STORIES OF THE CHAMPIONS
Part 7
by Keith Mott
I've had the great pleasure of writing in the pigeon fancy press for almost 45 years and in that time I have visited most of the premier lofts in the United Kingdom. I think it's fair to say that I have handled and inspected more National, Classic and Combine winners than most fanciers. Cameron Stansfield of the Elimar website recently asked me for my top ten pigeons that I have come across in my 45 years visiting premier lofts in the UK and on the Continent. A very hard request to fulfil! I went through thousands of pigeon photographs in my archive files and came up with nearly 80 ‘once in a life time’ champion pigeons. There is probably more in there, but as always, Keith has done his best! This request inspired me to write about some of these great pigeon, so in the coming weeks we are going to feature my ‘Stories of the Champions’, which will feature pictures and the short stories of the history behind the best of the champion pigeons that I have come in contact with in my time in the sport. Over the coming weeks we are featuring the very best of long distance and sprint and one article on world class breeders. I have lined them up in no particular order or preference, as I do not want to offend anybody and I hope my readers enjoy my choices! Here's Part 7.
CH. ‘TRAILL’S SPARK’ John Traill of Thornton
When John Traill passed away in June 2001, the sport of long distance pigeon racing in Scotland lost one of its greatest champions. I met ‘jock’ in the mid 1990s, when I visited his Fife loft while on a ‘Many Miles with Mott’ video tour with Albert Taylor and we found him to be a real gentleman pigeon fancier. He loved long distance pigeon racing, with the highlights of his 55 years in the sport being twice 1st open Scottish National Flying Club.
John Traill had many premier positions in the SNFC through the years, with his best being: 1995: 20th open SNFC Niort, 80th open SNFC Rennes, 1996: 1st, 8th open SNFC Niort (690 miles), 1997: 11th open SNFC Rennes, 1st, 30th open SNFC Nantes (620 miles) and he also won 2nd open SNFC Nantes (620 miles) and 1st open Fife Federation Dorchester (400 miles). He won numerous positions in the first thirty open in the Scottish National Flying Club. His National winners were: Champion ’Traill’s Spark’, dark chequer cock, winner of 1996: 1st open SNFC Niort, 690 miles, being liberated at 06.00hrs and clocked 10.20hrs next day, 1995: 27th open SNFC Niort, 1992: 1st open Fife Federation Dorchester (400 miles). Champion ’Nancy’, the frill blue chequer hen named after John’s wife, Nancy. She won in 1997: 1st open SNFC Nantes (620 miles) and in 1996: 8th open SNFC Niort (690 miles).
On my visit John told me, he could trace his National winning family back to some of those original pigeons he had in 1951. The main stock pair was a blue chequer hen bred down from the old Traill family and before being put to stock, she was a useful racer, winning many major prizes including 2nd open Federation. John told me she was the dam of the loft! Her mate was a handsome blue chequer pied, being produced from a gift egg from Keith Cochrane, and he was bred down from the Eddie Newcombe bloodlines. This wonderful stock pair bred the Niort National winner, Champion ‘Traill’s Spark’. When John introduced new stock he preferred to bring in a good hen, bred close to good 600 mile winners and out of a consistent loft. He didn’t have many crosses over the years, but some successful ones were from Dennis Dall, Bobby Carruthers, Keith Cochrane and J. & J. Keir. John’s work was a driver on the railway and told me, he had great support from his wife, Nancy with his pigeons and his family as a whole were very interested in his hobby. He was president of the Thornton Club and Fife Federation for 23 years. A well respected fancier!
CH. ‘DANNY BOY’ Derik and Anne Nordon of Langholm
One of the premier lofts in Scotland in recent seasons must be that of Derik & Anne Nordon, with brilliant performances in the SNFC, including 1st Open twice. The main families kept are Bricoux / Kirkpatricks from Tommy Gilbertson of Carlisle and the late Bobby Carruthers of Bonnyrigg, with Van Hees obtained from Bernard Miles from the south of England. Derik has won countless SNFC Averages and trophies through the years and was Scotland's Own Fancier of the Year in 1993 and 1999. In the 1999 season the Nordon loft won 1st and 2nd open from the SNFC Rennes race and Derik tells me, at that time he was the first fancier for over a hundred years to win 1st and 2nd in the SNFC ‘Kings Cup’ race. He won the Rennes National (490miles) with his good blue hen, ‘Anniversary Girl’, and ‘Danny Boy’ was clocked a few minutes after to win 2nd open. Derik's says the blue cock, ‘Danny Boy’, is one of his best racers ever and is a champion in the truest sense of the word, winning: 1999: 2nd open Rennes SNFC (2,865 birds); 65th open Frome SNFC (4,005 birds); 1998: 5th open Rennes SNFC (3,019 birds); 1997: 9th open Rennes SNFC (3,269 birds); 38th open Frome SNFC (3,272 birds) and won over £7,000. A brilliant national racing cock! ‘Danny Boy’ was bred from a Van Hee blue cock, bred by Gus Power of Gretna, which won 19th open in the SNFC Young Bird National and Derik had purchased the pigeon at a sale for £13. His dam was bred by Allister Ray and Derik raced the big blue hen, too win 1st Federation Cheltenham with her.
CH. ‘KARDALE REGATTA’ Dale Newcombe of Macmerry
The late great Dale Newcombe of Macmerry in East Lothian, who was from an outstanding pigeon family which had won the SNFC ‘King's Cup’ from Rennes (543 miles) four times. Dale’s father is famous throughout the pigeon racing world and was voted ‘British Fancier of the Year’ seven times. Eddie won countless open positions in the SNFC, including 1st open Rennes ‘Kings Cup’ National (twice), 1st open Cheltenham Young Bird National and 1st, 2nd and 3rd open Sartilly National. Eddie has now retired to Malta and is now racing with outstanding success out there. Dale started up in pigeons in 1969 as a school boy and was only interested in the long distance National races. Dale’s ‘Kardale Lofts’ were full of quality pigeons and he was twice winner of the S.N.F.C. ‘King’s Cup’ Rennes race in 1981 and 1993. In over 110 years of the SNFC Rennes ‘King’s Cup’ races, only three fancier have won the event twice, with Eddie and Dale being two of them. The third double ‘King’s Cup’ winning loft, being that of the late, great John Wylie. Since starting racing in the SNFC in 1971, Dale had won well over 280 diplomas, with many of them being placed in the first few in the open results. He had been ever present in the SNFC results winning: 14 times in the first six open, 22 times in the first ten open and a fantastic 86 positions in the first fifty open. He had won two Louella Pigeon World motor cars and total cash winnings in the SNFC being about £34,000. A wonderful record!
Dale’s very smart loft was very large and was built by his father in 1966. The brick building had four massive sections for the racers, two for the stock birds and the birds trapped through sputniks. When Dale brought in pigeons for stock he liked to obtain children of Scotch National winners, preferably ‘King’s Cup’ winners. He was not bothered by type and said eyesign was just a fad. I had the good fortune to spend a few hours at Dale’s home in Scotland and handled all of his champion racers. The best at that time in the mid 1990’s was the mealy hen, ‘Kardale Regatta’, winner of 211th, 126th, 154th and 6th open SNFC Rennes (543 miles) and a Gold Award winner. This apple bodied hen was bred from the very best National winning lines and won over £4,000, with her best nest condition being due to hatch the day of liberation from Rennes. Dale told me on my visit that this great hen was probably his best bird at that time.
CH. ‘PETER THORPE’ Peter Virtue of Cockburnspath
The Berwickshire loft of Peter Virtue is legendary in National racing in Scotland, with many premier positions won over many years, including several times 1st open. Peter has still got the same basic family of Reg Barker pigeons, that he obtained in 1957 and he says in those years he has had five crosses which have been successful. Most of his best crosses have come his good late friend, Bobby Carruthers, including one off Bobby’s ‘Money Maker’. One of the best crosses for the Reg Barker pigeons was a dark chequer cock that he purchased from a local fancier in 1965 for £5 and this game pigeon had scored twice in the Rennes National. He was the Dr. Anderson bloodlines and bred one of his S.N.F.C. winners. Peter says that was the best fiver he has ever spent. Peter is a retired railwayman and says his wife, Jean, has played a big part in his pigeon success as she always looked after the birds in the winter months when he had to work 12 hour days and she has clocked many times in National races, when he had to work.
Peter says he has owned many top-class pigeons through the years, but one of the best was his Busschaert blue cock, “Peter Thorpe”. This game cock had a wonderful record on the road recording the following: 1993: 9th open SNFC Sartilly, 1994: 108th open SNFC Rennes, 1995: 3rd open SNFC Rennes, 1996: 3rd open SNFC Rennes and he won eleven times 1st club, twice 1st open Federation. A brilliant pigeon! The star pigeon of the 2005 season for the Peter Virtue loft was the blue chequer pied hen, ‘The Newbury Hen’ and she recorded 2nd open SNRPC Newbury. This game hen is down from Peter’s Champion “Peter Thorpe” / Busschaert bloodlines and her grandmother won 13th open SNFC Clermont.
CH. ‘WESTBOUND’ George & Gareth Rankin of Glasgow
For many years the name Rankin has been at the top of the Scottish National Flying Club long distance results with outstanding consistency. The Rankin loft won 66 SNFC certificates from 1975 to 1996 and over £11,700 in national racing. At the time of my visit to the late George Rankin’s loft in the mid-1990’s, the loft was the only one in the SNFC to be in the first 25 open positions from the Niort (673 miles) races in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995 and 1996, with the same bloodlines. The loft’s star performers from Niort in the SNFC races were: Champion ‘Westbound’: son of ‘The Old Grizzle Hen’, 1989: 20th West Section, 88th open SNFC Niort, 1990: 1st West Section, 4th open S.N.F.C. Niort: ‘Hat Trick’: daughter of ‘Westbound’, 1991: 3rd West Section, 17th open SNFC Niort: ‘Westbound Junior’: son of ‘Westbound’, 1995: 7th West Section, 36th open SNFC Niort, 1996: 1st West Section, 24th open S.N.F.C. Niort: ‘The Old Grizzle Hen’: dam of ‘Westbound’, 1989: 3rd West Section, 23rd open S.N.F.C. Niort: ‘The Blue Hen’, granddaughter of ‘Red Rocket’, George’s S.N.F.C. Gold Award winner and ‘The Old Grizzle Hen’, 1995: 5th West Section, 25th open S.N.F.C. Niort. What a family of pigeons, all bred around the great ‘Westbound’!
George Rankin was born in Bangor, County Down, in Northern Ireland and as a lad kept all sorts of pigeons on his father’s farm in Drumawhey. He was very successful racing his birds in Northern Ireland, including positions won in the INFC and several Combine winners. George moved to Scotland in June 1872, with his wife, Marcia, and children, Richard, Gareth and Sharon. In 1984 the racing name was changed to, G. Rankin & son, when his son Gareth became very interested in the birds, at the age of 13, and he is a very good pigeon fancier. Gareth, a 6ft 6in tall 30 year old, when I visited the Rankin home, was very keen on long distance racing and had never missed a day at the lofts. The partners’ family of pigeons had been blended together by themselves to produce pigeons that could fly 16 hours on the day and get going again the second day if needed to finish the job from the long distance.
CH. ‘ESKVALLEY JACKY’ Ralston Graham of Langholm
Another name that is at the top of the Scottish National Flying Club results every season and is fast becoming a household name north of the border is that of Ralston Graham. In the last few seasons his performances in the SNFC have been second to none, the highlights being, 2000: 2nd open SNFC Messac, 2002: 1st open SNFC Reims, 2005: 2nd open SNFC Alencon, all Gold Cup Blue Riband races. Ralston won his second SNFC Gold Award with Ch. ‘Eskvalley Jacky’ in 2005, but sadly she was killed by a Sparrowhawk in March 2006 and at that time she was rated as one of the best hens in Scotland.. The loft has won the S.H.U. ‘Dewar Trophy’ and the Joe Murphy, British Homing World Sporting Challenge in 2003 and 2005. Champion ‘Eskvalley Jacky’ won: 2005: 2nd open SNFC Alencon, 26th open SNFC Falaise, 7th Federation Mowbray, 2004: 10th open SNFC Falaise, 12th open SNFC Reims, winning the ‘T. Buck Trophy’ in the SNFC, 2003: 139th open SNFC Claremont. In the 2005 season this wonderful hen won the SNFC Gold Award and BHW Sporting Challenge, and was runner up for the ‘Dewar Trophy’ in both 2004 and 2005.
Ralston lives in a hot bed of pigeons, racing at Langholm, just up the road from Derik Nordon and unlike most pigeon fanciers in Scotland, he likes some sprint Federation racing. Ralston is outstanding in the long distance Channel races, but is brilliant in the sprint events. When I visited him, back in the mid 1990’s his best performance from France was 10th open SNFC Rennes and had been the Solway Federation Champion for six years on the trot up to 1996 and had won 1st open Federation countless times in his 42 years in the sport. Other premier racers at ‘Eskvalley Lofts’ were: ‘CH. ‘Eskvalley Pat’: 2004: 43rd open SNFC Newbury, 2003: 6th open SNFC Claremont, 18th open SNFC Reims, 250th open SNFC Newbury, 2002: 9th open SNFC Reims, 70th open SNFC Claremont. Winner of the prestigious ‘Dewar Trophy’ for the 2002 performances, recognising her achievement as the best long distance bird in Scotland that year. ‘Eskvalley Champion’: 1st open SNFC Reims Gold Cup, 59th open SNFC Frome, ‘Eskvalley Niall’: 2nd open SNFC Messac, 5th open SNFC Newbury, 40th open SNFC Frome, 4th Federation Burscough, 6th Federation Worcester and is the sire of ‘Eskvalley Champion’. ‘Eskvalley Mark’: 11th open SNFC Reims, 1st Federation Leyland, 95th open SNFC Newbury, 9th Federation Worcester and was the sire of ‘Eskvalley Niall’. A brilliant loft of loft of pigeons!
I’ve really enjoyed writing this article, as it has brought back some great memories of my pigeon trips to Scotland in the mid-1990s, with my ol’ mate, Albert Taylor! Next time we are going to feature five more exceptional champions, including Ronnie Wasey’s ‘Nightlight Nancy’ and Eric Matthews’ ‘Solitaire’. I can be contacted on telephone number: 01372 463480 or my new email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
TEXT BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)
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