“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.

Three Borders Federation (Honiton Race 2).

The Three Borders Federation were at Honiton for the seventh old bird race and the convoy of 469 birds had an early morning toss being liberated with sun on the baskets at 06.30hrs into a light North East wind situation.

The Federation convoyer, Dom McCoy is very ‘smart’ and liberated the birds early to avoid clashing with other Federations and the members enjoyed a hard, but good race. In last week’s article I gave a special mention to Jim Andrews & Son of the Mitcham & Merton club, who have been ‘knocking on the door’ to win the Federation all season. Well ‘bingo’ a week later and they have topped the Honiton Federation result, winning 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. I spoke to Mark after the race and he said, ‘the Bodmin race was hard, but we clocked five birds in a minute. They came really well! The Federation winner was a good three year old blue chequer hen, which has several premier positions to her credit.’ The Andrews partnership have won so far this season in the Three Borders Federation: 7^th, 11^th Federation Wincanton, 5^th, 6^th, 13^th, 23^rd, 25^th Federation Wincanton, 4^th, 5^th, 9^th, 25^th Federation Honiton, 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, 23^rd, 24^th, 25^th Federation Okehampton, 6^th, 7^th,9^th, 10^th, 11^th, 24^th Federation Yeovil, 8^th, 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, 13^th, 25^th Federation Bodmin, 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. Brilliant pigeon racing!

Jim Andrews has been an outstanding pigeon racer for over 60 year and at nearly 90 years of age, he still has a great interest in the sport and sits and waits for the birds to return on race days. 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 saw them win 21 first in the clubs and 1^st Surrey Federation twice! Well done to Mark and Ben!

Paul Arnold of the Esher club is another fancier who has been ‘knocking at the door’ for his first Federation winner of the season. In the 2022 season he won the Federation four times and was the Federation champion, by winning the Federation ‘Individual Point Trophy’. Paul was back on the top of Federation result from Honiton recording: 3^rd, 6^th. After the Honiton race I spoke to Paul and he told me, ‘as virtually every week before two birds came together from my small team of entries. The Esher winner was the blue cock, GB 21 N 06445. ‘The 45’ is what we call him, and he was 3^rd club, 3^rd Federation to Vic Emberson a couple of weeks ago at Okehampton and 10^th Federation the week before. He was my first bird also from Yeovil scoring up high in the Federation and also he had about four decent Federation positions last year behind my old birds. He is a grandson of my 2011 Bergerac Combine winner, "Victor" and his dam is a Darren May Pitbull hen. My 2^nd club Honiton winner was GB 21 N 06421 and he was 2^nd club, 4^th Federation Bodmin and many top performances. He is a brother to my NFC National winner ‘True Faith’, but I actually believe this cock to be better than his brother and I'm sure when the weather and wind allows me to send him across the channel, I expect great things from him. His only flaw is he is so full of energy when he comes home from the race, I have trouble getting him down. Hopefully I will sort this out and get him finishing as they did last year.

The first ten in the Honiton Federation result were: 1) Jim & Mark Andrews 1355: 2) Jim & Mark Andrews 1354: 3) Paul Arnold 1354: 4) Terry & Sue Leonard 1353: 5) Jim & Mark Andrews 1351: 6) Paul Arnold 1348: 7) Terry & Sue Leonard 1334: 8) Terry & Sue Leonard 1334: 9) Vic & Lou Emberson 1330: 10) Jim & Mark Andrews 1329. This was race number seven of the season and at this point the Ashridge club are leading for the ‘Federation Points Trophy’ with 27 points, with the Esher club being R/U on 27 points.

The late Danny Allison of Kingston.

The Three Borders Federation held its first continental race of the 2014 season from Falaise in mid-May and the event turned out to be a hard slog home for some of the convoy. The 740 birds were liberated at 13.30hrs in a strong West / South West wind situation, but on the day there were a lot of very heavy rain showers in the south of England and they cut off and held up a lot of the birds. A new Esher club membership for the 2014 season, Danny Allison & Amgad Ibrahim, had an excellent race recording 1^st & 2^nd Federation, with both birds being bred by Trussler Brothers of West Molesey. Danny told me after the Falaise race, that he and Amgad had only formed their pigeon partnership at the beginning of the year and were racing a team of 2013 late breds bred by Brian Trussler, and they were not raced as young birds; although Danny gave hem ten training tosses up to Alton last year. The late breds were well trained this season and flew the first four Federation races celibate before being paired up three weeks before the Falaise race. The Federation winner was a yearling mealy hen, sent sitting about ten day old eggs and Amgad tells me, the blue hen that won 2^nd Federation was home 30 seconds before the mealy, but wouldn’t trap. Two years earlier in the 2012, the Three Borders Federation moved a bit further down the road for the third event of the new season, flown from Yeovil and members sent 2,055 birds. The Esher & Dist. RPC, sent 346 birds and the ‘Master’, Danny Allison of Kingston, won the club and the Federation with a yearling cock.

At the end of the Three Borders Federation 2010 racing season and I was delighted to write that my ol’ mucker Danny Allison had won the Federation Individual Points Trophy and was the 2010 champion! The Federation is one of the strongest in the UK and our Danny won the championship with 48 points with his South Downs club mates, Colin Crook and Andy Iddenden, being runners up on 41 points. What can I write about Danny Allison that has not been written before about his great performances over his many years in the sport! He was a great lad and a very dedicated and successful pigeon racer. He worked so hard with his birds, being a relentless trainer, with early morning tosses down the line to the New Forest area. Just a few years ago I was in the car park at Winchester training my young birds and Danny pulled in behind me with his van full of pigeons, training his and his friend’s, Trussler Brothers, youngsters.

Danny Allison’s 2010 performances in the Three Borders Federation are: (OB) 3^rd, 4^th Federation Wincanton (1,916 birds), 5^th, 17^th  Federation West Bay (2,163 birds), 2^nd, 4^th, 13^th Federation Kingsdown (1,623 birds), 13^th, 23^rd, 24^th Federation Wincanton (1,736 birds), 4^th Federation Fougeres (934 birds), 5^th, 12^th, 13^th Federation West Bay (2,016 birds), 18^th Federation Messac (931 birds), 1^st, 3^rd Federation Exeter (1,135 birds), 1^st, 2^nd Federation Kingsdown (1,233 birds), 8^th, 9^th, 22^nd Federation Kingsdown (1,089 birds), 20^th Federation Wincanton (1,040 birds), (YB) 2^nd, 20^th, 21^st, 23^rd Federation Blandford (1,693 birds), 17^th Federation Wincanton (1,651 birds), 19^th Federation West Bay (1,292 birds), 16^th Federation Wincanton (1,422 birds), 13^th Federation Yelverton (925 birds). A brilliant championship producing performance, it must be that training spot at Winchester! Worth a special mention is Danny’s good Grizzle cock, ‘40503’, which has recorded in the 2010 old bird season: 3^rd Federation Wincanton, 5^th Federation West Bay, 1^st Federation Exeter, 1^st Federation Kingsdown and 8^th Federation Kingsdown. A fantastic sprinting widowhood cock!

The Three Borders Federation sent 1,409 birds to the last and longest young bird race of the 2009 season from Yelverton, and with the convoy being liberated at 09.00hrs in a very stiff East / North East wind, made the winners performance even more outstanding. Danny Allison of Kingston finished a good season by recording 2^nd Federation, 2^nd open SMT Combine (3189 birds) with his Trussler blue hen, ‘Young Connie’, and she was sent sitting ten day old eggs. Danny had enjoyed a brilliant young bird season and he told me, during the 2009 racing season this game hen was the only bird to be home first twice, that’s how good his babies were coming on race days. The South Downs Premier Flying Club had a young bird race from Exeter (118 birds) and the rule in the club is one prize per loft. Danny won the race doing a velocity of 1630.7 and ‘Young Connie’ came with the winner recoding 1630.6 and didn’t take a prize, but did lift £180 pool money. Danny being a fancier who never rests on his laurels got his great little hen ready for the testing High Littleton Tours National race at the end of the season. There was 1,114 birds competing from Tours and ‘Young Connie’ flew the 281 miles back home to Kingston, too record 77^th open. A brilliant young hen! Another of Danny’s best racing young birds in the 2009 season was the Trussler blue chequer cock, ‘The Show Man’, and he was also raced the Federation programme paired up.

Danny bred himself about 60 babies to race every season and these were put on the darkness system at weaning and taken off in June, prior to the commencement of training. The young birds were trained really hard getting, weather permitting, a toss seven days a week up to the first race and after that a 40 mile chuck on a Tuesday and Thursday through the season. After their basket training they went straight to Guildford Cathedral (20 miles) for seven training tosses, then a week at Bentley (35 miles), them on to Alton (40 miles), then got as several tosses at Winchester (55 miles) and then they went back to Alton for four up chucks, and Danny said he will give them as many tosses there as he could manage before the first race. The whole team had to race the Federation programme and were fed on a good widowhood mixture. They were allowed to pair up if they want too and were sent to races sitting eggs or feeding small babies for motivation. The Allison loft had enjoyed a good season racing in the Three Borders Federation with their young birds, winning:16^th, 17^th, 20^th, 21^st, 25^th Federation Wincanton (1958 birds), 4^th, 5^th, 18^th Federation Yeovil (1928 birds), 21^st, 22^nd, 25^th Federation West Bay (2183 birds), 22^nd, 23^rd Federation Kingsdown (1972 birds),10^th, 14^th, 15^th, 23^rd Federation Exeter (1389 birds), 2^nd, 14^th Federation Yelverton (1409 birds) and won the Federation Young Bird Average.

With us both being Kingston lads, Danny Allison and I must go back well over 40 years to the late 1970’s when we both raced in the Kingston & District HS, which was at that time one of the strongest clubs in the mighty Surrey Federation. Danny was born in to the pigeon racing sport with dad being a fancier and they flew in partnership for many years. They were very successful and when his dad came out of the sport, Danny took over the pigeons at a very young age. He has always raced on the natural system and has won many premier positions in the Federation and Combine through the years; the best being 1^st open SMT Combine Bergerac (450 miles). In recent years he has been in partnership with Dennis Sheppard and Martin Penfold, both premier fancier in the Surrey area, but three years ago he decided to go it alone again and approached Trussler Brothers of West Molesey for some stock birds. Dick and Brian gave him 15 widowhood cocks with their mates and this generous gift by the brother is the base of Danny’s very successful team today. Danny told me that he is very grateful to Trussler Brothers, who have also given him other good stock pigeons and never charged him a penny! He calls them the ‘Godfathers’ of pigeon racing and says they are two brilliant blokes. Danny also told me they have been so generous with gift pigeons and advice, he owes much of his good success to them! I have known Dick and Brian since I started up in the sport, 40 years ago, and they were one of best lofts in the south of England then and they are still one of the best today. They must have lost count of the first Federations they have won through the years and have also won 1^st open L&SECC and 1^st open SMT Combine. Certainly two of the best fancier ever to race in the Surrey area!

Danny had a 30ft three section loft, consisting of 12ft for widowhood cocks, 12ft for the young birds, 6ft for stock pigeons and all clocking is on the ETS system. He told me, the loft is about ten years old and his son bought it for him on his 50^th birthday. The old birds racing team were made up with 20 widowhood cocks, which was a new system for Danny, with 2010 being his first year on it, and these were paired up in early January. The cocks were allowed to rear a youngster and then they went on the system when the female and baby are removed at about 16 days old. The widowhood racers were given training much the same as the young birds, by over a shorter span of time, and were not broken down at any time of the week, being fed on a good Widowhood mixture. Danny told me although he enjoys racing his old birds in the Federation; he had most of his success with the young birds and really enjoyed racing his babies best.

The Allison loft housed 15 pairs of stock birds all Janssen based and all obtained from Trussler Brothers of West Molesey. The stock loft was paired up in mid-November and Danny said he only bred off the stock birds, with the widowhood team rearing eggs floated out of the stock section. The 15 pairs in the stock section were still the original widowhood pigeons gifted to Danny by Dick and Brian Trussler and were mated every year the same as they were paired in the Trussler loft. When Danny brought in a new stock bird he liked a nice type and good eye, but maintains he didn’t know anything about the eyesign theory. He liked to show his birds and had won countless open show over the years.

Danny Allison enjoyed another great season racing in the Three Borders Federation in 2011 and finished up winning ‘The Falkland Trophy’ (Federation Young Bird Average) and ‘The F. J. Elliott Trophy’ (Federation Combined OB / YB Inland Average). Positions won in the Federation in 2011 were outstanding, with the highlights being: O.B:17^th Federation Wincanton (1865 birds), 8^th Federation Falaise (1174 birds), 12^th Federation Newton Abbot (1476 birds), 22^nd Federation Alencon (900 birds), 23^rd Federation Messac (857 birds), 7^th, 8^th, 9^th, 18^th Federation Kingsdown (1090 birds), Y.B: 9^th, 11^th, 12^th Federation Blandford (1380 birds), 15^th Federation Yeovil (1497 birds), 13^th Federation Taunton (1525 birds), 8^th, 16^th, 25^th Federation Newton Abbot (885 birds), 3^rd, 24^th Federation Yelverton (880 birds).

Ian West of Kingston.

The Three Borders Federation held a Taunton race in mid-June 2012 and was good to see the birdage pick up a bit after the weather problems in the first half of the season. It was also good to see the wind turnaround from the east to south west and give the 1,100 birds entered an easier fly over the 125 mile coarse home. The first half of the season saw us have strong east winds, with rain, rain and more rain, which took its toll of bad losses, with the consequence of plummeting birdage. Ian West of the Esher club won the Federation by a ‘country mile’ with his good two year old blue chequer widowhood cock, ‘Deon’ and Ian tells me is son of two of the best racers in his loft. The Taunton Federation winner is a son of ‘Ladies’ Girl’, winner of 1^st open L&SECC Guernsey (OH) in 2004 and the champion sprinting cock, ‘Wayne’s Boy’, the winner of: 1^st club, 1^st Federation Lulworth (2384 birds), 2^nd club, 5^th Federation Lulworth (1269 birds), 1^st club, 6^th Federation Exeter (1108 birds), 2^nd club, 7^th Federation West Bay (1737 birds), 4^th club, 17^th Federation West Bay (1748 birds), 1^st club, 20^th Federation Lulworth (1629 birds). ‘Deon’ went on to win 2^nd Federation Taunton (1,237 birds) in the following 2013 racing season. What brilliant line of winners!

Although Ian flies in the Esher Club, he lives several miles away in Kingston and is a small team man with big success. He races only 11 cocks on the widowhood system and says he would like to race hens, but his job as a postman limits his time with the pigeons, so he keeps it small and simple. He used to keep small birds and finches, and his loft is his old aviaries, which are well ventilated, converted for the pigeons. Ian pairs up his racers in February and the racers never rear a youngster, being put on the widowhood two weeks before the first race, when the hens and their eggs are taken away. The cocks get very little training and he says they had only eight 15 mile tosses in the last two seasons, being trained while sitting their eggs, prior to going on the widowhood system. Ian says he uses the first Federation races, to get the racers fit and races the old birds inland only, not being interested in long-distance Channel racing. The cocks are not broken down, being fed on a good widowhood mixture, and are exercised around the loft for an hour twice a day. Ian has 12 pairs of stock birds, which are Janssen Van Loon and Staf Van Reet, and a team of 15 young birds are bred for racing each season. They are not put on the darkness system and are raced only lightly to the perch.

Ian West won the L&SECC Guernsey (1) old hens classic in the 2007 season, when I liberated the 421 birds at 09.25 hrs in to a light East wind. The old hens were released with the 1,715 classic young birds and Ian’s game blue hen put the best overall velocity that day. The latest West classic winner is named, ‘Princess Taia’, and was bred from the very best of the old K. & R. Besant of Kingston bloodlines, being obtained from Ian’s good friend, the late great Ken Besant. She is bred down from several of the Besant’s best racers, including Champion ‘Besant’s Bishop’s Pride’ winner of 1^st open NFC Bordeaux, 1^st Federation Weymouth, ‘Showman’, winner of 13^th open NFC Pau, 1^st Federation Weymouth and ‘Versatile Lady’ the outstanding widowhood hen and winner of 1^st Federation inland, plus 11^th open NFC Pau. On her build up to her classic win, ‘Princess Taia’, had two club races from 118 miles and  one from 230 miles, then had nothing for six weeks only a short training toss from Guildford on the Monday before the Guernsey classic race. The training toss almost turn out to be a disaster, as the sky turned black and it started to rain after Ian liberated them, but the birds got through and turned up at the loft in just over the hour. She was sent paired to another hen and sitting four eggs, previously being celibate all the season, and was specially mated up for the old hens classic, three weeks before. Ian told me at the time, his hens exercise brilliantly around the loft and being kept celibate stay in excellent condition all season. Ian’s second hen on the clock was his good Staf Van Reet mealy named, ‘Natalie’s Pride’, and she has won several premier prizes including 2004: 57^th open L&SECC Guernsey (old hens), 2007: 50^th open L&SECC Guernsey (1) (old hens), 11^th open L&SECC Guernsey (2) (old hens).

Ian West is from a good pigeon racing family, with his father, Dave, being an outstanding winning fancier, in the Kingston club about 40 years ago. Ian is carrying on the West winning ways and has won the Three Borders Federation twice and L&SECC twice in recent seasons. Ian first London & South East Classic Club winner was in the 2004 young bird season, when members sent 2,142 youngsters and 564 old hens to Guernsey. The convoy was liberated on the Saturday morning at 10.00hrs in a north-west wind, in what seemed to be perfect racing conditions. The race turned out to be a very hard event and some members returned their clocks empty. Ian won the Old Hens Classic, clocking at 13.30hrs with his two year old blue chequer pied hen, sent paired to another hen and sitting four eggs. Ian told me this game pigeon had been only lightly raced and was bred from two gift stock birds from John Keywood of Hersham. She is of course his champion hen, ‘Ladies Girl’ and is bred down from the very best Jan Huybregts bloodlines.

Ian started up in the sport only in 2000 and tells me his friend, the late Ken Besant of New Malden, was a great help in getting him started. In the 2003 season the West loft won the Inland Average in the very strong Hersham Club and his biggest thrill was winning ‘The Ken Besant Memorial Trophy’ with a pigeon that Ken had bred for Ian to start him up. The West loft’s Three Borders Federation winner at that time was the two year old blue chequer Van Loon widowhood cock ‘Wayne's Boy’ and he was bred from pigeons obtained from Steve Clackston and Frank Butler. Ian's father is the good old Kingston fancier Dave West, who flew a brilliant Channel pigeon in the 1970s and I can remember him winning the Bergerac race in the very strong Kingston Club the season after we won it. The good ol’ days! Dave won the longest old bird race with his good blue chequer hen ‘Charter Flight’, which recorded 5^th open SMT Combine. Looks like Ian is following in his father's footsteps!

Alan & Christine Lomax of Woking.

My ol’ friends from the Pyrford club, Alan and Christine Lomax, have been winning premier pigeon races for many years, with the main performances at Federation level being: 1964: 2^nd Three Borders Federation Bordeaux (446 miles), 1982: 1^st Three Borders Federation Bergerac (450 miles), 1988: 1^st Surrey Federation Bergerac (450 miles). They also had some good success in the L&SECC over several seasons with their Busschaert hen, ‘Classic Blue Lady’, which had recorded: 2007: 22^nd open L&SECC Guernsey 1. (Old Hens), 24^th open L&SECC Guernsey 2. (Old Hens), 2008: 45^th open L&SECC Alencon, 13^th open L&SECC Tours. A brilliant record! This game hen came home from the Tours classic in 2008 with her keel skinned and bleeding, and still recorded 13^th open. A few years ago Christine purchased six Busschaert squeakers from Oly Gittins of Cornwall for a present for Alan and ‘Classic Blue Lady’ was bred from two of those original birds.

The partners have been winning major pigeon races for many years and 1988 season saw Alan and Christine win the longest Surrey Federation old bird race from Bergerac (450 miles) with 1,763 birds taking part. The partner’s Federation winner was an eight year old Corbett / Busschaert red chequer hen called ‘The 96 Hen’ and she was bred by the late Alec Martin of Worplesdon. Alec was also a past winner of the Surrey Federation from Bergerac. Alan said at the time that he wasn’t very interested in inland racing, with his whole pigeon management being geared to channel racing. Some of the partner’s best channel results then were: 1964: 1^st club, 2^nd Three Borders Federation Bordeaux (446 miles), 1970: 1^st club, 5^th Federation Nantes (282 miles), 1971: 1^st club, 9^th Federation Nantes, 1975: 1^st club, 4^th Federation, 10^th SMT Combine (4256 birds) Niort (343 miles), 1^st, 2^nd club, 4^th, 17^th Federation,  15^th SMT Combine (4775 birds) Avranches (183 miles), 2^nd club, 8^th Federation, 35^th SMT Combine Bergerac, 1976: 1^st club, 11^th Federation Laval, 1982: 1^st club, 1^st Three Borders Federation, 3^rd Seven Counties Combine (3415 birds) Bergerac, 1985: 2^nd club, 14^th Federation, 44^th SMT Combine Bergerac, 1986: 1^st club Bergerac, 6^th Federation, 30^th SMT Combine Nantes 1987: 1^st club, 4^th Surrey Federation, 22^nd SMT Combine (4452 birds) Wadebridge, 1988: 1^st, 2^nd club, 1^st, 22^nd Surrey Federation Bergerac. A wonderful loft performance!

Alan and Christine got married in 1981 and on moving to Old Woking that year formed their pigeon racing partnership. Christine was very interested in the pigeons and is the book keeper in the partnership, and took over as club secretary of the Horsell Inv. Club in 1989. She was the hard working secretary of the Pyrford club for an amazing 30 plus years! The partners had five lofts, which are cleaned out every day and Alan maintains that pigeons will race to an orange box if they are happy. The Lomax’s lofts are well ventilated and are kept as dry as possible, in winter and summer. The 35 pairs are raced natural as the partners liked hens for the longer races and pairing up is in March with racing from France in mind. The main families kept are Janssen and Busschaert obtained from Alec and Molly Martin, Cattrysse from Robin Creswick of Woking, but at this time mostly pigeons of the Krauth strain from John Everly. Alan runs a training programme for the Pyrford club members and his birds get regular tosses from Winchester and he feeds on a good general mixture, with added chicken pellets for the longer races. The Lomax’s live in a very rural area of Surrey, with their cottage being sited on a river bank and they get a lot of problems with Sparrowhawks and Minks, which kill they birds regularly. They normally wintered about 40 young birds bred from eight pairs of stock birds and 35 pairs of channel racers. Alan says he likes young bird racing, on the natural system flying to the perch, and gives them lots of training out of Winchester. Alan told me a funny, but true story about two of his young birds. The late Alec Martin gave him a pair eggs from his Red Janssen stock birds and after Alan reared them he let them out with his other youngsters, and those two went straight back to the Martin loft, a mile or so away. Strange, but true!

At this time Alan had been in the sport 60 years, starting racing in 1960, after catching the pigeon bug from fancier school mates as a 15 year old. In those early days he had the Wegg pigeons and received a lot of help from a nearby fancier, the late Alec Martin. Alan’s second hobby was playing golf and his job was a green keeper at the Hoebridge Golf Centre. Alan and Christine are great workers for the sport and he was chief clock setter and Surrey Federation delegate for his club. Alan is still the club’s delegate to the Three Borders Federation, a job he has done since the early 1960’s. Christine was the secretary of the Pyrford pigeon club for many years and was one the very best at the job that I ever met! A lovely hard working lady! Alan’s favourite nest condition for the longer races is hens sitting about ten day eggs. Alan said when he started up it was an achievement to get a bird on the day from Niort, such is the advance in our sport in 50 years, that sometimes you can get a day bird from Pau (550 miles) and not get in the National result. Alan isn’t a show man, but helps out at his club shows to get some funds in the bank. Christine said when the partners pair up they try and pair the best performers together.

There you have it, Alan and Christine Lomax of Woking, two of the nicest people in pigeon racing! They are still racing their pigeons with great success to their lofts down by the river at Old Woking and its great see them get some outstanding performances in the Three Borders Federation races.

That’s it for this week! Well done to the Andrews partnership for their first 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: 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)