Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past and present
'Lion Brewery' Merville Charity Open Race
The ‘Lion Brewery’ Mid-Week Club could not have picked a worst weekend weather wise for its Merville Charity Open Race, but of course it was organised around the Parachute Regiment 9th Battalion Memorial Fund and the 65th Anniversary of the D-Day landings celebration on 6th June. The whole weekend was closed in with rain in the English Channel, France and mainland England, and most organizations racing out of France that weekend, including the National Flying Club and Merville race were held over until the Monday morning. The race was self supporting and all profits will go to the old solders of the 9th Parachute Regiment. The London & South East Classic Club very kindly donated the use of their transporter free of charge for this charity event and the birds were convoyed by Fred Healey. With marking stations all over the UK, including Ash, Bromley, Chichester, Exeter and Manchester the entry of 850 birds was very good and after a long wait for a clear line of flight the convoy were liberated on the Monday at 05.30hrs in a south east wind. Returns were very good with early birds being recorded all over the country, including Leatherhead, Northampton, Bromley, Exeter, Reading and Manchester.
Although I didn’t send to Merville I derived great pleasure from the race as my good friend and ‘Rat Pack’ member, Tony Dann of Leatherhead, had three pigeons well out in front to record 1st, 2nd and 3rd open. Tony was at work on the Monday morning and his wife, Gudda, clocked the pigeons in, and had two come together, the first being clocked at 08.19hrs to make a ‘banging’ velocity of 1460. The winning pigeon was a three year old natural Van Breemans blue hen, sent sitting 17 day old eggs and she had previously scored as a young bird. Gudda is Danish and she clocked the winner in, which was a blue, so tony has now named his Merville winner, ‘Danish Blue’. This game hen had been at stock for two years, being restarted racing this season with two ‘Lion Brewery’ mid-week races, a West Bay training race, a Lulworth treble up training toss and then in to the Merville open race. The next two pigeons on the clock to take 2nd and 3rd open were two more natural Van Breemans blue hens, ‘Megan’ and ‘Molly’, and they are full sisters and a half sister to the winning pigeon ‘Danish Blue’. All three hens share the same sire who was one of some Van Breemans pigeons purchased by Tony’s late father, Wally Dann of Cobham, in 2002. The day after the Merville race a highly delighted Tony Dann brought his winning pigeons to my home in Claygate to have them photographed and he said, ‘We did it this time! The ‘Lion Brewery’ held a very successful Merville open race five years ago, which attracted an entry of 1,035 birds and Reg Whenman of New Malden and I were both on the same yard, with Reggie winning the race on a decimal’.
Tony is a very likable guy, who would do a favour for any one and wouldn't see any genuine person in trouble. He is one of the best pigeon fanciers I know and has been a great worker for the sport of pigeon racing for many years. He has not been a member of a Saturday Federation club for several seasons, so decided to use the ‘Lion Brewery’ midweek Hamworthy races for training and have a go at the National and Classic events. The Dann loft had a good race from the NFC Angers (264 miles) event in 2008 and recorded an outstanding pigeon to win 4th section E, 6th open with nearly 6,000 birds competing. The first bird on the clock, doing 1256 ypm, was his good natural Van Breemen blue hen, ‘First Lady, and she was sent sitting ten day old eggs. This game hen was lost for a while as a young bird, but has raced well from France since.
Tony raced with his late father, Wally, from 1958 until he married in 1967, and started up on his own in 1979. Tony says that in the 1960's he looked up to the late, great Tommy Woodcock of Wimbledon, who had a lifetime of top class pigeon racing. Tony's loft was set up with birds from his and Tommy, and he won a young bird race in his first season! His first loft was 15ft. long, purchased for £25 and he says his early mistake was overfeeding. Tony's present loft is 24ft. long, with three sections built by his dad, Wally, who was a retired carpenter. For many years he raced the widowhood system with fantastic success, winning the Surrey Federation many times and being the Federation premier prize winner several times. In 1994 he raced natural to have a go at the channel races and installed the “super trap” system in his loft. The loft houses 14 racing pairs, 10 pairs of stock birds and about 30 youngsters are bred to race each season. He pairs up in February and after racing widowhood for ten years, went back to natural racing in 1994 with outstanding success. He measures out the feeding twice a day, with a light feed in the morning. Gudda is a great help with the training of the birds and feeding in the evening. She says that Tony takes the birds to seriously, because the couple can only take their holidays when pigeon racing is finished. To a point, Tony says this is true, but like most things, you only get out what you are prepared to put in. When I think back a few years, Tony's young birds were fantastic in 1994, winning six of the Esher Club's seven young bird races, including the longest race from Wadebridge, lifting the young bird average. He had a record breaking young bird in 1986, in the form of the Delwich Jet blue pied hen, “00114”, and she won the very strong Surrey Federation three times as a young bird, flying against about 3,000 birds, also winning an R.P.R.A. award. As I've already stated, Tony, is a great worker for our sport and was chief clock setter at the Esher club for many years and chairman of the Three Borders Federation. A great lad!
The provisional result for the ‘Lion Brewery’ Merville Charity Open Race is:
- 1) Tony Dann of Leatherhead – 1460.
- 2) Tony Dann of Leatherhead – 1453.
- 3) Tony Dann 0f Leatherhead – 1369.
- 4) M. & M. Groom of Northampton – 1322.
- 5) J. Donavan of Bromley – 1305.
- 6) B. Hobbs & Son of Northampton – 1303.
- 7) Wayne & Smith of Exeter – 1301.
- 8) Wayne & Smith of Exeter – 1297.
- 9) Whis & White of Exeter – 1274.
- 10) K. Sluman of Exeter – 1260.
- 11) R. Harding of Exeter – 1255.
- 12) M. & M. Beasley of Reading – 1252.
- 13) S. Gibbins of Manchester – 1239.
- 14) S. Haywood & son of Basildon – 1230.
- 15) J. Prescott of Exeter – 1224.
A vote of thanks to Mick Worsfold, secretary of the ‘Lion Brewery’ and his band of helpers for all their good work on the Charity open race. Well done to Tony and Gudda Dann on their great performance! I can be contacted on Telephone: 01372 463480. See yer!
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.
