BRITISH BARCELONA CLUB'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Part 5

by Keith Mott

Season 2014 represents another milestone in history for the British Barcelona Club, for this year is the club’s 50th anniversary. In celebration of this event it is intended to reproduce some of the articles on past winners that have appeared in the Fancy Press over the years. It is well worth remembering that here in this country we have just three racing organisations that cover the whole of the country, of which only one, the British Barcelona Club, encompasses the Channel Islands, making its races truly National events. To celebrate the Golden Jubilee every section winner in this year’s races will receive a special commemorative medal which will be presented at this year’s dinner at Days Hotel, Bournemouth. In the meantime it is hoped that readers will enjoy the exploits and methods of past winners of this highly successful club. For those interested, it is not too late to join and partake in this year’s celebrations. Good luck to our members for the forthcoming 2014 season. - Michael Shepherd (BBC Chairman).

ROY & STUART WATERS OF SALISBURY

1st Open BBC Rennes (206 miles) 1982

A few seasons ago I had the good fortune to visit the Salisbury lofts of Roy & Stuart Waters and what a fantastic set up these two gentlemen had. I must rate their set up as one of the best I have had the pleasure to visit. The father and son partners lived next door to one another on top of a hill and the lofts were spread between the two gardens. The main loft was a double decker, with 40 widowhood cocks on top and stock birds below. The widowhood hens and stock birds had nice wire flights on the side to have a bath, take fresh air and sunshine.

The widowhood cocks were split into two sections, short and long distance, and were paired up about a month apart. The cocks reared one youngster each and raced from the shortest to the longest race. The widowers were fed on a standard mixture with extra beans added for the distance races and they were never broken down. The partners made their own little pigeon cake up with 18 different seeds. The widowhood cocks got a few tosses at the start of the season, then were flown around the loft one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening.

Roy and Stuart won 1st open, 1st section B Saintes National Flying Club in 1995 with their ace two-year-old Verheye dark cock champion 'Joshua'. I handled the champion and he was below medium and apple-bodied in the hand, with silky feathering and nice dark eye. He was on widowhood in 1995 up to the Nantes National, then paired up and was feeding a youngster when he won the Saintes National. 'Joshua' wasn't raced as a young bird but took several cards before winning the Saintes National in 1995, including 2nd Club Plymouth. His grandsire was their champion blue Verheye stock cock 'Crazy Horse'. This fantastic old cock had won six times 1st Club, three times 1st Federation and was sire of many pigeons to win 1st Club, 1st Federation and 1st Combine and of course was grandsire of champion 'Joshua'.

The young birds had their own very smart 12ft x 6ft loft, which housed about 50 youngsters each year. Once the young birds eyes had changed they were trained hard, twice a day up to 50 miles. The loft had drop hole trapping and wire grid floors. The partners liked young bird racing, with the hens going through the card to test them and selected cocks left on the perch. Roy said widowhood was a waste of good hens, as he had many good winners with young hens, then they became widowhood hens as yearlings and never saw the race basket again.

The loft's racing record was fantastic winning: 1st Open, 1st Section B. Saintes (N.F.C.), 1st Open Rennes (B.B.C.), 2nd Open Rennes (B.B.C.), 7th Open Young Bird National, 25th Open Palamos (B.B.C.) 46th Open Nantes (N.F.C.), 52nd Open Rennes (C.S.C.F.C.), 61st Open Nantes (C.S.C.F.C.), 71st Open Pau (C.S.C.F.C.), 77th Open Pau (C.S.C.F.C.), 90th Open Pau (N.F.C.), 1st Open Cabana Young Bird race winning TV and video, 3rd Open Cabana Young Bird race winning T.V. and video, 1st Crewkerne Open plus eleven times 1st Club in one season in Salisbury & District FC, winning all trophies and averages. The loft had won 1st Federation many times including 1st Wilts Federation four weeks on the trot, which was thought to be a record. When champion 'Joshua' won the Saintes National in 1995 he also won the Ponderosa car nomination.

Roy & Stuart erected a new loft to race a few Natural pairs in 1996 and make use of some of their good hens. Roy said he thought hens were more true for the long distance races. The new natural loft was very smart, with sputnik trapping and wire floor. The loft was cleaned out every day and natural racers were paired up in April.

The Verheyes were first bought in 1975, and the partners had been over to Holland in recent times and brought in De Klak and Jan Aarden stock from some very good fanciers. Stuart said the Verheyes had been outstanding up to 400 miles and the Dutch birds had won up to Rennes (205 miles), but had not been tested at the long distance. Roy showed me an outstanding De Klak blue chequer hen which won 1st Club, 2nd Federation Rennes, beating his widowhood cocks by five minutes. This hen was not raced as a youngster and had only had one race in her life, winning from Rennes. Her sire and dam were direct De Klak stock from Holland and had bred three winners for the partners already.

Roy had been in the sport for 32 years and Stuart joined the partnership about six years before the N.F.C. win, when he stopped playing football. Stuart said his first pair of stock birds he brought in was a pair of Janssens, a direct son and daughter of 'Stamvater' purchased from Louella Lofts. Stuart maintained when he came into the sport the first fancier who drew his attention was Geoff Kirkland; he was always in the frame. He stayed at home and looked after the children while his wife went to work. She had a good job, working in a High Street bank and this gave him more time with the birds. Stuart said winning the National was the best feeling ever, but still remembers his first ever winner, a young bird from Plymouth, like it was yesterday. His most disappointing experience in the sport was when someone broke in and killed most of his dad's pigeons a few years ago. Roy maintained that for success the birds need to be kept fit and healthy, but the key factor is motivation. The partners liked their old birds to go through to 600 miles, but the yearlings only went up to 250 miles, as they need time to mature. The birds were fed mainly peas and beans in the winter and when racing were fed the widowhood mixture in gallipots twice a day and this was measured. All the birds were given Hormoform daily and the youngsters feed was also measured.

Roy was president of Wiltshire Federation and Stuart was press officer for the Salisbury club. Stuart said he would like to see the protection on falcons lifted, as many lofts are hit badly by these birds of prey. The partners liked to line breed their pigeons for racing and stock, with outstanding success. You could not meet two nicer guys than Roy and Stuart Waters! There you have it, the National and Federation winning loft of the Waters partnership of Salisbury.

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

---