THREE BORDERS FED
by Keith Mott
Johnny Keywood
The Three Borders Federation’s president, Johnny Keywood, celebrated his 80th birthday a week ago and the secretary and committee would like to send their best wishes to him on reaching this ‘milestone’ birthday. Mind you, looking at John, he doesn’t look that age, he looks more my age, 49! He had a birthday ‘do’ at his local pub in Hersham and the place was packed with the pigeon lads. Happy Birthday mate!
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. John has been in the sport on and off for over 60 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 1st club, 6th 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 1970s were the blue pied cock ‘The Marshall’ and his nest mate, ‘Barren Hen’, winner of 2nd 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. Johnny 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 ten seasons.
What else can you say about Johnny Keywood 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 1st S.M.T. Combine from Messac (3,287 birds) and 3rd 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 1st club and twice 1st Federation. He was a gift pigeon from ‘Oak Villa’ lofts and won 1st Federation Kingsdown (1985 birds), plus 5th and 7th 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 1st 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 1st club and 7 x 1st Federation. Johnny enjoyed a brilliant 2011 racing season in the very strong Spelthorne club and finished it great style by winning 1st open SMT Combine (1594 birds) from the last and longest young birds race, flown from Yelverton (172 miles) in September. He lifted all the average cups in the Spelthorne club and won 13 times 1st club, 12 times 2nd club, 9 times 3rd club, including 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th club, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th Federation, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th SMT Combine Alencon, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th club, 11th, 21st Federation, 13th, 31st SMT Combine Messac. What a great loft of pigeons!
Esher & Dist RPC
We are in sight of the end of the 2014 old bird racing season and the Esher club has had a brilliant time racing in the strong Three Borders Federation, winning scores of premier positions, including winning a fantastic six times 1st Federation. The club’s 2014 Federation winner so far are: Vic Emberson 1st Federation Yeovil (1,702 birds): Paul Arnold 1st Federation Honiton (1,589 birds): Danny Allison & Amgad Ibrahim 1st Federation (740 birds), 4th SMT Combine Falaise: Danny Allison & Amgad Ibrahim 1st Federation (731 birds), 2nd SMT Combine Messac: Chris and Cole Slight & Trevor Taylor 1st Federation (484 birds), 1st SMT Combine Nort sur Erdre: Jim Rookledge & Ray Mearns 1st Federation Yeovil (764 birds). Congratulations to you all!
The real buzz for me and I’m sure for the other members of the Esher club was to see Jimmy Rookledge win the Federation out of Yeovil by 19ypm clear. Jimmy is advancing in years and has carried on racing the pigeons this season in spite of the very sudden passing of his pigeon partner and the club’s dear friend, Ray Mearns, in February of this year. Ray was a very good pigeon racer and had flown in partnership with Jimmy Rookledge since the 2000 season, and they enjoyed some wonderful success racing in one of the strongest clubs in the south of England. Ray was a great worker in the Esher club and if there was anything to be done, he was always there first to sort it out. Jimmy, one for Ray! Chris Slight and Trevor Taylor have taken on a new partner in the form of Chris’ 12 year old grandson, Cole, and he has brought them a bit of luck, by winning 1st SMT Combine Nort sur Erdre. This is the partner’s third Combine winner in recent seasons and this latest one was a blue cock bred from Leo van Rijns stock birds obtained from Phil and Maria Dunstall of Taplow. Full reports on the Rookledge & Mearns and Slight & Taylor Federation winners to appear in the next couple of weeks. Bobby and Danny Carter are enjoying a good season with their best positions being: 1st club, 3rd Federation Blandford (1,397 birds), 1st club, 4th Federation Yeovil (1,291 birds). It was nice to see other good worker over many years at the Esher club, Tony Dann, amongst the winners, when he won 1st club, 5th Federation Honiton (1,216 birds) with one of his outstanding Van Breemen pigeons. Colin Crook and Andy Iddenden have been in Federation results most weeks, but could not win a 1st Club, and finally made it from race eleven flown from Taunton, when they recorded 1st, 2nd club, 4th, 5th Federation (959 birds). On a personal note it was very pleasing to see that Colin and Andy have recorded 5th Three Borders Federation Taunton with ‘8001’, a yearling son of the premier stock hen, ‘White Tail’. This great Mark & Dick Evans / Gaby Vandenabeele stock hen, now dam of 2nd, 5th, 12th, 13th Federation was bred by us from ‘Myrtle Supremacy’ and ‘Myrtle Exile’. Bobby and Anthony Besant had a great race from Nort sur Erdre by recording 3rd, 15th, 19th Federation, 4th, 23rd, 27th SMT Combine (699 birds) with first bird on the ETS being a yearling bred from one of our Brian Denney hens, ‘Half a Crown’. This outstanding stock hen was a gift egg to the Bob and Anthony and is a daughter of ‘Sasha’s Boy’ when mated to ‘Foxwarren Complete’, winner of 32nd open L&SECC Dax, 2nd East Grinstead CC Dax, 29th open L&SECC San Sebastian, 116th open L&SECC Pau, 109th open L&SECC Pau.
The competition in the Three Borders Federation was strong and hard in the 2013 season, and once again the mighty Esher & Dist. RPC came out on top, winning the ‘Federation Points’ Trophy’, with 173 points. The club has won the championship several times in recent years and this time the runners up were Mitcham & Morden, on 169 point. It is common knowledge that the Esher is a very strong club, sending up to 350 birds a week and in most races, short or long, members have to more or less win the Federation to win the club.
That’s it for this week! I can be contacted with any pigeon comments on telephone number: 01372 463480 or email
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)
---
