EAST DOWN COMBINE

Reports by Clifford Browne

With the 2012 racing season now over we have a few reports this week to complete the season before Dinners, Shows etc get underway. I hope all club Press Officers in the EDC will take the opportunity to forward on any items of interest from the season just finished to give their club and their members the publicity they deserve.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE ARDS PENINSULA & PENINSULA 3B CLUB

by Sam Regan

Angus & Son & McConkey take Mount Charles 2

The Donaghadee partnership of Angus and son and McConkey win the Amalgamation for the second time in the young bird season clocking a young Braspenning from Louella. They are having a good year with their youngsters, very well done. Full result: 25 sent 498. 1st & 10th Angus & son & McConkey 1627, 1597. 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th Gordon Bros & sons 1614x3, 1613. 6th & 8th. J & R. Young 1610, 1602. 7th, 12th, 13th & 14th E&D&K .Allan & sons 1603, 1588x3. 9th & 11th. A&P. Trimble & sons. 3 Bird Club 9/27: 1st Angus & son & McConkey A.B.C.NOM 1627. 2nd E&D&K.Allan & sons A.B.C. 1588. 3rd Palmer & McKay A.B.C. 1579.

Father and Son Team Take the Final Red Card of 2012

Ronnie and Jim Young had the best pigeon into the Ards Peninsula for the Ken McConaghie Skibbereen Derby. The Cloughey members clocked a Blue Cheq darkness hen into their lofts on the East Coast of the Ards Peninsula sited in the fishing village of Portavogie and finished 12th open in the final Young Bird race and very well done to you both on this success. Full result: 1st & 4th J& R. Young 1720, 1692. 2nd J. Orr & son 1697. 3rd & 6th Harper & Young 1692, 1664. 5th Palmer & McKay 1674. 7th to 9th A &P. Trimble & sons 1655, 1620x2. 10th, 13th & 14th, E &D &K. Allan & sons 1613, 1598, 1585. 11th McCormick & Muckle 1606. 12th Sam Regan 1601. 3 Bird Club: 1st J.Orr & son 1697 B.C. & Nom. 2nd Palmer & McKay 1674 A.B.C. 3rd E&D&K. Allan & sons 1585 A.B.C.

That completes the final race of the season and a big thank you to Mrs Olive Adair and husband Terence for all their hard work during the year also to Clifford for all his time and effort in compiling the weekly reports for all the Combine, and also to the hard working Sam Duke and family for all his mammoth work all year doing a vast amount of work with little respite. Very many thanks for carrying out his Double Duties of both Secretary and Treasurer with the East Down Combine, a massive task from all the members and finally thanks to Kieran McCutcheon for supplying the news without fail each race day.

SOUTH DOWN FEDERATION with Brendan McLoughlin

McCartan tops the South Down Fed again

The East Down Combine pigeons were in Mount Charles, in Co Tipperary for the last club race of the 2012 season. Overall it has been a disappointing season with a lot of tail winds resulting in very high velocities but also accompanied by heavier losses than normal. It's hard to say that the losses were as a result of the winds as fanciers throughout western Europe were having similar losses throughout the season. There have been many theories circulating about the cause of the losses but no definitive answer to the problem.

The birds in Mount Charles were liberated at 10.15am in a southerly wind. The results followed a familiar pattern with C & D Smyth winning the East Down Combine Open, the Bangor club dominating the East section and Annsborough members taking the top ten in the South Down Fed. The winner of the South Down Fed this week is Paddy McCartan who is on a run of good form, having been 4th Fed from 1st Mount Charles, 1st Fed Fermoy and 7th and 8th Fed from 1st Skibbereen Derby, taking some good section and Open results along the way. Paddy has progressed very quickly in the Sport and in a few years has established himself as one of the leading fanciers in the South Down Fed. Paddy had first class tutors in Albert & Stanley McKinstry who planted the original interest in pigeons with Paddy and he has never looked back. He picked up some very good birds from the Dromara brothers and was very attentive to the advice that they provided. The sire of this week’s Fed winner is a Soontjens stock cock on loan from the McKinstrys while the dam is a Kees Bosua from Ian and Peter Gibb Derriaghy. M Croskery & Son are 2nd Fed here with the same bird that was 6th Fed from Fermoy. The breeding of this one is Janssen based from Paul Keegan, Dublin. Known locally as Mack Croskery, Sean has had a very steady young bird season, mainly with these birds that he got from Paul Keegan. D Croskery & Son who got off to a great start to the young bird season, keep the momentum going following last week’s Fed win to take 3rd Fed here. The pigeon timed here is a son of the ‘Bolden’ cock when paired to his granddaughter. Fourth Fed goes to P Brown & Son who too have had a steady young bird season despite Willie having had to spend a couple of weeks in hospital but thankfully he has been discharged and is making good progress. The pigeon timed here is from the Grondelaar birds from G & P Brown. Brown & Telford have two birds in the result at 5th and 6th Fed. They made a good recovery following a bad toss early in the season from Newry when they were down a few youngsters, but they battled back well and have taken a few good Fed positions. The loft is founded on birds obtained from Colin Gibson, Dromara and both birds timed here are from Colin’s famous Soontjens lines. Another loft with two birds in the result is R McDowell & Son who is 7th and 9th with all four pigeons from 7th to 10th finishing on the same yard. This has been another successful season for the McDowell loft as they have featured regularly in the Fed results. Their first bird contains the best of the bloodlines obtained from Joe McGreevy, Billy Leckey & J & J Hollinger. The second pigeon is the same pigeon that was 3rd Fed, 9th section, 19th Open the previous week from 1st Skibbereen Derby, having been 6th Fed 17th section , 25th Open the week before from Fermoy. This youngster is out of a full brother of the French hen and was a very good racer himself. The dam is a hen from Billy Leckey of Ards. G & P Brown complete the result with two birds taking 8th and 10th Fed. 2011 was an exceptionally good year for Geraldine and Patrick and it was going to be very difficult for them to match that but they gave it a good try and have had many impressive results throughout the year. Their first bird here is again from Kevin and Kristopher Rooney Annalong and is a Van Reet x Lindelauf. The second pigeon is another from the Rooneys being from the Lindelauf lines. It is out of a son of ‘Wonderboy’. One the same way bred as this one was 6th Fed Tullamore.

Full Result: (All Annsborough) 1, P McCartan 1622; 2, M Croskery & Son 1611; 3, D Croskery & Son; 4, P Brown & Son; 5, 6, Brown & Telford; 7, R McDowell & Son; 8, G & P Brown; 9, R McDowell & Son; 10, G & P Brown: The Annual Dinner & Prize Distribution will be held in the Dundrum Inn on Friday 19th October. Applications for Old Bird of the Year and Young Bird of the Year should be submitted to the secretary before 8th October.

Well that’s all for this week EDC news.