Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past and present
Tribute to Brian Hovell of Sutton-in-Ashfield
I was very sad to receive a phone call from my friend, Peter Obertelli, on Saturday 25th April to tell me that local pigeon ‘ace’, Brian Hovell, had collapsed at his alottment loft that afternoon and later died. I think Brian went the way we pigeon fanciers would all like to go, at the pigeon loft having just clocked in from the race. I hope his pigeon won the race! I visted the loft of Hovell & Roberts in the mid 1990s with the ‘Many Miles with Mott’ video camera and found Brian to be a nice mild mannered man, with a great knowledge of racing pigeons.
The fantastic team of Hovell & Roberts of Sutton-in-Ashfield had won many thousands of pounds in the last 30 years flying north road with their Busschaerts, Cattrysse and Frans Van Wildemeersch. When we visited the lofts with Brian Hovell it was raining hard, but that did not detract the pleasure of inspecting their great team of birds.
First pigeon we looked at was a natural Busschaert chequer cock 'Speckle Head', and he had flown Lerwick (500 miles) five times and won 1st. Section, 5th. Open Thurso N.R.C.C. This cock was a good looker and had won Best Racer at the Old Comrades Show at the NEC Birmingham. The partners loft which was sited on a local allotment was made of packing cases with a concrete floor. It was built in 1967 with sliding doors trapping to the old bird and young bird compartments. The team was made up of 25 pairs of stock, 30 racing pairs and they start with 50 young birds replacing losses to maintain 50 until training. They raced natural for the first couple of races and then put them on Widowhood for about five weeks until and including the Perth race. Then they were paired up and put on natural ready for the big race from Lerwick. Brian received a special diploma for their good hen ‘Tracy’ for being in the first 100 Open positions in the N.R.C.C. King's Cup Lerwick race, three years in succession, being 29th. Open (4,235 birds). 26th. Open (3,728 birds) and 16th. Open (4,450 birds).
Brian trained the old birds three time a week in the early part of the season from 50 miles, and down to twice a week as the races got longer. Youngsters were tossed from 30 miles three times a week. Brian liked birds sitting 10 day old eggs for the long races, but depending on the individual pigeons. They had won 500 mile races two years running with a cock on three day old youngsters.
KEITH MOTT (26th April 2009)