BRITISH BARCELONA CLUB'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Part 10
by Keith Mott
Season 2014 represents another milestone in history for the British Barcelona Club, for this year is the club’s 50th anniversary. In celebration of this event it is intended to reproduce some of the articles on past winners that have appeared in the Fancy Press over the years. It is well worth remembering that here in this country we have just three racing organisations that cover the whole of the country, of which only one, the British Barcelona Club, encompasses the Channel Islands, making its races truly National events. To celebrate the Golden Jubilee every section winner in this year’s races will receive a special commemorative medal which will be presented at this year’s dinner at Days Hotel, Bournemouth. In the meantime it is hoped that readers will enjoy the exploits and methods of past winners of this highly successful club. For those interested, it is not too late to join and partake in this year’s celebrations. Good luck to our members for the forthcoming 2014 season. - Michael Shepherd (BBC Chairman).
THE LATE, GREAT KEN HINE OF HAYES
1st Open BBC Palamos (685 miles) 1993 & 1st Open BBC Palamos 2008
I was marking for the last London & South East Classic Club race of the 2011 season from Carentan on Friday 9th September and was told that the great long distance racer, Ken Hine of Hayes, had passed away the day before. Gary Inkley was one of Ken’s best friends and while marking his birds, Gary gave me the bad news. I must say I was a bit shocked, as Ken aways looked so fit, but Gary said he had been suffering from bad health for some time. Ken was made a life vice president of the National Flying Club a few years ago, after giving many years of hard work for the club, serving for Section E on the committee. Through his many years in the sport, Ken recorded countless premier performances in long distance races including 1st open L&SECC Pau, 1st open BBC Palamos (twice) and 1st section E 3rd Open Pau Grand National (565 miles) in the 2002 season. The sport of pigeon racing has lost another of its great long distance champions!
Ken was born in Acton, West London, and was introduced to pigeon racing at a very early age, as both his father and grandfather were fanciers. He had his first pigeons at the age of 16 and these were obtained from top fanciers including Alf Baker, Tubby Tate and my late, great friend, Alex Fleming of Esher. Ken told me that the one person he owed a big debt of gratitude to was George Burgess of Wraybury as his help and advice through many years had been beyond measure. It was the performances of Alf Baker and Tubby Tate which really enthused Ken as a young man and he had always liked long distance racing. When he started up in the sport he lived in a flat and his small two section loft had to be sited in a borrowed garden. Those early days saw Ken race in the Chiswick North Road Club and he was very successful at that time with Alex Fleming pigeons bred on the ‘Derick’ and ‘Bubbles’ lines. Ken once told me every fancier makes mistakes when they first start up pigeon racing, but the secret is to learn from them. Ken said he often thought back to the early days and the pigeons he had owned, with one of the best being a chequer pied cock, bred in 1964 and named ‘Garth’.
Ken’s loft set up in Hayes was large, which he said was a matter of personal choice, but maintained he had seen a pigeon win flying to a rabbit hutch and so have I. His wonderful set up must be described as a ‘pigeon paradise’, with three very smart lofts, set in green fields, with horses and stables. Whilst he cleaned his lofts out on a regular basis, he said he knew fanciers who keep their bird on deep litter and were also very successful. In the main he had raced his pigeons on the natural system, but had tried the widowhood for a few seasons and both have brought him good success. The families of pigeons raced at the Hayes loft were the very best of long distance, in the form of the late Peter Titmuss of Wheathampstead, the late Jim Biss of Norwich and the late Fear Brothers of Clandown. Ken maintained that any new introductions always come from lofts with outstanding long distance records. Ken was retired from his haulage firm and said he was fortunate that his family were interested in his pigeons and they helped him out around the lofts.
Ken told me his most thrilling experience in pigeons was when he won 1st open BBC Palamos, 1st open L&SECC Pau and 1st and 2nd club Nantes all on the same weekend. Brilliant pigeon racing! The loft's performances at the long distance through the years were fantastic: flying Thurso 20 consecutive years and winning 16 times: Lerwick (600 miles) four times, 2nd combine three consecutive years and timing in on the day from Lerwick. Turning south road in 1985 and winning: 1985: 69th open NFC Pau, 1986: 15th open NFC Pau, 1987: 52nd open NFC Pau, 1988: 52nd , 58th and 154th open NFC Pau, 1989: 15th and 48th open NFC Pau, 1990: 33rd and 99th open NFC Pau, 33rd and 71st open NFC Sartilly, 1991: 16th open N FC Bordeaux, 1992: 99th open NFC Pau, 1993: 27th open NFC Pau, 15th open NFC Saintes, plus many other premier NFC positions through the years. Ken told me he had enjoyed many memorable moments in his time in the sport, but the weekend he won Palamos and Pau was the best.
He served on the committee of the National Flying Club many years and was a life vice president, and said until recent years it had given him great pleasure. He told me, ‘I certainly do not agree that committee members and officials of other specialist clubs should serve on the committee of the National Flying Club. It is my personal opinion that this could create a conflict of interest’. Ken was not happy with the NFC going with the Entente Belge to Dax a few years ago and said, those that wished to compete in International races can do so with the BICC. He told me he thought that Gary Inkley of Hillingdon was the best fancier in his area. On the subject of breeding, Ken practiced some inbreeding and line breeding to maintain his family of long distance pigeons. This was something he had learned a long time ago from his great friend, the late, great Peter Titmuss. He thought the moult period was a very important time of the year for pigeons and said get the moult right and success will follow.
There you have it, the late great Ken Hine of Hayes, long distance ‘ace’ and great worker for the National Flying Club!
TEXT & PHOTO BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)
---
