“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.
Three Borders Federation (Wincanton Race 1).
The Three Borders Federation were at Wincanton on the last weekend of April and the member enjoyed a good steady race with excellent returns, when Dom McCoy liberated 729 birds at 10.00hrs in an East / South East wind. The very successful Ashridge club partnership of Frank and Sue Carson & Son won the Federation with their good three year old blue widowhood cock. ‘Spit Spot’. This game pigeon was bred from Leo Herman stock birds from a daughter of ‘New Lady’, which is Nieuwe Olympiade lines when she was paired to ‘Spiderman’ of May Pigeons. ‘Spit Spot’ has list of top positions to his credit including: 12th Federation Wincanton, 20th Federation Honiton, 8th Federation Wadebridge, 15th Federation Okehampton, 8th Federation Blandford and now 1st Federation Wincanton. What a pigeon!
The first ten in the Wincanton (1) Federation result were: 1) Frank & Sue Carson & Son 1514: 2) Stuart Emans 1511: 3) Stuart Emans 1510: 4) Malik & Khan 1507: 5) Malik & Khan 1506: 6) Malik & Khan 1505: 7) Jim Andrews & Son 1496: 8) Frank & Sue Carson & Son 1493: 9) M / M Steve Gasson 1490: 10) Eric Fry 1486. This was race number three of the season and at this point the Mitcham & Merton club are leaders with 14 points with the Ashridge club and Esher club joint second for the ‘Federation Points Trophy’ with 11 points.
The Surrey racing pigeon fraternity lost one of its greatest champions, when sadly Frank Carson passed away two years ago. He passed away in October, just after enjoying a great 2024 racing season and his wife and son, Sue and John are now caring on with racing the pigeons. I have known Frank and his wife, Sue, since the late 1970’s and have never met two nicer people. Frank is a legend and has won it all at the top level over his many years in the sport. Frank had suffered some bad heath last year and his son, John helped his mum and dad race their pigeons, resulting in them having a wonderful 2024 season, which included them winning the Three Borders Federation three times. John and Sue have carried on racing the pigeons in recent seasons with outstanding success, winning many top positions in the Federation.
The 2025 season was their first racing without Frank and the Okehampton Federation result was very special, to see the Carson family winning 1st, 3rd,14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th Federation. This Federation win was a wonderful tribute to Frank! The winning pigeon was their good yearling blue hen; ‘Pocket Rocket’ and she came with a cock bird from the race, but hit the ETS first. This game little hen is a granddaughter of Eijerkamp’s ‘The Nieuwe Olympiade’, when mated to a Steffan Lambrecht cock, who is a grandson of ‘Lincia’, bred by Jeff Fryant at ‘Stormont Lofts’. Back in 2025 I spoke to John Carson after the Okehampton race and he said, ‘This win was for Frank Carson, our legend! We would like to thank this opportunity to thank our close friends, who are fellow pigeon fanciers, for all their support over the last eight months. It’s been very difficult flying the pigeons without my father for me and mum, having only lost dad eight months ago. His knowledge of pigeons was so vast, so we have had to adapt now that he is no longer with us. It was great to get this win, the pigeons have been working as a team the past three weeks and returned a lot better than earlier in the season, so it was nice to win the club and then the Federation. It was a fast race and the ‘Pocket Rocket’ done us proud. She arrived with a cock bird and he recorded 3rd club, 3rd Federation and he was bred by Errol Skeete’. At the start of the 2025 racing season the Carson family kindle donated £250 and a new trophy, to be called the ‘Frank Carson Memorial Trophy’ to the Three Borders Federation and this wonderful prize will be won by the Federation winner of the fifth young bird race. This is a tribute to the great Frank Carson and will be repeated every season! The Esher partnership of Malik and Khan were the first winners of this wonderful trophy in 2025. Thanks to Sue and John on behalf of the Three Borders Federation, it is a wonderful thing to do! Thank you!
Frank Carson was a used car dealer by trade and had been in the sport of pigeon racing over 50 years. He told me, Susan is a major worker with our pigeons and must take a share of the credit for our success over the years. Our youngest daughter Kimberley and our son, John, lends a hand when needed. I prefer sprint racing and have owned some really good widowhood cock in the early 1990s, which won up to 17 firsts each racing Saturday and Wednesday. Years ago, we won the Kingston Open, when that was the main race to win with the best racers in the South of England, sending their best. That was a great buzz! Over the years Susan and I have held most of the offices in the club, including Secretary and Chairman, but I personally think the modern day small clubs should amalgamate and create bigger clubs for better competition, to lift the sport out of decline. In my opinion John and Darren May are two of our best local fanciers, having put up some brilliant performance in the Combine, Classic and National over many years. Two great pigeon racers! Susan and I used to use the eye sign method in our stock loft, but as time has gone by we have gained a lot of experience, which has told us that breeders of winners come in all shapes and sizes, and some with not so good eye sign. In the stock loft we pair winners to winners, or breeders of winners to breeders of winner together! We are great believers in working the pigeons, but we also know they need rest and as soon as the last young bird race is over, we part all the birds and the loft is completely shut down for two months of the moult period’. The words of a racing pigeon legend!
Frank was born in Battersea, South London, and his grandfather was a fancier flying as J. Carson & son in the Chelsea & South Lambeth club. Frank spent a lot of time with his grandfather and as a result became interested in racing pigeons. When his grandfather died in 1978 he moved in with his grandmother and took the pigeons over. In the early days Frank got a great deal of help from J. Langbridge who at the time flew in the Carshalton club. Frank's interest prior to pigeon racing was football for a local club as a boy, and just prior to taking over his grandfather's birds he successfully showed boxer dogs. Frank had then been in the sport six years and the first club he flew in was the Hackbridge DHS. His grandfather's stock were mainly Andre Vermote and Rene Boizard and Frank's performances were fairly good considering the knowledge and resources that he had at hand. At the end of 1981 the Carson’s decided that they wanted to fly the Widowhood system, so they went to their now good friends, Peter & Geraldine Hookins of Wimbledon. The Hookins were very successful Widowhood fanciers and Peter gave all the help and advice he could. Frank said he had gone from strength to strength since then. In the early days he made all the typical novice mistakes, overcrowding and over training. Penning several articles on Frank and Susan over many years, I can remember in 1984 the partners had the season of a lifetime winning twenty seven 1st, nineteen 2nd, twelve 3rd and twelve 4th, flying in two Saturday clubs and a midweek now and again. The Carson’s raced the Widowhood system and in 1984 the eighteen cocks won twenty three 1sts, the other four winners were young birds. Frank once told me the high points in his time as a pigeon fancier were winning the Old Comrades eye sign class and the first time he won the Federation. Frank Carson was a born pigeon racer and has always been successful!
The star pigeon of the Carson loft in recent seasons 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 had won other premier positions in the 2013 season including 13th Federation Honiton (1172 birds), being beaten by a loft mate. 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. Another top racer that season had been the Willie Jacobs blue chequer cock, ‘The 15 Cock’, and he had beaten ‘Alan’ twice in the 2013 season for top honors in the Federation results. The brilliant widowhood cock had won seven times first club and 1st Federation Wincanton (1995 birds), 1st Federation Honiton (1149 birds), 2nd Federation Newton Abbot (985 birds), 3rd Federation Wincanton (1701 birds), 3rd Federation Yeovil (1506 birds), 4th Federation Honiton (1172 birds), 6th Federation Yeovil (1106 birds). The Carson loft has bred several premier racer for other fanciers and the Esher partnership of Crook & Iddenden, had a brilliant race from Yeovil (1) in 2013, recorded 1st, 3rd, 24th Federation, winning with their champion blue cock ‘Frank’, and then this brilliant cock went on to win 1st Federation Yeovil (2) at the end of the season. Colin Crook and Andy Iddenden won the Three Borders Federation ‘Ken Besant Memorial Trophy’ in the 2011 season for ‘Best Pigeon of the Year’ with their good blue cock, ‘Champion ‘Frank’. He won a long list of premier positions in those three seasons including another 1st Three Borders Federation Kingsdown. Frank and Susan Carson bred Colin and Andy’s champion Gaby Vandenbeele blue widowhood cock, ‘Frank’. The list of ‘world class’ racing pigeons that the late, great Frank Carson bred and raced over his many year in the sport is endless.
That’s our article for this week. Well done to the John and Sue Carson of the Ashridge club on a great result! If you win and want an article in this space, please contact me on telephone number: 07535 484584 or email me on:
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)
