“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.
Three Borders Federation (Okehampton Race 1).
The Three Borders Federation were at Okehampton for the first Amalgamation race with the Surrey Federation on the last weekend of May and at that time the excitement level was quite high in the Surrey pigeon racing fraternity. This event was the first of four Amalgamation races from Okehampton set up to improve the birdage and competition in the future. What a great idea! The convoying team liberated early to beat the hot weather and the 1,024 birds were released at 06.30hrs in a North West wind, and the member enjoyed a good steady race with excellent returns. On his return, the Three Borders convoyer, Dom McCoy said the Okehampton liberation site was excellent and the birds cleared really well. The very successful Ashridge club partnership of Frank and Sue Carson, and their son, John won the Amalgamation and Federation with their champion three year old blue widowhood cock, ‘Micky Boy’. This game pigeon was bred by John’s good friend, Darren May and came from a kit of six youngsters that he purchased in 2023. ‘Micky Boy’ is bred down from the very successful ‘Jul’ bloodlines of ‘May Pigeons’. ‘Micky Boy’ has a list of top positions to his credit including: 2026: 1st Federation, 1st Amalgamation Okehampton, and 2nd Federation Kingsdown: 2024: 2nd Federation Honiton and 6th Federation Yeovil. There were two special nominations on the Okehampton race, £475 in total and ‘Micky Boy’ won them both. What a pigeon! The Carson family have enjoyed a wonderful 2026 racing season winning: 8th Federation Blandford: 1st, 8th, 18th Federation Wincanton: 2nd, 12th, 13th Federation Kingsdown: 1st, 22nd Federation, 1st Amalgamation Okehampton. Brilliant pigeon racing!
The first ten in the Okehampton (1) Federation result were: 1) Frank & Sue Carson & Son 1476: 2) Stuart Emans 1467: 3) Stuart Emans 1467: 4) Nick Dudley 1467: 5) Graham Evans 1464: 6) Mr. & Mrs. Pitchley 1464: 7) Terry & Sue Leonard 1463: 8) Mr. & Mrs. Pitchley 1463: 9) Terry Goodsell 1458: 10) Tony Baughen 1458. This was race number eight of the season and at this point the Mitcham & Merton club are leaders with 36 points with the Ashridge club R/U for the ‘Federation Points Trophy’ with 30 points.
I spoke to John just after the Carson families Amalgamation win from Okehampton and he said, ‘firstly we would like to thank the Three Borders Federation secretary, Stuart Emans for organising the Amalgamation between the two Federations. Stuart has been working for a year in advance to get the Amalgamation going between the Federation secretaries. We enjoyed a great race this weekend, with ‘Micky Boy’ being our second Federation winner of this season. He came great and after clocking him, we had most of our team home with in about 15 minutes. We sent 12 birds and mum fancied our ‘Micky Boy’ as he is a very consistent pigeon and he had been showing signs that he was on the job in the lead up races. It was a win we won’t forget, so have decided to stop ‘Micky Boy’ and put him in the stock loft. We enjoy our Saturday’s together, as mother and son, waiting for the birds to come home. We have plenty of tea and biscuits to hand; with friends visiting from time to time. This is how pigeon racing should be, regardless of the results’.
The Surrey racing pigeon fraternity lost one of its greatest champions, when sadly Frank Carson passed away two years ago. He passed away in October, just after enjoying a great 2024 racing season and his wife and son, Sue and John are now caring on with racing the pigeons. I have known Frank and his wife, Sue, since the late 1970’s and have never met two nicer people. Frank is a legend and has won it all at the top level over his many years in the sport. Frank had suffered some bad heath last year and his son, John helped his mum and dad race their pigeons, resulting in them having a wonderful 2024 season, which included them winning the Three Borders Federation three times. John and Sue have carried on racing the pigeons in recent seasons with outstanding success, winning many top positions in the Federation.
The 2025 season was their first racing without Frank and the Okehampton Federation result was very special, to see the Carson family winning 1st, 3rd,14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th Federation. This Federation win was a wonderful tribute to Frank! The winning pigeon was their good yearling blue hen; ‘Pocket Rocket’ and she came with a cock bird from the race, but hit the ETS first. This game little hen is a granddaughter of Eijerkamp’s ‘The Nieuwe Olympiade’, when mated to a Steffan Lambrecht cock, who is a grandson of ‘Lincia’, bred by Jeff Fryant at ‘Stormont Lofts’. Back in 2025 I spoke to John Carson after the Okehampton race and he said, ‘This win was for Frank Carson, our legend! We would like to thank this opportunity to thank our close friends, who are fellow pigeon fanciers, for all their support over the last eight months. It’s been very difficult flying the pigeons without my father for me and mum, having only lost dad eight months ago. His knowledge of pigeons was so vast, so we have had to adapt now that he is no longer with us. It was great to get this win, the pigeons have been working as a team the past three weeks and returned a lot better than earlier in the season, so it was nice to win the club and then the Federation. It was a fast race and the ‘Pocket Rocket’ done us proud. She arrived with a cock bird and he recorded 3rd club, 3rd Federation and he was bred by Errol Skeete’. At the start of the 2025 racing season the Carson family kindle donated £250 and a new trophy, to be called the ‘Frank Carson Memorial Trophy’ to the Three Borders Federation and this wonderful prize will be won by the Federation winner of the fifth young bird race. This is a tribute to the great Frank Carson and will be repeated every season! The Esher partnership of Malik and Khan were the first winners of this wonderful trophy in 2025. Thanks to Sue and John on behalf of the Three Borders Federation, it is a wonderful thing to do! Thank you!
Alan & Gary Young of South Croydon.
Gary Young has been a premier pigeon racer in the Surrey pigeon fraternity for many years and he had a brilliant race form the Okehampton race, recording; 1st, 3rd, 11th Surrey Federation, 2nd, 4th, 19th Amalgamation (1,024 birds). Well done Gary! His first bird on the ETS to win 2nd Amalgamation was his brilliant two year old widowhood mealy white flight cock. ‘Jack’ and he has now won five times 1st club and three times 1st Federation. What a great racer and he is a handsome looker too! He is half-brother to Gary’s good racing cock, ‘River’, who has won sixteen first, including six times 1st Federation. His dam is a direct Mark Janssen hen from Belgium and she is sister to 2nd KBDB National Sprint Ace. What a family of racing pigeons!
The first ten in the Okehampton (1) Three Borders and Surrey Federations Amalgamation result were: 1) Frank & Sue Carson & Son 1476: 2) Alan & Gary Young 1470: 3) Vic Emberson 1469: 4) Alan & Gary Young 1469: 5) Mark Adcock 1468: 6) Stuart Emans 1467: 7) Stuart Emans 1467: 8) Nick Dudley 1467: 9) Mark Adcock 1465: 10) Graham Evans 1464. Nomination Specials (£475) won by Frank & Sue Carson & Son.
Back in April 2023 I was very sad to hear of the passing of Alan Young, who raced with outstanding success in partnership with his son, Gary, in the Surrey Valley pigeon club. This very strong club has had many National winners in its membership over the year and Alan and Gary were one of them. The father and son partnership of Alan and Gary Young have set the Surrey pigeon fancy alight in recent season with their fantastic young bird performances, which include 1st open National Flying Club, 1st open London & South East Classic Club, 1st Combine and winners of the famous ‘Brooker Gold Cup’. Alan was a very nice man and a brilliant pigeon racer.
Alan flew pigeons in the 1960’s, with his son, Gary, became a pigeon partner about twenty five years ago and they race in the Surrey Valley Club (Surrey Federation). Alan and Gary have been racing from the present Croydon address for just over twenty years and they have a two section 24ft x 6ft racing loft. The partners race 20 cocks on the widowhood system and these are paired up on their return from the Blackpool Show in late January. Although firsts have been recorded in the Saturday club, Gary says, most of their best positions have been won in the National and Classic clubs, including 8th open L&SECC Bergerac (450 miles). One of the premier racers at the Croydon loft was ‘The Mosaic Hen’ and she has an outstanding racing record, including 1st open Federation (1,328 birds) from Lyndhurst.
Alan and Gary had three pigeon come together from the second London & South East Classic Club young bird Guernsey Classic race (2,000 birds) and produced a fantastic result by recording 1st, 2nd and 3rd open. The old sporting saying of, ‘when it’s your day, it really is your day’, applied very strongly to Alan and Gary Young when they sent to the 2006 N.F.C. Chale young bird race and didn’t just have one pigeon come to win 1st open, but had two come together. The first pigeon on the clock to win 1st open National was the partners little blue pied hen, Champion ‘Louisa’, and she was bred from Geoff Kirkland and Dave Hunt bloodlines. She had four club races on her build up to her National win and the L&SECC race from Yelverton, when she recorded 35th open. I handled the National winner and in my opinion, ‘Louisa’, was a perfect pigeon, small, apple bodied, wonderful feathering and eye, with a brilliant racing record to finish it off! My type of racing pigeon! The second pigeon on the clock from the Chale National was the blue chequer cock, ‘The Huntsman’, and he was a bit slow on the trap but still recorded 5th open National. This game pigeon had previously won 54th open L&SECC Exeter, a couple of weekends before. Another wonderful National performance was when Alan and Gary sent a team of 17 youngsters to the NFC Guernsey National (5,408 birds) and recorded 5th, 7th, 11th, 23rd, 99th, 176th open, lifting 2nd Gold Ring National. The partners got two pigeons together from the National and first one on the clock to record 5th open was the Belgium rung blue chequer cock ‘Willy’, and he was obtained from a fancier up country named Steve Hole. This cock was raced to the perch and previously recorded 3rd Federation (1,692 birds) Blandford. Gary is a good worker for our sport and is the President of the Surrey Federation. He now races on his own to his loft in South Croydon and after all those years is still one of the top pigeon racers in the Surrey fraternity!
That’s our article for this week. Well done to the John and Sue Carson of the Ashridge club on a great result! If you win and want an article in this space, please contact me on telephone number: 07535 484584 or email me on:
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)
