EAST DOWN COMBINE
Reports by Clifford Browne
January 2nd 2014
AROUND THE COMBINE SHOWS
Let me start off 2014 by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. Most of this first column is taken up with the shows which various clubs have been running in and around the Christmas/ew Year period and we start at Ballylesson with their pre-Christmas event for Young Birds and the club thank the judges Sam Duke, Wesley Robinson, Joe McGreevy & Gary Lyttle for a job well done, cards being awarded as follows:
Young Cocks
1st J Patterson 2nd J Patterson 3rd A Cousins & Sons 4th Mackey & Lockhart
Reserve Alex Crawford (V.H.C) C& D Smyth & Sons (H.C) J Patterson
Commended P&C Johnston
Young Hens
1st 2nd 3rd & 4th & Reserve J Patterson (V.H.C) Mackey & Lockhart (H.C )A Cousins & Sons Commended Mackey & Lockhart
Eye Sign
1st & 2nd J Patterson 3rd H Ballantyne & Son 4th J Patterson Reserve A Cousins & Sons (V.H.C) C&D Smyth &Sons (H.C) Mackey & Lockhart Commended H Patterson & Son.
Then for the club’s New Year Show the cards were awarded as follows:
Old Cocks
1st J Patterson 2nd Alex Crawford 3rd C&D Smyth & Sons 4th Albert Cousins & Sons
Reserve& (VHC ) J Patterson (H.C) C&D Smyth & Sons Commended P&C Johnston
Old Hens
1st Mackey & Lockhart 2nd J Patterson 3rd C&D Smyth &Sons 4th Albert Cousins& Sons Reserve M&A Johnston (V. H .C) Albert Cousins &Sons (H.C) Mackey & Lockhart Commended K&B McConaghie & Son
Young Birds
1st J Patterson 2nd & 3rd H Ballantyne & son 4th Mackey & Lockhart Reserve Alex Crawford (V.H.C) John Patterson (H.C ) Mackey & Lockhart Commended John Patterson
Eyesign
1st John Patterson 2nd Mackey &Lockhart 3rd Alex Crawford 4th J&S Albert
Reserve John Patterson (V.H.C ) C&D Smyth &Sons (H.C ) K&B McConaghie &son
Commended Alex Crawford
B.I.S John Patterson
B.O.S Mackey & Lockhart
The club extends a very big thank you to the judges Dave Ward & Art Kelly from Dublin and Jim Braniff from Belfast - a job very well done.
BANGOR’S ANNUAL OPEN CHRISTMAS SHOW
Was once again well supported and three classes were held: any age cock, any age hen and eyesign. The judges for the day were Wilfie Evans, Ed Burton, Raymond McBride & Robert Kemp from Kingswood and we thank them most sincerely for giving up their Saturday afternoon to come and judge for us. The club would also thank the Portavogie club for the use of their premises and facilities. Thanks is also extended to the sponsors for the show H Beattie & son & G Shanks & son with prizes for all classes. It was a good afternoon which closed with the auction of a small select draft of Young Birds. The class winners were:
ANY AGE COCK HANDLED
1st J Rankin (and this is the 3rd year that this cock has won this class at Portavogie) 2nd R Moore & son, 3rd Plunkett, Pollock & Nelson, 4th Burgess & Brennan, 5th Noel Lynas, (VHC) R Moore & son (HC) C Browne (C ) McQuaide & Briggs.
ANY AGE HEN HANDLED
1st R Moore & son, 2nd Plunkett, Pollock & Nelson, 3rd & 4th Burgess & Brennan, 5th J & J Hollinger (VHC) R Moore & Son (HC) J Rankin, (C) Plunkett, Pollock & Nelson
EYESIGN
1st C Browne, 2nd Plunkett, Pollock & Nelson, 3rd J & J Hollinger 4th Plunkett, Pollock & Nelson 5th Burgess & Brennan (V H C) McQuaide & Briggs (H C) J & J Hollinger (C) J & J Hollinger.
BIS Plunkett, Pollock & Nelson
BOS J Rankin
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR BANGOR PIGEON
The Bangor partnership of T & S Phillips were one of three lofts in the East Down Combine to win an achievement award in 2013 for a bird placed 3 times in the result in the Old Bird Derby from France and I had the pleasure of seeing this pigeon in the show pen at Portavogie. Now 8 years old, this magnificent blue cock has flown the channel a total of 14 times and this includes a 1st club from Talbenny as well as being in the prizes from the French Derby 3 times. Well done Uel & Trefor.
Staying with Bangor for a moment, the partnership of Philip McQuaide & Roy Briggs was formed in 2013 to race Young Birds and had a terrific season starting by winning 1st club from their first race from Navan and then taking prizes regularly throughout the rest of the Young Bird season which now sees them eagerly looking forward to the Old bird season of 2014.
Sam Regan reports From Around The Ards Peninsula
Donaghadee Christmas Show
Starting with Donaghadee and their Christmas show had two classes the results of which were:
ANY AGE COCK HANDLED
1st E & D & K. Allen & sons 2nd McCormick & Muckle 3rd McCormick & Muckle 4th R. Teggart & sons 5th D&K. McCutcheon (V.H.C.) E &D & K. Allen & sons (H.C.) D &K. McCutcheon (C.) Mr & Mrs G. Gardiner
Judge: Michael Strain
ANY AGE HEN HANDLED
1st E &D &K. Allen & sons 2nd A &P. Trimble & sons 3rd D &K. McCutcheon 4th Mr & Mrs G. Gardiner 5th McCormick & Muckle (V.H.C.) A &P. Trimble & sons (H.C.) D &K. McCutcheon (C.) McCormick & Muckle
B.I.S. E&D&K.ALLEN & SONS
Judge: Michael Ferris
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Moving on to Ballywalter SPC who had 4 classes and their winners were:
OLD COCKS HANDLED
1st Palmer & McKay 2nd Sam Regan 3rd D& W. Carlile & son 4th J &T. Palmer
5th J. Orr & son (V.H.C.) Sam Regan (H.C.) Sam Regan (C ) J &T. Palmer
OLD HENS HANDLED
1st D &W. Carlile & son 2nd Sam Regan 3rd D &W. Carlile & son 4th J &T. Palmer
5th J. Orr & son (V.H.C) Sam Regan (H.C.0 Sam Regan (C.) J &T. Palmer
YOUNG HENS HANDLED
1st J. Robinson 2nd D &W. Carlile & son 3rd Sam Regan 4th J. Robinson 5th J. Robinson (V.H.C.) D &W. Carlile & son (H.C.) D &W. Carlile & son (C ). J. Orr & son
YOUNG COCKS HANDLED
1st Sam Regan 2nd Palmer & McKay 3rd Sam Regan 4th Sam Regan 5th J. Robinson (V.H.C.) J. Robinson (H.C.) J. Robinson (C.) D &W. Carlile & son
B.I.S. Sam Regan
The club extends their thanks to the judges J. Hollinger, H. Keenan, W. Hamilton and Walter McDowell.
The results of the Peninsula Amalgamation and 3 bird club show were as follows:
ANY AGE HEN HANDLED
1st A. Neill 2nd Harper & Young 3rd G. Coffey 4th A. Neill 5th J &J. Hollinger
(V.H.C). McCormick & Muckle ( H.C.) Plunkett, Pollock & Nelson (C. ) A. McDowell
ANY AGE COCK HANDLED
1st G. Coffey 2nd McCormick & Muckle 3rd B &J. Donnan 4th W &N. Cully
5th A. McDowell (V.H.C.) A. McDowell( H.C.) Keenan & son ( C) A. Neill
EYESIGN
1st G. Coffey 2nd Plunkett, Pollock & Nelson 3rd B &J. Donnan 4th A. Neill
5th J &J. Hollinger (V.H.C.) D &K McCutcheon (H.C.) G. Coffey (C.) W. McMaster & son
B.I.S. G. Coffey
Many thanks to all the sponsors and to Mrs Olive Adair for all her work and to the judges and all who helped on the day and Portavogie H.P.S. for the use of their clubrooms.
DIARY DATES
As we start out into 2014 there are a number of important dates to take note of and the first of these is a change to the date for the Combine AGM which has been moved to Saturday 25th January 2014 in the War Memorial Hall in Crossgar at 2pm sharp - and there are a number of proposals which will be of interest to members.
The date for the 2Bird dinner is Friday February 21st 2014 with the Agm being held the following week.
John Hollinger and the Millisle club are again organising a Moot which will be held on February 7th 2014 and further details will follow on this but already Neil Frazer and Sean Diamond will be two of the names on this year’s panel.
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Well that’s all for this first week of 2014. I recently spent a most enjoyable afternoon in the company of the EDC 2013 Fanciers of the year McCartan & Woodsides and will bring you this report next week.
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