“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.

It’s our 50^th wedding anniversary today! Two kids, five grandchildren and one great grandson on, and I can’t believe it has been 50 years. I didn’t start to live until I met my wonderful Betty in early 1971. I first asked her out at the Kingston Coronation Hall when I was playing with the ‘Impalas’ on the Gene Vincent gig and we have never looked back. It has been 50 wonderful years!  Love you, babe!  xx (27th May 2022)

Three Borders Federation (Exeter Race).

The Three Borders Federation were supposed to be at Okehampton at the end of May for the fifth old bird race, but because of over booking at the liberation site the race was switched to Exeter. There has been an Amalgamation set up this season for several races with the Three Borders Federation, South Coast Federation, Surrey Federation and Kent Federation, and this event was the first one. The birds were liberated at 08.30hrs in a North / North West and everyone reported having an excellent race with great returns. The Esher club won the Three Borders Federation for the filth week on the trot and the Banstead ‘master’, Vic Emberson recorded his third Federation winner of the 2022 season. Here is a little update on Vic’s performance so far this season: 1^st, 9^th, 10, 11^th, 12^th, 13^th,17^th, 24^th, 25^th Federation Wincanton (1), 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 7^th, 17^th Federation Wincanton (2), 11^th, 12^th, 16^th, 17^th, 18^th, 19^th, 22^nd Federation Yeovil, 17^th, 22^nd Federation Honiton, 1^st, 9^th, 18^th, 22^nd Federation Exeter. Brilliant pigeon racing! Terry and Sue Leonard of the Ashridge club were 2^nd Federation from Exeter, and they won the Federation on this same race last season. This partnership has been the ‘Individual Point Trophy’ winners for the last two seasons. Well done to Terry and Sue! 

The first ten in the Exeter Federation result were: 1) Vic Emberson 1416: 2) Terry & Sue Leonard 1390: 3) R. Suchocki 1386: 4) Paul Arnold 1385: 5) Paul Arnold 1384: 6) Paul Arnold 1382: 7) Malik & Khan 1374: 8) R. Suchocki 1374: 9) Vic Emberson 1371: 10) Paul Arnold 1368. This was race number five of the season and at this point the Esher club are leading for the ‘Federation Points Trophy’ with 26 points, with the Mitcham & Morden club and Ashridge club being joint R/U on 17 points.

The weekend of the Exeter Amalgamation race was a big celebration for the Poulton family in Shepperton, as it was our hard-working Federation secretary, Bryan Poulton’s 82^nd birthday! Happy birthday and thanks for all your good work for the Federation over many years, Bryan!

You are one of our sport’s heroes! It's always great to hear of any premier worker in the sport winning a good prize with his pigeons. It's hard to excel at racing with very limited time in the loft, so I was delighted to hear that Bryan Poulton, the hard-working Secretary of the Three Borders Federation of well over 30 years in office had won his favourite race from Bergerac again several times in recent seasons. He also won 1^st Three Borders Federation in recent years from Seaton with 1,249 birds competing! It has been well documented in my articles what a bad race the 2014 Bergerac race was, with only four birds in the Federation and eleven in the SMT Combine being recorded in race time. It was nice to see Bryan doing well at this the longest old bird race again, recording 1^st club, 3^rd Federation, 9^th SMT Combine (512 birds). One of Brian’s best races from Bergerac (450 miles) was in the 2013 season, winning 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th Shepperton club, 10^th, 15^th, 23^rd, 25^th Three Borders Federation, 13^th, 22^nd, 31^st, 33^rd SMT Combine. Great pigeon racing Bryan! The 2013 Bergerac winner was Bryan’s five-year-old dark pied cock, ‘70532’ and after several training races was sent to Bergerac sitting 14 day old eggs. This game cock was bred from a cross of all Bryan’s old families and his sire recorded 1^st club, 5^th Federation Bergerac in 2012 and flew it again in 2013. He is bred from the very best, with his dam being a Cattrysse / Dordin cross and winner of 1^st section E (by over an hour), 10^th open NFC Tarbes Grand National. Bryan tells me his loft houses several Bergerac winners at the present time! In the 2012 season Bryan won 5^th and 13^th in the Bergerac Federation result and winning the Shepperton club. He finds it very hard to find the time to race his birds properly these days, with the demands on his time running the Three Borders Federation and it’s great to see him have some good success. The Poulton pigeons are now his own inbred family, and he says they have always tended to be better from the longer races. From the Continent, he maintains that his best performance was a few years ago racing from Bergerac in two clubs on the same weekend, taking the first three positions in one club and the first two in the other, all with birds clocked on the day of liberation.

Bryan was born in Hersham, near Weybridge in Surrey, and first became interested in pigeons as a 14-year-old when visiting his friend, Dave Newman, who was a pigeon fancier. Bryan's father wasn't a fancier but was very keen on greyhounds, so with Dave's help Bryan obtained pigeons from Harry Wheatcroft of Reigate and Freddie

Ranaboldo of Molesey, to start himself off in the sport. He started racing his pigeons in 1954 and says he admired the performances of Freddie Ranaboldo and Charlie Maycock, who were the premier local fanciers at that time. He had his first race with young birds in 1955, flying in the Walton RPC and recorded 3rd and 4th club.

The first Poulton loft was an orange box on stilts and after some help from local fanciers, including Mark Finestone, he progressed to a 20ft loft with a large bay.

Bryan says he likes the loft to have plenty of air circulation, but it must be dry and warm. The loft houses 30 natural pairs of racers, which are paired up on 14^th February. Bryan says he likes to treat them as pets and tends to over feed them. He has no stock birds, only breeding from his best racers, and has a young bird team of about 50 birds each season. His pigeons are the original Heide family bred from the Wheatcroft cock birds and the Ranaboldo hens. He thinks the original Harry Wheatcroft stock came from Rey Brothers of Scotland. In recent years, he has introduced the Dordin and Cattrysse pigeons with outstanding success. The Poulton pigeons are now his own inbred family, and he says they have always tended to be better from the longer races. From the Continent, he maintains that his best performance was racing from Bergerac in two clubs on the same weekend, taking the first three positions in one club and the first two in the other, all with birds clocked on the day of liberation.

All the Poulton pigeons, old and young, are raced through to the longest race and are fed a good mixture, with beans and maize. They are also given a few peanuts and condition seed and for training all the birds are treated the same. Once they beat Bryan home, he moves them on to the next point. He likes to see a good eye with a full circle but maintains that at the end of the day, the basket, not eyesign, will tell which are the quality pigeons. He likes his pigeons sitting l4-day-old eggs for the longer races and says that through the years he had admired many fanciers, including Alf Baker, Alex Fleming and Freddie Ranaboldo, but the most consistent over many years were Trussler Brothers of West Molesey, because pigeon racing was a way of life to them, and they won out of turn. Bryan maintains that you must line breed to form a successful family of pigeons, and then pair the best to the best. He says he worries about the moult but has never changed the food, apart from adding a little barley and linseed. He doesn't breed latebreds these days as he believes that youngsters should have race experience. He is very keen on deep litter on the loft floors, but this must be kept completely dry. On many occasions, he says, the ugly and mad pigeons prove to be the best racers, but he likes his birds to be tame and quiet. He believes the sport has been going downhill over the years and he thinks it's because the social side of any club has taken second place to fanciers wanting to win at all costs, rather than having the pleasure of taking part. The sport depends on the losers as there is only one winner each week. In the sport of pigeon racing, like most things in life, you will only get out of it, what you put in and if you put the effort in, you will be rewarded. Bryan told me that for people like him, giving a great deal of their time in the administration of the sport for the benefit of others would be better spent with the pigeons, but for the most part, they have to depend for success on the basis of 'anything to come, be glad of it' and I agree with him!

Three Borders Federation: Winners of Yester Year (Part 11).

Jim Fisk of Guildford.

Jim Fisk had only been in the pigeon sport for eight years, but more or less from the outset he has won out of turn in Federation, Open and National races. He was a self-employed plumber and heating engineer, and he once had a job at the home of the late Arthur Bridgewater of Godalming. Arthur got talking about the Bridgewater pigeons and told Jim that his son Paul had won the 1^st open National Flying Cub from Nantes. This got Jim interested and he borrowed books from the local library to get further information before taking the decision to take up pigeon racing. On the advice of the books to purchase good quality stock, he went to Les Davenport and obtained six pairs of the famous Davenport Cattrysse pigeons.

Chas and Stacha Blachuta of Guildford helped Jim out a lot in those early days and in the first season youngsters were obtained from local fanciers to race, so that he could breed from the Cattrysse. The Davenport Cattrysse were the main family kept, with only two crosses, which was a Reg Barker grandson of 'The Leader' and a pied hen which was purchased from John Keane of Godalming. 'The Keane Hen' had no pedigree but had bred some first class racers including Jim's best racer, the blue hen 'Hot Gossip'. Jim said the Cattrysse were very consistent, but the crosses have given him his top performers. 'The Keane Hen' won 1^st club as a youngster and 3^rd club, 13^th Three Borders Federation in 1972, but had revealed her best at stock. 'Hot Gossip' a small 1975 bred blue hen was a champion racer in the truest sense winning: 1975: 4^th club Avranches (only 7 birds on the day), 1976: 1^st club Bergerac (only 4 birds on the day), 1977: 1^st sect E. (1,603 birds) (only 3 birds on the day in the section) 99^th open (9,243 birds), 1^st Surrey Championship Club Nantes (NFC), 5^th club Bergerac, 1978: 11^th sect E. (1,631 birds) 79^th open (8,659 birds) Nantes (NFC), 52^nd sect E. 224^th open Pau (NFC). 'Hot Gossip' had won over £1,630 at the time of writing. Her sire was a Davenport Cattrysse blue cock, the winner of three firsts on the road, and was a full brother to Jim's great racing cock 'Stoughton Star'. Jim said at the time 'Hot Gossip' gave him his greatest thrill by winning 1^st section E. in the Nantes National, his biggest disappointment was to find his best Cattrysse stock bird dead in the stock loft. This cock was only three years old and had bred three 1^st Federation winners and a pigeon that won 10^th open Young Bird National.

The highlights of Jim's racing career are: 1973: 10^th open Avranches (8,947 birds) NFC, 1^st club Bergerac, 1974: 4^th, 7^th Three Borders Federation Exeter, 1975: 1^st, 2^nd club, 3^rd, 4^th T.B. Federation Exeter, 1^st club, 12^th Surrey Federation Blandford, 4^th Hersham Open Weymouth, 6^th Hansur Open Guernsey, 1^st club, 5^th Three Borders Federation, 7^th SMT Combine Avranches, 1^st club, 1^st  Three Borders Federation Plymouth, 1^st Hansur Open Guernsey (Y.B.), 1^st club, 1^st Surrey Federation (3,415 birds) Blandford, 1976: 1^st West Farnborough Open Season, 1^st club, 7^th Federation Exeter, 1^st club Bergerac, 1^st club, 9^th Federation Exeter. 11^th sect E., 209^th open Pau (N.F.C.), 1977: 1^st sect E., 99^th open, 1^st Surrey Championship Club Nantes (N.F.C.), 1^st, 2^nd Hersham Open Weymouth, 1^st club, 1^st Three Borders Federation Seaton, 1^st club, 1^st Three Borders Federation Weymouth, 1^st club, 2^nd T. B. Federation Seaton, 1^st club, 8^th Federation, 27^th SMT Combine Laval, 1978: 1^st club, 1^st Surrey Federation (2,902 birds) Blandford, 11^th sect. E, 79^th open Nantes (N.F.C.), 224^th open Pau (N.F.C.), 18^th, 26^th open London & South Coast Combine Wadebridge, 3^rd club, 8^th Federation, 22^nd SMT Combine Angers. Jim had been top prize winner in the club several times and was premier prize winner in the very strong Godalming club in 1978.

Jim's son, Jeremy, was his partner with the pigeons and said his wife just counted the winnings. The partners had two lofts, which were sited in a wire fenced compound, which had two live wires around the top of it to keep out the cats. The three section 18ft loft was 4ft off the ground on brick piers and all trapping was through open doors. The stock birds, seven pairs in all were housed in the end section of the loft, the middle section housed the widowhood cocks, and the third section was where the approximately 30 youngsters which were bred each year were kept. The other loft was 12ft with two sections and bob wire trapping, this housed the natural and yearling pigeons.

The first pigeon I handled on my visit to the Fisk lofts was a four-year-old Reg Barker / Cattrysse blue cock called 'Recap' which had won 1^st club, 6^th T.B. Federation Weymouth, 1^st club, 1^st Three Borders Federation Seaton, 1^st Hersham Open Weymouth on widowhood. This ace handled above medium-long cast and had a pearl eye. Jim was very interested in eyesign and said he thought it has something to it, but when people laugh at him, he didn’t push his views. He said at that time the birds were winning with good eyes, it's when they keep losing he would change his views on eyesign. Another good widowhood cock I looked at was a Cattrysse pencil blue cock named 'Riccochet' and he was a full brother to the great 'Stoughton Star'. This seven-year-old cock handled above medium ­long cast with a yellow racing eye and he won 1^st club Exeter, 1^st club, 1^st Three Borders Federation Plymouth. Jim didn't fly widowhood in 1978 as he said, ‘it wastes good hens and when you own hens like 'Hot Gossip' I can see his point’. Jim went to the stock section to get the great 'Stoughton Star', as although he had won 1^st Surrey Federation Blandford in 1978, he had been retired. This Cattrysse pencil blue had won many major positions on the road including, 10^th open Avranches (N.F.C.), 67^th sect E. Nantes (N.F.C.), 1^st club Weymouth, 1^st club Exeter, 6^th Hansur Open Guernsey, 2^nd Hersham Open Weymouth, 1^st club, 4^th Federation Weymouth, 1^st club, 3^rd Federation Exeter, 1^st club, 1^st Surrey Federation Blandford. He handled medium-long cast and his nest mate was the sire of 'Hot Gossip'. He was some pigeon!

The stock birds were paired up on 14^th February and the twenty pairs of racers on the first weekend in March. The main diet was a mixture of 50% beans and 50% maize, with maples being added in the racing season and a seed mixture was used for trapping. The old birds got five 20 mile tosses before the first race and the channel team got two tosses from the coast each week during racing if possible. The youngsters got regular tosses from 20 miles and some race through to 190 miles, with yearlings racing to Bergerac 450 miles. The local fanciers Jim rated were Mick Worsfold of Woking for his Bergerac performances and Eric Cannon of Wormley for his outstanding National successes. Jim said he selected producers mainly on eyesign, but likes some performance and pedigree to back it up. The stock loft housed some choice birds including, a chequer hen direct from Mons. Beuselinck in Belgium and a direct son of Les Davenport's champion 'Blue Ariel'.

Another Federation winner we inspected was a five-year-old blue cock named 'Roulette' and he was a half-brother to 'Hot Gossip' and 'Stoughton Star'. He had won 1^st club; 1^st Three Borders Federation Weymouth and he had a nice violet eyesign. One of the Fisk's best channel racing cocks was 'The Combine Cock' and he had recorded 1^st club, 5^th Three Borders Federation, 7^th SMT Combine Avranches, 4^th club Niort, 2^nd club, 12^th Three Borders Federation Avranches. The B.T.B. Combine changed its name in the close season of 1979 and it was then known as the Seven Counties Combine. An amazing 5,353 birds were entered in the Combine's first event of the 1980 season from Laval and were liberated at 8.00 in a light north east wind. The Combine winner was clocked at 13.23hrs by Jim Fisk and won the Three Borders Federation by a clear 7ypm. Jim and Jeremy's star bird was a four-year-old Cattrysse blue cock called 'Hazard' and he was raced on the widowhood system. From Laval this grand pigeon won the Guildford Club by 79ypm and had previously won: 1977: 1^st club Exeter; 3^rd club, 19^th Federation Weymouth; 1978: 1^st club Exeter, 3^rd club, 8^th Federation, 22^nd SMT Combine (3,520 birds) Angers. 'Hazard' was a brother to the partners' good blue cock 'Recap', winner of 1^st Three Borders Federation Weymouth, 1^st Hersham Open Weymouth, being bred from a Reg Barker Cattrysse cock and a Belgian rung Cattrysse hen. Jim told beginners to be patient and if their stock has it in them they will show it. I thought Jim was a man the novice could take heed to, as his lofts and pigeons were a credit to him. There you have it, Jim Fisk, one the greats of the Guildford area!

Mick & Lyn Chaplin of Woking.

Mick and Lyn Chaplin of the Pyrford club are enjoying a brilliant 2016 racing season, with the highlight winning, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th club, 1^st, 2^nd, 5^th, 7^th Federation, 1^st, 2^nd, 5^th, 7^th  SMT Combine (1,591 birds) Falaise. A fantastic performance! The convoy was liberated at 09.30hrs in a south / south east wind and Mick says, on the day the wind was spot on for his birds flying to his loft in Woking. His winning pigeon was his yearling blue chequer widowhood cock; ‘West End Vulcan’ and he won the Combine by five minutes. This champion cock has won 4 firsts and 2 seconds in the club in the first half of the 2016 racing season and won 1^st club Exeter the week after he won the Combine. ‘Vulcan’ had five races as a young bird and on one side is bred from Mick’s old Burger family and his dam was a ‘Rutz’ pigeon from the late Tony Haywood. His nest mate has since won 1^st club, 7^th Three Borders Federation Kingsdown. Mick’s 2^nd SMT Combine Falaise winner was his Jan Aarden Dark WF cock, ‘West End Jet’ and his parent came from the ‘House of Aarden’ lofts. This game two-year-old widowhood cock has previously won: 1^st section G, 30^th open BBC Messac, 4^th section G, 88^th open BBC Bordeaux. Mick told me, this season’s performances are a great follow up to his outstanding 2015 season, when he won: thirteen times 1^st club, 1^st section, 2^nd section (twice), 3^rd section (three times) in the BBC and 1^st, 2^nd section, 4^th, 5^th open in the BICC.

Born and bred in Knaphill, near Woking in Surrey, Mick started up in pigeons as a 15-year-old, in 1962 with Gift birds from Jim Povey and John Furness, his first loft being a 6ft x 4ft converted shed. He joined the Woking RPC, which was one of the premier clubs in the Surrey Federation at that time. He recalls that he won his first race from Nantes in 1966, with a little black pied hen, and all the premier fanciers in the Woking jokingly said it must have escaped from the basket. He married his wife, Lynette, in 1971 and had to sell all his worldly possessions including his pigeons so they could buy their first house.  He still maintained his interest in pigeons by clocking in for John Furness and cleaning his lofts out Sunday mornings. Finally in 1987 after moving to West End village he decided it was time to start up again and John Furness lent Mick several pairs of Frans Van Wildemeersch stock birds for three months. These, with a few of the Furness Burghers formed the base of the Chaplin loft today. Mick's great old cock "Champ" was bred from these original Van Wildemeersch pigeons. Further additions over the past few years of Stud Topper Busschaert lines, Van Loons from Tony Hayward and Jan Aardens from Derek Squire have further strengthened the team.

Like most of the Federations in the UK, the Three Borders Federation postponed the start of the 2013 racing season by two weeks because the adverse wintery weather we suffered in the first half of April. The first race was flown from Wincanton when members sent 1,128 birds and enjoyed a good fly being liberated at 12.00hrs in a light south east wind. Mick and Lynette Chaplin of Woking recorded their good Snootjens dark cock, ‘West End Paul’, to win the Federation doing 1422 ypm. Mick tells me this widowhood cock is the only sprint pigeon he owns, but has been a very good racer, winning six first inland racing, and has flown the Channel twice winning 47^th open BICC Le Mans and 117^th open L&SECC Alencon. On the day, Mick thought ‘West End Paul’ came from the wrong direction to be any good in the Federation from Wincanton but came and trapped like a rocket. Looks like Mick was wrong! Mick is a member of Pyrford RPC where he is the chairman, the London & South East Classic club, the National Flying Club and the British International Championship Club. Lynette, Mick’s wife has been a brilliant help with the pigeons all through the years and their three grown up children although not really interested in the pigeons have always looked after them while they are away on their frequent trips abroad. Mick says that the small Pyrford club is friendly and well organised and its members have won no less than nine times 1st open London & South East Classic Club races.

Mick Chaplin has a very smart self-built loft 20ft long with three sections with stall traps and a small 6ft stock loft. The widowhood section has 18 nest boxes and the loft is cleaned out every day, when a light dusting of sand is thrown on the floor. He races 18 cocks on the widowhood system, and these are paired up normally in mid-January but a couple years ago it was mid-February due to holidaying in Egypt cruising on the Nile. The Chaplin loft is flown on a basic widowhood system, with the racers being paired the same time as the stock birds, so the breeder's eggs can be floated. The cocks are put on the widowhood system while on their second round of eggs and are given as many training tosses as possible before the first race after which they are not trained with most of the team flying the whole programme. The hens are shown to the cocks on marking night for inland races only and get their mates for about an hour on their return from the race. Mick sometimes re-pairs a few cocks for the longer distance events and told me his good "69" cock which had won 1^st club, 1^st Federation, 7^th open SMT Combine Le Mans when paired and sent sitting won 13^th open L&SECC Pau & 6^th open L&SECC Pau in consecutive years after which he was put to stock. The same procedure was adopted with the blue cock, ‘West End Boy’, resulting in 9^th open NFC Saintes. Another very consistent cock is ‘West End Charlie’, who has flown the channel 20 times over the last 4 years winning many prizes including this year 35^th open NFC Tarbes.  With Mick’s small team he has to be selective in his race selection and only sends small teams to the channel races. At the end of old bird racing, the cocks are re-paired so the widowhood hens can be trained with the young birds and they are sent to the L&SECC, NFC and BICC Old Hens races. This practice has been very successful for the Chaplin loft in the past few seasons including 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 4^th & 6^th open in the L&SECC.  In the NFC Old Hens over 20 open positions including 5^th, 5^th, 7^th, 9^th, 11^th, 11^th, 13^th, 15^th, 15^th and 20^th. Other principle recent L&SECC results include 1^st open YB Guernsey, 3^rd open Bergerac and in the BICC seven top 20 positions including provisionally 7^th open in the old hens race also many club wins have been achieved.

The birds are never broken down but are fed a mix of Gerry Plus and Widowhood mix and as the channel races get longer Irish mix is added, medication is used only in extreme cases as over the years Mick is very selective in his introductions as he believes this is one of the main causes of disease that is prevalent these days as ones own pigeons natural immunity can be impaired when pigeons are introduced from other sources. Aviform products are also used regularly in the water.  During the close season a winter mix and barley is used. He breeds 35 young birds for racing each season and they are put on the "darkness" system from weaning. After they are weaned, they are fed on maple peas for about four weeks and then are raced on a quality young bird mixture. The youngsters are raced to the perch, but nest bowls are put in the section and if they want to pair up for racing, they are allowed to.

The Three Borders Federation sent 931 birds to Messac on the last weekend in May 2010 and with a holdover, and adverse weather for most of the weekend, had one the hardest races of the 2010 season so far. The SMT Combine liberated at 08.15hrs in a strong west wind on the Sunday morning and had a good race. Mick and Lynette Chaplin of the Pyrford club two pigeons on the clock in six minutes to record 1^st, 2^nd club, 1^st, 8^th Three Borders Federation, 1^st, 8^th open SMT Combine. Just before the Messac race the Chaplin’s were on holiday in Cyprus for three weeks and the birds were looked after by their good friend, Martin Cutt, who seems to have a good edge on the condition with his feeding, as the birds were locked up for the three weeks. The first bird on the clock was, ‘Westend Jake’, a yearling Burger cross blue chequer cock and he had several races on his build up to his Combine win. He is bred from a line of good winners, with his grand dam winning 1^st open L&SECC Guernsey (old hens) and his grandsire recording 6^th and 13^th open L&SECC Pau. The second pigeon recorded from Messac, to win 8^th open SMT Combine, was the yearling cock, ‘Westend Lady Boy’ and he has been very good racer this season previously winning: 1^st club Fougeres and second bird recorded from the NFC St. Malo race. His sire, another Burger cross pigeon, is one of Mick’s best racers recording: 1^st club, 1^st Federation, 7^th open SMT Combine Nantes, 6^th open L&SECC Pau and 13^th open L&SECC Pau. A brilliant family of pigeons!

Mike and Lynette had a wonderful 2009 season, with the high lights being their 3^rd open L&SECC Guernsey (old hens) and 7^th open BICC Falaise (old hens), both recorded in August. The partners have put up many outstanding performances through the years, but their fantastic result in the London & South East Classic Race from Guernsey in 2003 must rate as their best ever! The L&SECC got the 2003 young bird season off to a good start, when the members sent 2,036 youngsters and 395 old hens to Guernsey. The Saturday morning of the race kicked off with full cloud cover over Guernsey, but the convoyer played the waiting game and liberated the convoy at 11.15hrs in a light northerly wind, with bright sunshine on the baskets. The birds cleared the Island well and returns were excellent. Mick and Lyn had the race of a lifetime, recording 1^st open Young Bird Classic and 1^st and 2^nd open Old Hens Classic. When I visited Mick's home a week after the classic, he was bubbling with his brilliant success and he said it was the best race he had ever had. Mick clocked his Young Bird Classic winner first at 14.22hrs and it was his good "darkness" blue pied Frans Van Wildemeersch hen, “Chaplin's Girl", raced to the perch. This game little hen had three races on her build up to the Guernsey Classic and is bred down from "The Champ", who Mick says, is the father of the loft. Mick tried the "darkness" system for the first time that year and halfway through the season, Mick and Lyn went away on holiday for three weeks and their non-fancier son looked after the pigeons. He was given the instructions on how to keep the "darkness" system going, but Mick is doubtful that he followed them and is not sure if his youngsters were in total darkness or total light for the three weeks he was away. Mick says whatever the lad did he did the right thing, as the Chaplin youngsters had been coming brilliant! Mick told me that prior to the Guernsey classic the youngsters were flying well around the loft and in the week before the race, the whole team including the old hens were given four 40 mile training tosses, which he maintains put them right. He said the loft was on good form for about a month and recorded 1^st club, 2^nd Federation, 5^th open Combine Bergerac (450 miles), 39^th, 80^th, 125^th and 149^th open L&SECC Bergerac, clocking all four birds on the day of liberation, just a couple of weeks before the Guernsey classic.

The Sparrow Hawk problem population has increased dramatically over the past few years locally and has lost at least five birds he knows of two attacks around the loft. Mick thinks that the future of pigeon racing as we know it is bleak as there are no youngsters coming into the sport.  When Mick started pigeons there were six other young boys in the local Woking club all of whom turned out to be successful local fanciers. Also with clubs and federations getting smaller and smaller the way forward will be for amalgamations of clubs with the Federations undertaking inland racing only and the specialist clubs organising the channel racing. In the longer term the outlook for pigeon racing will be more centralised with individuals buying or breeding birds to be raced against others from a single loft by a loft manager/trainer on their behalf as is becoming more popular with the increase on single loft races. There you have it the wonderful success of Mick and Lynette Chaplin of Woking!

That our article for this week. Well done to Vic Emberson for his third Federation win of the season. I can be contacted with any pigeon ‘banter’ on telephone number: 01372 463480 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).