Keith Mott
The Champions of Yesteryear (Part 41)
MICK & PAT HOBMAN
OF NEW ADDINGTON
Mick Hobman was born in Broad Green, Croydon, and his wife Pat hailed from Dyfed, South Wales. Pat was an active full-time partner, in fact she had more to do with the pigeons than Mick most days. Mick told me that Pat suffered from "loftmaid's knee" and he wasn't joking.
Mick first became interested in pigeons when he was a dustman in 1968 and in one of the houses on his route lived Paddy Miles of Thornton Heath, a very successful fancier. He said he can remember admiring Paddy's pigeons over the fence and often chatted to him about them. The first stock the Hobmans obtained came from local fanciers of that time, namely Ray Ballard, Reggie Chappel and George Hackett. Pat recalls that although these birds were game and honest they never really held their own in club racing until they were given a Bostyn x Janssen red cock by their good friend Johnny Adams. With this cock and a blue pied hen obtained from Paddy Miles the red cards came flooding in and the races won with their offspring was phenominal. The partners bred two of their best racing cocks from this pair in 1975, namely blue chequer cock ‘The 29 Cock’ winner of many major positions including seven times 1st club, 1st Surrey Federation (twice), 3rd Surrey Federation, 4th Surrey Federation and 5th Croydon SR Federation. And his brother, 'The 24 Cock', winner of 1st club, 1st Croydon SR Federation Exmouth, 1st club, 2nd Surrey Federation Weymouth and 2nd West Croydon Blandford Open race 440 birds. Two great racing cocks! 'The 24 Cock' had gone when I visited the Hobman’s loft, but 'The 29 Cock' was in the stock loft breeding his like.
Pat told me that Ray Ballard helped in the beginning by assisting them in building their first loft, bred some youngsters for them and helped them train that first season. The first club they joined in 1968 was the New Addington S.R.F.C. Over the years Mick's good friend, "Wicky" Bullen, has been a great help to them, at one point in the early 1970s they teamed up and raced together with outstanding results.
Season 1985 was an excellent one for the Hobman partnership being top prize-winners in the New Addington North Road Club winning 92 diplomas including nine 1sts, twelve 2nds, nine 3rds and eleven 4ths. Mick and Pat were founder members of the New Addington N.R.F.C. which was brought about through the efforts of local "ace" Ron Wasey, a fancier of whom they have the greatest respect. The partners said they are very pleased with their first full season North Road flying in 1985.
The partners main racing loft was 16 feet long with two sections and the birds were trapped through open doors into a corridor which ran the length of the loft. Stock birds and young birds were housed in another 16 foot loft with flights. The birds had always been raced on the Natural system but they were trying 12 cocks on widowhood in 1986. The ten pairs of stock birds and 24 pairs of racers were all paired up the same time, mid-February, with yearlings a little later. They breed approximately 40 youngsters every year but had bred a few more over the last two seasons so as to build up their North Road team. When ever I ask fanciers what they think is important in good loft design the reply is always: "Good ventilation and dryness", and the Hobman's thoughts on the subject were no exception. Mick was a great believer in the basket. To him it tells all. If a pigeon is fit, well trained and good enough it should be there. He was ruthless with young birds, they went to the bitter end, but not forgetting once again they have to be fit and well trained.
Nothing special was fed, just a good racing mixture and Red Band for trapping. The old birds got four 50-mile tosses before the first race. When racing commences they were sent most weeks and trained whenever possible in the week. Young birds had a hard training programme up to 50 miles as often as possible. They liked hens sitting 15 days before racing and cocks sitting about seven days, but maintain that pigeons were individuals and what suits one won't suit another. Mick said he didn't know a lot about eyesign but liked to see a nice strong, rich eye. They had several strains of pigeons housed in their lofts but the main ones were Delbars and Dordins. They had introduced some new blood with great success, these birds were obtained from E. Corley, a very successful New Addington flier, before moving out of the district.
Mick was a very keen sea fisherman but said being a pigeon fancier was a full time hobby and found no time for fishing. Successful pigeon racing needs hard work and dedication. The partners advice to novices and new people joining the sport was don't lay out a lot of money at the start, experiment as cheaply as possible. Good healthy pigeons were the key to success without them you will be wasting your time and money. The partners had always admired the performances put up by Ron Wasey, Ron Roe and the late George Wilkins, all local fanciers in the New Addington area.
The partners had never experienced a young bird flyaway but agree it must be heart breaking. They showed occasionally but didn't take it too seriously. They didn't believe in any degree of inbreeding but if they thought a cock and hen go well together then they would be paired up. The birds were always hopper fed during the moult because Mick believed they should be fed well at this time. Late breds were rarely reared as they had never had any luck with them in the past. A sand floor dressing was used in the lofts and this was sieved every day as Mick thought this keeps the floor cleaner. Pat must have done this job, that's how she got "loftmaid's knee". A wonderful partnership!
That it for this week’s article! My phone number is: 01372 463480. See yer!
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT. 19/10/06