“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT - 31-07-26

“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.

Three Borders Federation (Okehampton Race 3).

On race day it was a waiting game to start with low cloud cover and mist in the morning at Okehampton. This was the third and last old bird Amalgamation race of the season, which features the Three Borders, Surrey and Berkshire Federations, liberating together. To say this new Amalgamation has been a success would be an understatement, it has been brilliant pigeon racing! The 1,354 birds were liberated at 12.00hrs in a West wind and the members enjoyed a great race with excellent returns. The Mitcham & Merton partnership of Jim Andrews & Son had a wonderful race winning: 1^st, 2^nd, 16^th, 17^th, 23^rd, 24^th Federation, 5^th, 6^th Amalgamation Okehampton (3). The first two pigeons on the partner’s ETS were their two Vandenabeele roundabout cocks, ‘Jim’s Lad’ and ‘The 380 Cock’ and they were both on the same yard, separated by a few decimals. ‘Jim’s Lad’ is a handsome blue chequer cock and has now won three club races, and ‘The 380 Cock’ has won twice 1^st club previously, and lifted the ‘Special Nomination’ in the Amalgamation (£320) from Okehampton. Jim Andrews & Son partners have enjoyed a great 2026 old birds, with this Okehampton win being their second Federation winner of the year, previously recording: 1^st, 2^nd, 5^th, 10^th, 12^th, 13^th, 17^th, 18^th, 19^th, 20^th, 21^st, 22^nd Federation Honiton. The Honiton Federation winner was their good blue widowhood cock, ‘Jim’s Delight’ and he has a long list of good positions to his credit, including eight times first club and four times 1^st Federation. On one occasion he recorded 2^nd Federation, being beaten by a loft mate and has also won the Surrey Federation and the Three Borders Federation. He was one of a small batch of youngsters that Jim purchased from a fancier in the Midlands, but didn’t think he had a pedigree. What a fantastic pigeon! I think ‘Jim’s Delight’ has the best pedigree in the world, his wonderful performances!

The Andrews partnership have won so far this season in the Three Borders Federation: 7^th, 10^th, 11^th, 13^th, 20^th Federation Blandford, 4^th, 9^th, 10^th, 14^th, 15^th, 23^rd Federation Weymouth, 7^th, 11^th, 12^th, 13^th, 20^th, 22^nd, 25^th Federation Wincanton, 8^th, 15^th, 17^th, 20^th Federation Kingsdown, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 17^th, 22^nd, 25^th Federation Wincanton, 1^st, 5^th, 11^th, 12^th, 14^th, 20^th, 26^th Federation Honiton, 12^th, 18^th, 19^th Federation Okehampton,17^th Federation Blandford, 8^th, 23^rd, 24^th Federation Wincanton, 4^th, 10h, 15^th, 18^th, 22^nd Federation, 6^th, 24^th Amalgamation Okehampton, 11^th, 21^st, 24^th, 25^th Federation Honiton, 1^st, 2^nd, 16^th, 17^th, 23^rd, 24^th Federation Okehampton, 5^th, 6^th Amalgamation Okehampton.. Brilliant pigeon racing!

The first ten in the Okehampton Federation result were: 1) Jim & Mark Andrews 1908: 2) Jim& Mark Andrews 1908: 3) Stuart Emans 1895: 4) Terry Goodsell 1892: 5) Stuart Emans 1874: 6) Stuart Emans 1874: 7) Mr. & Mrs. Steve Gasson 1871: 8) Mirek and Malgorzata Burczak 1870: 9) Jim & Mark Andrews 1869: 10) Mr. & Mrs. Pitchley 1864. This was race number thirteen of the season and at this point the Mitcham & Merton club are leading for the ‘Federation Points Trophy’ with 58 points, with the Ashridge club being R/U on 49 points.

Jim Andrews has been an outstanding pigeon racer for over 71 year and at 92 years of age, he still has a great interest in the sport and sits and waits for the birds to return on race days. It is incredibly, that when Jim started up, the entire local pigeon racers ran with their race rubbers to one clock in the street and now the birds are clocking themselves in on the ETS. How things have changed in Jim’s 71 years in the sport!  Jim’s son Mark runs the partners pigeon loft now, with Jim’s grandson, Ben, who is the loft manager. Mark told me, Ben is the pigeon racing brains and the ‘main man’ with their successful loft management. The partners have a really smart loft set up, made up of two 20ft lofts with ETS clocking. They race 18 pairs on the roundabout system and race the cocks and hens with great success. I asked Ben what families of pigeons they raced and he said, ‘we have several families, but that is not important to us, we just enjoy racing good pigeons. We have a lot of blues and blue chequers in our loft and like Federation inland racing best’. They put their 40 young birds on the ‘darkness’ system ever year and they race the Federation Programme. Mark and Ben are strictly racing men and never show their birds. The 2022 season was a highlight for their loft and saw them win 21 first in the clubs and 1^st Surrey Federation twice! The Andrews partnership has won 1^st Three Borders Federation from Truro and Honiton (twice) in recent seasons and now 1^st Federation Okehampton. Well done to Mark and Ben!

Three Borders, Surrey and Berkshire Federations Amalgamation

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 (3) race, recording; 1^st Surrey Federation, 1^st Amalgamation. Gary’s won the Amalgamation with his good widowhood blue cock, ’Sonny’ and he is off the Leo Heremans and Van Den Bulk bloodlines. His dam is a pigeon from Mark Janssens in Belgium and she is a sister to 2^nd KGDB National ‘Ace Sprinter’, and is the dam of eight race winners. ‘Sonny’ has won the club four times, including another one this season and the Federation three times. Gary told me, he left the hens with the widowhood cock from Thursday night and gave the racers a nine mile training toss that evening and then left the cock with their hens. Five weeks before his Amalgamation win Gary recorded: 1^st, 3^rd, 11^th Surrey Federation, 2^nd, 4^th, 19^th Amalgamation Okehampton (2) (1,024 birds). Well done Gary, what a fantastic performance! His first bird on the ETS to win 2^nd Amalgamation was his brilliant two year old widowhood mealy white flight cock. ‘Jack’ and he has now won five times 1^st club and three times 1^st 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 1^st Federation. His dam is a direct Mark Janssen hen from Belgium and she is sister to 2^nd KBDB National Sprint Ace. What a family of racing pigeons!

The first ten in the Okehampton (3) Three Borders, Surrey and Berkshire Federations Amalgamation result were: 1): Alan & Garry Young 1932: 2) P. Donovan 1931: 3) P. Donovan 1919: 4) Mr. G. Muskett 1916: 5) Jim Andrews & son 1908: 6) Jim Andrews & son 1908: 7) Mr. G. Muskett 1904: 8) Mr. G. Muskett 1899: 9) Mr. G. Muskett 1898: 10) Mr. G. Muskett 1898. Nomination Specials (£320) won by Jim, Mark & Ben Andrews. Congratulation Steve Oliver who has won the Federation several times in recent seasons and won the Berkshire Federation from Okehampton (3) with 453 birds competing. I will be writing a full report on this Three Borders, Surrey and Berkshire Federations Amalgamation race next week.

That’s it for this week! Well done to the Andrews partnership for their second Federation winner of the season! Great pigeon racing by the Mitcham & Merton loft! If you win and want a write up in this space, contact me on telephone number: 07535 484584 or email me on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)