“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.
Three Borders Federation (Truro Race).
The Three Borders Federation were at Truro for the last old bird race of the 2024 season and the convoy were held for a later liberation because of early morning rain at the race point, and were liberated with sun on the baskets at 10.45hrs into a strong West / North West wind situation. The Federation convoyer, Dom McCoy reported a good clearance and with the wind turning West on rout home, the members enjoyed fast and good 240 mile race. A couple of weeks ago in my 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. Came the last old bird race and the partners have finally struck ‘gold’ and they have topped the Truro Federation result, winning 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th Federation. I spoke to Mark after the race and he said, ‘the Truro race was fast and we clocked five birds in a minute. They came really well! All this season the racers have come slightly off light, but still scored well in the club and Federation. This week they came bang on the racing line and won the Federation. It certainly is nice to win the longest old birds race.’ Andrews partnership have won so far this season in the Three Borders Federation: 22nd, 23rd Federation Wincanton, 24th, 22nd, 24th, 25th Federation Yeovil, 11th, 13th, 18th, 19th, 20th Federation Honiton, 20th, 21st, 24th Federation Okehampton, 5th 18th, 19th, 20th Federation Honiton, 16th, 17th Federation Wincanton, 24th Federation Wadebridge, 10th, 11th, 12th Federation Honiton, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th Federation Honiton. Well done to Terry Goodsell of the Ashridge club, recording 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 22nd Federation Truro. Terry is pigeon racing ‘legend’ in Three Borders Federation and is leading for the ‘Individual Points Cup’ at the end of old bird racing, with 55 points. Brilliant pigeon racing!
The first ten in the Truro Federation result were: 1) Jim & Mark Andrews 2044: 2) Jim & Mark Andrews 2043: 3) Jim & Mark Andrews 2041: 4) Terry Goodsell 2040: 5) Terry Goodsell 2039: 6) Jim & Mark Andrews 2037: 7) Jim & Mark Andrews 2035: 8) Terry Goodsell 2026: 9) Terry Goodsell 1974: 10) Freddie Ditch 1974. This was race number eleven of the season and at this point the Ashridge club are leading for the ‘Federation Points Trophy’ with 43 points, with the Mitcham & Morden club being R/U on 39 points.
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 Andrews partnership had a brilliant season racing in the Three Borders Federation in 2023, winning many top positions, including 1st Federation from Honiton. The 2022 season saw them win 21 first in the clubs and 1st Surrey Federation twice! Well done to Mark and Ben!
It has come to my attention that a young lad named; Marcin Switkowski of the Isleworth club has won his first race from Truro and 21st Three Borders Federation. Marcin comes from Poland and only started up in the pigeon racing sport in 2021, and I’m told he is great worker at the club on marking nights. He has won the longest old bird race with his blue hen, ‘Little Blue’ and she was sent sitting on a ten day old youngster. This hen is very small, but has got a big heart! She was a spare hen and was paired up and sent to Truro on her first nest of the season, but was sent to nearly every race. Marcin’s self-built loft has four sections, which houses his 20 pairs of racers and 9 pairs of breeders. He races on the Natural system and the racers only rear one youngster before the first race, being paired up in February. The old birds are trained through to Light Water in Surrey before the first race and because of the bad hawk problem; they are exercised around the loft during racing. Marcin feeds several good mixtures, the main one being ‘Gerry Plus’. His 65 young birds are raced to the perch, with no darkness and race the programme. The nine pairs of stock birds are paired up in January and when looking for new breeders, Marcin is not interested in pedigree, but looks for outstanding performance. Congratulations to Marcin on his first race winner!
The 2024 Young Bird programme is: 27th July Wincanton: 3rd August Wincanton: 10th August Yeovil: 17th Yeovil: 24th August Honiton: 31st August Newton Abbot: 7th September Okehampton. Marking for all Federation young bird races is Friday night.
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: 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)