“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.

A Three Borders Federation Special Feature.

John Keywood of Hersham.

The Three Borders Federation President, Johnny Keywood of the Spelthorne Club, enjoyed a brilliant 2011 racing season and finished it great style by winning 1^st open SMT Combine (1594 birds) from the last and longest young birds race, flown from Yelverton (172 miles) in September. John’s latest Combine winner was a natural blue pies hen raced to the perch and both her parents were bred by John’s good friend, Jack Cornes of Walsall. Her dam is the premier stock in the Keywood stock loft, blue pied hen ‘Colleen’s Gift’ and she has bred twelve first prize winners, including ‘Galaxy Lad’ winner of four firsts, and now ‘Galaxy Flash’ the 2011 SMT Combine winner. As I’ve stated John has had a wonderful 2011 season winning several top positions in the Three Borders Federation including 3^rd Federation from Newton Abbot with his good widowhood blue cock, ‘Ibrahim’s Exile’ and this Vandenabeele has recorded a string of top performances. He lifted all the average cups in the Spelthorne club and won 13 times 1^st club, 12 times 2^nd club, 9 times 3^rd club, including 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th club, 4^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th Federation, 5^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th SMT Combine Alencon, 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th, 5^th club, 11^th, 21^st Federation, 13^th, 31^st SMT Combine Messac. Two of John’s top racers in his also outstanding 2010 season were bred by Amgad Ibrahim of Fulham, who breeds a lot of good winners for other fanciers. Amgad mostly keeps the M. & D. Evans / Gaby Vandenabeele pigeons and the Keywood success birds were, ‘Amgad’, 3^rd open SMT Combine Messac and ‘Ibrahim’s Exile’, which has recorded several premier positions. John Keywood only raced old birds in the 2010 season, winning several premier position including 1^st Federation and in the club won 7 times 1^st, 10 times 2^nd, 10 times 3^rd, and lifted OB Inland Average, OB Average, Channel Average, Bird of the Year Trophy and Champion Loft Trophy. The Three Borders Federation has got the 2010 season well under way and sent a strong birdage of 1,623 birds to Kingsdown at the beginning of May. The birds made some very quick velocities being liberated in a Westerly wind and the Federation President, John Keywood of Hersham, won the Spelthorne club and the Federation doing 1696 ypm. Johnny’s top pigeon in the 2010 season was his champion yearling blue cock, ‘Blue Diamond’, which was bred by his good friend John Diamond. This game pigeon won the club four times in the 2010 season, lifting the ‘Bird of the Year’ Trophy and 1^st Federation Kingsdown, plus 5^th Federation (2016 birds), 14^th Federation (1089 birds) and 17^th Federation (1233 birds). Another brilliant yearling racing in the 2010 season was John’s blue chequer cock, ‘John’s Supremacy’ and he recorded 2^nd SMT Combine Messac (1494 birds), 14^th SMT Combine Messac (1316 birds) and 24^th SMT Combine Fougeres (1576 birds).

Johnny Keywood must be described as one of the all-round ‘legends’ of pigeon racing the Surrey fraternity! Since entering the sport in 1947 he has been a constant worker and winner at club, Federation and Combine level. He has raced cocks on the widowhood system for many years and in recent seasons has only had a very small team of 12 cocks, which are housed in two sections in his very smart 40ft loft. The loft has open door trapping and consists of a big section for the stock birds, two sections for the young birds, and two sections with six widowhood cocks in each. The racers are generally paired up the last week in January, with the racing cocks single rearing a baby and are normally on the widowhood system by the second Federation race. John tells me his cocks are sent to the first Federation race feeding a big youngster and on their return the hen and baby are taken away, and then they are on the system. The week before the first race the cocks get about five training tosses up to Bentley (25 miles), which is the furthest the old birds ever go and once racing commences they are only exercised around the loft for an hour twice a day. In recent seasons John has been feeding Garvo ‘Super Sprint’ mixture and says he never break the birds down. The hens are shown to the widowhood cocks from dinner time on the day of marking for Channel races and on their return from the race stay with their mate overnight on all races.

What can you say about Johnny that hasn't been said many times before through the years? He's been a brilliant fancier and worker for the sport over many years and has won everything in the Federation and Combine. John was highest prize winner in the Three Borders Federation in seasons 2000 and 2001. One of John’s best season was in 2005 winning the Three Borders Federation four times and was premier prize winner in the Hersham club, recording eight firsts. His Federation wins were from Messac (1,071 birds), Fougeres (1,034 birds), Kingsdown (1,985 birds) and Lulworth (1,553 birds), and recorded 1^st S.M.T. Combine from Messac (3,287 birds) and 3^rd S.M.T. Combine Fougeres (2,988 birds). A fantastic loft performance! John’s 2005 Combine winner was his good blue chequer widowhood cock, ‘Young Jupiter’, and he has won the Three Borders Federation twice. He was bred from stock obtained from ‘Oak Villa’ lofts and ‘Galaxy’ lofts, and down from the ‘Jupiter’ line. The Keywood loft won ‘the pigeon of the year’ in the Three Borders Federation in the 2005 season with the blue chequer cock, ‘Harry’s Choice’, and he has won four times 1^st club and twice 1^st Federation. He was a gift pigeon from ‘Oak Villa’ lofts and won 1^st Federation Kingsdown (1985 birds), plus 5^th and 7^th Federation in 2005. John won the Federation from Messac in the 2004 season and the winner, ‘The Diamond Cock’, a yearling blue chequer cock bred by his good friend, John Diamond, and was one of a batch of six gift youngsters sent to the Hersham loft. The Federation winner had every inland race on his build-up and took a week to come home from the first Combine race from Fougeres. However, he learnt by his mistake, winning the Federation from Messac the following weekend. ‘The Diamond Cock’ won 1^st Three Borders Federation again in 2005 from Fougeres. Johnny paired up late in the 2004 season, as he had a stay in hospital early in the year and only raced nine cocks on the widowhood system. When Johnny won the Federation from Messac in 2004 he also recorded 3rd Open with a four year old blue chequer white flight cock recording his fifth race win. This game cock is son of John's ‘Oak Villa Champion’, winner of 18 x 1^st club and 7 x 1^st Federation. What a great loft of pigeons!

Most of his young birds are bred from his 16 pairs of stock birds which are housed in a very big, spacious section in the loft. John races the Jan Huybregts birds which are from his friends, Jimmy Weeder of Liverpool and Oak Villa Lofts, Gaby Vandenabeele and Van Loon from Jack & Colleen Cornes of Galaxy Lofts and a few very good Gaby Vandenabeele racers from Amgad Ibrahim. John pairs the stock pigeons on the 1^st February and normally breeds three rounds off each pair. When he brings in a new breeder, John is not too bothered about type, but always goes for good performance and winning lines. The Keywood loft’s Number one stock hen is the Jack Cornes seven year old blue called, ‘Galaxy Queen’, and she has produced many winners, being a granddaughter of Champion ‘Jupiter’. John tells me he has obtained eleven pigeons from Jack Cornes over the years and eight of them have now bred winners. A fantastic record! John has asked me to thank Jack & Colleen Cornes and Jimmy Weeder for all their help and generosity over the years! John Keywood bred several premier breeders for R. Geary & Son from the North of England, including the dams of pigeons to win four times 1^st North West Classic Club, in the form of ‘The Going Light Cock, ‘The 10 Cock’ and ‘Hollin Boy’.

Johnny’s 30 young birds are put on the darkness system and race the whole programme. He holds nothing back, by saving young cocks for the widowhood, they all go and he likes to work them hard. The Keywood loft has been very successful with the young birds in past seasons and John says he really enjoys racing his babies. He maintains to be successful with young birds; they need to be on the darkness systems, as natural babies can’t hold their form when moulting. They are fed on a natural mixture to start with, and then later on in the season they are introduced to maize.

John has been in the sport on and off for over 70 years and it all started when his dad, who was a head gardener in Walton, took him to work to see the fantail which lived in the gardens. The lady who owned the gardens presented the young Johnny with a pair whites and he housed them in an old Rabbit hutch. On visiting the loft of local fancier, Bill Ridger, at the age of 14, he was presented with six young racing pigeons and he joint the Walton Homing Society, which at that time had a star studded membership, including Freddie Ranaboldo and Mark Finestone. Success soon came John’s way, when a Ridger youngster won the first young bird race and recorded 1^st club, 6^th Federation. In later years Johnny became good friends with the late great Ayton Marshall of Seaton Sluice in the North East of England and obtained some brilliant Vandeveldes from him, which produced a lot of winners for the Keywood loft over many years. Two great, big winning pigeons in the 1970’s was the blue pied cock ‘The Marshall’ and his nest mate, ‘Barren Hen’, winner of 2^nd SMT Combine Niort (3,500 birds).

John likes sprint racing and one day continental racing and maintains anything past Tarbes (550 miles) is too far. He thinks the way forward, especially in Federation racing, is for the advisor to anticipate the weather conditions for the weekend on the Friday and if there is little chance of a race on the Saturday, then to mark on the Saturday evening and race on the Sunday. He is still using a pigeon clock for timing his birds, but says he is not against the ETS as long as fanciers use their common sense and don’t create night mares for the club secretary by recording 20 or 30 birds. Johnny Keywood is a great worker for the sport and was the Secretary of the Hersham Club for about fifteen years and President of the Three Borders Federation for over twenty seasons.

Mick Nunn of Spelthorne.

The Three Borders Federation had experienced some outstanding racing in the first half of its 2014 inland programme and the Honiton (2) race, flown at the back end of May was no exception. Federation convoyer, David Stanway, liberated the 1,216 birds at 08.00hrs into a north east situation and a good steady race was enjoyed by all. It was the Spelthorne club’s turn to take top honours, with the then secretary, Mick Nunn and his partner, Gary Bone, winning 1^st Federation, with their good cock, ‘Elisee’s Choice’. This game widowhood cock  had won 1^st open SMT Combine Alencon for the Twickenham partnership in the 2012 season and after the Honiton race, Mick was heard to remark, that he had finished to the ETS brilliantly, the same as he did when he topped the Combine. Mick had no idea that ‘Elisee’s Choice’ had won the Federation again, as he flew off to the sunshine for a holiday, the day after the Honiton race!

The Three Borders Federation flew it first channel with the SMT Combine from Alencon in mid-May 2012 and with the convoy being liberated in a North East wind the birds had a very hard race. Mick Nunn and partner, Gary Bone, of the Spelthorne SRFC won the Three Borders Federation by 15ypm clear and at the same time topped the Combine with their good widowhood blue chequer cock, ‘Elisee’s Choice’. Micky told me this game yearling had shown some good form previously and won several other positions on his build up to his Combine win. His sire is the partners chequer cock, ‘The Doble Cock’ and he was bred by Peter Doble of Somerset from a long list of premier National and Combine performers. Mick purchased the dam of the Combine winner at the 2010 Three Borders Federation Breeder / Buyer sale for £35 and she was bred by Derek Read also of the Spelthorne club. She is now named ‘Derek’s Girl’ and was bred from the very best of Derek’s National winning family. This was Mick’s second Combine winner, previously winning the UBI Combine (2870 birds) in 2003 from Guernsey with his champion Jan Huybregts blue pied cock, ‘Aston’s Pride’.

Mick Nunn was born in the Gloustershire town of Tidbury and at the age of one the family moved to Mortlake in London where his parents originated from. This was the war years and Nunn family were moved out to the West Country, too return after the war had finished. Mick was an outstanding amateur boxer as a school boy. Mick had his first pigeons at the age of 14, in the garden at Alexander Road, Mortlake, but could not race then at that time as he had no money. Across the road from him lived the then secretary of the West Middlesex Federation, Lew Mendy. Mick’s dad worked with and was a good friend of the premier Barnes & Mortlake fancier, Les Elliott, and Mick was in his garden when Les won 1^st London South Coast Combine all those years ago. He told me Les Elliott and Bill Watson made a big impression on him when he was young. The young Mick got married in 1959 and after having two children he moved from Barnes to Whitton, which proved the family with a garden. His wife thought the shed he was building was for the new tools they had acquired, but wasn’t very happy when Mick announced it was a new pigeon loft. His good friend, Ronnie Harmes, who was a 2^nd London & South Coast Combine winner at that time was a great help in the early days and he was with Mick when he purchased his first pair of stock birds at the RP ‘Old Comrades’ Show. That pair bred Mick’s good pigeon ‘20609’ which won a lot of prizes in the very strong Richmond HS, which had 45 members at that time, including Nora Major, Harrison Brothers and Fred Brooks. Mick’s first club was the Richmond HS which was affiliated to the West Middlesex Federation and he raced to a small two section loft, with good success. His birds were Delbar and Cattrysse which originated from Fernaud Bollgerts of Belgium. Mick recently told me, ‘Mons Bollgerts is not as well-known as he should be in the UK and in 1968 and 1969 he donated pigeons to the RP ‘Old Comrades’ Show, including a son of ‘L’ Olympiade’.

These days Mick has a great partner in his good friend, Gary Bone, who has been an outstanding fancier in his own right for many years. The partner’s present loft set up is a 24ft three section structure, which houses the young birds, widowhood hens and the old bird roundabout pigeons. Deep litter is used in the loft in the winter months, being cleaned out ever two months and is used in the young bird section all the year around. They only keep a small team of old birds and these are raced on Widowhood and Roundabout. They started the 2012 season with only seven widowhood cocks and seven pairs on Roundabout. Gary is a stickler for routine with the birds and told me, they do not break down on their Widowhood system, but show the hens on marking night. Mick and Gary feed and use all ‘Gem’ Products. They have a small stock team of six pairs and these are mostly good pigeons they have bred them selves. The racers and stock birds are fed on the same ‘Gem’ corn. The partners do bring in the odd stock bird and recently they have obtained some outstanding stock from their good friend John Keywood of Hersham. They breed about 30 young birds to race each season and these are raced on the natural system.

Mick has been retired from work for a number of years and says his wife is now a ‘Pigeon Widow’. He recently said to me, ‘after my recent Hip Replacement operation, I would not have achieved what I have with the pigeons without the invaluable help of his great friend, Gary Bone. He cleans the loft, trains the birds and keeps the loft on a good regular system. He is a great pigeon fancier and has given me some good tip on conditioning the birds. Thanks to Gary! The partners enjoy short and long distance racing every Saturday and are trying to improve the long distance side of their pigeon family. Mick says his biggest thrill in pigeons was when he won his first Combine from Guernsey and says his family saw him dance up the garden that day! He has no interest in the eye sign theory or showing his birds, but supports the local Spelthorne winter shows, where he won the ‘Best Points Trophy’. He has been a good worker for the sport for many years and is presently joint Secretary and Treasurer of the Spelthorne club. He maintains the main progress in the sport in recent times is the introduction of the ETS clocks. Mick said, ‘with so many aging fanciers, the ETS is a great help to them and saves time in the club business on marking and checking nights. It is very difficult to encourage young people in to pigeon racing, as what was once a ‘poor mans’ sport is no longer the case, with everything costing so much money. My most worrying point on this topic is to somehow make the sport cheaper to attract people in, or it will die out. Stock birds, feeding, lofts, equipment and clubs are just too expensive for young fanciers, which puts them off before they even start’. Mick told me Derek and David Bellchambers of Brentford are the best fanciers in his local area and they have won the NFC and L&SECC. The Bellchambers are great pigeon racers and are always prepared to help anyone, especially new members and novices. One little point that the partners have noted is that, mostly their quietest and tamest birds have been their best performers.

Harry Deleslie of Morden.

Harry Deleslie was a 14 year old lad I met in 2011, who had been very successful in his very short time in pigeon racing and was also a very keen amateur boxer for his local Rose Hill Boxing Club. With the pigeons this lad had already made his mark, winning the Three Borders Federation in his very first race and in the boxing ring he was looking forward to his first amateur bout which was coming up very shortly. Harry lived and raced his small team of pigeons at his home in Morden, which is near Croydon in Surrey. He had had a great deal of encouragement and help with his pigeon racing from his dad, Alan, and in the 2011season his small team of Staf Van Reets youngsters had been ‘on fire’, winning four times 1^st club and 1^st Three Borders Federation Blandford (1,380 birds). A fantastic performance for a young lad racing on his own! Harry raced in the Hackbridge club and won several premier positions in the club and Federation, the highlights being 1^st club, 1^st Federation Blandford,  1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th club Wincanton, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd club Yeovil and 1^st club from the longest young birds race point at Yelverton. He also had an outstanding race in the Bromley / ‘Lion Brewery’ Guernsey open race in September when he recorded 1^st section, 12^th open when 380 birds competed. He raced his young birds to the perch, but trained then well on the line of flight with the Federation races in mind and told me he clocked on the ETS. Harry’s star young birds in 2011 were: ‘The Stitch Up Kid’ blue chequer cock (Hartog / Staf Van Reet) winner of 1^st club (twice), 1^st section, 12^th open Bromley / ‘Lion Brewery’ Guernsey: ‘Play Boy’, blue cock (Staf Van Reet) 1^st club, 1^st Three Borders Federation Blandford, plus other positions: ‘Young Harry’ blue chequer cock winner of 1^st club Wincanton.

As Harry was growing he used to watch his dad race his birds and told me, ‘pigeons and boxing are the way of life in our house, and as time went on he became more and more interested in both sports, pigeon racing and boxing’. Alan taught the lad how to pick out pigeons to breed from and different methods, and systems to win races. His first stock birds were Staf Van Reet, which Alan purchased from Mr. & Mrs. Johns of Croydon a few years earlier and more recently from Mr. & Mrs. Rossie of Welling. The Deleslie family had moved into their present address in recent years and Alan purchased a new loft, which was used by young Harry. The 30ft loft had six sections, two for stock birds, the middle two for the widowhood racers and the end two, which were well ventilated for the youngsters. A good quality litter floor dressing was used in the stock section, as this kept the floor areas dry and clean right throughout the breeding period. When I asked Harry what he thought was the main factor behind good loft design, his answer was, ‘good birds’! Good loft management and the correct feeding was paramount and once this is mastered and if the pigeons are sound, they will start to win. He raced in the Hackbridge & Morfax club (Three Borders Federation) which was based in Carshalton. His biggest thrill so far with his birds was seeing his first batch of eggs hatch and grow into winning pigeons, including 1^st Federation! He maintained he preferred sprint racing, because his birds had proved they had good speed in races up to 450 miles and as times went on he would like to race a few longer events.

Harry was racing his old birds on the widowhood system and the next season would see him pair up his eleven pairs of racers, and the stock birds in mid-December. He said he was not showing the hens to the widowhood cocks on marking nights, because in his experience with the young birds that season, this method over excites the cocks birds going in to the race. Harry was letting the racers have their mates on their return from the race. He told me, ‘my dad told me, that to race pigeons well and win races you need patients and some times I’ve being a bit inpatient, and could have made some mistakes if I hadn’t listened to him’.

Alan told me, ‘the first Staf Van Reet birds came through Arthur Beardsmore, who I personally rate as a really outstanding pigeon racer. Arthur Johns of Croydon originally purchased these birds from him and had outstanding success with them, and in some races won the first six positions. I became good friends with Arthur John and purchased a team of latebreds from him, and these became Harry’s stock birds. Several premier winners were bred off these birds and one good stock cock, ‘Jack Pot’, was the sire of ‘Play Boy’, young Harry’s 2011 Blandford Federation winner. We also purchased some stock birds off Mr. & Mrs. Rossi, which originate from the Bert Hessian / Staf Van Reets and these have also won for Harry in the 2011 season’.

Harry raced his 40 young birds on the ‘light’ system and maintained this was a ‘must’ so as the birds are in good feather right through to the longer races at the back end of the season. They were fed a set amount of light young bird mixture at a regular time every day. Harry and his dad trained the babies every day up to 50 miles and this practice was carried out also at the same time every day, to keep to a regular daily routine, which they said was very important when seeking success with young birds. They raced the Federation young bird program to educate them and won a few firsts in the process. The Deleslie racers were clocked on the ETS, which the two lads said was a brilliant system! Harry really liked racing his youngster and had proved that season that he had the ‘know how’ to make them win.

When selecting stock pairs Alan and Harry mated the best to the best, but the handling and feather sometimes came into the equation. They were very keen on the eye sign theory and when buying in new stock the eye sign was the first thing they look for and good pedigree of work next. Harry said his dad taught him everything he knew about pigeons and he had based this knowledge for his way forward in the sport. The Deleslie family motto was ‘Patients and Dedication’! During the bird’s moulting time in the autumn, Harry said, he looked after the birds with extra care and attention, as he thought this was the most important time for the year for the pigeons. If the birds didn’t get a good moult this could be detrimental to their race performances the following season and the Deleslie pigeons got special feeding for the moult period, including plenty of oil seeds, and good rest.

Well that’s it for this week! I hope my readers have enjoyed this look back at these outstanding Three Borders Federation fanciers. We will be looking at some more very soon. I can be contacted with any pigeon matters on telephone number: 01372 463480 or email me on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com).