Words: George Wheatman.

Photographs: Steve Poulter.

DREAMS do come true. Ask Frank Bristow, winner of the North Road Championship Club Blue Riband race from Lerwick on Saturday.

He has been dreaming of this day for more than 50 years, since his schoolboy days when he spent more time thinking of pigeons than school work.

To add to Frank's delight is the fact that it was a hard race to win and, after 500 miles, much of it into the wind, there was only two and a half yards separating the first three pigeons, all in different sections.

His victory was by .3 of a yard over M.E. Dales, of Louth.

In third place were Stephen and Tanya Howells, of Cawston, near Norwich.

There were just 39 verifications on the day from an entry of 1, 699 sent by 300 fanciers. But there was a steady stream of verifications on Sunday, including one from that excellent distance flyer, Pat O'Sullivan, of Enfield, who won Section Seven for the second successive year.

 

But, despite the many other fine performances in this most difficult of races, the day belonged to Frank Bristow, and his smile said as much. And who would deny this pigeon fanatic his day of glory?

 

Frank's is a household name to much of the fancy, and he has pigeon racing friends far and wide. It is doubtful whether there is anyone more dotty about the sport then he is, and that goes back to the age of two when his mother predicted that he would be a pigeon man because of the way he gazed at a neighbour's birds.

The fascination has never left him, and is as strong as ever now that he has reached the age of 60.

"To me the North Road Championship Club has always been a magical name in pigeon racing, and it has always been my dream to win from Lerwick," he said. "Now it has hardly sunk in that I have done it. The late John Lovell was my hero, and he won it twice."

The pigeon that is now the pride of the loft in Horbling, a small Lincolnshire village, and which has opened the door for its owner to lift the prestigeous King's Cup, is a four-year-old blue chequer widowhood cock bred by Brian Barnes, of Lytham St Annes.

It came to Lincolnshire by way of the Midlands and Lancashire Social Circles' exchange scheme, and Frank believes that it has the Casaert breed in its ancestry. Brian also found that the bird bred by Frank was a winner so it was a profitable exchange for both fanciers.

The Lerwick winner has been named Kezie, the nick-name of Frank's grandfather who was killed in the First World War, and will not race any more.

"I will keep him to look at every day," said Frank, one of the most likeable and knowledgeable fanciers in the sport.

He will talk pigeon racing all day, every day, with anyone who will listen. Now he is doing it with a smile on his face.

One of the stories he will tell you is how he won his second-ever race as a novice in the nearby village club at Heckington, and then never won another race for ten years.

He was second so many times afterwards that he thought he was destined never to win a red card again.

But he has made up for all those near misses subsequently with countless successes with his clubs at Sleaford and Bourne to earn a reputation as one of the top fanciers in the country, many other people also winning with progeny from the Horbling lofts - sometimes with birds purchased, often with gift birds. Many charities and good causes have benefited from Frank's generosity.

He cannot be classed as a small-loft fancier, but it is no good asking Frank how many pigeons he owns. He has no idea.

But in the super, spacious lofts there is no over-crowding and, with the much valued and appreciated assistance of helper Keith Bradley, the birds live in comfort. They are trained a little before the season starts, and then no more training, and they are fed in the traditional widowhood manner.

Kezie has won at club level and been a consistent performer, and is a bit of a character around the loft. He had taken the race in his stride to record a velocity of 1100ypm, being timed in at 19-24 14 seconds, via the Unikon ETS system.

Distance from Lerwick to Horbling is 502 miles 1355 yards, and the journey was completed in mostly west and south-west winds, of some strength at times.

In addition to his two north road clubs, Frank also competes on the south road with the Bourne club with provides the gateway to national flying with the National Flying Club and Midlands National.

Wife Sue has always been a big supporter, and usually takes the clock to Bourne after races. She, too, was delighted for Frank having been a first-hand witness of how much time he devotes to his hobby.

Frank has made a success of pigeon racing just as he has his business. Having become self-employed at the tender age of 18, he has built up a successful painting and decorating business in which son George is now a partner.

Daughter Rachel has hairdressing businesses in Nottingham and Lincoln.

Sue was no stranger to pigeon racing when she met Frank because her father, George Musson, was also a good fancier who helped Frank to improve his stock.

The never-ending search for better birds since those early days has taken Frank all over the country, and to the Continent, particularly Belgium where he is always on the look-out for new additions and new ideas.

He never tires of looking for improvements, whether it be pigeons, methods or feed. And his enthusiasm never wanes, despite set-backs over the years.

Frank likens pigeon racing to walking through an orchard which has rakes hidden in the undergrowth. Everything goes smoothly for a while, then you step on a rake and it smacks you in the face. You overcome the set-back, progress for a while, then you step on another rake.

The equivalent to a smack in the face by a rake came Frank's way when, four years ago, he had a fire in the loft. Several birds perished, but Kezie survived.

Frank first competed with the NRCC back in 1972 from Perth when he was ninth open from 2, 333 birds.

Since then he has won the section from Berwick, Perth and Thurso, and has been a supporter of most of the club's races.

But the dream has always been to win the Big One, from Lerwick. That dream came true on Saturday. And Frank admits that he is enjoying every moment of it. Who can blame him? No-one deserves it more.

Frank's congratulations and commiserations go to the man so narrowly beaten into second place, Maurice Dales (actually, although he was christened Maurice, everyone calls him Tim).

Although admitting that had anyone told him before the race that he would be second open and win his section, Tim would have been satisfied, now he says "I am disappointed really. It is something we all want to win and I was so close."

Using a manual clock, he is left wondering whether he was beaten by the ETS system which he does not approve of.

His runner-up was a four-year-old chequer pied roundabout hen which was third in a smash race from Perth with the Hull Federation, when Tim took the first three places. She has also been third from Fraserburgh and sixth from Perth, and has generally been a steady and consistent performer.

She originates from Hansenne stock bought many years ago from Joe Shaw, of Cheshire.

Aged 64, Joe is a poultry and game dealer in a business started by his grandfather in 1896, and has been involved with pigeons ever since he could walk.

He said there was no wind at all when his bird arrived at 6-35pm, but it had been more or less westerly previous to that.

Having sent four, he timed three, two of them the following morning, and there were seven home on the day at Louth clock station.

In a season dominated by the Mamwell Brothers in that area, Tim says he has done reasonably well this year, and certainly his near-miss from Lerwick, over a distance of 471 miles, was among the best performances.

Another particularly outstanding performance was registered by Mr and Mrs Howells who sent just one bird and took third place, flying 518 miles.

This is only a small loft and driving instructor Stephen is not always able to compete in a lot of races so he decided to concentrate on the distance events, with the help of wife Tanya, who assists with the training.

Although having competed from Lerwick many years ago, there had been a big gap before they sent again last year. And this year he felt he had only one of the required quality to send. It was a three-year-old chequer hen that had previously been paired to another hen but, recently, for the first time in her life, she had been paired to a cock bird and returned home to eight-day-old youngsters.

Last year she did well from Fraserburgh when slipped a youngster when paired to a hen.

The wind at Cawston was in the south-west and Stephen said she came out of the north which leads him to believe that she had flown over the sea for most of the way.

She is a very small hen, but arrived home looking a picture.

Aged 43, Stephen has had pigeons since he was 13.

Now he is looking forward to sending three cock birds to the last NRCC old bird race of the season from Thurso on Saturday July 12th. Last date for entries is Monday July 7th.

 

 

Words: George Wheatman.

Photographs: Steve Poulter.

DREAMS do come true. Ask Frank Bristow, winner of the North Road Championship Club Blue Riband race from Lerwick on Saturday.

He has been dreaming of this day for more than 50 years, since his schoolboy days when he spent more time thinking of pigeons than school work.

To add to Frank's delight is the fact that it was a hard race to win and, after 500 miles, much of it into the wind, there was only two and a half yards separating the first three pigeons, all in different sections.

His victory was by .3 of a yard over M.E. Dales, of Louth.

In third place were Stephen and Tanya Howells, of Cawston, near Norwich.

There were just 39 verifications on the day from an entry of 1, 699 sent by 300 fanciers. But there was a steady stream of verifications on Sunday, including one from that excellent distance flyer, Pat O'Sullivan, of Enfield, who won Section Seven for the second successive year.

 

But, despite the many other fine performances in this most difficult of races, the day belonged to Frank Bristow, and his smile said as much. And who would deny this pigeon fanatic his day of glory?

 

Frank's is a household name to much of the fancy, and he has pigeon racing friends far and wide. It is doubtful whether there is anyone more dotty about the sport then he is, and that goes back to the age of two when his mother predicted that he would be a pigeon man because of the way he gazed at a neighbour's birds.

The fascination has never left him, and is as strong as ever now that he has reached the age of 60.

"To me the North Road Championship Club has always been a magical name in pigeon racing, and it has always been my dream to win from Lerwick," he said. "Now it has hardly sunk in that I have done it. The late John Lovell was my hero, and he won it twice."

The pigeon that is now the pride of the loft in Horbling, a small Lincolnshire village, and which has opened the door for its owner to lift the prestigeous King's Cup, is a four-year-old blue chequer widowhood cock bred by Brian Barnes, of Lytham St Annes.

It came to Lincolnshire by way of the Midlands and Lancashire Social Circles' exchange scheme, and Frank believes that it has the Casaert breed in its ancestry. Brian also found that the bird bred by Frank was a winner so it was a profitable exchange for both fanciers.

The Lerwick winner has been named Kezie, the nick-name of Frank's grandfather who was killed in the First World War, and will not race any more.

"I will keep him to look at every day," said Frank, one of the most likeable and knowledgeable fanciers in the sport.

He will talk pigeon racing all day, every day, with anyone who will listen. Now he is doing it with a smile on his face.

One of the stories he will tell you is how he won his second-ever race as a novice in the nearby village club at Heckington, and then never won another race for ten years.

He was second so many times afterwards that he thought he was destined never to win a red card again.

But he has made up for all those near misses subsequently with countless successes with his clubs at Sleaford and Bourne to earn a reputation as one of the top fanciers in the country, many other people also winning with progeny from the Horbling lofts - sometimes with birds purchased, often with gift birds. Many charities and good causes have benefited from Frank's generosity.

He cannot be classed as a small-loft fancier, but it is no good asking Frank how many pigeons he owns. He has no idea.

But in the super, spacious lofts there is no over-crowding and, with the much valued and appreciated assistance of helper Keith Bradley, the birds live in comfort. They are trained a little before the season starts, and then no more training, and they are fed in the traditional widowhood manner.

Kezie has won at club level and been a consistent performer, and is a bit of a character around the loft. He had taken the race in his stride to record a velocity of 1100ypm, being timed in at 19-24 14 seconds, via the Unikon ETS system.

Distance from Lerwick to Horbling is 502 miles 1355 yards, and the journey was completed in mostly west and south-west winds, of some strength at times.

In addition to his two north road clubs, Frank also competes on the south road with the Bourne club with provides the gateway to national flying with the National Flying Club and Midlands National.

Wife Sue has always been a big supporter, and usually takes the clock to Bourne after races. She, too, was delighted for Frank having been a first-hand witness of how much time he devotes to his hobby.

Frank has made a success of pigeon racing just as he has his business. Having become self-employed at the tender age of 18, he has built up a successful painting and decorating business in which son George is now a partner.

Daughter Rachel has hairdressing businesses in Nottingham and Lincoln.

Sue was no stranger to pigeon racing when she met Frank because her father, George Musson, was also a good fancier who helped Frank to improve his stock.

The never-ending search for better birds since those early days has taken Frank all over the country, and to the Continent, particularly Belgium where he is always on the look-out for new additions and new ideas.

He never tires of looking for improvements, whether it be pigeons, methods or feed. And his enthusiasm never wanes, despite set-backs over the years.

Frank likens pigeon racing to walking through an orchard which has rakes hidden in the undergrowth. Everything goes smoothly for a while, then you step on a rake and it smacks you in the face. You overcome the set-back, progress for a while, then you step on another rake.

The equivalent to a smack in the face by a rake came Frank's way when, four years ago, he had a fire in the loft. Several birds perished, but Kezie survived.

Frank first competed with the NRCC back in 1972 from Perth when he was ninth open from 2, 333 birds.

Since then he has won the section from Berwick, Perth and Thurso, and has been a supporter of most of the club's races.

But the dream has always been to win the Big One, from Lerwick. That dream came true on Saturday. And Frank admits that he is enjoying every moment of it. Who can blame him? No-one deserves it more.

Frank's congratulations and commiserations go to the man so narrowly beaten into second place, Maurice Dales (actually, although he was christened Maurice, everyone calls him Tim).

Although admitting that had anyone told him before the race that he would be second open and win his section, Tim would have been satisfied, now he says "I am disappointed really. It is something we all want to win and I was so close."

Using a manual clock, he is left wondering whether he was beaten by the ETS system which he does not approve of.

His runner-up was a four-year-old chequer pied roundabout hen which was third in a smash race from Perth with the Hull Federation, when Tim took the first three places. She has also been third from Fraserburgh and sixth from Perth, and has generally been a steady and consistent performer.

She originates from Hansenne stock bought many years ago from Joe Shaw, of Cheshire.

Aged 64, Joe is a poultry and game dealer in a business started by his grandfather in 1896, and has been involved with pigeons ever since he could walk.

He said there was no wind at all when his bird arrived at 6-35pm, but it had been more or less westerly previous to that.

Having sent four, he timed three, two of them the following morning, and there were seven home on the day at Louth clock station.

In a season dominated by the Mamwell Brothers in that area, Tim says he has done reasonably well this year, and certainly his near-miss from Lerwick, over a distance of 471 miles, was among the best performances.

Another particularly outstanding performance was registered by Mr and Mrs Howells who sent just one bird and took third place, flying 518 miles.

This is only a small loft and driving instructor Stephen is not always able to compete in a lot of races so he decided to concentrate on the distance events, with the help of wife Tanya, who assists with the training.

Although having competed from Lerwick many years ago, there had been a big gap before they sent again last year. And this year he felt he had only one of the required quality to send. It was a three-year-old chequer hen that had previously been paired to another hen but, recently, for the first time in her life, she had been paired to a cock bird and returned home to eight-day-old youngsters.

Last year she did well from Fraserburgh when slipped a youngster when paired to a hen.

The wind at Cawston was in the south-west and Stephen said she came out of the north which leads him to believe that she had flown over the sea for most of the way.

She is a very small hen, but arrived home looking a picture.

Aged 43, Stephen has had pigeons since he was 13.

Now he is looking forward to sending three cock birds to the last NRCC old bird race of the season from Thurso on Saturday July 12th. Last date for entries is Monday July 7th.