Keith Mott's

TRIBUTE TO TONY FLETCHER OF OLD WOKING

I’m sorry to say, I have to sit down once again this week to write another tribute to a great pigeon fancier who has passed away. It was saddening to come home from holiday last week to find two messages on my answer-phone, informing me that my good friend Tony Fletcher had passed away. What a great bloke he was! Tony was a big man with a big heart and a great sense of humour. He had been fighting cancer for quite some time and passed away on 16th March at the age of 65. Condolences to Dol and the family from Betty and myself.

Tony and Dol flew in the Pyrford Social R.P.C. and two nicer people you couldn't find! Their record in the L&SECC was outstanding as since joining the club in 1994 they have won countless positions including: 1998 – 1st open Nantes (Yearling Derby), 6th open Guernsey; 1997 – 2nd open Alencon; 1995 – 4th open Angers, 7th open Poitiers, 7th open Vire; 1994 – 9th open Corancez. A brilliant loft performance!

Tony's & Dol's Nantes Yearling Derby winner was their Janssen blue cock called ‘Blue Fly’, bred down from Ponderosa bloodlines with his dam, a wonderful blue hen, winning 1st club, 1st Federation as a young bird. He was a widowhood cock, paired up two days before he was sent to the Nantes Classic and had previously won 43rd open Alencon L&SECC in 1998. This game cock was medium apple-bodied in the hand and had a full wing when he won the 1998 Nantes Classic, which was a wonderful performance.

Tony had been in pigeon racing for over 20 years, having previously been a budgie breeder and to say that he was thrilled to win the Classic would be an understatement. The main racing loft was 18ft x 6ft with open-door trapping, grilled floors and was made up of three sections. The loft had a lucky horseshoe, which I noticed was fixed upside down and when I asked Tony why it was fixed this way, he said that in Belgium they practise this 'to pour the bad luck out’. Since he turned the lucky horseshoe over in 1994, he had fantastic success! He raced 12 cocks on the widowhood system and they competed up to 400 miles, being normally re-paired for the long distance races at the end of the season. The cocks raced every two weeks, being broken down after the race, at which time their corn was beefed up with peanuts for the long-distance events.

They were paired up on January 7th and were trained hard for ten days before the first race, with the odd toss in the season. They were flown out around the loft for one hour morning and evening and were fed at the same time every day. The cocks were shown the hens on marking night and got their female on their return from the race. Their stock loft was full of successful Classic pigeons including ‘Flash’, winner of 2nd open Alencon L&SECC, 7th open Poitiers L&SECC and ‘Young Stretch’, winner of 1st club, 1st Three Borders Federation Weymouth, 6th open Guernsey L&SECC.

A brilliant fancier and family of pigeons!