On The Road with Keith Mott
Three Borders Federation (Okehampton Race 2).
The Three Borders Federation was at Okehampton for the first Amalgamation race with the Surrey Federation on the last weekend of May. It was such a great success, that it sparked of negotiations and the Berkshire Federation joined, making it three Federations taking part for the second Okehampton race held in mid-June. This event was the second of four Amalgamation races from Okehampton set up to improve the birdage and competition in the future. The convoying teams of the three Federations were hit with heavy early morning mist in the west of England, but when it lifted they liberated the 1,539 birds at 14.00hrs in a West / North West wind, and the member enjoyed a good fast race with excellent returns. Back in the day when I was the convoyer for the London & South East Classic Club all my work was in France and Guernsey, but I did take the birds to Sennen Cove once. The heavy mist can be a night mare in the West Country, as it was brilliant weather when we arrived on site, but the following liberation day, the whole of the West Country was fogged out and we finally got the birds up on the Tuesday morning! It was the longest hold over I ever had in my nine year as a convoyer, but I must add, we had a brilliant race.
The Ashridge ‘master’, Terry Goodsell has only raced the second half the 2026 season so far because of personal problems, but has come out and won the Federation and Amalgamation from Okehampton. This lovely guy is a racing pigeon ‘legend’ in the Surrey pigeon fraternity and has never stopped winning at the top level since I first met him back in the 1970’s! Terry had a brilliant race recording 1st, 3rd, 19th Federation, 1st, 5th open Amalgamation, with his winning pigeon being his good yearling blue cock, ‘The Alma Cock’ and he previously won 2nd Federation Honiton (beaten by a loft mate) and 12th Federation Blandford.
The second pigeon on the ETS to win 5th open Amalgamation from Okehampton was ‘The Alma Cock’s’ brother, ‘The Lucky 13’ and he previously won 4th, 9th, 13th Federation. Brilliant pigeon racing!
The Holden & Pratt partnership of the Mitcham & Merton club are enjoying a good 2026 season and won 2nd open Amalgamation with their good blue cock, ‘Mr. Cambridge’. Kevin and his partner have been in the Federation result most weeks, winning 1st Federation Blandford.
The very successful Ashridge club partnership of Frank and Sue Carson, and their son, John won the Amalgamation and Federation from the first Okehampton race, making it the first two Amalgamation race winners, being Ashridge club members! What a club!
Congratulation to Mark Adcock who recorded 1st, 2nd, 3rd in the Surrey Federation and to Dean Jenkyn who won the Berkshire Federation. These two guys are two of the very best and have been premier pigeon racers over many years. Brilliant pigeon racing!
I spoke to the Amalgamation winner, Terry Goodsell after the race and he said, ‘what a funny start to the year I’ve had! I paired the birds up at the normal over Christmas and after good moult I them vaccinated them, and decided to race the birds on the roundabout system this year. I got the first round of youngster up to 20 days old and ‘bang’ I received a letter through the post from my next door neighbours solicitor, with heavy threats regarding my pigeons. Knowing that at I would be letting them out for the first time and they could fly over her garden and house roof. Although my birds don’t go on her roof, we have a big problem with street pigeons and they do! Because this problem hanging over my head, I decided to part with all my first round of youngsters and not having my head in ‘pigeon mode’, I took on a plot on the local allotments. My birds have had no training and I missed the first four old bird races. I visited my mate’s loft every race day and watch him clock in, it was very stressful! I decided to start racing and entered them in next race which was from 112 miles, with still no training and they were a bit of the pace. They were given an hour exercise around the loft every evening and they got better and better, finishing up with 1st Amalgamation from Okehampton. So far I haven’t heard any more from my neighbour! My first two birds from Okehampton was yearling brothers, bred from my ‘Mystic’ and Alfie Hawthorn bloodlines, and both were outstanding young birds’.
The first ten in the Okehampton (2) Federation result were: 1) Terry Goodsell 1749: 2) Holden & Pratt 1746: 3) Terry Goodsell 1741: 4) Jim Andrews & Son 1739: 5) Mr. & Mrs. Skeet & Keen 1738: 6) Renni Obertelli 1724: 7) Mr. & Mrs. Burczak 1720: 8) Mr. & Mrs. Burczak 1704: 9) Tony Baughen 1697: 10) Jim Andrews & Son 1692. This was race number eleven of the season and at this point the Mitcham & Merton club are leaders with 50 points with the Ashridge club R/U for the ‘Federation Points Trophy’ with 43 points.
Every week in the early part of the 2025 season the Ashridge ‘master’, Terry Goodsell had been in the first few in the Federation result, just ‘knocking on the door’ to winning the Federation. The Three Borders Federation were at Bodmin (210 miles) for the sixth old bird race of the 2025 season and finally Terry hit the top spot, recording 1st, 2nd, 8th, 10th, 15th, 19th, 24th, 25th Federation. Terry won the Federation with his good celibate blue cock, ‘White – Bucks’, which was bred by Steve and Leslie White, who live believe it or not, in Bodmin. This game cock is part of a batch of six youngsters Terry obtained from the White partnership and he told me, five of those birds have now scored in good races for him. Terry told me, he thinks this is his 28th Federation winner in the last ten years! It was good early morning liberation for the Three Borders Federation young birds at Honiton for the sixth young bird race and Terry Goodsell won the race, recording his second Federation winner of the season and chalked up 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Federation. Terry Goodsell’s Honiton Federation winner was his ‘Mystique’ blue chequer cock, ‘The 688 Cock’ and he was raced sitting a pair of one week old eggs. He was bred from one of Terry top stock hens which was bred by John Carian of Manchester from his wonderful racing hen, ‘My Mystique’, the winner of several RPRA Awards. On the day of the Honiton race, the first eight pigeons flew around the loft twice before hitting the ETS board and three of them were bred out of the ‘Mystique’ stock hen, with ‘The 688 Cock’s’ sister recording 3rd Federation. The 2025 season has seen Terry win in the Three Borders Federation: (Old Birds) 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 24th Federation Wincanton (1), 3rd, 5th, 8th, 14th, 16th, 19th, 24th, 25th Federation Wincanton (2), 9th, 13th, 20th, 24th Federation Honiton, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 11th, 12h, 13th,14th,15th Federation Okehampton, 4th, 5th, 9th, 18th, 19th,20th, 22nd, 24th, 25th Federation Blandford, 1st, 2nd, 8th, 10th, 15th, 19th, 24th, 25th Federation Bodmin, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 25th Federation Wincanton, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th17th, 18th Federation Honiton, 2nd, 5t, 6th, 7th, 11th, 13th Federation Okehampton, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th Federation Blandford, 5th, 8th,13th, 14th, 15th, 22nd, 24th Federation Honiton, 6th, 13th, 16th Federation Penzance: (Young Birds) 15th, 23rd Federation Blandford, 12th,23rd, 25th Federation Wincanton, 11th Federation Wincanton, 9th, 10th, 12th, 13th,18th, 20th Federation Honiton, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Federation Honiton. Terry won several premier trophies in the Federation and was runner up for the ‘Individual Points Trophy. Brilliant pigeon racing!
Not everyone knows that Terry has been a very good gardener for most of his life and works on several show gardens. He loves gardening and says, ‘pigeon racing is my hobby, gardening is my passion! I’ve known Terry Goodsell of Morden since the mid 1970’s when he was put up brilliant performances in the Surrey Federation and SMT Combine with his widowhood cocks, and I featured him in the fancy press many times. He was a brilliant fancier then and he is still a brilliant fancier today, winning countless 1st Federations through the years! He now races his pigeons to his loft in Morden and he has enjoyed many wonderful racing seasons in the Three Borders Federation, and has won 29 1st Federations in the last ten seasons, and has been the Federation champion by winning the ‘Individual Points Trophy’ three times in recent years. Terry Goodsell’s pigeons were raced on the widowhood system, but came off the system in 2018 and now races cocks and hens on the celibate system. He only breeds off his stock birds and the racers are never paired up. Although he has won the Federation this year with a cock, he says the hens defiantly race better on the ‘celibate’, and would race only hens if he could. The racers are only trained up to the first race, and then they are getting two one hour exercise session around the loft every day through the season.
I recently had another chat with Terry about an article and he said, ‘you may have heard me saying that pigeon racing is my hobby but gardening is my passion. This year it is my 51st year as an RPRA member, joining the old Mitcham common flying club when I left school at age 15. In fact, my dad had to sign for me in order to join the club back then. My father being an ex-pigeon fancier with his brothers in the late 1920s and 1930s see photograph of the earlier diploma they won, which proudly stands in my hallway. This club was called "The Ravensbury" and was the pre-runner of the old Mitcham Common flying club now the Mitcham and Merton. I am the last of eight children for my parents most of my younger days were spent on my dad’s allotments around Mitcham to which he had four plots. All of us siblings had to chip in and help out; it was a way of providing additional food as there were ten in our family. I remember however that I would be given the really awkward jobs on the allotment like weeding through a bed of onions, not the easiest task when they are coming up. I also have great memories of pushing the very large barrow full of vegetables and selling it all the way home for my dad in order to make some extra money for his Sunday pint and a few pennies for myself for pocket money. When my father passed away in the 1970s I took over the allotment plots, plus finding time to race a successful team of pigeons. I used to grow up to 300 Chrysanthemum, dahlias and all the vegetables I needed and for the local shows I used to enter in’.
Terry’s trade was a bricklayer and then in time he turned his hand to small landscape gardening. He has worked in some lovely places including the gardens of The Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, where he had the privilege to meet the late queen, Kensington palace and The palace of Brunei in Kensington palace gardens. In all this time managing to find time to race his pigeons successfully. Prior to Covid he had entered the Merton in Bloom garden competition, which he won three times, for which you receive an evening at the Town Hall with the local mayor where you are presented your cup and prizes.
After having a major operation in 2024, Terry decided he would have to give up the allotment. The pigeons are kept in his own back garden so he could combine the pigeon racing with his passion for growing begonias.
Terry is the secretary and one of the founders of what I call the mighty Ashridge Club, however Terry says, this job is made easier by having good members who share the load when asked. In the 1980’s he raced a widowhood system, today it is much different system, since 2018 he has raced ‘celibate’ with cocks and hens raced every week. With that he tells me, with a slight advantage to the hens on the prize list. The Goodsell stock team consists of twelve pairs of pigeons that I carry out all the breeding from, consisting of four pairs from Alfie Hawthorn of Newcastle, four pairs from Dr. Henk De Weert in Holland and Terry’s old Mystique line, plus some wonderful pigeons from Eijerkamp. His old attitude towards his three week medication system has changed and is no longer in practice. Terry dose not treat for the sake of treating anymore. The birds are fed on two mixtures, ‘Superstar’ and ‘Jerry Plus’ which he uses all year round. He made very good friends with Dr. De Weert who advises him of anything that can go wrong. A few years ago he was advised by a good friend over the Isleworth Club to use the Paramixer / Rota virus combination vaccine and since doing this have had no problems with the young birds. In fact Terry has ordered this for the whole club this year and they have vaccinated the same. They have had no problems! On several occasions Terry has been asked by various film crews making TV documentaries or films to participate, either the garden or pigeons or both together being filmed. This year there will be a film crew attending with the Ashridge club members, who have purchased Doncaster tickets this year and have permission to be filming. People, who know Terry, know that he spend most of my time in garden centres than he does at pigeon shows. His policy has always been with both gardening and pigeon racing is to purchase and select the best quality that your pocket will allow. Some of his begonia tubulars, no bigger than a 50p piece cost more than £50 each. Terry says, yes he is mad! That would have been a lot of barrow pushing and vegetable selling back in the day!
The first ten in the Okehampton (2) Three Borders Fed, Surrey Fed and Berkshire Fed Amalgamation result were: 1) Terry Goodsell 1749: 2) Holden & Pratt 1746: 3) Mark Adcock 1742: 4) Mark Adcock 1742: 5) Terry Goodsell 1741: 6) Jim Andrews & Son 1739: 7) Mr. & Mrs Skeet & Keen 1738: 8) Dean Jenkyn 1727: 9) Renni Obertelli 1724: 10) Mark Adcock 1723. Nomination Specials (£430) won by Fred Kimpton of Richmond.
That’s our article for this week. Well done to Terry Goodsell of the Ashridge club on a great Federation and Amalgamation win! 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)
