“On The Road” With Keith Mott
Looking back at London & South East Classic Club winners (Part 3.)
London & South East Classic Club “Merit Award” winners
The London & South East Classic Club presented any pigeon that recorded three positions in the first fifty of the open result in the longest old bird race a ‘Merit Award’ diploma. These beautiful diplomas had the pigeon’s photo and full race details on, ready to be framed and hung on the wall at home. These awards were very hard to win and through the years only a small number pigeons achieved it and lifted an award. These are some of the gallant L&SECC ‘Merit Award’ winners that I have had the pleasure of writing about over the years.
Gordon and Delia Marsh of Southwater won the L&SECC Tarbes ‘Merit Award’ in 2013, with their wonderful blue chequer hen, ‘Woodlands Megan’ and she recorded, 2010: 29th open L&SECC Tarbes, 2011: 16th open L&SECC Tarbes, 2013: 48th open L&SECC Tarbes, 2015: 4th Brighton & Worthing 5 birds Tarbes (550 miles). This hen is sheer class and I fell in love with her the first time I picked her up! Gordon and Delia have been good friends of mine for a number of years and I wound describe them as two of our premier good workers in our sport, but they have also been very successful racing their pigeons for many years. They race in one of the strongest clubs in the south of England, the Horsham RPC and are very proud of the fact that have been top prize winners in the club in the 2016/15/14/13 racing seasons. A wonderful achievement! The club has some big birdages, up 500 birds some weeks and only the member’s first two birds on the clock count in the prize list. Gordon and Delia have lifted 25 club trophies and two South Coast Federation trophies in the last four seasons. Gordon and I served on the London & South East Classic Club committee together for many years and we were both vice President and President of that great club.
Gordon and Delia race on the ‘roundabout’ system and their small team of old bird racers are paired up in early January, and they are allowed to rear one youngster per pair. The first round in the race loft is quite often eggs transferred from the stock birds. Ten days after the second round of eggs are laid the birds are separated, with the cocks remaining in the breeding section with the nest boxes closed and nest pans turned over. The females go into a section with a gilled floor and ‘v’ perches. Gordon tells me, ‘the roundabout system is very simple, but very affective for the cocks and the hens in races at any distance. My hens go out, then the cocks go along the corridor to the hen compartment and then the empty nest box section is cleaned out and food is put in the pots for the hens. After an hour or so the hens are called in to the breeding section and fed. The cocks are then let out for an hour of exercise and the hens go back to the ‘v’ perch section. All the birds are exercised twice a day and fed in the nest box section. I only train if I think they need it and both cocks and hens race most weeks, and on marking night the hens are allowed to go in with the cocks for a few minutes. On their return from the race I let the pairs stay together for about an hour or may be a little longer on the long distance events. I never repair the birds in the racing season’.
Darran McFadden and his late father, Des, of Cranleigh have a racing record over many years that is second to none, winning many firsts at club, Federation, Combine and Classic level. In recent seasons Darran has sadly lost his father and pigeon partner, and has concentrated mainly on National and International racing with brilliant success. The Cranleigh loft has put up some great performances in recent seasons including 1st Federation many times and 1st open SMT Combine (three times). Darren put up one of the best loft performances in the UK in 2008, winning twice 1st open SMT Combine and 1st open L&SECC Tarbes (550 miles).
Darran and his father, Des, were the Godalming club’s premier prize winners in 2007, winning a wonderful list of position in the Surrey Federation and SMT Combine. In my opinion, Darran and Des’ best performance of the 2007 season was winning the L&SECC Diploma of Merit with their good white hen, ‘Cameron’s Snow Queen’, when she was clocked on the day to complete her trio of positions in the first 50 open, 19th, 39th and 29th open. This wonderful pigeon was bred from the ‘Stan the Man’ Kirkpatrick bloodlines obtained from the Louella Stud and she had a list of other outstanding positions including, 1st club Lulworth, 1st club Exeter, 2nd club Nantes, 2nd club West Bay, 3rd club Messac, 168th open BICC La Ferte Bernard, 204th open BICC Falaise and 278th open BICC Falaise. A great hen! Darran lifted the only L&SECC ‘Merit Award’ won in the 2011 season, with his good blue cock, ‘Millie’s Blue Boy’, who recorded: 2009: 49th open L&SECC Tarbes, 25th open L&SECC Tarbes, 2011: 13th open L&SECC Tarbes. The McFadden loft was also the winners of 1st sect. A, 4th open NFC Tarbes in 2012! Darran and Des won their third L&SECC ‘Merit Award’ in 2012, with ‘Megan’s Boy’ who recorded: 2010: 31st open L&SECC Tarbes, 2011: 4th open L&SECC Tarbes and 2012: 12th open L&SECC Tarbes. The game cock was clocked on the day of liberation in 2012 and is Eric Cannon bloodlines through the late Malcolm Parker. The sire of ‘Megan’s Boy’ is Darren’s champion stock, ‘Megan’s Lad’, who is the sire of his very successful 550 mile team of pigeons and has bred many premier performers in National and Classic racing. He bred two sons that were clocked on the day of liberation in the L&SECC Tarbes race in 2012, to win 12th and 19th open, and another son was clocked on the day from the BICC Agen International race too record 6th section, 17th open. The list of outstanding performers bred from this brilliant breeder go on and on, but two more pigeons of note, were a son and daughter clock from the BICC Pau International in the 2012 season, winning 19th, 21st section, 56th, 65th open. Sadly ‘Megan’s Lad’ died of old age in December 2012.
Two very happy fanciers after the 2008 London & South East Classic Club Tarbes classic were Darran McFadden and his late father, Des, of Godalming who won 1st open with their champion blue chequer pied hen, ‘Razor’s Girl’. The 2008 season had been a dream come true for the Surrey partnership, previously winning twice 1st open SMT Combine from Fougeres and Messac and then the L&SECC Blue Riband event from Tarbes. Darran told me the 2008 campaign started off a bit shaky, with Sparrowhawks attacking his pigeons every day around the loft and his wife, Jo, having to have spinal surgery, and restricting his time spent with the birds down to a bare minimum. He says it was a very worrying time with Jo’s problems and he had to train his Tarbes pigeons off the south coast at 04.00hrs to fit it in. I was very happy to report at that time that Jo had recovered very nicely and Darran had had the old bird racing season of a life time! Darran’s Tarbes classic winner, ‘Razor’s Girl, was nice two year old pied hen, bred by the Albury long distance ace, Ray Hammond, and is a direct daughter of Ray’s 2005 L&SECC Pau winner, ‘Simply the Best’.
The 2012 season proved to be a ‘bumper’ time for the L&SECC ‘Merit Award’ with several being won from Tarbes that season. Rob and Andrew Wilton of Tilbury won a diploma with their good blue chequer cock, ‘Classic Boy’ and his performance go beyond the L&SECC winning: 2010: 37th open L&SECC Tarbes, 2011: 7th open L&SECC Tarbes, 2012: 35th open L&SECC Tarbes, plus 49th open L&SECC Guernsey and 78th open BICC St. Vincent. Both the parents of ‘Classic Boy’ were bred by Mark Bulled of Harlow, who is Rob friend and of course won the NFC Tarbes Grand National in 2012. The sire of Rob’s ‘Merit Award’ winner was a son of Mark’s champion ‘Die Hard’ winner of 1st North London Amalgamation Thurso (twice), 3rd, 3rd, 45th London NR Combine Thurso (LNRC ‘Hall of Fame’ Award Winner) and is the sire of 1st open NFC Tarbes Grand National, 1st LNRC Berwick (Yearlings), and grand sire of 1st open L&SECC Tarbes and 1st open SNFC Niort. Both the parents of ‘Die Hard’ are LNRC ‘Hall of Fame’ Award winners! The dam of the ‘Classic Boy’ is a daughter of ‘The RPRA Cock’, winner of 9th, 29th, 50th, 90th open LNRC, plus an RPRA Award, when mated to a hen that had won, 2nd open LNRC Thurso and 53rd open LNRC Arbroath. What a brilliant family of pigeons! The Wilton loft came close to winning a second L&SECC ‘Merit Award’ in the 2012 season, with their good blue chequer cock, ‘Andrew’s Ambition’, winning 2009: 79th open L&SECC Tarbes, 2011: 12th open L&SECC Tarbes and 2012: 38th open L&SECC Tarbes.
The name Wilton has been at the top of the pigeon racing sport in the Essex area for many years and the current champion of the family is Robbie Wilton, who races in partnership with his son, Andrew. The partner had a wonderful season racing in the London & South East Classic Club in 2011 winning: 43rd open Alencon, 31st, 38th, 39th open Tours, 6th, 7th, 12th open Tarbes, 30th, 35th, 47th, 73rd open Bergerac, 75th, 79th, 80th open Vire (young birds), 34th, 36th, 45th open Vire (old hens), 27th, 46th, 63rd, 64th, 65th, 95thopen Carentan (young birds), 16th, 26th open Carentan (old hens) and lifted the ‘Fancier of the Year’ Trophy for winning the Combine Average (six races). Robbie and Andrew have won many premier positions in the L&SECC through the years including 1st open Tours in 2007. The Wilton family really are a family of premier pigeon racing winners! Robbie’s youngest son, Adam, races in the Wilton & Orton partnership of Chadwell St. Mary and they won the L&SECC Yearling Derby from Tours in the 2010 season. Robbie prefers racing up to 400 miles and his junior partner, Andrew, likes the long distance events best. Their race record over the years has been brilliant winning: 1st London NR Combine Berwick (Yearlings), 1st London NR Combine Stonehaven, 1st London NR Combine Newcastle (Young Birds) on the North Road and 1st open L&SECC Tours, 1st open BICC Falaise (Old Hens), 3rd, 3rd, 6th, 8th, 10th NFC Young Bird National on the South Road. Robbie says winning the London NR Combine for the first time probably gave him his biggest thrill in his time in the sport!
Daryll Luxford of Horley had done very little racing in the 2012 season, due to having major work carried out on the family home and have to move out of property for quite a long time in the summer. In spite of this major upset he managed to race some pigeons and what races he entered, he made them count and finished up have a brilliant racing season. Daryll won the L&SECC ‘Merit Award’ with his John Puddephatt blue chequer cock, ‘Fred’ and was bred by Gavin Mitchell in 2007. This game widowhood cock had flown Tarbes (548 miles) four times to secure the ‘Merit Award’ and recorded: 2010: 36th open L&SECC Tarbes, 2011: 5th open L&SECC Tarbes and 2012: 29th open L&SECC Tarbes. A fantastic performance! He has concentrated on the Classic’s longest race from Tarbes in recent seasons, racing the John Puddephatt of Ferring bloodlines and has recorded: 2008: 9th open, 2010: 36th open, 2011: 5th open and 2012: 20th, 29th open. Daryll had a long list of premier performances won in 2012, including 2nd open Wessex Combine (1,700 birds) Saintes and in previous years has won 1st open L&SECC twice with young birds.
Daryll was an outstanding fancier in the mid 1990’s recording several major positions with young birds in the L&SECC and NFC events, including twice 1st open L&SECC Guernsey, but after a few years had to retire from the sport because of person problems. He returned to pigeon racing in 2004 and took up where he left off, winning major prizes. In spite of recent health problems Daryll Luxford enjoyed an incredible 2008 old bird racing season, with the highlights being, 1st section, 4th open NFC Alencon (7,067 birds), 9th open L&SECC Tarbes, 93rd and 115th open L&SECC Tours. The 2008 star pigeon for the Horley loft was the handsome blue cock, ‘Oakleigh Belle Bleu’, and he recorded 1st section, 4th open NFC Alencon, 115th open L&SECC Tours, 2nd East Grinstead Tours Nomination and previously flew Tarbes (548 miles) with L&SECC in 2007. His sire was bred by Steve Deely from his good pigeon, ‘Young Windsong’, and the dam of ‘Belle Bleu’ was a Camphuis / Sanger Janssen stock hen. Daryll tells me his 2008 Tarbes pigeon wasted a lot of time trapping on his return from the 548 miles L&SECC race, but was recorded on the day of liberation and gave his a lot of pleasure. The pigeon, ‘Oakleigh Corinna’s Courage’, was bred from John Puddephatt bloodlines, through Gavin Mitchell and has several good performances to his credit, including 2008: 9th open L&SECC Tarbes (721 birds), 258th open L&SECC Alencon (2466 birds), 2007: 673rd open NFC Alencon (6807 birds).
One of our premier channel flyers in the south of England is Alasdair Muir of Abinger Hammer and he has won three L&SECC Merit Awards. Alasdair is a past president of the L&SECC and has won a record three times 1st open, including twice in one season. He started racing in his native Scotland at the age of eight where he was helped by his father and flew in the very strong Carluke Club in Lanarkshire. He has now been in the sport over 50 years. Since moving to Surrey, Alasdair has won many major prizes in long-distance events including 1st open Pau L&SECC in 1996 with his champion blue cock, ‘Andy's Boy’. The wonderful long distance pigeon went on to win the L&SECC Pau ‘Merit Award’, for recording three positions in the first 50 open in the result from the longest old bird Classic race. He is a natural racer and his team gets an open loft and regular training tosses from the south coast. He feeds a good mixture based on horse beans and his young birds only get three races then they are put on the shelf to mature. Alasdair won the Angers Yearling Derby in 1997 with an unpaired blue chequer cock flying to his nest box. This game cock was one of several youngsters obtained from Johnny Burrow of Blackpool in 1996 and was bred from the Burrow Niort combine pigeon. The same season Alasdair clocked two birds from the Bordeaux Classic to win 1st and 3rd open, and chalk up a club record - a wonderful performance. Alasdair's Bordeaux winner was a yearling blue cock sent sitting eight-day-old eggs and had just reared a big youngster. He is a son of Alasdair's 1996 - 8th open Pau L&SECC winner and grandson of Andy's Girl, winner of 10th open Pau L&SECC and 26th open Pau NFC. Alasdair Muir is one of our great long distance fanciers and won three L&SECC ‘Merit Awards’.
I convoyed the Tarbes Classic birds in 2010 and it was a hard race, with mostly light head winds and very high temperatures in France all over that weekend in June. On my return from France it was good to receive the list of brilliant performance put up by the members on such a testing race! None as good as hearing that Amin and Shabir Khan of New Malden had won the L&SECC from Tarbes, recording their third Classic win! Their winner was a very special blue hen, that had won the L&SECC ‘Merit Award’ for winning three position in the first 50 open in the longest old bird classic and she has done it in great style by winning 1st open Tarbes (563 miles). This champion hen named ‘The L Ring Hen’ and had won a list of premier prizes in the National and Classic including: 1st open L&SECC Tarbes, 4th open L&SECC Alencon, 6th open L&SECC Tarbes, 7th open L&SECC Pau and 14th open NFC Bordeaux. A fantastic hen! She was sent to Tarbes sitting ten day old eggs and had one inland training race with the Federation and a Tours race on her build up to her classic win. She was bred from the very best being out of ‘Twenty Two’, the brother’s 1st open L&SECC Bordeaux winner, which also won the section in the Classic Guernsey race as a young bird and is the dam of Federation and Classic winners. Her sire is a direct cock from Marcel Sangers from his champion pair, ‘Saun Licht’ and ‘Xantia’.
The London & South East Classic Club held its last old bird race of the 2009 season from Bergerac, in south west France and member enjoyed a good testing race. The entry was 1,136 birds and the leading pigeons coped well with the eleven hour fly home. Winners of 1st open from the Bergerac classic were Khan Brothers and the 2009 season had produced some good results for these New Malden lads, including 1st Three Borders Federation (1,703 birds) from Kingsdown. The partner’s Federation winner was their good two year old Janssen blue widowhood hen, ‘35’, and she flew the NFC Saintes race as a yearling in 2008. This wonderful hen was their first pigeon on the clock from the Bergerac classic to record Khan Brother’s second L&SECC win! With a brisk south wind in the Three Borders Federation Kingsdown (135 miles) race the brothers race enjoyed a ‘banger’ of a race, with ‘35’ making nearly a mile a minute and then from the Bergerac classic (455 miles) she made 1229ypm on a really testing day. A wonderful versatile hen! Khan Brothers won the Federation and no one was more surprised that the brothers themselves, as the team was only sent for a training fly in preparation for forth coming National and Classic races. Amin and Shabir got five birds on the day from the Bergerac classic, from a team of ten pigeons sent and clocked three to record 1st, 4th and 45th open, lifting over £1,300. Khan Brothers recorded 2nd open London & South East Classic Club from the Alencon Classic race in 2008 and although they have won the Classic three times, they are a bit unlucky being 2nd open on several occasions.
The late great Fred Emberson of Godmerston won two L&SECC ‘Merit Awards’ in 2009 and 2010. Fred resided near Canterbury in Kent, but prior to that was one of the leading long distance racers in the London area for a great many years. In 2009 Fred was the latest fancier to join an elite band of long distance specialists who have won the London & South East Classic Club Pau / Tarbes ‘Merit Award’, which is awarded to any pigeon that records three positions in the first fifty of the open result of the longest old bird race. As I previously stated, this certificate is very hard to win and Fred won it with his beautiful six year old blue chequer pied hen, ‘Links Show Girl’, and she recorded: 2007: 23rd open L&SECC Pau, 2008: 22nd open L&SECC Tarbes and 2009: 28th open L&SECC Tarbes. Fred named his latest champion 550 miler; ‘Show Girl’ and I must say she really was a show girl, being a super hen in the hand with soft feather and beautiful eye. The 2010 season was very hard and proved to be a ‘bumper’ time for the L&SECC Merit Award. Fred told me at that time that he had been waiting 25 years to win the ‘Merit Award’ when he won it in 2009 with his Blue Chequer Pied ‘Links Show Girl’. He had enjoyed another great Tarbes Classic in the 2010 season and won another ‘Merit Award’ with his blue chequer WF hen ‘Links Confidence’, a fantastic long distance racer and winner of 2007: 43rd open L&SECC Pau, 2008: 15th open BICC Tarbes, 2009: 1st SE section, 13th open Tarbes: 2010: 17th open L&SECC Tarbes. Fred waited 25 years to win a ‘Merit Award’ and then wins two in two years!
Fred’s loft was 100% geared to natural long distance pigeon racing and told me he had never raced the Widowhood or Roundabout systems. He was not fussed which way the birds were trained and quite often took them the opposite direction to the continental race point, as long as they got a good fly. Fred maintained all pigeons are individuals, racing best to whatever suits them and recalled his good blue chequer white flight hen, ‘Links Confidence’, winner of 1st SE section, 13th open L&SECC Tarbes (550 miles) in 2009, was sitting 14 day old eggs and was slipped a small baby on marking day. The typical build up for his old birds for the main long distance events was three or may be five training tosses, one mid-distance race from somewhere like Tours and then into Tarbes. Fred had an open loft right through the racing season and of course had his problems with the Sparrowhawks, with the worst time being when he lost nine pigeons in ten day period. Fred told me the Sparrowhawks always pick out and kill the best ones! Fred was very proud of his record racing in long distance events over the years and quite rightly too, it is fantastic! At club level between 1981 and 1999 he won in the longest old bird race, nine times 1st Bergerac, twice 1st Bordeaux, once 1st Marmande and five times only birds on the day. In the L&SECC he had won long list of premier positions, the highlights being: 4th, 6th open Dax, 6th, 14th, 20th, 21st open Pau, 7th, 26th open San Sebastian, 13th, 23rd, 28th open Tarbes, 4th Narbourne Inter Open, 4th, 12th, 15th, 20th, 27th, 30th, 40th, 46th open Bordeaux and Bergerac. Fred had won the L&SECC South East section four times from La Ferte Bernard, Bordeaux, San Sebastian and Tarbes. Other great positions won were: 4th open BICC Dax, 13th open BICC Pau, 15th open BICC Tarbes (twice), 7th open BBC Palamos, 36th open BBC Palamos and 46th open BBC Palamos. A fantastic record in the very best long distance events!
What a cracker! These were the words on everyone's lips after the London & South East Classic Club Blue Riband race from Pau in 2000. Every season when I convoy the Classic for this 550 mile race, I always hope for day birds but once again the fresh northerly wind in France decided this factor of the race for me and there were no pigeons clocked on the day of liberation. Next morning the flood gates opened and the birds poured in, with some members getting all their entries home on the winning day, this must rate as one of the club's best longest old bird races on record. I only had one foot in the door from my return from Pau and the phone rang with congratulations on a brilliant race and it didn't stop ringing for several days. Founder member of the L&SECC, the late Gerry Byrne of Kingston, who could be the greatest critic when it was needed, rang and said it was the Classic's best ever Blue Riband race.
Colin and Christine Crick of Stevenage won the Pau Classic in 2000 with their champion dark pied hen “Christine”, who was named after the wife who clocked her, as Colin was at work. This game Titmuss / Janssen hen won racing to a youngster, with 644 birds competing in the 560 mile race. This wonderful pigeon won the L&SECC Pau ‘Merit Award’ for winning three positions in the first 50 open, with 1st, 25th and 28th open Pau, plus 49th open Bordeaux. A brilliant hen! Her full sister was also an outstanding long distance racer, winning 7th open Pau L&SECC and 25th open Pau NFC. Both these great hens liked to race to overdue eggs or youngsters and 'Christine' was Colin's sole entry into the Pau Classic. Her dam was bred by Peter Titmuss and her sire was one of the Crick Janssens which won six times 1st inland before going to stock. On her build-up to the Pau Classic she had four inland races and one Channel race from Vire and was sent to Pau feeding her first youngster, being paired up in May. Colin started up in pigeon racing in 1958, with some help from a fancier who lived next door and his father was also an outstanding fancier. He likes any racing, long or short and races on the widowhood and roundabout systems in the early part of the season, re-pairing for the long distance events.
Alan Austin of Wormley clocked his good blue cock to record 44th open in 1999 and won the ‘Merit Award’, it having previously recorded 20th and 21st open. This game cock was bred from an un-rung latebred hen from Eric & Pat Cannon of Godalming and his best nest condition for Pau was sitting 10 days on eggs in the last three seasons. He had flown the Bordeaux Classic race as well as Pau that season. Alan has the old fashioned approach to pigeon racing, with his 24ft loft having bob wire traps and his 12 pairs being raced on the natural system. He started racing in the Godalming Club in 1969 and is only interested in Channel racing. Alan works for BT and because of the lack of time he has to train his pigeons from wherever he is working, which is mostly from Reading.
At that time it my hope that Andy Hagiloukda and Kenny Couch of Twickenham would time their champion blue pied hen ‘Miss Consistent’ in good time from Pau that season to win her ‘Merit Award’. She had previously flown Pau three times, recording 36th open and 3rd open 1998, being clocked on the day of liberation. I'm very pleased to say that this hen was the partners' second bird on the clock from the 1999 event, with their first arrival recording 8th open. ‘Miss Consistent' lifted the ‘Merit Award’ with 46th open. Brilliant pigeon racing! Their loft was full of class, long-distance pigeons with the premier bird being the champion blue pied hen, 'Miss Consistent'. This Cattrysse pigeon had won 1993: 2nd Club, 34th open Combine Nantes, 1994: 1st Club, 7th Open Combine La Ferte Bernard: 1995 1st Club Bergerac (on the day); 1997 36th open L&SECC Pau; 1998: 3rd open L&SECC Pau (on the day) and 1999: 46th open L&SECC Pau. This brilliant hen was bred by George Caller from Cattrysse pigeons obtained from Rod Berry of Ashford and was one of an exchange kit of youngsters with Andy Hagilouka. 'Miss Consistent' won the London and SouthEast Classic Club Pau ‘Merit Award’ in 1999 and Andy said at the time, she liked to be sent to the long distance on a two day old youngster.
Peter and Leon McMahon are firm supporters of the north London Premiership football team, Arsenal, and the father and son partnership have named their pigeon set up, ‘Highbury Lofts’, after the ground where the football team play. They live on the south coast at Brighton and over many seasons have put up some brilliant performances in National and Classic events, including 1st section A, 26th open NFC Pau (4,085 birds) in the 2002 season. The partnership flies a magic 517 miles from Pau, in the south of France and has won the Pau ‘Diploma of Merit’ with the London & South East Classic Club, for a pigeon that records three positions in the first 50 in the open result. Their ‘Merit Award’ winner was their good blue chequer pied hen, ‘Highbury Queen’ and she flew Pau five times, and recording 3rd, 12th and 19th open in the L&SECC. A wonderful performance! Peter and Leon had a brilliant season in 2002, recording: 1st section A, 26th open NFC Pau (4,085 birds), 3rd section A, 59th open NFC Saintes (3,887 birds), 21st section A, 200th open NFC Nantes (10,150 birds), 10th section A, 293rd open NFC Guernsey young bird National, 9th, 40th open BICC Pau, 33rd open L&SECC Bordeaux and in their club, the Brighton and Worthing 5 bird club, the partnership won the old bird average, ‘Ace’ fancier and ‘Ace’ old bird. Brilliant positions won at the very highest level of long distance pigeon racing!
Peter McMahon was born in London and at the age of 14, moved down to Brighton on the south coast. He became friendly with a lad at school named, Aron Palmer, who had pigeons and the young Peter soon caught the pigeon bug, after several visits to his mate’s loft. His first birds came from the streets and Brighton pier, followed by some racers from local fancier, Bill Knight, who now lives in New Zealand. At that time the late Bert Collins was the best local fancier and was outstanding in the long distance events. Peter moved to his present home in Lower Beverdean, near Brighton, in 1987 and started racing pigeons obtained from F. Fowler and K. Abbott, both local fanciers, and Louella Pigeon World. His first loft was 12ft x 6ft, two sections and he won major prizes from the outset, including 2nd open Combine Niort, 138th open NFC Pau, 75th open NFC Bordeaux, 21st open L&SECC Dax and won the Federation inland racing. Peter says in those days, he hopper fed farm beans and raced on the natural system.
Peter told me at that time that his most thrilling experience in his time in pigeon racing, apart from the clocking from Dax and Pau on the day, was when ‘Highbury Queen’ won the L&SECC Pau ‘Merit Award’. Another high light was in 1990, when his good blue chequer, ‘Gunner’, won 2nd section, 4th open NFC young bird National and lifted a new motor car. He shows his pigeons some times in the winter months and has won ‘Best in Show’ at major events. Peter is a good worker for the sport and in the 2003 season was on the clock committee and IC for the NFC and L&SECC. He was also press officer for the Brighton & Worthing 5 bird club, which is one of the strongest clubs in the south of England. It really was a very hard club to win, with premier long distance fanciers like, John McGee, Fred Hall and John Puddephatt in its membership. Peter likes latebreds off his best racers for the stock section and practices inbreeding and line breeding, but not to close.
These are the London & South East Classic Club members who have been awarded a ‘Diploma of Merit’ over the years: Gordon & Delia Marsh of Horsham GB 07 H 02336 2011 48th: 2012 16th: 2013 29th - Vizor & Sheppard of Horsham 2011 36th: 2012 23rd: 2013 20th - D. & D. McFadden of Cranleigh - GB 07 N 06845 - 2009 49th : 2010 25th : 2011 13th - A. Muir of Abinger Hammer - GB 03 J 01960 - 2008 39th: 2009 41st: 2010 29th - Khan Brothers of Worcester Park - GB 03 L 76804 - 2007 7th: 2008 6th : 2010 1st - F. Emberson & son of Godmersham - GB 05 X 88453 - 2007 43rd: 2009 13th: 2010 17th - F. Emberson & son of Godmersham - GB 04 A 85413 - 2007 23rd: 2008 22nd: 2009 28th - D. & D. McFadden of Cranleigh - GB 02 L 65677 - 2005 19th: 2006 38th: 2007 29th, - A. Muir of Abinger Hammer - GB 03 J 01913 2005 3rd : 2006 7th: 2007 49th, - R. Duffield of Beddington - GB 95 N 66747 - 1999 22nd: 2000 15th: 2003 31st - R. Hammond of Albury - GB 96 N 52765 - 1998: 9th 1999: 24th 2000: 29th - C. Crick & son of Stevenage - GB 95 N 57998 - 1997 28th: 1998 25th: 2000 1st - A. Muir of Abinger Hammer - SU 94 4877 - 1996 1st: 1998 34th: 2000 9th - A. Austin of Wormley - GB 94 N 52062 - 1997 21st: 1998 20th: 1999 48th - Hagilouka & Couch of Twickenham - GB 92 J 91662 - 1997 36th: 1998 3rd: 1999 46th - P. McMahon & son of Brighton - GB 91 N 73867 - 1993 19th: 1995 3rd: 1996 12th - R. Baker of Ash Vale - GB 92 N 40324 - 1995 26th: 1996 2nd: 1997 32nd - R. Baker of Ash Vale - GB 89 A 29877 - 1993 11th: 1994 37th: 1995 12th.
That’s our ‘ON THE ROAD’ article for this week and it featured the ‘cream’ of the long distance champions of the L&SECC over the years. I can be contacted with any pigeon ‘banter’ on telephone number 01372 463480 or email me on
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT
(www.keithmott.com).
