STORIES OF THE CHAMPIONS
Part 5
by Keith Mott
I've had the great pleasure of writing in the pigeon fancy press for almost 45 years and in that time I have visited most of the premier lofts in the United Kingdom. I think it's fair to say that I have handled and inspected more National, Classic and Combine winners than most fanciers. Cameron Stansfield of the Elimar website recently asked me for my top ten pigeons that I have come across in my 45 years visiting premier lofts in the UK and on the Continent. A very hard request to fulfil! I went through thousands of pigeon photographs in my archive files and came up with nearly 80 ‘once in a life time’ champion pigeons. There is probably more in there, but as always, Keith has done his best! This request inspired me to write about some of these great pigeon, so in the coming weeks we are going to feature my ‘Stories of the Champions’, which will feature pictures and the short stories of the history behind the best of the champion pigeons that I have come in contact with in my time in the sport. Over the coming weeks we are featuring the very best of long distance and sprint and one article on world class breeders. I have lined them up in no particular order or preference, as I do not want to offend anybody and I hope my readers enjoy my choices! Here's Part 5.
CH. 'THE PIED HEN' - Nora Major of Putney
I first met the late Nora Major in the mid-1970’s and being one of the best lady fanciers I’ve had the pleasure to meet. I first visited her Putney loft in 1977 for an article. Nora was a great worker for the sport, always willing to help anyone and was famed for her blunt manner. A spade was a spade with Nora, but she got the job done! Nora Major's best pigeon was her champion blue pied hen and this brilliant bird was a champion in the truest sense of the word, winning: 1975 - 3rd club Nantes; 1977 - 1st club, 1st Federation, 1st open Combine (2,868 birds) Bergerac (460 miles); 1st club, 5th Federation, 13th open Combine Nantes; 1978 - 1st section E, 4th open Pau NFC (560miles) £1,052; 1st club, 5th Federation, 18th open Combine Nantes; 1979 - 26th section E, 175th open Pau NFC. What a pigeon! She was bred from the late Alex Fleming of Esher lines, when crossed with a pigeon from Mick Graham of Richmond, and when Nora retired from the sport in the early 1980's this champion hen was sold to C. H. Besant & Sons of New Malden for £1,000.
CH. ‘CULMER LASS' Eric & Pat Cannon of Godalming
'Culmer Lass' was a big hen in the hand, but handled well and had the most wonderful feathering. She was one of Eric Cannon's premier racing and breeding pigeons, winning 1st club, 1st Surrey Federation, 1st open SMT Combine Bergerac (445 miles), only bird on the day of liberation in the Combine. The Cannons' won the Surrey Federation's longest old bird race shield out right for winning it three times. 'Culmer Lass' went on to win 1st section A, 12th open Pau (540 miles) NFC the year after her combine win and went on to win two more positions from the Pau Grand National, plus 49th open Nantes NFC. She has left countless premier national racers behind her and is the grand dam of champion, 'Culmer Marion' winner of 1st open Sartilly NFC, for the Cannons in 1990. The sire of champion, 'Culmer Lass' was Eric's good stock cock '13953' and he produced three NFC 1st section winners from the Pau National, one 2nd section Pau NFC and was grandsire of 1st open Palamos BBC for the late great, Cyril Medway of Southampton. The grand dam of 'Culmer Lass' was champion 'Culmer Blue Bird', winner of twice 1st section A and 6th, 28th, 57th, 118th, 251st open Pau NFC. A brilliant family of long distance pigeons!
CH. ‘EURO BIRD’ Fred Elliott of Thorpe
I was very sad to hear of the passing of one of our best local fanciers, Fred Elliott. Fred and I went back many years and he was a brilliant pigeon racer long before we ever met. The great Fred Elliott had passed over and the sport of pigeon racing has lost another one of its great champions. Fred had been in pigeon racing for over 60 years and his consistent outstanding performances through those years must rate him one of the all-time greats of our sport. The 1987 season saw the Elliott loft win 1st SMT Combine from Rennes with his ‘ace’ dark pied Busschaert Widowhood cock, Champion 'Euro Bird', which was bred by Fred's good fiend Mervyn Patt of North Devon. He also won 1st Three Borders Federation from Weymouth for the Elliott loft. This great cock had won several firsts inland and on the Channel and was the sire of winners including 1st open National and 1st open Federation. Fred had won 1st Federation countless times through the years, including five times 1st Three Borders Federation in 1988. The loft won the Three Borders Federation Two Longest Old Bird races from Niort (351 miles) and Bergerac (455 miles), chalking up 1st Surrey, Three Borders, South Coast Inter Federations (2,458 birds) from Bergerac.
Fred had been one of the premier pigeon racers in the south of England for many year, with the highlight of his brilliant racing career being in 1994 when he won 1st open NFC Nantes. His National winner was his Busschaert widowhood cock, Champion ‘Euro Lad’ and when I say champion, this cock was a champion in the truest sense of the word. His sire was Fred’s dark pied cock, ‘Euro Bird’, winner of 1st open SMT Combine Rennes. Champion ‘Euro Lad’s’ full racing performance was: 1994: 1st Section, 1st open NFC Nantes (11,400 birds) plus the car, 1993: 1st Section, 7th open NFC Nantes (12,027 birds), 1st Three Borders Federation Le Mans, 19th open L&SECC Le Mans (1,885 birds), 9th open L&SECC Tours (1,090 birds). A fantastic pigeon!
CH. ‘NOBBY’ Tony Seery of West Drayton
Tony Seery has always lived in the London and Southern Counties area, apart from a six year stint in the army, and after a weekend visit to the North East of England in June 2008 he move up there lock, stock and barrel. He has been very successful racing his pigeons in his many years in the sport and has won the Federation many times. In recent seasons he has owned some of the best racing Busschaerts in the U.K. and tells me he likes on the day racing up to Bergerac (450 miles). I would think his London & South East Classic Club winner, Champion ‘Nobby’, must be one of the best racing Busschaerts in the U.K. today, winning a long list of premier prizes, including 1st open L&SECC Alencon and 1st open Combine Fougeres. A brilliant racer!
The London & South East Classic Club kicked off the season, with a banger of a race from Alencon, in northern France and with lots of wind and rain on the day; it produced plenty of thrills and spills. The heavy showers didn’t seem to have any bearing on the outcome of the first classic, but the strong south westerly winds produced some very high velocities. Marriott & Seery won the race with their all pooler, the champion widowhood Busschaerts cock; ‘Nobby’ and he made a winning velocity of 1928 ypm. This game three year old blue cock was no stranger to winning, having previously recorded, twice 1st club inland, 2nd club, 3rd Federation, 12th open Combine Fougeres (beaten by loft mate) as a yearling and 1st club, 1st Federation, 1st open Combine Fougeres (200 miles), 1st club, 4th Federation, 4th open Combine Guernsey as a two year old. He was bred from the very best Busschaerts bloodlines, with his sire coming from Tom Sparks of Gravesend and his dam from Roy Fox of Harrow. Champion “Nobby” has won many other premier positions racing and has a brother named ‘Milton Keynes’ that had won many firsts racing and has been fantastic at stock, breeding many winners for Tony Seery and other fanciers, including ‘Tony’s Choice’ winner of 2nd section L&SECC Bergerac. I asked Tony why he was called ‘Milton Keynes’ and it’s because on one inland race he went wrong and was picked up in the town in Hertfordshire, and returned homes to carry on with his wonderful racing career. It was the only time he went wrong in his long successful racing career, as he is a champion racer winning many firsts and a brilliant breeder. A brilliant line of Busschaerts!
CH. ‘MR STONER’ Frank & Susan Carson of Sutton
Frank & Susan Carson of the Mitcham & Merton club are the 2014 Three Borders Federation ‘Individual Points Trophy’ winners, but the 2013 racing season was one of their best, winning 1st open L&SECC Guernsey (old bird), and long list of positions in the Three Borders Federation, including 1st and 2nd Federation three weeks on the trot, plus 1st and 2nd SMT Combine. Fantastic pigeon racing! I had a week’s holiday in the south of France in mid-June 2013 and on my return I visited the Carson’s home in Sutton to update Frank and Sue’s pigeon racing story. I last visited their loft for an article 30 years ago and although I’ve seen Frank about at pigeon functions, I think I’m right in saying I haven’t seen Susan since that visit 30 years ago. She is now a busy grandmother and looked really well. Susan takes an active interest in the running of the loft, for example she has trained youngsters while Frank is involved with the widowers. She kept records, cleaned out and anything else that needed doing. To get the best out of pigeons, Susan said, it's a matter of 365 days of dedication every year.
The star pigeon of the Carson loft in the 2013 season has been the yearling blue pied cock, ‘Mr. Stoner’, and he recorded 1st open London & South East Classic Club Guernsey (800 birds), and 1st club, 1st Three Borders Federation, 1st SMT Combine Yelverton (1596 birds), being raced on the widowhood system. A nice little extra to ‘Mr. Stoner’s’ success story is the fact that his nest brother, ‘Alan’, was with him on the very same velocity from Yelverton (179 miles) and is joint 1st open SMT Combine! This wonderful cock, ‘Mr. Stoner’, has won other premier positions in the 2013 season including 13th Federation Honiton (1172 birds), being beaten by a loft mate and in 2014 recorded 17th, 17th, 18th, 20th Federation in inland races. The widowhood blue cock, ‘Alan’, has a brilliant racing record in his own right, winning: 1st Federation, 1st SMT Combine Yelverton (1596 birds), 1st Federation Exeter (938 birds), 2nd Federation Honiton (1149 birds), beaten by a loft mate, 3rd Federation Newton Abbot (985 birds), beaten by loft mate, 8th Federation Wincanton (1149 birds), 14th Federation Yeovil (1106 birds) plus several other premier positions including 1st club Taunton. This fantastic nest pair of cocks were bred by Frank’s good friend, John Stoner of Mitcham, from the very best Willie Jacobs and Gaby Vandenabeele bloodlines. A nice little foot note is that ‘Alan’ won 1st Three Borders Federation Blandford (1,397 birds), 2nd Three Borders Federation Yeovil (764 birds) in the 2014 racing season. A fantastic nest pair!
CH. ‘CRIPPLED COCK’ Brian Goodwin of Hanworth
Brian & Angela Goodwin and have been good friends of mine since the early 1970s and Brian raced only the south route, but liked to win every Saturday from the shortest to the longest race. He raced Emiel Deweerdt of Kortemark, Belgium, pigeons, which he introduced in 1978 and he maintains the Deweerdts pigeon have been fantastic for him through the years, from any distance, easy or hard, and you can count on them when others don't clock in.
The loft has won the Federation countless times through the years, with the highlights being - 1982: 1st open SMT Combine Melle (smash) 363 miles; 1983: 1st open SMT Combine Penzance (260 miles); 1989: 4th open SMT Combine Alencon on a young bird smash race (280 miles); 1991: 1st open SMT Combine Bergerac (454 miles), winning the Combine by 43 minutes); 1996: 1st open SMT Combine Bergerac (456 miles). His biggest thrill in pigeon racing was when he won the Combine from Penzance in 1983 with his Deweerdt blue cheq cock called ‘The Crippled Cock’ and he won the Combine after having half its foot bitten off by a dog, and went on to win ten times 1st club, five times 1st Federation in his great racing career, and was an outstanding breeder.
In spite of health problem in recent years, Brian, tried to kick them into touch in 2008 and start to enjoy his pigeon racing hobby again. He installed the ETS system, but could only race four young bird races and scoring in all four. As in previous seasons Brian racing activities were short, but very sharp recording: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 25th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th Federation from the longest young bird race from Yelverton, setting at that time a new Berkshire Federation record and 1st club 4th Federation Lulworth. Brian’s 2008 Federation winner was his good Maurice and Gregory Casaert pencil blue cock, ‘ETS’, and he was raced to the perch.
Well that’s our ‘CHAMPIONS’ for this week! Next time we are going to feature some more exceptional long distance champions. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all our friends throughout the sport from Betty and myself. Have a great time! I can be contacted with any pigeon ‘banter’ on telephone number: 01372 463480 or email:
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT
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