“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.
Looking back at London & South East Classic Club winners (Part 23).
John and Darren May of Worcester Park
The premier Worcester Park partnership of John and Darren May are now out of the sport, but owned one of the best lofts of racing pigeons in the south of England and had won it all, including 1st open BICC Perpignan in 1994 and 1st open BICC Bihorel national in the 2000 season. I have visited the Surrey lofts on several occasions and I must say, I was never failed to be impressed. My last visit was in 2004, on the Monday morning after the L&SECC Le Ferte Bernard event and on my arrival John was exercising the young bird team. John and his son, Darren, had won the classic race on the Saturday and recorded their second L&SECC winner, previously winning from Alencon in the 2000 season.
The racers were paired up in January, but are not bred from, being put on the widowhood system after sitting near time on their first round of eggs. The cocks were trained from 30 miles for two weeks before racing and the first three inland Federation races were used for training tosses, with National and Classic racing in mind. When I visited the May's loft in 2004, the partners were trying out a few hens on the roundabout system and John told me that the racers were not broken down on the day of the race, being fed on a first class widowhood mixture. The cocks were shown to the hens on marking night and allowed to go down in the bowls with them before going in to the basket. The hens were left with the cocks for about one hour on their return from the race. John said the maize content in the mixture was increased to 50% for the long distance races and his widowhood system had won from 80 miles, right through to 618 miles. The May's were only interested in channel racing and their loft had won 1st open British International Championship Club (twice), 1st open London & South East Classic Club (twice), 2nd open National Flying Club (twice) and 1st open Combine three times. A brilliant racing record!
John and Darren's wonderful 50ft. racing loft had a tiled roof and grilled floors and the inmates were trapped through open doors and ‘super' traps. A new loft was erected about four years ago on the other side of the garden and used for racing, but John wasn't happy with the results to the new structure so the racers went back into the old loft and produced brilliant results! The new loft was kitted out with wire flights and housed the 55 pairs of stock birds. Johnny May had always obtained the very best pigeons for his stock loft and I must say he appeared to have one of the best stock teams in the U.K. When ever he purchased pigeons, he always had to have direct children of the champions and at the time of my visit, the Worcester Park breeding loft had many stock birds direct from the Janssen and Van Loon lofts in Belgium. The breeders were paired up in late December and were fed on a general breeding mixture. John said that about 100 young birds are bred for racing every year and a special team was set aside to race in the National Flying Club young bird race. All the youngsters were put on the darkness system two weeks after weaning and they were trained hard off the south coast. They were split into two teams, with mainly the young hens going to the young bird National and the cocks flying the Federation programme. The young cocks were never over raced as they are needed for the future widowhood team.
Johnny May had been in the sport of pigeon racing since he was 10 years old and he took over his fancier brother's birds when he packed up the hobby. He started racing as a lad and won the big Earlsfield Open race from Bournemouth in his first season. John raced for many years in partnership with the late Joe Grant, as Grant & May, and they won the Federation many times and in some seasons recorded over 40 times first. One of John's greatest ever pigeons is his Champion “Cheeky”, a Verheye blue chequer cock bred by Louis Massarella, and he won 23 times first (ten firsts as a yearling) and seven times 1st Federation. He won several Open races, including 1st Kingston £1,000 Open and 1st Fulham £1,000 Open. This once in a life time pigeon has had several champion racers bred down from him. A wonderful loft of pigeons!
Trussler Brothers of West Molesey.
Trussler Brother of West Molesey were brilliant pigeon racers when I first met them nearly fiftyyears ago, and they are still brilliant today! Dick is sadly no longer with us and Brian recently retired from the sport. The brothers won the Federation most seasons and have won the S.M.T. Combine, 2nd open National and 1st open London & South East Clasic Club from Bergerac in the 2005 season. In the years I've been racing pigeons I've always looked up to and admired the outstanding success of Dick and Brian Trussler, who have won out of turn at all levels from club to National for many years. Trussler Brothers are one of the all time greats in the Surrey area!
The brothers enjoyed a brilliant young bird season in 2011, with the highlights being: 1st, 2nd, 9th, 24th Three Borders Federation Taunton (1,525 birds), 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 97th, 117th, 123rd open L&SECC Carentan (young bird), 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 12th L&SECC Carentan ‘Gold Ring’ (£1,070). Fantastic pigeon racing! Dick and Brian’s first two birds on the ETS from Taunton to record 1st and 2nd Federation were both Dave Hawkins / Gaby Vandenabeele ‘darkness’ youngsters raced to the perch, as was the first bird home from the L&SECC Carentan Young Bird Classic. The brother bred about 60 youngsters to race ever season and Dick told me at the time that they were trained and raced hard, because they won’t win prizes sitting on their perch. The youngsters were never basket trained, but the traping bays on the 24ft young bird loft were built like a race crate and the inmates put their heads through holes and drink from basket trouphs on the sides of the bays. Dick said this method teaches them ‘basket craft’ and they never had problems with the babies not drinking in the race crates. Most of the Trussler’s young birds had had three races from France in the 2011 season and had come through it well with some good prizes. Other positions won the 2011 season were: 5th, 20th Federation Wincanton (2105 birds), 10th Federation Kingsdown (1966 birds), 7th, 8th Federation Newton Abbot (1625 birds), 19th Federation Messac (957 birds), 20th, 21st Federation Blandford (1380 birds), 22nd Federation Newton Abbot (885 birds), 6th Federation Yelverton (880 birds).
Dick and Brian had two smart 24ft lofts and race the traditional widowhood system, with 24 cocks. They tried the round about system for a couple of seasons, but didn’t like and returned to their old widowhood system. They were members of several Classic and National clubs and said with the pressure on their cocks with so many races to compete in, they were thinking of increasing their team to 36 birds. They paired up the racers and ten pairs of stock birds at the end of December, and sid they never underlay the breeder’s eegs under the race birds. The cocks normal reared a youngster before going on the system, but Dick maintained that some years the cock had not had any babies and had been raced ‘dry’ with outstanding success. The brothers were very selective with pigeons not pulling their weight by the end of their second year and the young birds were sorted out and culled before they start to race. When I asked Dick and Brian at that time what families they race, they said. ‘on the main we are always trying out new bloodlines, but at the momment we have Mark Gilbert, Janssen and some very good Gaby Vandenabeele pigeons from Dave Hawkins, Clive Lister and M. & D. Evans’. Brian said Mark Gilbert of Winkfield is a good friend of the brothers, visiting his loft many times in recent seasons and maintained he is the best pigeon fancier he had met in his years in the sport. Dick told me he thought the late, great Fred Elliott of Thorpe was the best small team fancier ever and Dereck Bellchambers of Brentford was the top man with young birds!
Dick and Brian had been in pigeon racing for 60 years and they toid me they had only been members of three Saturday clubs in that time in the sport. Brian said, like most pigeon fanciers they became interested in the birds as school boys and their first club was the old Molesey club, which raced in the Surrey Federation. The Trussler's started up and joined he Molesey & Dis. HS in 1951 and smashed their novice status in 1953. They were top prize winner in the Molesey Club ten years on the trot up to 1974 and at odd times before. In thoses days, Brian said, Alf Baker of Woodgreen was the fancier who stood out. Their first birds were all from local fanciers including the late great Molesey fancier, Pat Strong. The brothers won their first race from Bournemouth and Dick remembers the winner was a Gits pigeon from the late Joe Steadiford of Molesey. I first visited the lads in the early 1976 and the widowhood system was a new try out that season with about 12 cocks on this system and the rest of the team on their usual natural system. The main strain kept was Cattrysse from Mr. & Mrs. Newman of Ely but they brought in a few young birds each year to try out. The birds were mostlv blues and blue pieds, which handle small to medium with apple bodies. Dick said at the time they must have good strong backs and a good rich coloured eye.Some good birds were obtained from their good friend the late Arthur Coxon of Surbiton, the Bergerac ace, and the four Coxon birds were in the loft at that time had all scored from the longest race. The Trusslers trapped through open doors in their very smart racing loft which was 22ft x 6ft, three compartments, two for old birds and one for young birds. They used deep litter, but they said they think it causes diseases when left down too long. The ideal deep litter being of a wood shaving mixture so the birds can't eat it. Ventilation in the loft was verv strictly controlled with plastic sheeting pinned on the front wire and they said that too much ventilation is a very bad thing. The loft roof was lifted 2ins for ventilation once, but was dropped again because the birds kept getting colds. The brothers said the birds need warmth in the loft. The loft was purchased in 1954 and the open door trapping was introduced in 1972 because of bad traps on the old system. They kept 25 pairs of old birds and bred 40 young birds, which were culled down to about 25 just before young bird racing. The birds were fed on a mixture of 50% Maize, 25% Beans, 25% Wheat and Barley being added in winter. The brothers motto was train hard, race hard, quality and not quantity. The main stock pair were blue pied cock and a blue hen known as "The Dutch Pair." This handsome looking pair were in fact Dutch pigeons and had bred countless winners including two Federation winners in one nest. The boys didn't know the strain of this pair but said they also bred show winners two-a-penny. This loft has housed many outstanding pigeons past and present to many, in fact, to list them all.
I asked the brothers if in their opinion, the sport had progressed over the last twenty years they said, ‘in general yes, but some fanciers are still living in the past with their old fashioned attitude. The bringing in of ETS in the UK was brilliant, but there are still fancier who don’t like it and would like to see it thrown out. Their attitude is un-beleivable! The format of pigeon racing in the UK has been the same for many years, but on the Continent they try new things and push the sport forward. With the Continental methods and influence some of the fancier in the UK are very professional and can hold their own in any level of racing’. Brian told me the brothers are never interesred in pedigrees, only good racing performances. The great Trussler Brothers of West Molesey!
The late Gary Dye of Banstead.
The 2008 Tours classic was very hard work, but at the same time was very enjoyable and probably one of my best convoying trips to France with the L&SECC pigeons. My son, Mark, was my assistant for this trip and he is good company, and was a great worker when we are away with the birds. The Classic Club came out of Nantes and flew the Yearling Derby from Tours for the first time in the 2000 season. Tours was a lot more central in France than Nantes, which is on the west coast and the London fanciers flew 280 miles out of Tours. In the 2000 season we witnessed a brilliant spectacle, when the Dutch Southern Combine liberated 30,000 birds at Tours whilst we were there. Early on the Saturday morning of the 2008 Tours race, we awoke to heavy mist over the nearby lakes, but it was one of those days that you knew was going to be brilliant once the sun had done its burn off work. The mist disappeared very quickly and a beautiful sunny day unfolded. Erik Moppe liberated the Belgium Inter Provincial at 07.30hrs and the clearance was immediate. We cut the strings and liberated the 1,890 Classic birds at 07.45hrs in a light North West wind.
The late Gary Dye of Banstead won the race clocking his outstanding blue Staf Van Reet widowhood cock, ‘Harry’s Dream’, in at 13.41hrs and making a velocity of 1372 ypm. Gary had named his classic winner after his grandson and told at the time that me he was bred by the late Arthur Jones down from Arthur Beardsmore bloodlines. ‘Harry’s Dream’ had been a brilliant racer, winning 2007: 3rd club, 13th Federation Portland, 2006: 1st club, 3rd Federation Exeter, 1st club, 6th Federation Taunton, 2nd club, 5th Federation Wincanton, 2005: 1st club, 10th Federation Portland, 3rd club, 16th Federation Lulworth. A wonderful pigeon! Gary sent ten birds to the Tours Classic and got nine home on the day. They say, ‘when it’s your day, it’s your day’ and the Gary Dye loft won 1st Three Borders Federation Exeter the same Saturday as he won the classic. His loft was on brilliant form and won the Federation with his yearling blue chequer white flight widowhood cock, ‘Fed Topper’. This game pigeon was Garry’s first bird on the clock from the Alencon Classic two weeks previous and won a prize in the first 40 open. He was a grandson of Gary’s best pigeon, ‘Lennie’s Boy’.
I drove over to Banstead to have a look at Gary Dye’s widowhood team and needless to say their looked a picture of good health. Garry raced in the Esher club and had enjoyed some brilliant seasons racing in the Three Borders Federation. It think it was common knowledge that the Federations last race from Bergerac was the hardest race of the 2006 season, with the birds having to fly the 450 mile course in a strong North East wind. The Dye loft finished the old bird season as it started it, by winning the Federation, but this time Gary recorded the only bird on the day of liberation in the Federation from Bergerac. Gary recorded this fantastic performance with his champion racer, ‘Lennie’s Boy’, and he also chalked up 3rd open S.M.T. Combine from Bergerac. Gary also won the longest old bird race in the Esher club in 2005 from Bergerac, with his good widowhood blue chequer pied cock, “Lennie's Boy”, and he was mainly bred from the Van Reet bloodlines, with his grand sire coming from Johnny Keywood of Hersham. This game pigeon had a wonderful racing record winning: five seconds including, 2nd club, 2nd Federation Lulworth and then went on to win 1st club, 20th Federation, 46th open Combine (1,795 birds) Bergerac in 2005. This wonderful pigeon was also the sire of many premier racers including, ‘Young Lenny’, winner of 1st Three Borders Federation Wincanton (1,563 birds) in the 2006 season. Gary Dye start the 2006 season as he finished the 2005 season, winning the Federation! The Dye loft won two young bird Federation races in the 2005 season and came out and won the first race of the 2006 season with the widowhood yearling blue chequer pied cock, ‘Young Lenny’. Garry told me at the time that he moved house recently and the loft had only been up in the new garden for about six weeks before the start of the 2006 season and for the birds to come out to win 1st, 2nd Esher club, 1st, 5th Federation on the first race is amazing.
Ray Duffield of Croydon.
Ray Duffield won the L&SECC Yearling Tours Derby in 2000, lifting the £1,000 prize money and £500 jackpot. The winning pigeon was a Busschaert cock driving his hen to nest and followed Ray's outstanding success from the 2000 Alencon when he was 6th open. Ray called his game blue chequer natural cock ‘Jackpot Charlie’. Charlie had only one race as a youngster, taking 3rd club Guernsey when the Duffield loft recorded the first four positions in the club. His sire was bred by Steve Appleby of Guildford from his Champion Busschaert National Hen and his dam won 2nd open SMT Combine Bergerac for Peter Simpson. The cock's build-up to his Tours Classic win was a few coastal training tosses, one inland race, then a Channel race when he was on the clock. This champion yearling banged home from Tours recording a velocity of 1596ypm. A wonderful performance!
Ray had been a pigeon fancier for over 50 years and told me at the time that all his family were once in the sport, including his father. He liked long distance Channel racing and had recorded many premier positions through the years, including 1st open SMT Combine Le Mans (9,000 birds), 4th open L&SECC Pau (only six birds in the Classic home on the day of liberation), 4th open Pau NFC, when George Burgess of Wraysbury won the race in 1986. Ray maintained he was not into the extreme distance racing, but said that Pau at 550 miles was a good day fly. He raced 35 pairs on the natural system and paired up in mid-March with the L&SECC Pau race in mind. He fed his own heavy mixture called ‘Premium’ and trained from the south coast, mostly from Brighton. He had had his base family of Westcotts for over 30 years and these originate from the late George King of South Norwood. Ray's lofts were in a compound at the bottom of the garden and the main loft had open door trapping into a corridor. He bred 50 young birds each season that were raced natural to the perch. The youngsters get a lot of training from the south coast, but very little racing, normally one or two races from Guernsey.
James Cross of Carshalton.
In the week building up to the Tours Classic the weather forecast hinted that there would be a holdover on the Saturday and, sure enough, it rained on the day so the classic convoyer, held over the 1,959 birds. The Sunday dawned with perfect pigeon racing conditions and sunshine on the baskets, so the classic birds were liberated at 08.50hrs in a North West wind. The members enjoyed a good race with nearly all their entries home on the day of liberation.
The winning pigeon, a Van Loon / Van den Bosche blue widowhood cock bred by Tony Gelbrath of Thornton Heath, was recorded at the loft of James Cross of Carshalton and was one of a pair of squeakers gifted to James by Tony. His nest mate was an outstanding inland racer. James had only recently moved into his Carshalton address and all his pigeons, including the Tours classic winner, were broken birds. Having all previously flown out and raced to his old house. The classic winner had the Le Ferte Bernard classic on his build up to Tours (280 miles), plus lots of training tosses from the south coast.
James raced only nine cocks on the widowhood system and paired them up in January. They reared a pair of youngsters and were put onto widowhood when the hen laid her second round of eggs. James told me he was only really interested in channel racing and showed the hens to the racing cocks on marking night for these events, but not on training or inland races. The cock had his hen for two hours on his return from the race and the birds were broken down only on easy races. The main feeding was a good widowhood mixture. The racers were repaired for the longest old bird races and sent sitting eggs. The loft housed nine pairs of stock birds and they were paired up in January, with their first round of eggs being floated under the yearling racers. Most of the stock birds were from his good friend, Tony Gelbrath, and James says when he was looking at new stock birds, he liked a nice, strong back on a pigeon. He bred 50 youngsters to race every season and never pushes them to win young bird races. Their training started at Guildford Cathedral (15 miles) and they had about 14 tosses up to 40 miles before the first race. The babies were never put on the ‘Darkness’ system, being fed on a young bird mixture (no maize) and if their moult was okay they would go to the Guernsey Young Bird Classic, being raced to the perch. The loft was 32ft long, with three sections and trapping was in sputniks. The floor was made of wood, but James said he wanted to change this to grilles, to increase the general ventilation, which he maintained was very important for the health of the inmates.
Steve Tote of Staines.
Doug Went and I convoyed the first Classic of the 1997 season from Alencon, which had a record entry of nearly 2,400 birds. With adverse weather in the English Channel the birds were held over, being liberated at 11.00hrs in a south west wind on the Sunday morning. Although the Channel was foggy on our home crossing, the birds had a clear run earlier in the day and everyone enjoyed a good race with excellent returns.
The race was won by Steve Tote of Staines, with a yearling Van Bruaene blue chequer cock flying in his first ever race and feeding a two day old youngster. Steve raced mainly the Van Bruaene strain obtained from Mr. Stone of Egham and was only interested in Channel racing. The old birds only got about three races each season, but lots of training tosses from the south coast and Steve never raced inland. The birds were paired up at the end of March and although he was only interested in long distance events, fed on a first class widowhood mixture. Steve had been in the sport for 30 years and had won many premier prizes in recent seasons including 33rd open NFC Nantes.
That’s it for this week! Any fanciers who need to contact me can reach me 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).