EAST DOWN COMBINE
from Clifford Browne
2017 season gets off to a good start.
Saturday April 8th saw the start of the 2017 season for the East Down Combine and the entry of 3,500 birds were in Tullamore in Co. Offaly for the opening race of the season. The entry this year saw an increase of almost 1000 birds on the opening race of 2016 which was very encouraging, the weather in the days before the race had enabled most to get their birds trained.
The weather on the race day Saturday morning started dull but by lunchtime it had turned out a beautiful sunny day with a SSE wind and the birds were in the air at 12noon and with the South in the wind a fast race was on the cards and indeed the top 11 birds in the open broke the 1600ypm mark with the first open winner of the the new season going to Walter & Gareth White of Newtownbreda on the West side of the Combine who recorded a velocity of 1633ypm and they were closely followed on 1631 ypm by Massey bros of nearby Ballylesson with Ballynahinch’s Cromie & Magee & son 3rd open on 1605 and these were the top three birds in the West section .
Over in the East section it was Bangor’s Reggie & David Moore who had a fantastic race taking the top 5 in the section with a further six in the section result and they had the top 13 in the club, a great start for this loft . In fact a detailed look at the EDC website will show that around the clubs many had one loft in each club taking all the top spots, it was an ideal start to the season . The Open and section places were as follow:
East Down Combine Open & Section
08/04/2017 Tullamore 1
134 Members Sent: 3513 Birds in a South South East Wind
Pos Name Club Velocity
1 W.White & Son Newtownbreda HPS 1633.328
2 Massey Bros Ballylesson HPS 1631.825
3 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1605.000
4 Cowan & McCartney Dundonald HPS 1601.828
5 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1601.463
6 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1601.242
7 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1601.219
8 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1600.841
9 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1600.652
10 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1600.581
11 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1600.361
12 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1599.707
13 J.Young & Ptnrs Dundonald HPS 1599.658
14 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1599.519
15 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1599.480
16 R McVeigh & Son Newcastle HPS 1599.196
17 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1598.820
18 R Connolly Downpatrick Premier 1598.498
19 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1598.199
20 A & E Muckle Millisle & District HPS 1597.861
21 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1596.844
22 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1592.251
23 B. Hogg & Sons Newtownbreda HPS 1591.156
24 J Patterson Ballylesson HPS 1588.204
25 J Patterson Ballylesson HPS 1587.999
26 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1587.163
27 R & R Lambe Newtownbreda HPS 1586.878
28 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1586.386
29 B C T Foulis & Gill Dundonald HPS 1586.198
30 J Patterson Ballylesson HPS 1585.953
31 Kincaid & McCann Dundonald HPS 1585.853
32 R. Johnston Comber Social HPS 1584.903
33 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1582.717
34 E Salmon Newtownbreda HPS 1582.411
35 A Cousins & Sons Hillfoot HPS 1580.511
36 D & K McCutcheon Donaghadee RPC 1580.493
37 A Cousins & Sons Hillfoot HPS 1579.691
38 R.Irwin Dundonald HPS 1578.297
39 R.Irwin Dundonald HPS 1578.297
40 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1575.545
West Section Members Sent: 1255 Birds in a South South East Wind
1 W.White & Son Newtownbreda HPS 1633.328
2 Massey Bros Ballylesson HPS 1631.825
3 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1605.000
4 Cowan & McCartney Dundonald HPS 1601.828
5 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1601.463
6 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1601.242
7 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1600.581
8 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1600.361
9 J.Young & Ptnrs Dundonald HPS 1599.658
10 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1599.480
11 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1598.820
12 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1596.844
13 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1592.251
14 B. Hogg & Sons Newtownbreda HPS 1591.156
15 J Patterson Ballylesson HPS 1588.204
16 J Patterson Ballylesson HPS 1587.999
17 R & R Lambe Newtownbreda HPS 1586.878
18 Cromie & Magee & Son Ballynahinch HPS 1586.386
19 B C T Foulis & Gill Dundonald HPS 1586.198
20 J Patterson Ballylesson HPS 1585.953
East Section 84 Members Sent: 2258 Birds in a South South East Wind
1 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1601.219
2 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1600.841
3 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1600.652
4 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1599.707
5 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1599.519
6 R McVeigh & Son Newcastle HPS 1599.196
7 R Connolly Downpatrick Premier 1598.498
8 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1598.199
9 A & E Muckle Millisle & District HPS 1597.861
10 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1587.163
11 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1582.717
12 D & K McCutcheon Donaghadee RPC 1580.493
13 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1575.545
14 A & P Trimble & Sons Donaghadee RPC 1575.233
15 A & P Trimble & Sons Donaghadee RPC 1575.053
16 R Moore & Son Bangor RPC 1574.997
17 J & R Young Portavogie 1566.522
18 J & R Young Portavogie 1566.336
19 Gordon Bros & Sons Cloughey HPS 1566.162
20 Gordon Bros & Sons Cloughey HPS 1565.967
Around the Combine Clubs
Annalong 1st B Tremlett 1478.921 2nd K .Rooney,Son & Dtr 1477.74 3rd
K Rooney,Son & Dtr 1476.183
Annsborough 1st M Croskery & Son 1526.36 2nd M Croskery 1521.77
3rd M Croskery & Son 1521.154
Ballylesson 12 members sent 248 birds 1st Massey bros 1631 2nd J Patterson 1588 3rd J Patterson 1587
Ballynahinch 1st Cromie & Magee & Son 1605.001 2nd Cromie & Magee & Son 1601.463 3rd Cromie & Magee & Son 1601.242
Ballywalter 1st D W Carlile & Son 1553.545 2nd S Regan 1538.91 3rd S Regan 1519.634
Bangor 1st R Moore & Son 1601.219 2nd R Moore & Son 1600.841
3rd R Moore & Son 1600.652
Cloughey 1st Gordon Bros & Sons 1566.162 2nd Gordon Bros & Sons 1565.967
3rd Gordon Bros & Sons 1565.967
Comber 1st R Johnson 1585.09 2nd R Johnson 1566.26 3rd R Johnson 1562.05
Crossgar 1st McCartan & Woodsides 1567.649 2nd Sid McLoughlin 1559.664
3rd McCartan & Woodsides 1553.81
Donaghadee 1st D & K McCutcheon 1580.492 2nd A & P Trimble & Sons 1575.233
3rd A & P Trimble & Sons 1575.053
Downpatrick 1st R Connolly 1598.498 2nd Mrs E Wynn & Dtr 1489.567
3rd G Lavery & Son 1487.674
Dundonald 1st Cowan & McCartney 1601.828 2nd J Young & Ptnrs 1599.658
3rd B C T Foulis & Gill 1586.198
Hillfoot 1st A Cousins & Sons 1580.511 2nd A Cousins & Sons 1579.691
3rd A Cousins & Sons 1564.471
Killyleagh Central 1st McComb Bros 1565.946 2nd McComb Bros 1541.964
3rd McComb Bros 1541.184
Millisle 1st A & E Muckle 1598.037 2nd McCormick & Muckle 1565.219
3rd J Rankin 1541.676
Newcastle 1st R McVeigh & Son 1599.196 2nd R McVeigh & Son 1509.6
3rd R McVeigh & Son 1508.955
Newtownbreda 1st W White & Son 1633.328 2nd B Hogg & Sons 1591.156
3rd R & R Lambe 1586.866
Portavogie 1st J & R Young 1566.513 2nd J & R Young 1566.328 3rd B Young 1565.499
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Breeder/Buyer Birds make over £3,000
The East Down Combine held their 2017 breeder/buyer sale in the Temple Golf & country club on Thursday the 30th March 2017 and a big thanks is due to the team who organised and ran this event ,the team being Dorothy Smyth, Colin Smyth, Doley Croskery who auctioned the birds ,& John Kirk. Thanks to all who put birds in and all who bought and thanks to the Temple Golf & Country club for the use of their premises which once again this proved an ideal venue for a Combine event A total of 59 birds were auctioned off making the impressive total of £3,185 to be raced for in the 1st Skibbereen Young Bird Derby . There will again be four prizes as follows :
1st breeder £796 -- 1st buyer £796
2nd breeder £398 -- 2nd buyer £ 398
3rd breeder £238 --3rd buyer £238
4th breeder £159 --4th buyer £ 159
The buyer must race the bird to their loft and birds ring number cannot be changed under any circumstances. All breeder buyer birds timed must be claimed on the Derby envelope for that race ---,good luck to all EDC members .
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Well that is the 2017 season started and this week sees the Combine back in Tullamore .