“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT

South West Show Racer Society

The month of November saw Terry Haley and I make the 240 mile drive down to Bodmin in Cornwall to judge the South West Show Racer Societies annual Duchy Open Show. On our way down to Cornwall we stopped off in Exeter for an hour to visit my ol’ friend, Bob Reeve and I must say he looked really well! Bobby is 92 years of age and can’t drive far these days because of his ‘dodgy’ leg, but still has a wonderful team of pigeons. The Duchy Show is open to any fanciers in the UK and John Robilliard tells me they come from as far away as Wales, Gloucestershire and the Midlands to compete. The show’s 37 classes are for Show Racers and Racing Pigeons, and this year’s event attracted a 604 bird entry. Although Terry and I were a long way from home, it was good to see all the old familiar faces we see every year around the Show Racer scene. Colin Carter and Bill Harris were down from Gloucestershire to judge and the four of us went out for a meal the night before the show and we had a very enjoyable catch up with the pigeon news. The judges on the day were: (Racing Pigeons) Peter Hockridge, Ray Clive, Duncan Harvey, (Show Racers) Terry Haley, Colin Carter, Bill Harris and Keith Mott. All the judges on the day were given the task of judging the specials from the 37 class winners and with the quality of the pigeon there, what a hard job that was!

We awarded Best in Show (Show Racer), Best Young Bird (Show Racer) and Supreme Champion to beautiful 2015 red chequer cock, owned by Brian & Caroline Seward of Brampton and that wonderful pigeon was bred down from gift stock birds from Alistair Tankard. The Seward loft also won Best Adult Cock. Brian and Caroline had previously won Supreme Champion at the Duchy Show in 2013 with their good mosaic hen named, ‘Abigail’. Best Opposite Sex (Show Racer), Best Yearling Cock, Best Yearling Hen and Best TTW were won by David and Jill Fisher. Best Opposite Sex Young Bird (Show Racer) and Best Colour Class was won Nigel Rescorla and Roland and Julie Thresher was awarded Best Adult Hen. T. M. Neville had the premier racing pigeon on the day in the form of a wonderful dark pied cock that lifted Reserve Champion, Best Racer and Best Channel Cock. Mr. & Mrs. F. Williams won Best Opposite Racer, plus other premier awards, including 300 mile Adult Cock, 300 mile Adult Hen, Channel Hen and Likeliest 400 mile Cock. W. & L. Jefford lifted Best Young Racer, Mr. & Mrs. Phil Wilson won Best Opposite Sex Young Racer, Best TTW and David Stuart was awarded Best Colour Class Racer.

For me personally it was great to be back at the Duchy Show after a season lay off from judging because of my ‘dodgy knees’ problem. I had five great classes of pigeons to judge and picked a wonderful young red cock from my reds and mealies class to be the best pigeon I handled that day and he then went on to win Supreme Champion for Brian and Caroline Seward. A very satisfying result! Back in the summer I gifted a pair of Eric Cannon youngster to a Cornish fancier I had never met by the name of David Johnson and after many phone calls over the weeks, we arranged to meet up at the Duchy Show, which is staged about three miles from where he lives in Rosemellyn. On meeting him at the venue in Luxulyan we had a bit of a chat and he was soon roped in and he walked around with me and scored up while I judged my five classes. David has been a pigeon racer for 45 years and is only interested in long distance racing on the natural system. He tells me he only has 20 pairs of racers, which he pairs up on the 14th February every season and his main family are Logan from the late Brian Snell of St. Austell. His best two birds were: ‘Jed’, winner of 1st Open Cornish Combine Smeartharpe, 1st Eyesign at the

Camborne Open Show and ‘Sabre’, winner in 2010 of: 77th Open NFC St. Malo (8,809 birds). This great red Logan cock flew and scored over the English Channel many times and was killed by a hawk. Thanks to David for his help on the day!

Originally the Duchy Show was put on for many years by the Duchy Racing Pigeon Club and when it disbanded about seven years ago the South West Show Racer Society took it over, and this year’s event is their seventh open show. The SWSRS has 35 members with their lofts in mostly Devon and Cornwall, with a couple of members living in South Wales. The Society holds five shows each season, three club events and two open shows, one in November and the other in December. The competition in the Society is very keen and the members do very well at all the National and Classic shows throughout the UK. The Societies chairman, John Robilliard, told me, a few years ago the club out grew their old HQ at a local hospital site and managed to secure the Luxulyan Village Hall, which is a brilliant venue to stage big pigeon shows, with a nice well-lit hall and good catering and parking facilities. The hard working secretary is, Liz Watts, who has her loft in Camborne and the President is Ken Hearn. The Society had some really bad luck recently when they lost a lot of their equipment in a fire, including all their tables and trestles. They are having fund raising events to raise money to replace their lost equipment, including small pigeon auctions at the club shows.

Talking to Brian Seward the day after the show, he told me, he had not slept to well with the excitement of his second big win at Luxulyan and he and his wife, Caroline were highly delighted with their continuing success at the ‘Duchy’ Show. This was their wonderful red cocks first time in the show pen, to win Supreme Champion and was bred from the best of Alistair Tankard’s loft in Scotland. Their 2013 Supreme Champion, ‘Abigail’, is named after their eldest granddaughter and she won as young bird at the ‘Duchy’ and won her class at the 2012 BSRF Southern Show. A wonderful line of winning Show Racers!

Brian was a pigeon fancier at a very young age, with his father, Arnold, being a very successful racer before and after the Second World War. The late Arnold Seward flew both North and South roads with outstanding success in club and Federation, but his main success was gaining premier positions in the National Flying Club, and from Palamos. Arnold got his interest in pigeon racing from his uncle, Arnold Record, who flew in the Record & Talman partnership of Exeter before the war. In the 1970’s Brian’s pigeon racing conflicted with his work in the family business and their two young sons’ activity of horse riding. The late great Show Racer fancier, Mike Hale of Cornwall, suggested that some show birds might be more compatible with Brian busy life style at that time and Brian decided to changed codes, and Mike supplied him with his first pair of Show Racers. Brian’s father, Arnold, also changed over to show birds and they enjoyed showing and judging at all the major shows together. Arnold passed away in 1993 and Brian found it very hard to travel around the country show on his own, so packed the pigeon up. Doug McClary kept in touch with Brian through his none pigeon years and gave him regular judging appointments. Brian was invited to judge at the 2005 BHW Blackpool Show, where he received a wonderful welcome back by his Show Racer friends and he soon had a new loft erected in the garden. The smart new 18ft x 8ft structure was soon followed by a basket full top quality Show Racers, gifted from Jill and David Fisher, and Jill’s father, Mervyn Patt. Within two years these stock birds produced both adult and young bird champions in the Devon & Cornwall SRS. Brian and Caroline retired from work in 2008, which gave them more time to be involved with the pigeons and they became joint secretaries of the Devon & Cornwall SRS.

Brian and Caroline’s cottage was originally a stable before the war, when Brian’s grandfather’s business delivered bred by pony and trap across Exmoor. It is Exmoor which still plays a large part in their retirement, as they help as volunteers on the Exmoor National Park. They have licences to monitor Dormice and Otters, and to lead walks over the moor. Exmoor National Park have big adventure days, when the theme is about the war and Brian has a stand with information leaflets about the ‘Pigeons In War’, which he backs up by taking a basket of birds to display, which proves very popular. One school in Minehead has had visits from the Exmoor National Park, when Brian and Caroline take the children out on nature walks. Recently Brian attended with a ranger to discuss ‘Pigeons In War’ at the school assembly and he took some pigeons as a surprise, which really went down well. He borrowed a pair of racing birds from local fancier, George Hensley, so messages could be attacked to the birds and then they were released. The children whooped with encouragement as the birds soared into the sky and yelled the direction of home as they circled over the school getting their bearings. The birds quickly returned to their loft and George read the messages, which thanked him for the loan of his birds.

The beginning of November marked the start of the current 2015 show season and I must say I’m looking forward to visiting all the major shows, this winter. Although I love long distance racing pigeons, many of my racing friends can’t understand my passion for showing pigeons. I can never turn pigeons off and when racing is finished in September, the Mott loft goes into showing mode. I have to have my ‘fix’ twelve months in every year. I suppose I’m a bit of a frustrated show man at heart! I think breeding pigeons for type and winning with them at a Classic show is as much an art as breeding outstanding racers, and winning a National race. I derive as much pleasure out of seeing a Best in Show winner at the National shows, as I do a National race winning pigeon, but I think I’m one of the lucky ones, as I can enjoy both sides of our great sport. Although I’m mostly known for the racing side of the sport, I have a big involvement in the Show Racers scene and have judged at all the Classic and National shows through the years, which I have really enjoyed.

What a great couple of days we had in Cornwall! Thanks to all the workers and a special thanks to the Society secretary, Liz Watts, for her wonderful work on the day. I judged five classes on the day and the birds entered were in great condition, which is full credit to their owners. Merry Christmas from Betty and me to our many friends throughout the pigeon racing and showing world! Have a great time. I can be contacted with any pigeon banter on telephone number: 01372 463480.

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