EAST DOWN COMBINE
Reports by Clifford Browne
2 birds on the day from St Malo
The East Down Combine old bird Derby from St Malo in France scheduled to be flown on Friday 27th June saw birds being released on Sunday 29th of June at 7.30 am into a light WNW wind and again this turned out to be a very stiff race with only 2 birds timed on the first day and both of these were to lofts belonging to members of the Annsborough club. In total 19 birds were recorded over the three days of the race. The winners were R. McDowell and son of Annsborough on 902 ypm who timed a very game yearling blue cock sent to the race feeding 2 small ybs 2 to 3 days old. Previously this cock had flown Talbenny and by way of preparation was flown morning and evening round the loft for one hour. On the sire’s side this cock is down off birds from the late Bertie Fletcher whilst the dam is from birds of Billy Leckey and both of those lofts had a great record from this type of distance race as has Bob McDowell and congratulations to him on winning this difficult race.
The runner up, also to an Annsborough fancier and another loft which excels at this sort of racing was James Cleland. James' pigeon was a 2yo Blue Hen timed at 10.40pm flying 15 hours and 10 minutes. She was bred specially for French racing as her sire, a Vandenheede x Pros Roosen mating was 25th Open E.D.C. in the 2011 Penzance Classic and then sent to St Malo Friendship National with the INFC where he was 2nd E.D.C. 20th Open. Her dam was 54th North Section, 63rd Open in the 2009 King's Cup race from Plaudren Vannes and she was also bred in the purple, from the 3rd Open Fougeres 2002 Friendship National Cock when paired to Leslie Woodside's No. 1 stock hen.
These were the only two day birds in the Combine but early next morning two good birds to the Crossgar partnership of McCartan & Woodsides and details of these and some of the other great performances next week and hopefully details of any good Combine birds from the King’s Cup.
One other St Malo pigeon that I have details of was in my own club Bangor to the partnership of McQuaide & Briggs who finish at 7th open with their yearling blue cock which came into them in 2013 with their own young birds, refused to leave and was duly transferred to them. As a young bird he flew all races and this year all inland races, missed the two Talbenny channel races, flew the difficult Bude and then on to St. Malo which he went to feeding two large youngsters and also sitting two eggs as his hen had also laid again. Roy and Phil would like to take this opportunity to express their thanks to fellow club mate Cliff Stewart for all his help and advice.
With only 19 in race time from the entry of 255 two other lofts as well as the loft of McCartan & Woodsides recorded two birds home these were Millisle & District’s Gary Hawthorne and Portavogie’s Gary Coffey congratulations to them and everyone else who timed a bird in this difficult race.
East Down Combine
29/06/2014 St Malo OB Derby
73 Members 255 Birds Wind Light West North Westerly
Pos Name Club Velocity Section Open Pool Total Grand Total
01 E1 R.McDowell & Son Annsborough HPS 902.140 ABC £94.59 £222.93
02 E2 James. Cleland Annsborough HPS 828.962 abc n ABCD N £287.35 £378.44
03 W1 McCartan & Woodsides Crossgar HPS 813.939 ABCD £87.04 £169.64
04 W2 McCartan & Woodsides Crossgar HPS 674.899 ABCD £67.46 £126.60
05 E3 G Hawthorne Millisle & District HPS 621.214 abc n ABCD N £160.22 £205.40
06 E4 R.J.Keown Annsborough HPS 609.856 abc ABCD N £105.05 £144.81
07 E5 McQuaide & Briggs Bangor RPC 608.676 abc £31.15 £69.11
08 E6 S Milligan & Dtr Tyrella HPS 531.967 abc ABCD £60.47 £92.65
09 E7 J.McNally & Son Annsborough HPS 526.539 ab AB £17.61 £49.78
10 W3 A Cousins & Sons Ballylesson HPS 526.030 £0.00 £41.46
11 W4 W & L Robinson Hillfoot HPS 523.883 abc ABCD £110.38 £145.73
12 E8 L Young Portavogie 481.254 abc A £18.14 £48.50
13 W5 T McConnell Dundonald HPS 478.962 £0.00 £27.54
14 E9 G Hawthorne Millisle & District HPS 461.124 £0.00 £24.58
15 W6 L & H Fields Hillfoot HPS 442.170 abc ABCD £100.54 £128.08
16 E10 McCormick & Muckle Millisle & District HPS 431.134 abc ABCD £45.27 £69.85
17 E11 G Coffey Portavogie 390.582 abc ABCD £45.27 £69.85
18 W7 J. McGreevy Crossgar HPS 354.282 ABCD £29.69 £57.23
19 E12 G Coffey Portavogie 331.984 abc ABCD £45.27 £66.96
The full result of the Penzance classic was as follows and saw another great result for the Mccartan & Woodsides loft and again more details next week. The full result was:
East Down Combine
21/06/2014 Penzance Classic
Penzance
93 Members 622 Birds Wind Light North East
Pos Name Club Velocity Pools Pool Total Grand Total
1 McCartan & Woodsides Crossgar HPS 1048.85 £0.00 £105.00
2 S & K Duke Crossgar HPS 986.958 A £64.00 £142.00
3 McCartan & Woodsides Crossgar HPS 986.051 £0.00 £60.00
4 McCartan & Woodsides Crossgar HPS 978.048 £0.00 £50.00
5 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 975.811 £0.00 £40.00
6 R.McDowell & Son Annsborough HPS 961.314 AB £289.20 £319.20
7 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 961.152 £0.00 £30.00
8 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 954.549 £0.00 £30.00
9 T Marshall & Son Newtownbreda HPS 941.038 AB £209.00 £239.00
10 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 937.461 A £32.00 £62.00
11 S Milligan & Dtr Tyrella HPS 930.673 AB £85.50 £110.50
12 R.McDowell & Son Annsborough HPS 922.965 AB £65.20 £90.20
13 R McVeigh & Son Newcastle HPS 921.438 AB £52.90 £77.90
14 S & K Duke Crossgar HPS 917.677 AB £40.60 £65.60
15 T Marshall & Son Newtownbreda HPS 916.150 £0.00 £25.00
16 McCartan & Woodsides Crossgar HPS 909.280 £0.00 £25.00
17 D.Croskery & Son Annsborough HPS 908.040 AB £40.60 £65.60
18 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 906.054 A £16.00 £41.00
19 J. McGreevy Crossgar HPS 902.496 £0.00 £25.00
20 L. McKinstry Dundonald HPS 896.679 AB £40.60 £65.60
21 L. McKinstry Dundonald HPS 896.605 AB £40.60 £50.60
22 K & B McConaghie & Son Ballylesson HPS 894.117 B £24.60 £34.60
23 S.Brown & Sons Dundonald HPS 892.492 £0.00 £10.00
24 J. McGreevy Crossgar HPS 890.480 £0.00 £10.00
25 S & K Duke Crossgar HPS 890.244 B £24.60 £34.60
26 R.Strain & Son Millisle & District HPS 885.541 B £24.60 £34.60
27 Gordon Bros & Sons Cloughey HPS 883.339 £0.00 £10.00
28 S.Brown & Sons Dundonald HPS 879.200 £0.00 £10.00
29 J. McGreevy Crossgar HPS 876.853 £0.00 £10.00
30 J.Young & Ptnrs Dundonald HPS 874.472 £0.00 £10.00
31 Burns Bros Comber Social 873.338 £0.00 £10.00
32 R.Strain & Son Millisle & District HPS 872.497 £0.00 £10.00
33 M.Croskery Annsborough HPS 864.033 £0.00 £10.00
34 J. McGreevy Crossgar HPS 859.591 £0.00 £10.00
35 McLoughlin Bros Annalong HPS 858.093 £0.00 £10.00
36 McCormick & Muckle Millisle & District HPS 855.365 £0.00 £10.00
37 Harper & Young Cloughey HPS 854.539 £0.00 £10.00
38 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 852.853 £0.00 £10.00
39 Gordon Bros & Sons Cloughey HPS 852.832 £0.00 £10.00
40 Gordon Bros & Sons Cloughey HPS 852.763 £0.00 £10.00
East Down Combine
21/06/2014 Penzance OB10
3 Bird Channel Championship
148 Members 1290 Birds in Wind Light North East
Pos Name Club Velocity Pools Total Money
1 R McVeigh & Son Newcastle HPS 921.438 A £22.40
2 D.Croskery & Son Annsborough HPS 908.040 AB £48.80
3 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 906.054 A £14.00
4 J. McGreevy Crossgar HPS 902.496 A £11.20
5 K & B McConaghie & Ballylesson HPS 894.117 AB £32.40
6 S.Brown & Sons Dundonald HPS 879.200 £0.00
7 J. McGreevy Crossgar HPS 876.853 A £5.60
8 J.Young & Ptnrs Dundonald HPS 874.472 AB £25.60
9 Burns Bros Comber Social 873.338 £0.00
10 P McCullough & Dtr Downpatrick HPS 860.934 £0.00
11 McLoughlin Bros Annalong HPS 858.093 A £5.60
12 Gordon Bros & Sons Cloughey HPS 852.832 £0.00
Remainder Pools
J. McGreevy Crossgar HPS 827.398 A £5.60
M.Croskery Annsborough HPS 825.339 AB £21.60
B & H Marshall Newtownbreda HPS 802.355 AB £17.60
A & A Cheevers Crossgar HPS 784.119 AB £13.60
M.Croskery & Son Annsborough HPS 766.615 B £8.00
L. McKinstry Dundonald HPS 763.090 B £8.00
D.Croskery & Son Annsborough HPS 737.256 B £8.00
J.Orr & Son Ballywalter SPC 734.944 B £8.00
A & J Brown Dundonald HPS 733.749 B £8.00
S. McLoughlin Crossgar HPS 722.584 B £8.00
The winner of this channel championship race was Ronan McVeigh and son Connaire of Newcastle who timed a two year old hen which was a gift as a young bird from Mr Alan Benson who races with the Annsborough Club. The hen was third to the new loft location as a yearling and Ronan really fancied her.
The Newcasle partnership of Ronan Mc Veigh &. Son had more to cheer about as there great friend and great fancier Liam Mc Call from Wicklow had a fantastic result from St Malo when he timed the first bird after a long hard race to win the Irish South Road Fed. The winner was a four year old cock and was a bird bred by Ronan and Connaire, the breeding being Soontjen and Jan Aarden. These two lofts have been exchanging birds regularly from the early 1980s with both producing winners.
East Down2bird News
The 2 bird result from Penzance was:
1st D McNabb& Pts Tyrella 975.20 (7th Open)
2nd D Croskery & Son Annsborough 908.04
3rd K&B Mc Conaghie & Son Ballylesson 894.11
4th Joe McGreevy Crossgar 876.85
5th R&G Thompson Portavogie 870.86
6th S Brown & Sons Dundonald 879.20
7th P Mc Cullough & Dtr Downpatrick 860.93
8th McCormick & Muckle Millisle 855.36
9th Gordon Bros & Sons Cloughey 852.83
10th R&H Thompson Portavogie 836.32
11th Joe McGreevy Crossgar 827.39
12th M Croskery Annsborough 825.33
St Malo O/B Derby
1st James Cleland Annsborough 828.96
2nd R J Keown Annsborough 609 85
3rd McCormick & Muckle Millisle & Dist 431.13
4th Gary Coffey Portavogie 390.58
5th Joe McGreevy Crossgar 354.28
SAM REGAN REPORTS FROM AROUND THE ARDS PENINSULA
Raymond and Michael Strain Best from Stiff Bude
The Peninsula clubs were in Bude for the third channel race of the season and the birds were released into a North wind which freshened as the day matured and this combined with the hot conditions meant a difficult flight for the pigeons to make home to their lofts across the Irish sea. Top bird into the Ards Peninsula went to father and son team of Raymond and Michael Strain getting a very good bird to win the Amalgamation and be 3rd Open in the Combine and had a second bird for 4th Amalgamation - well done to you both and to all the pigeons which made it home from this hard flight.
Full result. 46 sent 463 birds.
1st & 4th R.Strain & son 1060,997.
2nd 6th 10th & 14th Harper & Young. 1020,978,927 &901.
3rd 7th & 9th J&R.Young 1002,935 & 927.
5th A&E.Muckle. 985.
8th McCormick & Muckle 934.
11th J.Hall & son. 921.
12th Palmer & McKay. 913.
13th R,N.L.Brown. 912.
3 Bird Club.
1st McCormick & Muckle A.B.C. 934.
2nd J.Hall & son. A.B.C. 921.NOM.
3rd Palmer & McKay A,B.C. 913.
Ballybuttle Lofts have Top Pigeon from Penzance
The last club race of the old bird season was flown on the day of the Summer Solstice, the 21st June, across the channel from Penzance close to Land’s End in Cornwall and the East Down Combine liberated into a North wind in clear skies and rising temperatures. All this combined with a distance home of over 300 miles made for another hard race like Bude the week before. Winning bird was clocked into the lofts of Bennet Ferguson and Harry Wilkinson racing to their lofts sited outside the seaside village of Millisle and flying with the Donaghadee club. The pigeon lifts firsts in club, Peninsula Amal, East Section and 3rd Open in the Combine a great result under very hard conditions and many congratulations for this win to you both.
Following two very testing week's of channel racing we now reach the three French races with St. Malo first followed by the Kings Cup and the final race the Friendship from Quimper and with the lead up races that we have had it would not surprise me to see the entries down on previous years.
Full Result of Penzance - 38/30
1st Ferguson & Wilkinson 979.
2nd E. D&K.Allan & sons. 946.
3rd 4th 6th 11th & 12th Gordon Bros & sons 946, 942, 883, 852 x 2.
5th 7th R.Strain & son 922 & 872.
8th & 14th R & G.Thompson 870 & 836.
9th McCormick & Muckle 855.
10th Harper & Young. 854.
13th W.McMaster & son 836.
3Bird Club
1st McCormick & Muckle A.B.C. Nom. 855.
2nd Harper & Young. A.B.C. 854
3rd Gordon Bros & sons A.B.C. 852
Show Prize Money for Annual Show & Prize Day.
1st E.D&K.Allan & sons
2nd Gordon Bros & sons
3rd R&G.Thompson
4th McCormick & Muckle
Well that is a round up of the recent races with further details to follow. My thanks to all who have forwarded me on information.
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