. A good pointer for these lofts is that they are all well off the ground to keep the damp out, and there is also a good ventilation system that allows the loft to stay fresh at all times; there are never any stale smells around this loft. All lofts are well cleaned and have a covering of sand for the winter months as Brian does not have any lighting system in the lofts as he prefers not to upset them while they should be resting during the short days. Also during the winter months Brian hopper feeds the birds, mainly with beans.

Brian Beardmore and Ted Carson

Not only does Brian win racing he also participates in the shows and considering he does not see them from one weekend to the next they certainly look well in the show pen. One thing that I must point out that is that in each section there are rather more pigeons housed than one would expect, that is going on the theory of overcrowding in any one loft. Going on this theory there are twice as many cocks to each section and not forgetting the hens in the section which is used for the natural system with a further 18 stock birds which when paired up in February rear some 60 youngsters.

Beardmore Bros & Morgan

Another point which becomes apparent when looking into these sections that there is nowhere for the birds to fly out of the way, they have to stay put and stay cool for their owner, making them as tame as they come which brings about contentment followed by racing success. A point that did come out was that after the 1990 season Brian altered the platform. Why, you might ask, should anyone want to go to the trouble of turning flags round from 3ft wide to 2ft wide? Well Brian's reasoning is by knocking that extra one foot off the platform the birds would have less space to land and would therefore go through the door that bit quicker. These are the little bits that would mean nothing to most fanciers, but to this one these little bits mean a few extra yards and more prizes, after all it's those valuable yards that count. If other fanciers took note of what appear to be minor details they would probably end up with a better racing record. There is no easy passage for these pigeons, none are kept for the short races and none are nursed for the long distance events as they are all well looked after and are therefore expected to fly at some time or another from 60 to 500 miles. Another very interesting point was that he likes to have half of his nest boxes where the natural team are blocked off so that the pair can hide away in peace. The pigeons think that this is their hiding place, their private domain. This does not apply to the widowhood system when the hens are away.

To get the pigeons right for arduous tasks, Brian feeds a mixture mostly of beans, peas and tares plus an addition of maize, not a great deal, just a small amount plus a further addition to the diet of Red Band conditioner which Brian has used for many years. This is moreorless what Brain has fed to his pigeons for most of his time racing our feathered friends. Brian sees no point in changing his methods because they have been so successful over the years. As an addition to the water Brian is a strong believer in Johnson's Tonic, which is something else that he has faithfully stuck to over the years. Training is something that the majority of fanciers cannot keep up with because when many fanciers are just getting out of bed Brian has been known to be leaving the motorway after taking them for a toss at Penkridge, some 30 miles fly, a distance that he has in fact travelled in the dark waiting for the sun to rise. Now that's what I call dedication.

The old birds will receive three to four tosses some weeks while the young are tossed as often as possible before the commencement of the young bird season. Brian likes to give the YB team as many as 50 tosses, which is the type of experience that they need if they are going to make it to the top. One point that Brian did make was that when he gets to the last three YB races his training system ceases. This came about when a few years ago his car broke down three weeks before the last YB race and the youngsters went on to fly even better so he stuck to it. Going back to the training for the YB team, they are trained in steady stages from about 2 miles building up to about 30 miles, which, if the weather is suitable, they stay at through the season.