Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past & present...

South Downs Premier Flying Club 

The new ‘Premier’ club held its first meeting at the Sutton United Football Club on Sunday, 2nd November and the turn out was very good with near 40 members attending on the day. Being an old hand at chairing meeting, I as the club’s President was chairman for this special occasion and kept the proceedings very tight as we had a lot of business to get through, with this being the first meeting since the club was formed a few weeks ago. I sensed an air of antisapation in the meeting room, as this new club really is special and I predict will be one of the top specialist clubs in the UK within a few years! Several people have worked very hard over the last few weeks to form this new ‘super’ club and this meeting saw it officially launched. At the time of the meeting 49 fanciers had paid their £50 deposit and club only needed one more applicant to have a full house.

I opened the meeting, welcoming the members present and congratulated them on being the founder members of the first ‘super’ club in the South of England. I introduced the people on the top table at the meeting and said how lucky we are to have one of the very best secretaries in our sport, in the form of Jean Cutts. It is good news all the way to the new 2009 season, with the club having one of the first ladies of pigeon racing, Jean Cutts, agreeing to be secretary and securing the Sutton United Football Club as the headquarters. I also introduced our Chairman, Garry Dye of Banstead, and he was one of the main instigators of the ‘Premier’ in the beginning, being the guy who spent a lot of his time recruiting members. The first item on the very big agenda was to vote in the officers for the 2009 season and they were: Keith Mott (President, Press Officer, Transport Manager and Convoyer), Jean Cutts (Secretary / Treasurer), Garry Dye (Chairman), Paul Arnold (Vice President, Chief Basket Steward), Johnny Hitchin (Chief Clock Setter), Tommy Neal (Vice President, RPRA Delegate), Steven Turner and Gary Young (Auditors), Keith Mott, Jean Cutts, Garry Dye, Paul Arnold and Tommy Neal (Management Committee). The second item on the agenda was the club rules, which I wrote up and after a little discussion they were voted in unanimously. For the smooth running of a club ever thing needs to be covered by the rules, but I think some organizations have too many, so I always try to keep them to a minimum and we did well with the ‘Premier’ only having 18 rules, which covers every thing. The basic points were: The club will have a 50 flying lofts limit and will have a six bird limit on all club races. The annual subscription for flying members will be £200 per loft and the subscription will include free entry of up to six birds in all club races for the current season. The committee of management of the club will be made up of the President, Chairman, Secretary / Treasurer and two other members of the club, and will have regular meeting through out the year. Prize money will be paid out, 1st: 50 per cent, 2nd: 30 per cent, 3rd: 20 per cent for all club races and will be paid out as one prize money to one loft in any club race. Prize money winning pigeons will be verified by the RPRA.

The first six positions in the race each week will be awarded diploma prize cards. All club races will be inland on the south road, with ten races for the old birds and two for the young birds. Weather permitting old bird racing will be staged on Saturday, with marking on Friday evening from 20.00hrs to 21.00hrs and in the event of a bad weather forecast the old birds will be marked at the same time on Saturday evening for a Sunday race. Young bird racing will be staged on Sunday, with marking on Saturday evening from 20.00hrs to 21.00hrs or Sunday morning from 09.00hrs to 10.00hrs according to the length of the race. In the event of bad weather on the short races there will be no hold over, with the birds being returned home and the race rescheduled for the end of racing. No trainers will be convoyed with the race birds. The most important rule to my way of thinking is No.18, which reads: The objective of the South Downs Premier Flying Club is to maintain good comradeship within the pigeon fancy and create competitive pigeon racing of the highest order. If the 50 member limit is realized the ‘Premier’ hopes to pay out approximately £500 per race for the ten old bird races and £250 per race for the two young bird events, but with the breeder / buyer and ‘gold ring’ schemes the young birds could be racing for several thousand pounds. Really exciting stuff! All the club races are to be south road from inland race points up to about 150 miles and it is hoped to stage several open races in the 2009 season, including one from France. 

There was a very long list of items to raise in ‘In Other Business’, with the main ones being: The club will hold its 2009 breeder / buyer auction sale on Sunday 5th April at the Sutton United Football and I will be auctioning the birds. Jean Cutts is going to order 300 rings for the ‘gold ring’ scheme and they will be sold for £10 each, will a six ring limit to each member. The old bird racing programme will commence in mid April and the member voted in a £100 single bird nomination for the longest young bird race. What a great season we can expect in 2009! There was a lot of discussion about race points and the ones I personally fancied were Lulworth (95 miles), Seaton (126 miles) and Exeter (148 miles), but a couple of members didn’t like Seaton because of its situation. The RPRA might have a new site at Honiton and maybe we could go there instead of Seaton. Paul Arnold, Garry Dye and my self will be having a Sunday morning run down to look at several liberation site and then we can decide on a race programme for next season. This historic meeting was over in an hour and the next one will be announced in the British Homing World.

Claygate Mid-Week Flying Club. At the South Downs Premier Flying Club meeting it was brought up by several members that we could utilize the club’s trailer and have mid-week training off the south road points and this idea graduated on to the club having a mid-week racing section, but Jean Cutts is committed to another London mid-week racing organization, and quite rightly can’t cope with any more clubs. Tony Dann and I have put our heads together and have formed a mid-week club at Claygate, which will be racing from Hamworthy (85 miles) every Wednesday afternoon. We have a headquarters at Claygate and I will be secretary, also with me convoying the birds in the new trailer. Tony Dann will be setting the clocks and will be taking up the Chairman’s job. Subscriptions and race fees will be very cheap, and we intend to have ten old bird races and six for the babies. I will be organizing a breeder / buyer auction for next April to make young bird racing even more interesting. I have written up a set of rules, produced a nice race sheet and will be organizing our first meeting very soon. How can it go wrong, we have a brilliant trailer, a great place to mark the birds and set clocks, a secretary and one of the best clock setters in the game! We have several fanciers who have already committed themselves to the new Claygate club, but need a few more to get it off the ground. Any one interested please phone me on: 01372 463480 or Tony Dann on: 01372 370241. As bit of special interest, I had the new tow bar fitted to my van the other week and took the pigeon trailer for a 30 mile run down the A3, and it drove like a dream!   

BHW Blackpool Charity Auction 2009. 

The RPRA asked us again this year if we would like to donate a pigeon to the 2009 BHW Blackpool Charity Auction and as in previous years we were very happy to help. We are donating GB 2007 N 02705 a blue hen and daughter of our Number 1 Eric Cannon Stock Pair and this hen has already produced several useful 550 mile racers. We have donated several birds off this pair to the Blackpool Auction in recent years and they have raised good money for the charity, but I think this hen will be the last one off Pair 1, as they are coming up nine years of age and are probably come near to finishing. This beautiful blue hen is bred from the very best of Eric Cannon’s Pau National bloodlines, being bred from a son of Champion ‘Culmer Channel Queen’, when mated to a daughter of Champion ‘Culmer Bess’, the two N.F.C. Pau merit award winners. The hen’s parents are our Number 1 Eric Cannon stock pair, ‘Culmer Superstar’ and ‘Culmer Lane’, and are one of the premier Eric Cannon stock pairs in the world today. This blue hen will found the purchaser a wonderful family of long distance pigeons.   

SIRE: ‘CULMER SUPERSTAR’ Blue Cock: Bred by Eric & Pat Cannon. Sire of winners and is a son of ‘Culmer White Flight’, winner of many positions in the N.F.C., including 1st Section A. 14th open NFC Pau, when mated to Champion ‘Culmer Channel Queen’, winner of 23rd, 29th, 98th and 183rd open NFC Pau and winner of the NFC Pau merit award, also 346th open Young Bird National. This wonderful hen is a daughter of the champion stock cock ‘Culmer Producer’, who is a son of ‘Culmer Pat’, winner of 27th, 80th, 104th open NFC Pau and dam of 1st open NFC Pau for G. Stovin. ‘Culmer Superstar’ is a full brother to’80993’, highestpriced young bird at Eric Cannon’s dispersal sales, being sold for £520. 

DAM: ‘CULMER LANE’  Blue WF Hen: Bred by Eric & Pat Cannon. Dam of winners. A daughter of the stock cock, ‘93177’, a half brother to Champion ‘Culmer Channel Queen’. The parents of ‘93177’, are the champion stock cock ‘Culmer Producer’ when mated to a direct daughter of ‘Culmer Expected’, winner of 22nd, 27th, 103rd and 231st open NFC Pau. The dam of ‘Culmer Lane’ is Champion ‘Culmer Bess’, winner of 6th, 26th and 170th open NFC Pau (540 miles), 47th open NFC Pau / Saintes, winning the NFC Pau merit award. This brilliant hen was top priced pigeon at Eric Cannon’s dispersal sales, sold for £2,300. Champion ‘Culmer Bess’ is a daughter of the premier Mike Spencer stock cock, when mated to ‘Culmer Joan’, winner of 1st section A. 12th open N.F.C. Pau, who is a daughter of ‘Culmer Rose’ winner of 30th, 56th, 131st, 389th and 541st open NFC Pau. ‘Culmer Lane’ is a full sister to the dam of Champion ‘Night Flight’, winner of 1st open Saintes / Pau Grand National in 2003, for Mark Gilbert. 

Esher & Dist. RPC Shows 2008. 

Congratulations to the Esher Club who have won the points trophy in the Three Borders Federation for the third time in four seasons and are 2008 champions! The Federation Individual Point Trophy was also won by Esher club members, Bob and Danny Carter, and well done to them on their brilliant success. The club has won the Federation nine or ten times in 2008 and I will be featuring the winning fancier in ‘ON THE ROAD’ in the coming weeks, including our hard working secretary, Allen Palmer, who won the Federation twice in 2008. The Esher club will be holding their annual open racing pigeon shows at the Westend Sports & Social Club this winter and the member welcome any fanciers who enjoy a bit of social and pigeon banter. Penning is from 11.00hrs to 12.00hrs, when the judging commences and the shows will be held in the club’s beautiful new club house. There will be an unlimited entry at £1 per bird and there will be a £1 pool on every class, winner takes all pools. This year it has been decided to hold four grand Sunday morning racing pigeon shows, each with two classes and the very best judges have been booked. So the members of the Esher club look forward to meeting up with you this winter! Sunday 30th November: Class 1: Young Hens (Handled). Class 2: Old Hens (Though the Wires). Sunday 7th December: Class 1: Young Cocks (Handled). Class 2: Old Cocks (Though the Wires). Sunday 14th December: Class 1: Old Hens (Handled). Class 2: Young Hens (Through the Wires). Sunday 21st December: Class 1: Old Cocks (Handled). Class 2: Young Cocks (Through the Wires). Class 3: Fancy Colours Any Age Cock (Through the Wires). 

A very frustrating time! 

It’s been a rotten few weeks recently, with me being laid up with Gout in my feet. The thing that I’ve been beating my self up about is the fact that I was booked to judge at the Duchy Show in Cornwall and the NEHU Show in Newcastle and had to cancel because I couldn’t get a shoe on my foot, let alone drive several hundred miles. I had it one foot, which is about a weeks job to clear and then the other foot started. Every one says I must cut down on the booze, but that’s an old wives tale, because I’ve never drunk alcohol in my life! What I couldn’t understand was the fact that I first had a bout of Gout in November 2007, with it starting almost to the same day to this recent lot. I checked with my doctor and on both occasions I had a flu jab a few days before the Gout, so we think I might have an allergic reaction to the jab. It’s been a very frustrating and painful time! I can be contacted with any pigeon comments on telephone number: 01372 463480. See yer!