“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT - 30-01-26

“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.

LOFT VISITS IN SCOTLAND (PART 4.)

The late, Dale Newcombe of Macmerry.

In January 2009 I was very sad to read the bad news in the BHW of the passing of one of the very best long distance fanciers north of the border. Of course I’m talking about the late great Dale Newcombe of Macmerry in East Lothian, who was from an outstanding pigeon family which had won the SNFC ‘Kings Cup’ from Rennes (543 miles) four times. Dale’s late father was famous throughout the pigeon racing world and was voted ‘British Fancier of the Year’ seven times. Eddie won countless open positions in the SNFC, including 1^st open Rennes ‘Kings Cup’ National (twice), 1^st open Cheltenham Young Bird National and 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd open Sartilly National. Eddie retired to Malta in later years and was still racing with outstanding success out there.

Dale started up in pigeons in 1969 as a school boy and was only interested in the long distance National races. Dale’s Kardale Lofts were full of quality pigeons and he was twice winner of the S.N.F.C. ‘King’s Cup’ Rennes race in 1981 and 1993. In over 110 years of the SNFC Rennes ‘King’s Cup’ races, only three fancier have won the event twice, with Eddie and Dale being two of them. The third double ‘King’s Cup’ winning loft, being that of the late, great John Wylie. Since starting racing in the SNFC in 1971, Dale had won well over 280 diplomas, with many of them being placed in the first few in the open results. He had been ever present in the SNFC results winning: 14 times in the first six open, 22 times in the first ten open and a fantastic 86 positions in the first fifty open. He had won two Louella Pigeon World motor cars and total cash winnings in the SNFC being about £34,000. A wonderful record!

Dale raced 40 pairs on the natural system and they were paired up at the end of February with the long distance Nationals in mind. The racers started the season with a few 40 mile training tosses, then, they were raced through to Stafford (210 miles) to get the team fit. They were given about eight more tosses from 40 miles and then set down to hatch on the day of the first long distance National race. Dale had outstanding racers of both sexes, but said his hens were best, with both his ‘King’s Cup’ winners being females! He fed a basic mixture, but added maple peas and peanuts for the distance racing and fed them to the old and young birds. His very smart loft was very large and was built by his father in 1966. The brick building had four massive sections for the racers, two for the stock birds and the birds trapped through sputniks.

Some of the champion racers we handled on our visit to Kardale Lofts were, ‘Kardale Regatta’, a mealy pied hen, winner of 211^th, 126^th, 154^th and 6^th open SNFC Rennes (543 miles) and a Gold Award winner. This apple bodied hen was bred from the very best National winning lines and won over £4,000, with her best nest condition being due to hatch the day of liberation from Rennes. Dale told me this great hen was probably his best bird at that time. ‘Kardale Region’ a blue cock winner of 4^th, 58^th and 104^th open SNFC Sartilly (500 miles). ‘Kardale Max’, a red chequer cock, winner of 15^th open SNFC Sartilly in 1995 and 16^th open SNFC Nantes (603 miles). Then nine days later 93^rd open SNFC Sartilly in 1996. ‘Kardale Starmist’  a blur chequer cock winner of 6^th open Young Bird National (259 miles) in 1993, 17^th open SNFC Niort (672 miles) in 1996 and 8^th open SNFC Nantes (603 miles) in the 1997 season. A fantastic team of pigeons!

Dale kept 50 pairs of stock birds which were paired up on Boxing Day and these were kept on straw litter in the two very large stock sections. He never used nest bowls, the birds were very happy to nest in the corner of their box, with an endless supply of clean straw. When Dale brought in pigeons for stock he liked to obtain children of Scotch National winners, preferably ‘King’s Cup’ winners. He was not bothered by type and said eye sign was just a fad. He bred 120 young birds to race each season and if they were fit they all went to the young bird National to test them. The youngsters started their season with six training chucks from 40 miles and after their first race from 60 miles, and then went right through to Worcester (260 miles). The young birds didn’t have their own sections and they ran with the old birds in the natural racing partings. They were fed on the same corn as the old birds, with peanuts being added for the National race. The great Newcombe racing pigeon family!

The late, Jack Wylie of Newcastleton.

While in Scotland, I had the good fortune to visit one of the all-time greats, the late Jack Wylie. Since starting up in 1961, John had won countless positions in the Scottish National Flying Club, including three times 1^st open and three times 2^nd open and was the first loft in Scotland to win 1^st open Scottish National Flying Club Rennes twice. At that time he was one, of only three fanciers, in the 110 years history of the S.N.F.C. to win the ‘King’s Cup’ from Rennes twice, the others being Eddie and Dale Newcombe of Macmerry. Jack's wonderful old champion, 'Blue Blitz' won 1^st open Rennes Scottish National Flying Club in 1964 and in 1965 recorded 2^nd open Scottish National Flying Club beaten by a decimal by W. T. Gardener of Lockerbie, a fantastic pigeon!

On our visit to Jack's loft he proudly showed us his other Rennes National winner, a handsome old red chequer pied cock who was a grandson of 'Blue Blitz'. The red pied cock won the Rennes National in 1982 and many other prizes, including 1^st Federation Cheltenham with his best racing condition, being sitting ten-day eggs. Jack's loft was 18ft long, in three sections, with open-door trapping and was the original loft he started with in 1961. Although Jack had the constant worry from birds of prey, he gave the birds an open loft most of the time, as it was sited in a field. Jack had always raced on the natural system and paired up his 16 pairs of racers the first week in March. He was only interested in Channel racing and raced his team right through to Nantes (550 miles) with the Scottish National Flying Club. The birds were fed on a mixture of peas, beans, maize with a little wheat and got regular training tosses from 30 miles. The Wylie loft bred 25 youngsters each season to race and they were never paired up, always raced to the perch. Jack stopped half the young bird team after a few races, with the rest going through to 207 miles. Jack said at the time, his highlight in the sport was when 'Blue Blitz' won the Rennes National doing 1040ypm, and was the only bird into Scotland and Cumberland doing over 1000ypm. A wonderful pigeon and great fancier.

Robert Nesbit of Cockburnspath.

A family that has been in the Scottish pigeon fancy for over 100 years is the Nesbit family and their involvement in the sport spans over four generations I visited the S.N.F.C. ace, Robert Nesbit, who had just recently moved in to his new Cockburnspath home, right on  the east coast of Scotland. His father is the long distance fancier, John Nesbit, who had recorded many premier performances in the S.N.F.C., including 3^rd open Rennes and in turn John’s father was an outstanding fancier. Robert’s daughter, June, was secretary of the Scottish National Flying Club at that time and had held the post for six years. Robert told me she works very hard at the very demanding secretary job, but had a lot of good help from her husband, Gordon, who is a computer buff.

Robert had won over 100 S.N.F.C. diplomas at his previous address including 3^rd, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 9^th. and 11^th open and is only interested in the long distance racing. He has tried widowhood, but has had all his outstanding success racing on the natural system with about 25 pairs, which he pairs up on February 15^th. every season. The team is only trained lightly at the start of the season, but this is stepped up before the long distance National events. His main racing loft is 32ft. long, four sections, with open door trapping and faces right out on the North Sea. The loft is closed in to keep out the sea winds, which once blew the loft over, so it is now anchored down with half inch trawler wire cables.

Robert’s best pigeon is a blue hen and she had three major S.N.F.C. prizes in races over 500 miles, including 20^th open Rennes. He usually flew this great hen unpaired in the club races, then paired her up and sent her to Rennes on chipping eggs. Another outstanding racer in Robert’s loft was a handsome blue chequer cock and he had recorded 30^th open S.N.F.C. Rennes (541 miles) in 1996 and 25^th open S.N.F.C. Nantes (601 miles) in the 1997 season.

Robert races pigeons which he has for many years, which he calls the ‘Nesbit’ family and crosses good birds in from time to time. He only keeps three pairs of stock birds and says all the pigeons have to race. The stock birds are paired up the same time as the racers in February and he feeds a sound mixture of peas, beans, maize and wheat. His 40 youngsters were housed in a new 35ft ‘L’ shaped brick loft, which was well ventilated with a pantiled roof. In 1997 he raced 26 youngsters on the darkness system and 16 on the natural and he told me, the darkness birds were brilliant, thrashing the others every week. The loft won the Young Bird Average in 1997 and all the birds were raced to the perch, but are allowed to pair up if they want to. Robert trains his young birds very lightly as they fly around the loft well.

Well that’s it for this week! I hope my readers have enjoyed this look back at these Scottish winning champions of yester year. We will be looking at some more very soon. To view some old video footage of some of these fanciers and their birds go on to my YouTube channel. I can be contacted with any pigeon matters on telephone number: 07535 484584 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).