Keith Mott

Writes about winning fanciers past and present

New L&SECC Website

We are currently constructing a new and better London & South East Classic Club website, which will be up and running before we start racing in May. The new site is being built by the best in the business, Mysoft and we at the Classic committee are looking forward to a better up graded site for the membership to enjoy. The new 2010 racing season is looming up and we are looking forward to some good racing from our new transporter, which was purchased recently to cope better with our big birdage races. I would like to welcome our new secretary, Terri Hoskin, who I believe is going to be one of the best administrators in our sport! She is a very keen, but needs a sorting out period.

The new L&SECC phone line and internet has been installed and Terri’s full details are: address - 53, Highham Road, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 2AF: phone number - 01494 786026: email address – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  Subs are £25 and 'Gold Rings' cost £5 each (max ten rings) plus £1 p&p. The 2010 race programme is: 15th May Alencon: 29th May Tours (including the yearling derby): 25th June Tarbes: 16th July Bergerac: 21st August Guernsey 1 (young bird and old hens): 11th September Guernsey2 (young bird and old hens).

Back in January I was given the great honour of being elected as the new L&SECC President and I would like to thank the committee for their vote of support and confidence. Being elected has presented me with an exciting challenge which I will enjoy and relish! We at the L&SECC have one of the best work forces in the sport and I would like to thank them all personally for their good work in the 2009 season and hope for their continuing support this year. I would like to conclude by wishing all our membership the very best of luck for the new racing season!

Alan & Christine Lomax of Woking

My ol’ friends from the Pyrford club, Alan and Christine Lomax, have had some good success in the L&SECC in recent seasons with their Busschaert hen, ‘Classic Blue Lady’, which has recorded: 2007: 22nd open L&SECC Guernsey 1. (old hens), 24th open L&SECC Guernsey 2. (old hens), 2008: 45th open L&SECC Alencon, 13th open L&SECC Tours. A brilliant record! This game hen came home from the Tours classic in 2008 with her keel skinned and bleeding, and still recorded 13th open. A few years ago Christine purchased six Busschaert squeakers from Oly Gittins of Cornwall for a present for Alan and ‘Classic Blue Lady’ was bred from two of those original birds.

The partners have been winning major pigeon races for many years and 1988 season saw Alan and Christine win the longest Surrey Federation old bird race from Bergerac (450 miles) with 1,763 birds taking part. The partner’s Federation winner was an eight year old Corbett / Busschaert red chequer hen called ‘The 96 Hen’ and she was bred by the late Alec Martin of Worplesdon. Alec was also a past winner of the Surrey Federation from Bergerac. Alan said at the time that he wasn’t very interested in inland racing, with his whole pigeon management being geared to channel racing. Some of the partner’s best channel results then were: 1964: 1st club, 2nd Three Borders Federation Bordeaux (446 miles), 1970: 1st club, 5th Federation Nantes (282 miles), 1971: 1st club, 9th Federation Nantes, 1975: 1st club, 4th Federation, 10th SMT Combine (4256 birds) Niort (343 miles), 1st, 2nd club, 4th, 17th Federation,  15th SMT Combine (4775 birds) Avranches (183 miles), 2nd club, 8th Federation, 35th SMT Combine Bergerac, 1976: 1st club, 11th Federation Laval, 1982: 1st club, 1st Three Borders Federation, 3rd Seven Counties Combine (3415 birds) Bergerac, 1985: 2nd club, 14th Federation, 44th SMT Combine Bergerac, 1986: 1st club Bergerac, 6th Federation, 30th SMT Combine Nantes 1987: 1st club, 4th Surrey Federation, 22nd SMT Combine (4452 birds) Wadebridge, 1988: 1st, 2nd club, 1st, 22nd Surrey Federation Bergerac. A wonderful loft performance!

Alan and Christine got married in 1981 and on moving to Old Woking that year formed their pigeon racing partnership. Christine was very interested in the pigeons and is the book keeper in the partnership, and took over as club secretary of the Horsell Inv. Club in 1989. She was the hard working secretary of the Pyrford club for an amazing 21 years! The partners had five lofts, which are cleaned out every day and Alan maintains that pigeons will race to an orange box if they are happy. The Lomax’s lofts are well ventilated and are kept as dry as possible, in winter and summer. The 35 pairs are raced natural as the partners liked hens for the longer races and pairing up is in March with racing from France in mind. The main families kept are Janssen and Busschaert obtained from Alec and Molly Martin, Cattrysse from Robin Creswick of Woking, but at this time mostly pigeons of the Krauth strain from John Everly. Alan runs a training programme for the Pyrford club members and his birds get regular tosses from Winchester and he feeds on a good general mixture, with added chicken pellets for the longer races. The Lomax’s live in a very rural area of Surrey, with their cottage being sited on a river bank and they get a lot of problems with Sparrowhawks and Minks, which kill they birds regularly. They normally wintered about 40 young birds bred from eight pairs of stock birds and 35 pairs of channel racers. Alan says he likes young bird racing, on the natural system flying to the perch, and gives them lots of training out of Winchester. Alan told me a funny, but true story about two of his young birds. The late Alec Martin gave him a pair eggs from his Red Janssen stock birds and after Alan reared them he let them out with his other youngsters, and those two went straight back to the Martin loft, a mile or so away. Strange, but true!

At this time Alan had been in the sport 50 years, starting racing in 1960, after catching the pigeon bug from fancier school mates as a 15 year old. In those early days he had the Wegg pigeons and received a lot of help from a near by fancier, the late Alec Martin. Alan’s second hobby was playing golf and his job is a green keeper at the Hoebridge Golf Centre. Alan and Christine are great workers for the sport and he was chief clock setter and Surrey Federation delegate for his club. Alan is still the club’s delegate to the Three Borders Federation, a job he has done since the early 1960’s. Alan’s favourite nest condition for the longer races is hens sitting about ten day eggs. Alan said when he started up it was an achievement to get a bird on the day from Niort, such is the advance in our sport in 50 years, that some times you can get a day bird from Pau (550 miles) and not get in the National result. Alan isn’t a show man, but helps out at his club shows to get some funds in the bank. Christine said when the partners pair up they try and pair the best performers together.

There you have it, Alan and Christine Lomax of Woking, two of the nicest people in pigeon racing! They are still racing their pigeons with great success to their lofts down by the river at Old Woking and its great see them get some outstanding performances in the London & South East Classic Club races.

Well that’s your latest L&SECC report and I hope my readers have enjoyed it! I can be contacted on telephone number: 01372 463480.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.