Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past and present

THREE BORDERS FED NEWS

After the Federation completing seven old bird races of the 2009 season, the leading loft is that of Reg & Richard Maybey of Virginia Water and I must say their widowhood team is on fire, winning every thing in front of them. The partners have had several of their Federation winners photographed and a full loft report will appear in a couple of week’s time. Just to update their performances so far this season: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Three Borders Federation Wincanton (1367 birds), 5th, 6th, 8th, 17th Three Borders Federation Yeovil (1837 birds), 7th, 8th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th Three Borders Federation Kingsdown (1703 birds), 9th, 10, 11th, 13th Three Borders Federation West Bay (2027 birds), 11th Three Borders Federation Fougeres (1038 birds), 1st, 22nd Three Borders Federation West Bay (1691 birds), 1st Three Borders Federation (1008 birds), 1st open SMT Combine (provisional) Messac, plus wins in the Berkshire Federation. Fantastic pigeon flying! After seven weeks of the season Reg and Richard have 30 points and lead for the Federation Individual Points Trophy by an amazing 18 points. Watch this space for their loft report in a couple of weeks!

When Reg and Richard won the Federation from West Bay (2) my ol’ mate, Peter Mercer of Feltham recorded 2nd behind them. Peter’s nickname at the Spelthorne pigeon club is ‘fat wallet’, because they say he is the richest man in Middlesex! I not sure about that being a fact, but he certainly is a great guy and is very successful with his pigeons every year. The 2009 season has seen him win several premier positions including 1st club, 2nd Three Borders Federation (1,691 birds) West Bay, with his good Willy Thas dark chequer cock, named ‘Fat Wallet’ after the great man himself.. This is the Spelthorne club’s first season in the Three Borders Federation and it must be said they have made there mark already, with the NFC winning loft of Derek Read recording several good positions including 3rd, 4th, 8th, 9th Federation West Bay behind ‘Fat Wallet’.

The 2007 season saw Peter Mercer win the Berkshire Federation again after winning it, plus 2nd open UBI Combine Wadebridge in the 2006 season. His 2007 Federation winner, which also recorded 3rd open UBI Combine (2186 birds) from Fougeres, was his Willy Thas blue chequer widowhood cock, ‘Good Win’, and he also won Champion Old Bird in the Spelthorne Club of 2007. This game cock was bred from gift pigeons from club mate and close friend, Brian Goodwin, and also won 1st club Wincanton (149 miles) and 2nd club Picauville (149 miles) in 2007. A wonderful pigeon! Peter also won R/U Champion Old Bird with the 2009 2nd Three Borders Federation pigeon, his Goodwin / Thas dark chequer natural cock, ‘Fat Wallet’, and he won 2nd club Newton Abbot, 2nd club Yelverton and 2nd club Lulworth Cove. This pigeon is one of Peter’s favourites and races best when sitting ten day old eggs. The Spelthorne club’s 2006 2nd open UBI Combine Wadebridge winner was another blue chequer hen and she was bred and raced by Peter Mercer. This game hen, now named ‘Laura’, was also a Willy Thas pigeon and was bred from stock birds obtained from Brian Goodwin of Hanworth. She was raced natural to the perch and had every race on her way to winning 2nd open Combine from Wadebridge.

Peter’s 15 pairs of old birds are raced natural and are paired up at the end of January. The main family at the Mercer loft are Willy Thas obtained from Brian Goodwin and are fed a good quality ‘Gem’ mixture. The loft is 22ft. long and the six pairs of stock birds are housed in a 5ft. section at the end. When Peter is selecting breeders he likes a good type and the candidates have to be well balanced in the hand. Peter breeds 20 young birds every season, which race the whole Federation programme and they are trained every day from 20 miles. Peter started up in the sport when he was 14 years of age and has raced north and south road. He says, he is not really bothered about winning races, being a pigeon lover and just enjoys his birds in the garden. A great attitude!

Members of the Three Borders Federation sent one of the biggest birdages of the 2009 season to the West Bay (1) race, in the form of 2,027 birds and they were liberated at 09.00hrs in a variable wind. The Richmond loft of T. McCoy & son carried on their great tradition of winning premier Federation prizes and won the Federation with three year old widowhood cock.

Although the racing name is T. McCoy & sons, the two partners are Billy McCoy and Mel Evans, with T. McCoy being Bill’s late father, Tom. The late Tom McCoy started up racing in 1964 and was very successful racing in partnership with Georgie Oliver of Bedfont. They raced in the old ‘City Arm’ club in Hammersmith and raced successfully on the long distance with Delbars and Kirkpatricks obtained from Johnson of Larne. Tom and Georgie’s best pigeon was a black Marriott hen and she recorded 2nd. and 3rd. open Combine from the long distance, and bred winners. Billy’s brother Dominic is also a pigeon fancier and races in the Chertsey area. Billy and Del Evans have raced together for about ten years and their loft is sited at Hammersmith in London.

The partners race 38 cocks on the widowhood system and their racing loft is a 33ft. double decker, three sections on top for the old bird racers and sections below kitted out for ‘darkness’ youngsters. They are paired up after the B.H.W. Blackpool Show in January and are split into two teams, one just sit eggs then go on the system and the other rear a youngster before going on widowhood. Billy told me, it’s the team that reared youngsters that have done the best in the 2006 season. The cocks are trained hard for a couple of weeks before the first Federation race and unlike most widowhood racers, they are trained during the race season. The cocks are not broken down, being fed on ‘Gerry Plus’, with extra Maize being added to the mixture on Thursday and Friday. Billy and Del try and change their routine on marking night, with the hen being shown sometimes and other times just turning the nest bowl before going in to the basket. Del says, they cocks have no special wind up before they race, but get their mates for a couple of hours on their return home. The partners like racing up to 300 miles and say the whole team race up to the middle distance. Billy and Del have 20 pairs of stock birds, mostly of the Janssen based families, Staf Van Reet, Jan Nauwelaerts, and these are housed in a special brick stock loft in Fulham. The lads put 50 youngsters on the ‘darkness’ system and have 25 later bred youngsters as a back up, which are flown natural to the perch.

The McCoy partnership have won many premier Federation and Combine positions in recent seasons, which includes 1st open S.M.T. Combine Truro (2,089 birds) in 2006. Billy and Del’s Combine winner was there yearling Janssen blue white flight cock, ‘The Real McCoy’, and he was raced on the widowhood system. Although he was only a young pigeon, he had won several other premier prizes, including a win as a young bird in 2005.

Well that just leaves me to congratulate the lads on their brilliant start to the 2009 season racing in the Three Borders Federation. Any pigeon comments, please give me a phone call on: 01372 463480. See yer!

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.