A & T DEACON OF WATERLOOVILLE

CONTINUED  SUCCESS WITH THEIR  SOUTHWELLS

by Gareth Watkins

Albi and Jeanette Deacon of Waterlooville in Hampshire have an enviable record in long distance races competing with the NFC, BICC and CSCFC. They have always enjoyed success at club and fed level with their birds, but when the Southwells were introduced some 25 years ago, their performances at National level “took off”. Since that time they have been placed in the top 500 Open from Pau with the NFC every year and have only once been out of the top 200 Open. During the same period Albi and Jan have twice won 1st Section plus 2nd Open from Pau with the NFC. The Langstone Gold Cup awarded in the NFC to the fancier[s] with the Best Ave all NFC races has also found its way into the Deacon’s trophy cabinet. Add to this impressive list an additional 4 x 1st Open plus many 2nds, 3rds, 4ths etc when competing with the BICC in long distance International races, including twice having the only bird on the day from Dax International, and you can appreciate the class, both of the fanciers, and their team of long distance pathfinders.

And so to the present day, and the 2008 season, which proved to be an exceptional one, even by the Deacon’s high standards. Listed here are just the BICC positions won with old birds alone:- 3rd sect 9th Open Barcelona; 2nd & 3rd sect 9th & 12th Open Marseille; 2nd, 4th & 6th sect 4th, 8th & 16th Open Perpignan; 19th, 39th & 47th Open Pau International. Add to these, a terrific team performance from Tarbes with five birds on the result at 21st, 29th, 35th, 40th & 49th Open and you have a remarkable series of performances in long distance International races. Not surprisingly theirs was the only loft in the BICC to clock on the winning day in all the International races.

Albi states that the excitement and pleasure you get from timing a good bird from an International race is truly marvellous but on the other hand you must be prepared for some knock backs and the loss of good pigeons. An example of this was the 2008 Perpignan race when the Deacons clocked three good birds on the result from their seven bird entry and yet two of their best birds and main fancies for the race failed to return.

The original Southwells were obtained from Jimmy Shepherd, Roger Goble and Ernie Deacon, Albi’s cousin. These conformed to the typical Southwell type being small to medium sized, mostly dark chequers and black velvets. The feather quality was superb and the birds tended to be “a bit flighty”. These characteristics are still evident in the Deacon team today.

Approximately 100 birds are wintered and these are housed in three separate lofts. The main racing loft measures 28 ft x 10 ft and has a pan tiled roof and a 4 ft wide internal corridor running along the front. This corridor reduces the depth of the internal sections and helps maintain control over the birds. A second loft of 20 ft x 8 ft, also with a tiled roof, houses the 60 – 70 strong young bird team. The stock birds enjoy life in an 8 ft x 9 ft stock loft with associated aviary. A deep litter of straw is employed in all lofts and this is removed and replaced with a new litter annually

All birds, including stock birds, are mated around the middle of March. The racers have an open loft from 6.30 am until dark and are raced exclusively on the natural system throughout the season. Very little road work is necessary as the birds are of the type that rarely put on fat and keep themselves fit with their constant coming and going during daylight hours. However, in final preparation, just before the target race set for them, the team does get a few 30 – 50 mile tosses. These are usually late evening tosses with the aim of recreating similar conditions to those that the returning racers might experience when homing late at night from a long distance race. Albi also likes to see the team with a good 8 – 10 hour fly under their belts in the last race before the target race to which they are generally sent sitting 8 – 10 day old eggs. The Deacons have never had any success with birds sent feeding small babies. However, in 2008 the team, out of necessity due to the  congestion of the long distance race programme, had to be sent to Perpignan sitting small young birds. This forced change in the routine seemed to suit the cocks better than the hens as the latter had to be separated from their partners for a week and were housed during this week long separation in the young bird section. Generally though, the aim is to produce a contented, stress-free home environment, to which the racers will do their utmost to race home. This seems to be sufficient preparation for the type of pigeon housed i.e good honest racers, and it has certainly produced excellent results over the past two decades.

Young bird racing is not taken seriously but the education of the youngsters in their first year is approached with professionalism. The babies are trained extensively in the year of their birth and half of those that come through the training programme are sent to the young bird National from Guernsey or France. This sets them up for later in life as they quickly develop confidence in their own ability to find their way home.

A basic mixture to which farm beans are added in various proportions depending on the season, is hopper fed to all birds throughout the year. More barley is added in the winter once the annual moult is over and more maize included in the build up to the longer races.

The birds are not subjected to antibiotics and in recent years the only treatment they have received is for canker once annually and even this treatment was stopped in 2002. The Southwells are real tough little characters with an iron hard constitution and as a result rarely “go wrong” – just like the man who created the family.

Like breeds like, as can be seen when looking at the breeding details of the top performers in the team in the 2008 season. Let’s start with “Tipo”, a typical Southwell dark chequer. In 2008 Tipo won 3rd sect 9th Open Barcelona. He had previously raced from Barcelona in 2007 and had won 50th Open BICC Bergerac in 2006. Tipo’s dam is a winner of 2nd sect 16th Open NFC Pau and 5th Open BICC Gellainville, whilst his grandsire had won 6th Open NFC Pau on the day.

Tipo

Next we have “Garador”, another black chequer cock, which won 2nd sect 9th Open Marseille in 2008. This four year old had competed from Barcelona in 2007 and his sire was a winner of 2nd sect 9th Open Barcelona and his grandsire was also 6th Open NFC Pau on the day.

Garador

One of the loft's real battlers is “Garincha”, which won 2nd sect 4th Open Perpignan after competing in the Pau International race earlier in the season where he won 19th Open BICC. Garincha had previously won 73rd Open Dax BICC and 240th Open NFC Pau in the 2005 and 2004 seasons respectively. Yet again we see in the breeding of Garincha an unbroken line of top performers in long distance races, as his sire was a winner of 4th Open Dax BICC whilst his grandsire was 1st Open Brive BICC.

Garincha

We now move on to another dark chequer cock, named “Sparta”, which won 3rd sect 12th Open Marseille in 2008 as a four year old. Once again we have performance pigeons at the heart of his pedigree as his sire won 2nd sect 7th Open Barcelona and his dam was a winner of 1st sect 1st Open Perpignan with the BICC.

Sparta

The list of pedigree performance pigeons goes on and on as next we have “Ribot”, another dark chequer cock, which in 2008 as a five year old, recorded two excellent performances in long distance races with 47th Open BICC Pau International and just over a month later 4th sect 8th Open Perpignan International with the BICC. “Ribot” had previously been placed 30th Open Dax International with the BICC in 2006. His grandsire was 1st Open NFC Pau for Albi’s cousin Ernie Deacon,  and “Ribot’s” granddam was a previous winner of 1st Open Perpignan International with the BICC.

Ribot

Finally, we come to one of the loft’s most consistent and honest performers in long distance classic races – “Heidi”, a five year old light chequer hen with previous performances to make your mouth water. In 2008 she was 39th Open BICC Pau International and was then set up for Perpignan a month or so later to be the loft’s third in the clock winning 6th sect 16th Open despite her disrupted preparation as outlined earlier. During the 2007 season “Heidi” won 2nd sect 3rd  Open BICC in the Pau International. The 2006 season saw her win 84th Open BICC Bergerac BICC and in 2005 she was 11th sect 111th Open NFC Tarbes on the day. Her sire won 16th & 80th Open Pau Classic, whilst her dam was a winner of 1st sect 1st Open Dax International with the BICC and also 7th Open Hens for Albi and Jan’s good friend Mick Bunney, another top class long distance fancier.

These pigeons not only win well for the Deacons but also excel in other fanciers' lofts, and as examples of this I give you the following:-

One latebred hen given to Jimmy Jackson won 2nd Open Scottish National Beauvais.

A dark chequer latebred cock gifted to Peter Harris won 9th & 13th Open NFC Pau.

Alan Holdaway's dark chequer hen which won 13th Open NFC Pau was, once again, gifted by the Deacons as a latebred.

As you can see, these birds win almost at will from the distance races for various fanciers, not surprising when you look at the quality of the birds in the photographs that accompany this article.

Under the stewardship of Albi as Chairman with Jan as secretary and the late, great and sorely missed Brian Long as President, the BICC has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years and with a membership of more than 1,000, it is fast becoming one of the U.K’s most prestigious organisations.

It has once again been a pleasure to highlight the continuing success story of the family of long distance pathfinders developed and maintained by two of Britain’s best long distance fanciers and hardest workers for the sport. Long may this success story continue.