“On The Road” With Keith Mott
Three Borders Federation
Well it’s April again and that time of the year that all pigeon fancier have been waiting for has arrived! The Three Borders Federation starts the 2017 racing season on 8th April with a sprint race from Blandford (85 miles). The Federation secretary, Bryan Poulton, recently sent me a 2016 diploma book, which is nice to see, is still being produced rather than the old fashioned prize cards. The book is a very smart job and nice to read and keep in the pigeon draw! Many thanks, to Mick Honeyball of Richmond, who sponsored and paid the cost of the production of the Diploma Books. Officers for the 2017 season are: President - Johnny Keywood: Life Vice President Mrs. Radford: Vice Presidents M. Angell, Mrs. A. Bishop, Mick Honeyball, Paul Johnston, and Mrs. S. Read: Chairman D. Lebby: Secretary and Treasure Bryan Poulton (Tele - 01932 223682): Auditors Alan Tullett and Angela Fox: Transport Manager and Convoyer Dom McCoy: Race Controllers Dom McCoy and Bryan Poulton: Press Officer Keith Mott (Tele - 01372 463480).
The competition in the Three Borders Federation was strong and hard in the 2016 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 eight times in the last twelve years and this time the runners up were the Spelthorne club, on 161 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. Needless to say the Esher member’s presence is very strong in the Federation results and they won 128 racing positions, including nine 1st Federation winners in the 2016 season. A fantastic club performance! The Esher club must rate as one of the premier clubs in the south of England and is dripping with top quality fanciers who are hell bent on winning the Three Borders Federation every weekend. Congratulations to the Esher lads! The ‘Federation Individual Points’ Trophy was won in the 2016 season by Ken Wise of the Isleworth club, with 82 points, and runners up, with 68 points, was Bob & Danny Carter of the Esher club. Ken has had a brilliant 2016 season, winning the Federation five times, plus many other premier positions, including taking the first nine in the Federation result twice. Ken Wise’s Federation wins were: (OB) 1st Federation Taunton (693 birds): (YB) 1st Federation Yeovil (769 birds): 1st Federation Yeovil (878 birds): 1st Federation Exeter (651 birds): 1st Federation Wadebridge (576 birds).
The Three Border Federation 2017 race programme is: (OB) 8th April Blandford: 15th April Yeovil: 22nd April Honiton: 29th April Exeter: 6th May Falaise: 13th May Kingsdown: 20th May Falaise: 27th May Exeter: 3rd June Fougeres: 10th June Yelverton: 17th June Messac: 24th June Yeovil: 1st July Taunton: 8th July Messac: (YB) 29th July Blandford: 5th August Yeovil: 12th August Blandford: 19th August Yeovil: 26th August Blandford: 2nd September Kingsdown: 9th September Exeter: 16th September Wadebridge.
John Keywood Three Borders Federation President.
Looking at the 2016 Federation Diploma Book, I noticed that my ol’ mucker, Johnny Keywood has been President for nearly twenty years. What a fantastic achievement that is! 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. The loft has open door trapping and consists of a big section for the stock birds, two sections for the young birds, and two sections with six widowhood cocks in each. The racers are generally paired up the last week in January, with the racing cocks single rearing a baby and are normally on the widowhood system by the second Federation race. John tells me his cocks are sent to the first Federation race feeding a big youngster and on their return the hen and baby are taken away, and then they are on the system. The week before the first race the cocks get about five training tosses up to Bentley (25 miles), which is the furthest the old birds ever go and once racing commences they are only exercised around the loft for an hour twice a day. In recent seasons John has been feeding Garvo ‘Super Sprint’ mixture and says he never break the birds down. The hens are shown to the widowhood cocks from dinner time on the day of marking for Channel races and on their return from the race stay with their mate overnight on all races.
The Three Borders Federation had got the 2010 season well under way and sent a strong birdage of 1,623 birds to Kingsdown at the beginning of May. The birds made some very quick velocities being liberated in a Westerly wind and the Federation President, John Keywood of Hersham, won the Spelthorne club and the Federation doing 1696 ypm. Johnny’s top pigeon in the 2010 season was his champion yearling blue cock, ‘Blue Diamond’, which was bred by his good friend John Diamond. This game pigeon won the club four times in the 2010 season, lifting the ‘Bird of the Year’ Trophy and 1st Federation Kingsdown, plus 5th Federation (2016 birds), 14th Federation (1089 birds) and 17th Federation (1233 birds). Another brilliant yearling racing in the 2010 season was John’s blue chequer cock, ‘John’s Supremacy’ and he recorded 2nd SMT Combine Messac (1494 birds), 14th SMT Combine Messac (1316 birds) and 24th SMT Combine Fougeres (1576 birds). Two of John’s top racers last year were bred by Amgad Ibrahim of Fulham, who breeds a lot of good winners for other fanciers. He mostly keeps the M. & D. Evans / Gaby Vandenabeele pigeons and the Keywood success birds were, ‘Amgad’, 3rd open SMT Combine Messac and ‘Ibrahim’s Exile’, which has recorded several premier positions. John only raced old birds in the 2010 season and in the club won 7 times 1st, 10 times 2nd, 10 times 3rd, and lifted OB Inland Average, OB Average, Channel Average, Bird of the Year Trophy and Champion Loft Trophy.
What can you say about Johnny 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. What a great loft of pigeons!
Most of his young birds are bred from his 16 pairs of stock birds which are housed in a very big, spacious section in the loft. John races the Jan Huybregts birds which are from his friends, Jimmy Weeder of Liverpool and Oak Villa Lofts, Gaby Vandenabeele and Van Loon from Jack & Colleen Cornes of Galaxy Lofts and a few very good Gaby Vandenabeele racers from Amgad Ibrahim. John pairs the stock pigeons on the 1st February and normally breeds three rounds off each pair. When he brings in a new breeder, John is not too bothered about type, but always goes for good performance and winning lines. The Keywood loft’s Number one stock hen is the Jack Cornes seven year old blue called, ‘Galaxy Queen’, and she has produced many winners, being a grand daughter of Champion ‘Jupiter’. John tells me he has obtained eleven pigeons from Jack Cornes over the years and eight of them have now bred winners. A fantastic record! John has asked me to thank Jack & Colleen Cornes and Jimmy Weeder for all their help and generosity over the years! John Keywood bred several premier breeders for R. Geary & Son from the North of England, including the dams of pigeons to win four times 1st North West Classic Club, in the form of ‘The Going Light Cock, ‘The 10 Cock’ and ‘Hollin Boy’. Johnny’s 30 young birds are put on the darkness system and race the whole programme. He holds nothing back, by saving young cocks for the widowhood, they all go and he likes to work them hard. The Keywood loft has been very successful with the young birds in past seasons and John says he really enjoys racing his babies. He maintains to be successful with young birds; they need to be on the darkness systems, as natural babies can’t hold their form when moulting. They are fed on a natural mixture to start with, and then later on in the season they are introduced to maize.
John has been in the sport on and off for nearly 70 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 1970’s was 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. He thinks the way forward, especially in Federation racing, is for the advisor to anticipate the weather conditions for the weekend on the Friday and if there is little chance of a race on the Saturday, then to mark on the Saturday evening and race on the Sunday. He is still using a pigeon clock for timing his birds, but says he is not against the ETS as long as fanciers use their common sense and don’t create night mares for the club secretary by recording 20 or 30 birds. Johnny Keywood 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 nearly twenty seasons. Well done to him on his great work for the Three Border Federation!
That’s it for this week! If you win the Federation this season and want to appear in this space, please give me a telephone call on: 01372 463480 or email me on
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT
(www.keithmott.com).
