“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT
Esher & Dist. R.P.C. Prize Presentation 2016
The Esher & Dist. RPC held its annual prize presentation at the Westend Social Club in January and the event is aways very informal, and very much family orientated. A good percentage of the members and their partners attended the function, which was a fish and chips evening, with the food being brought in by Jackie Palmer, wife of the club secretary, Allen. The Esher club race in the Three Borders Federation and has always maintained a strong social and family tradition. The chief guest on the night was the Westend Sports & Social Club chairman, Aiden Baker and in his speech he commented on the great support the pigeon section gives to the Social Club in general. He spoke of the pigeon clubs great loss, when Jimmy Rookledge passed away in October 2015. I have known Jim since the late 1970’s, when he flew as Thompson & Rookledge in the Esher & District RPC and was winning premier Federation positions every year, as he did right up to the 2015 racing season. Jimmy was a true gentleman and since I joined the Esher club in the early 1980’s, I have always considered him the ‘father’ figure of the club. To say he will be greatly missed at the club is an understatement. I don’t think the Esher club will ever be the same, as Jimmy has always been there, working away marking pigeons on a Friday night or having a laugh and joke, with a pint of beer in his hand on a Saturday night. He always had the time of day to ask how you are and never had a bad word to say about any one. He just loved his pigeon racing! Aiden Baker also commented on the wonderful performance put up by Esher club members, Bobby and Anthony Besant, who won 1st open International Agen (10,500 birds) in the 2015 season, with their great champion, ‘Noble Dream’. He also said that this great performance was very much an in club thing, with Esher club members, Keith and Betty Mott, breeding the dam of the winner. Another 2015 performance of high note was, Carlo Dilig winning the ‘Best Average All Combine Races Trophy’ in his very first season racing pigeons. Well done to Carlo!
The club has its race diplomas beautifully produced in book form every year and these are given out to the member with the trophies. The books are produced by club chairman, Mike Charlton, and he makes brilliant job of them, being something the members are proud to own. Thanks to Mike! The prizes and trophies were presented to the members by Aiden Baker, and principal prize winners were: 1) Malik & Khan £387 (six race wins): 2) Colin Crook & Andy Iddenden £354 (four race wins): 3) Bobby & Danny Carter £293 (five race wins): 4) Chris Slight & Trevor Taylor £215 (three race wins): 5) Vic Emberson £79 (one race win): 6) Rookledge & Mearns £63 (one race win): 7) Paul Arnold £39: 8) Khan Brothers £26 (one race win): 8) Allen Palmer & son £25: 9) Dave White £10: Colin Brightey £8: 10) Carlo Dilig £4: 11) Norman Brothers £6. Congratulation to all the prize winners! Thanks to Allen and Jackie Palmer for all their hard work and giving the Esher members another great night!
The competition in the Three Borders Federation has been strong and hard in the 2015 season, and Mitcham & Merton FC came out on top, winning the ‘Federation Points’ Trophy’, with 190 points and this time the runners up were Esher &Dist RPC, on 188 point. The Esher club’s Three Borders Federation winners in the 2015 season were: Jim Rookledge & Ray Mearns 1st Federation Blandford (1,314 birds): Malik & Khan 1st Federation Yeovil (1,444 birds): Vic & Lou Emberson 1st Federation Exeter (1,217 birds): Colin Crook & Andy Iddenden 1st Federation Honiton (1,189 birds): Bob & Danny Carter 1st Federation Yeovil (923 birds): Colin Crook & Andy Iddenden 1st Federation Truro (826 birds), 2nd SMT Combine (1,512 birds): Malik & Khan 1st Federation Blandford (1,116 birds): Malik & Khan 1st Federation Blandford (1,802 birds): Malik & Khan 1st Federation Blandford (1,615 birds): Malik & Khan 1st Federation Kingsdown (1,469 birds).
The Federation ‘Individual Points Trophy’ was won by a country mile by Malik & Khan of the Esher club, on 94 points and they won 27 positions, and topped the Federation five times in the 2015 season. Well done to the Imran and the lads, a fantastic performance! Bobby and Danny Carter also of the Esher club was runner up with 43 points and they won 13 positions, including 1st Federation Yeovil. The Federation’s 2015 young bird racing was pretty much dominated by the Esher & District RPC partnership of Malik & Khan. I keep writing that these young lads are up and coming stars in our sport, but after their recent performances it is safe to say there are now at the very top of the ratings. What can I say about the Malik & Khan partnership, their brilliant 2015 performances would fill most of this article, but the highlights are; many premier position won in old bird racing including: 1st, 2nd, 6th, 10th, 15th, 16th Federation Yeovil (1,444 birds) with their first four birds on the ETS being four game yearlings, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 9th Federation, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 11th SMT Combine Vire (1,355 birds). In the first five Federation young bird race Malik & Khan won four firsts including: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th 13th, 25th Federation Blandford (1) (1,116 birds), 1st, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Federation Blandford (2) (1,802 birds), 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th Federation Blandford (3) (1,615 birds), 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 15th Federation Kingsdown (1,469 birds), plus top positions in the National Flying Club and British International Championship Club. Well done to the lads, that is fantastic pigeon racing by any ones standards!
Malik & Khan only joined the Esher club in the 2012 season and these young lads have been outstanding in the Federation for several years, including winning the SMT Combine for the first time with a youngster several years ago. Imran Malik started racing pigeons in the 2004 season with a team of young birds purchased from Louella Pigeon World and in the 2005 season Janssens were introduced from Imran’s uncles, Khan Brothers of Kingston. The 2005 young bird season saw him smash his novice status and recorded 1st, 2nd, 9th, 10th Federation in that season. Malik & Khan finished the 2014 racing season in great style by winning 1st, 2nd Federation from Taunton and then two weeks later they won 1st Federation from the last and longest young bird race from Yelverton. These lads are really outstanding young bird specialists, winning the Federation every season with their babies. The Federation sent 1,471 birds to Taunton and Malik & Khan won the Federation by 9ypm clear. Two weeks later the membership entered 867 birds in to the last race from Yelverton and with the wind being a brisk east / north east, the birds had a hard push over the 180 miles home, with the winners taking over 4 hours 30 minutes to finish. The Tolworth lofts of Malik & Khan were well on the pace again, recorded 1st Federation for the second time in two weeks and this time winning 1st SMT Combine (1,516 birds). A really great performance, with the lads winning a fast short race and then the longest young bird race, which was hard and slow!
The Three Borders Federation sent 826 birds to Truro (230 miles) for its final old bird race of the 2015 season and the convoyer, Dom McCoy, liberated with the SMT Combine at 06.30 hrs in a westerly wind. The Crook & Iddenden partnership of the Esher club recorded a real ‘banger’, winning the Federation by nearly 130 ypm clear, plus 2nd SMT Combine! Colin and Andy’s Truro winner was the three year old blue widowhood cock, ‘The Nearly Cock’ and he had previously won 2014: 11th Federation Honiton (1,589 birds), 18th Federation Taunton (959 birds) and in 2015: 25th Federation Honiton (1,189 birds), plus his Federation win from Truro. This game cock is of the Frans Zwols of Holland strain and was bred from one, of three stock pairs purchased by the lads from Raymond Molveld, the premier Dutch fancier in 2010. Colin and Andy won the Three Borders Federation twice in the 2015 season, previously winning from Honiton (1,189 birds) with another blue widowhood cock named ‘The 59 Cock’ and he is a Staf Van Reet, bred down from their wonderful double Federation winning cock, ‘The 29 Cock’. Colin tells me the lads always sort out the number nine rings each year and ring all his descendants with them, so they can tell at a glance that they are down from this champion Staf Van Reet racer. ‘The 59 Cock’ has a list of prizes he has won in the Federation in recent seasons and also won 1st club, 4th South Coast Federation in the 2015 season. The Crook & Iddenden partnership only raced inland with the Esher club and their old bird positions won this season are: 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 13th Federation Exeter (1,217 birds), 1st, 2nd, 25th Federation Honiton (1,189 birds), 11th, 14th, 23rd Federation Yeovil, 1st, 22nd Federation, 2nd, 40th SMT Combine Truro (1,512 birds).
Bobby, Linda and Danny Carter are three of nicest people you will ever meet in the sport of pigeon racing and they enjoyed another great season racing in the Three Borders Federation in 2015. Bobby says he is hard working with his pigeons, but told me recently he owes a lot of his outstanding success in recent seasons to his wife, Linda, his son, Danny and good friend, Ron Keeley, who all also are hard workers for the loft. Bob and Danny Carter finely won the Federation in 2015 after ‘knocking at the door’ all season and recorded 1st, 3rd and 15th from Yeovil and at that stage of the season were leading for the Federation ‘Individual Points Trophy’. The father and son partnership have had a wonderful 2015 old birds season, winning: 14th, 17th, 18th Federation Blandford (1,314 birds), 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th Federation Yeovil (1,444 birds), 3rd, 4th, 14th, 17th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd Federation Yeovil (1,628 birds), 16th Federation Exeter (1,217 birds), 5th, 19th, 21st Federation Honiton (1,189 birds), 8th, 22nd, 25th Federation Yelverton (887 birds), 1st, 3rd, 15th Federation Yeovil (923 birds), 25th Federation Taunton (874 birds), 3rd, 5th, 17th Federation, 9th, 11th, 35th SMT Combine Truro (1,512 birds). A fantastic performance!
That’s it for this week! Good luck to all my many friends at the Esher club for the forthcoming 2016 racing season. I can be contacted with any pigeon ‘banter’ on telephone number: 01372 463480 or email me on:
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)
