THE PORT NEWS

Alan Shinton

 “From Messac to Paradise”

With Mickey Locke Bromborough.

The Beeston Caste two Bird Club Messac Classic Race hampered on Thursday 25th June with a scheduled liberation from Mesaac (an average distance to our membership of around 370 miles). With local fanciers experiencing some indifferent channel racing at federation and combine level entires were anticipated to be down and to that end our suspicons proved founded when 34 members sent 59 pigeons. The entry phase complete the birds were once again transported by B and I transport to Messac along with various other organisations ready for the planned liberation on Saturday morning.

Saturday 27th dawned with the news that the pigeons had been liberated into light westerly wind at seven fifteen a fair race was anticipated with hopefully gooo returns. With specialist races such as this, there is no varification on the tekephone or internet and as such the early times are usually distributed by word of mouth. In the Ellesmere Port area having a number of liberations at the same point at the same time proved useful to get a bench mark of early times, that said we would only know local area times although the pigeon forums on the internet can be also a good guide when people flying further up the country into Cumbria ask for some early channel times or velocities. And so this race would unfold, firstly local to me there were other two bird clubs times and so we know that there were birds about and not just a couple, it would appear that they had a good crossing and the race was panning out to be quite a level and steady race.

Early times that would be given orally by word of mouth between phone calls and internmet threads and the rumours started, “Warren Walker of Chester just after the hour” was one quote (the hour being 4pm). Joey Pickstock referring to the partnership of D and J Pickstock of Runcorn has two just after the hour and he has clocked that same good yearing again. Other times that were aparent was that of Mickey Locke (M K Locke) Bromborough at 3.48. Another to appear on the internet threads was that of J and B Oakley at 3.52. So it would appear that the Wirral pigeons and that of Runcorn would have the run of the race, but again these were word of mouth and after the clock strike at Hooton we were still none the wiser? Times were to memerge from the Duddon marking station R Johnson Frodsham in at 56 and W Walker and Sons Tarporley in at 42, these were excellent times it would probably come down to the distances. Sure, Mickey Locke had the best by far on the Wirral but we would have to wait to hear from the Duddon clock station for the result to play out.

The protocol at The Beeston Castle Tow Bird Club is that the secretary informs the President of the overall result and the president then informs the first five of their positions personally by telephone, congratulates the parties concerned and arranges verification of the pigeons. So wait we did until the president Mr. Norman Welch informed Mr M K Locke of Brombourough that he had indeed won the Beeston Castle Two Bird Messac Classic. Congratulations were then exhaulted by the president on behalf of the membership to Mickey. Mickety would also take sixteenth place with his second pigeon timing in one hour and five minutes after his first pigeon.

The winning pigeon was to be varified on behalf of the club by committee member Paul Coombes, whom I would  acompany during the verification to compile some notes about the winner and the winning pigeon. Mickey Locke has plied his trade with his pigeons for more years than he cares to recount. Known by many psuedo names within the pigeon hobby he is a man who does not chase or indeed like to bask in any lime light. A man of strong opinions and a straight forward speaker Mickey tends his pigeons as part of his daily routine that heavily evolves around his spectacular garden.

With the love of his life, wife and soul mate Win, there has been built up something that you cant buy, rent or borrow and you certainly couldn’t make up or pretend. This life partnership of a husband and wife who has through out fifty two years of marriage struggled to find a bad word between one another produced six children (two boys and four girls), ten grand children and five great grand children. But as Mickey approaches his seventy third birthday he has from this scribe produced something that is more important and astounding than any other pigeon fancier I have ever visited he has produced the (but not in his words but mine) the perfect life.

Trying to find Mickey and Win’s house is easy (or so it should be), just pull in the drive was the orders but we soon missed that and to the words of “which part of don’t park on the drive dont you undertsand” we were heralded by Mickey on our arrival. Nesstling among some trees at the end of his drive stands a house that tells you who you are about to meet, a person who is obviously hard working and by the same token somebody who has had to put in some extra time effort and plenty of extra shifts to get and put this residence together.

Two of the the manicured bushes at the Locke Residence

Not knowing what to expect (I had been in the company of Mickey Locke on a couple of occasions and I cant ever say that we had exhanged many words between us other than normal exchanges at different basketing venues so any opinion that I may have had priror to visiting the Locke residence was to be blown away within the first minutes of my visit). Invited into a residence that straight away has an ambiance of home, (no plastic corners here) just elegence and a touch of class that has in most residences been cultivated by the lady of the house but this house is different. Being a builder (a joiner by trade) there is tell tale signs of indiviualism, there are also the normal lady like touches but it all fits perfectly and to the outsider who just loiters for a minute will gasp with admiration.

Invited through to the garden takes you to another world, the “Locke” world. We are here to speak, hear, listen, reflect and talk about racing pigeons, and yes they play a part in this place but they not and do not hold centre stage in this paradise. The gardens extend from the rear of the residence to some eighty metres and is filled with shrubbery and colour, from the ornamental and presicely preened and manicured bushes “that have eyes and are formed into some charactuers” to the deftly formed and partially camoflaged pond that is in such a natural state and condiion you forget it is actually a pond and not something that has been there before houses were built at the locality.

The lawns (that could be as many as five if my memory serves correct) are cut and neatly kept, as are the borders and verges. I am no gardener but you don’t have to be to be taken aback at the level of expertise and attention to detail that has gone into making this garden of eden what it is today. A place where once you enter as an outsider any other thoughts you were harbouring or burning into your day are quickly dismissed and a tranquility trance takes over to allow you to absorb the surroundings and admire the attentiveness that has become a daily routinefor this admirable couple.   

The “kept” lawns and pond at the Locke residence

Win recalled a tale of when Mickey had come home and said “I have just done some work on a house and if it ever comes up for sale we should buy it, and I have told the lady who lives there to call me first of she ever wants to sell”. Well, low and behold at some time later the owner contacted Mickey and told him she wanted to sell, unfortunately for Mickey and Win they werent the only people interested in the property and the couple had to procure the house prior to selling there then own current residence, again testament to the couple who had the foresight to see and imagine what they could have to retire to.

Having taken some ten minutes to actually get to the loft it is easy to tell that you are in the company of someone who is driven, and when there is a glint in the eye it normally means passion and this is how I would describe this particular fancier. Driven not by his pigeons, he enjoys his pigeons, throughout his life Mickey has been at the sharp end of anything that he has encountered or partisipated in. Brought up in Liverpool his childhood was influenced by two things, boxing and racing pigeons.

Mickey Locke with his Vandebeele based Beeston Castle Two Bird Specialist Club Messac Classic Winner.

The pigeons housed today are of the Van bruan base although the Beeston Castle Specialist Two Bird Messac classic winner is of Vandebeele Lines and this yearling blue hen is a duaghter of Mickeys Chester Two Bird specialist club winner. Mickey is probably one of (if not) the most continually consistant specialist club fanciers locally, he is revered and respected by his peers and as such has etched his name into local pigeon racing folk history. His stock section houses some really well bred distance pigeons today which is where Mickey see’s his future in the game, “you have to have the blood from the right pigeons and the right lines” he reiterates.

Christened the “Wirral Wizard” by Bob Mayo, Mickey does not hug the lime light, he is a straight talking man with a hard exterior that some people may find intimidating, the fact is he can be an intimidating character to those on the perifery of Mickey’s company, but if you listen you will soon understand the lad from Liverpool who has had to use his own “nouse” to survive in what ever business he has participated in, has a compassionate side. His children are all working within the caring industry a fact that both Mickey and Win are extremely proud of today.

Beeston Castle Two Bird Specialist Club Messac Classic Winner.

It is also a testament to the family that they are and exceptionally tight nit group who take every opportunity to enjoy themselves in each others company not least at the family residence where summer garden parties have become the norm. The parties are becoming something of a local legend with the at least one of the children who is also known to sing proffesiionally on occasion taking the stage in the garden to entertain both family and friends.

When talking of his pigeons, Mickey speaks with a fervour that tells you he still has the motivation for racing his prigoens, but he is definitely more and more moving away from federation racing and whether by design or just shear progression has found himslef competing at national level with both the National Flying Club and the Midland national Flying Club with some spectatcular achievements. Mickety has topped his section in the MNFC from shortest youngbird race (that was Chale) to the longest old bird race from Bordeux. He has now also got a reputation for being one of the favourates annually to time in from tarbes which he did again this season taking 8th section L in the NFC which followed his 6th Section L NFC in 2014.

When asked for his favourate memory with pigeons Mickey recalls names such as Billy Weaver “a great flyer” he recalls, who raced the Kenyon Blackpieds. Also Jimmy Campbell of Liverpool, who was a Liverpool boxing manager and was also Mickeys uncle. It was Jimmy that made an impression on Mickey as a lad with both boxing and his pigeons. My best memory as a kid, “I was 12 years of age” and took 1st North Wirral Fed 2nd North West Combine and made the Port Sunlight News, “a huge moment in my life and probably still is today”.

 

The racing lofts of Mickey Locke.

For those who don’t know Mickey and his history, he is a self made man, working from the dock yards of liverpool to running his own building busisness on the Wirral. With just one hand shake you know you are in the company of a “strong arm”, with hands that today that are still used to bend nails, Mickey is still active (as is Win) around the garden, having been taught to box by his uncle at a young age but having to move from that sport to karate after a broken leg curtailed his boxing career Mickey excelled at Marshal Arts and karate in particular. So much so was his ability to teach and emphasize that Mickey became an instructor something which he recalls with pleasure, he was also at one stage the self defence instructor to the Mersyside police for a number of years .

Mickey Locke has defined specialist club racing onto the Wirral peninsular and can hold his own within any company locally and nationally with regard to racing his pigeons. He is a dedicated husband and soul partner to his wife Win and the chief of a close nit family that is in turn and rightly should be proud of their parenst and their heritage and long may it continue. When visiting and compiling this report you find yourself considering there aint a great deal of in depth detail into or about their pigeons. I make no apologies for not concentrating on pigeon tactics and detailed breeding lines of Mickeys pigeons or his winner in this report, the fact is I was carried along with ambiance of the place and the enthusiamsm of the company that kept me away from the real world for two hours of bliss in what I can only describe as paradise.

Second Position W Walker and Sons Tarporley:

Having received the result the it was no surprise to learn that brothers Alan and Keith who race their pigeons as W Walker and Sons (in memory of their dad Billy) timed there good Blue Cock at 3.42 to take second Beeston Castle Two Bird Specialist Club Messac Classic. Being previous winners on at least three occassions of the Beeston Castle yearling and young bird races respectively this popular brothers partnership have hit the bar and finished second in the Beeston classic race on no less than five separate occassions.

The pigeon that was to go extremely close again this year has quite an intrigueing story behind it. I had prevoiously mentioned in the yearling race report about the Beeston castle losing three stalwarst members over the last eighteen months, these men had been in the Beeston from the “get go” until their passing. Bob Murray and Roy Harding had been close mates for many years along with Alf Harvey whom allowed the Beeston to utilise his premises as a marking station for many years.

Keith Walker takes up the story: Prior to commencing the old bird season in 2014 it was apparent that our close family friend Alf (Alf harvey) was not in good health, he hadn’t been in a fit enough condition to breed any youngsters himself as he was struggling to spend any time with his pigeons. Alan (Keiths Brother) helps out Alf’s daughter Sue with her catering business. It was Sue who then asked Alan if it would be possible for the brothers to breed Alf a couple of pigeons as he had not been in a position to pair his old birds up. The brothers eagerly agreed and Sue promptly delivered four of Alf’s national rings to Tarporley.

The birds were bred and delivered to Alf. Alf had managed to breed himself another half a dozen or so. And thus had a small team to keep him going. As the season was about to commence it was even more apparent that Alf was deternmined to start the old bird season, which he did. The first race Alf just sent a couple of pigeons and as is normal we would collect his clock for him. Alf who was weak made the journey from his home with his daughter Sue to collect his clock from our farm. He sat with us for some fifteen or twenty minutes discussing years gone by and the times he had spent with our dad Billy and his pigeons.

It was then he told us that he had only sent to the race so he had an excuse to come over to our farm and collect this clock as an excuse to visit and have a chat with us both. What we didnt realise was that this would be the last time we would see Alf. Alf Harvey would pass away on the Monday. Having been close family friemds it was the Walker brothers whom the Harvey family aked to disperse Alf’s pigeons. Keith promptly responded and removed the youngsters (nine were left at this stage) four of Walker brothers pigeons and five that Alf had managed to breed himself. The birds were then re-housed at the Walker lofts and broken. JWe only had to go back to Alf on one occasion to collect one of the youngsters but we managed to break them into our lofts quite quickly.

Two of these youngsters one bred by Walker brothers for Alf and one that Alf had bred himself were to prove invalueable to the patnership. Firstly a mealy cock bred by Alf but had been rung by his daughter Sue (the bird is rung on the wrong leg leg and upside down) topped the Cheshire Plains federation in 2015. The other a blue cock managed a thrid club sixth federation as a young bird and then started to excell further as a yearling. This cock arrived from the Beeston Castle yearling Carentan race only to sit out and lost over five minutes, Keith and Alan put this down to them having the window access to their loft open as well as their traps which held him up. Having lost time he still managed to take eighth position and winning bioth prize and pool monies.

Conditioned on the widowhood system the cock was then left alone and not raced until he was sent to the Messac classic race. Now loveingly known as “Alf” this yearling Braspenning cross Jan Aarden cock arrived and again pitched on the cote roof, with the loft windows closed on this occasion Alan had been ready anticipating that the cock may do his usual stunt and “sit out”. The cocks hen was placed into the trap and on seeing her there the cock immediately dropped into the loft to be timed in. The yearling was to seal second position for what is believed to be the fifith occasion this partnership has taken the runner up spot. He is no doubt a pigeon for the future.

In third and fifith place we have the Runcorn partnership of D and J Pickstock.

Dave and Joey Pickstock a father and son partnership who race their pigeons at club level in both the Runcorn and District homing society (Cheshire plains Federation) and the Cheshire Flying Club (Lym Federation) joined the Beeston Castle Two Bird Specialist Club in 2013 entering their first race in 2014. This partnership commenced in 1999 after Dave (who had kept Birmingham rollers) trapped a stray pigeon to his loft and reported the black cock to its owner in the midlands. It transpired that the owner did not want the pigeon returned and this wa sto be the start of the pigeon racing. Joey was in school then Dave recalls and he kept taking this pigeon to his mates house over the back from ours, he raced pigeons and would take this blcak cock training, the bird kept beatinbg his birds home from the tosses this would then be the catalyst for the father son partnership to be formed and the racing carreer began. It was to take the likeable father and son ten years to win their first channel race in 2009 but considering they had only ever tried the channel on three previous occasions the success wa sto come relativley quickly considering the amount of races entered. The pigeons that are housed today at the Pickstock residence are Staf Van Reets, Gabi Vandabeele’s and Sontjens. The Sontjens being new this year and brought in from Andy Chadwick from South Wales. The Van Reets are from the Tony Mardon lines with the Gabi Vandebeele’s pigeons coming from Andrew lawley of Ellesmere Shropshire and Mr and Mrs Arrowsmith of Walsal.  Dave and Joey winning pigeon is yearling cheque cock from the Gabi Vandebeel starin from pigeons bred by Andrew lawley when crossed with Mr and mrs Arrowsmith. Raised as a darkness youngster this game cheque cock carded once in his federation as a youngster and then statred to set thw loft alight as a yearling taking second club third federation Cheltenham, 100 miles. Fourth club eleventh federation Yeovil 167 miles. Then fifth Beeston castle Two Bird Specilist Club Carentan Yearling Race. First club, first Cheshire plains Championship Two Bird, second federation, fourth Cheshire Combine and ninth Three Counties Combine Carentan before he was sent to the Messac Classic. The partnership also took fifth Messac Classic timing their second pigeon some five minutes behind their first pigeon enabling the partnership to win the double nom. Their second pigeon is a Jos Sontjen cross Delbar.  This successful partnership that are improving year on year will no doubt give a good account of themselves in 2016 would very much like to show their appreciation to Carlk Arrosmith who has not only provided the loft wioth someioutstanding pigeons but has helped guide the father and son in the right direction woth regards to their pigeons

Dave and Joey Pickstock holding their fifith (Blue)and Third Beeston Castle Two Bird Specilist Club Messac Classic

The Racing Loft of D and J Pickstock

D and J Pickstock Cheque Cock third Beeston Castke Two Bird Specialist Club Messac Classic.

Fourth position is the consistant loft of Richard Johnson of Frodsham who also takes seventh position timing his second pigeon nine minutes after his first, No yearlings here his first pigeon being a two year old and the second being a four year old. The ever green Warren Walker takes sixth and and nineth positions with a yearling and a four year old. Eigth position we have A Oates of Runcorn. Paul “Van”Coombes Ellesmere Port closes the top ten.

Beeston castle Two Bird Specialist Club Messac Classic Full Result (34/59)

1st: M K LOCKE £697.60. 2nd W WALKER & SONS £458.40. 3rd D & J PICKSTOCK £323.00. 4th R  JOHNSON £226. 5th D & J PICKSTOCK £172.60. 6th W WALKER £108. 7th R JOHNSON £66.40. 8th A OATES £40. 9th W WALKER £30. 10th P COOMBES £20. 11th G RATCLIFFE. 12th J & B OAKLEY. 13th H WHALLEY. 14th K & K ROWLAND. 15th M K LOCKE. 16th D GRIFFITHS. 17th A SHINTON. 18th A MOGLIONIE. 19th JONES, LAMB & DAUGHTER. 20th J & B OAKLEY. 21st FLETCHER & GOBIN. 22nd JJ & DM CLEWS. 23rd P JAMES & SON. 24th J CHURCHILL. 25th A COOMBES & SON.

CLICK HERE - FULL DETAILED MESSAC RESULT

PLEASE SUPPORT THE ANNUAL DINNER AND PRIZE DISTRIBUTION EVENING to be held at the Cheshire View Masonic Hall, Christleton on Saturday 6th February 2016. Reception 7.00 for dinner at 7.30 prompt. Please book seats with the Secretary asap.

Bookings not cancelled by 1st February will be charged for. It would be appreciated if payments could be made prior to the evening.