East Down Combine News
with Clifford Browne

EAST DOWN 2 BIRD CLUB prepares for 2018

The EDC 2 Bird club AGM was held in Crossgar on Monday February 12th 2018 The chairman Francis Gilmore opened the meeting by requesting a minute?s silence for those members who had died during the previous year. The meeting continued with Apologies being received and accepted and the minutes of the previous Year?s AGM were then read and passed. The chairman thanked the Secretary Dorothy Smyth for her work during the racing season both in her role as Secretary and also Treasurer and he also thanked the assistant Secretary Sam Duke. Dorothy Smyth was also thanked for all her hard work in connection with the Dinner /Prize distribution which it was felt had been another great success and has now become an event not to miss, Dorothy was also thanked for running the Gold Ring events so successfully. The prize winners were congratulated, and it was hoped that 2018 would be another successful season and that the membership which in 2017 stood at 80 would continue to grow. The club Secretaries were also thanked for their cooperation each week. The Treasurer presented the accounts which showed the club was again in a very healthy financial state and this was again mainly due to excellent housekeeping and especially helped by the events run at the dinner

The next item was the election of office bearers for 2018 and the chairman Francis Gilmore indicated that he was standing down as chairman and was thanked by those present for the excellent job he had done during his period in office. It was on the unanimous decision of those present that Joe McGreevy be elected Chairman and the main office bearers for 2018 are as follows:

President Clifford Browne
Chairman Joe McGreevy
V/Chairman Colin Smyth
Secretary /Treasurer Mrs Dorothy Smyth
Asst Secretary Sam Duke
EDC Delegates D Smyth & A Lockhart
IHU Delegates C Smyth & A Lockhart

The very popular leagues will again be in operation for 2018 and Sponsorship has again been forth coming for the 2bird club and sincere thanks is extended to the following for their continued and very generous Sponsorship of the club. Sawyers Estate Agents, H Beattie & son, Robt. Kirkwood and Telford Bros.
All clubs within the Combine will receive membership forms for the 2018 season which secretary Dorothy Smyth will need returned by the date on the form to compile the various League tables etc. Membership fees remain at £10 for the full season or £5 for Young Birds only. Again for the 2018 season the club members will have the opportunity to take part in both an Old Bird Gold ring and a Young Bird gold ring event where Members will nominate 5 rings of their own at a cost of £10 for each event but nominations will only need to be placed with the 2 bird secretary on or before the dates on the form which for Old Birds is by the 2nd OB race of the season and for young birds on or before the date on the form in early August These events will be held in conjunction with for Old Birds , the 6th Old Bird club race of the season and for Young birds the last young bird club race .

In addition to the above competitions the club is continuing the £1 optional pool this season, this means that members will still be able to enter each of their 2 birds each week in this pool at 1£ each and there will be 4 prizes each week with 1st 40%, 2nd 30%, 3rd 20% & 4th 10%. Each race will stand on its own with no monies being carried over.

There should be something there for everybody and it is hoped that the club will have another record membership this season.

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Another Award for Harper & Young?s Champion ?23?

A few weeks ago I reported on The Cloughey partnership of Harper and Young?s Exceptional Young Bird ?23? and I have just learnt that this young blue cock has just been awarded the cup for the IHU?s North section Young Bird of the year to add to the many other prizes won which included racing with the East Down Combine 5th open Navan , 16th open Mullingar ,4th open Thurles ,3rd open 2nd Skibbereen Derby , was -1st Open Gold Ring , EDC Young Bird of 2017 , was E.D.C 2 bird club Bird of the year and won the YB average on its own . And winnings of some £600 in total the breeding of this cock is;
Sire Blue Cock (gift from Steve Gore), Full brother to Hen that bred 3 x 1st Open + 4 x 2nd Open.

Dam Blue Hen that won Skibbereen Derby (EDC) for us, when her sister came with her to finish 2nd Open. She is of Bob Donaldson Van Dorp cock (Sire of Loft) of Bobs Hen, bred 50 Fed Winners in N.EAST.

Dam Gore' Hen that bred 3 x1st EDC + 4 x2nd place finishes in Combine. Also Van Dorp.

This loft has quite an outstanding record for IHU N section awards for in 2016 they won the IHU North Section Award for Old Birds ( The Jimmy Hughes Cup) with their blue hen ?GEORDIE LASS? and that year she had already won The East Down Combine?s Old Bird of the Year for 2016 with her having 5 open placings in the Combine from 6 races flown , and this was the performance which won her this Cup .

?Geordie Lass? was a blue yearling hen when she won this award and is from a Van Dorp cock a gift from Bob Donaldson and a Cheq hen ,a Van de Merwe x Busschaert cross which was a gift from Alfie Hawthorn and the partnership cannot thank these UNC fanciers enough for their friendship and kindness over a number of years and the success that Drew Harper and Martin Young have had over the last few years with these pigeons is well known .
Once Again, my thanks to John Adair for this update ,and it is John who does the training of the race team of Harper & Young .

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DUNDRUM LOFT UPDATE

The latest news from Sammy Foster of Dundrum whose birds were destroyed in the Christmas Eve fire is that permission has been given for the building of a new loft and Sammy has had many offers of help to restock and here I must correct the contact number for Keith Maguire for the number published was an old Number which I had . Keith can be contacted on tel .no. 02843751709 and we look forward to hearing that Sammy is up and flying again soon .

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