EAST DOWN COMBINE

with Clifford Browne

COMBINE MEMBERS TO THE FORE IN FRENCH NATIONALS

The East Down Combine?s Young Bird season got underway on the 16th of July but since the old Bird St. Malo Derby on June the 23rd the INFC have held the two French Nationals -the King?s Cup and the Friendship National and before we look at the first Young bird results some EDC members put up outstanding performances in these French races .
From the King?s Cup from St. Allouestre Ballylesson?s Alex Crawford finished 3rd Open 1st North section 1st East Down Combine from the entry of 2,546 birds and also finishing in the top 10 at 8th open 5th North Section and 2nd East Down Combine Bird were Burns Bros of Comber Social .Many congratulations to these fanciers on their success and also to the 2017 King?s Cup winner Liam McCall of Wicklow South Road who is a great friend of the Combine partnership of Ronan & Connaire McVeigh of Newcastle a friendship formed many year?s ago through reporting pigeons and the two families have exchanged birds regularly ever since ,with the McVeigh?s rearing the 2014 St. Malo winner and recently the two families met up and I enclose a couple of photos taken on the day .
Then from the Friendship National from Lamballe which was a very testing race Tom & David Marshall of Newtownbreda were the first EDC members to record an arrival at 6th open and they followed this up with two more arrivals at 13th and 16th with Crossgar?s Gerard Adair finishing 10th in a race which saw only 16 birds recorded in race time .
Details of these outstanding performances will appear in the INFC write ups .

B C T Foulis &Gill best from Navan
The weather forecast for July 15th was deemed by all three Northern Ireland organisations to be unsuitable for racing so the first Young Bird race was put back to Sunday 16thwhich was a much better day and the Combine who were in Navan got the race underway at 9am with the birds being liberated into a West North West wind . The leading birds recorded velocities in the 1600?s with two clubs dominating the early Open positions shared between Dundonald at the Northern end of the Combine and Annalong at the Southern end .
The Dundonald partnership of B C T Foulis and Ian Gill have enjoyed a great old bird season and have started the young bird programme with 1st and 2nd open with two birds together and then 8th open with their next bird and these three take top honours in the West section
The Rooney family of Annalong then had 3rd & 4th open with club mate John McCartan in at 5th Open and these were the top three in the East section.
It is always good top get the young birds started and the Full Open and section results were :

East Down Combine Open & Section
16/07/2016 1st Navan YB West Northwest Wind
Pos Name Club Velocity
1 B C T Foulis & Gill Dundonald HPS 1624.165
2 B C T Foulis & Gill Dundonald HPS 1624.165
3 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1621.895
4 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1618.852
5 J.McCartan Annalong HPS 1618.820
6 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1617.638
7 J.McCartan Annalong HPS 1616.912
8 B C T Foulis & Gill Dundonald HPS 1616.522
9 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1615.215
10 J.McCartan Annalong HPS 1614.374
11 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1609.791
12 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1608.591
13 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1607.991
14 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1607.392
15 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1607.392
16 Brown & McConnell Dundonald HPS 1605.025
17 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1603.807
18 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1603.807
19 Brown & McConnell Dundonald HPS 1603.336
20 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1600.237
21 Brown & McConnell Dundonald HPS 1599.968
22 Cowan & McCartney Dundonald HPS 1599.782
23 J & R Young Portavogie 1596.831
24 J & R Young Portavogie 1596.503
25 J & R Young Portavogie 1596.503
26 Cowan & McCartney Dundonald HPS 1595.761
27 J & R Young Portavogie 1595.520
28 J.Davis Ballylesson HPS 1592.205
29 Cowan & McCartney Dundonald HPS 1583.820
30 J.Young & Ptnrs Dundonald HPS 1577.796
31 J Newell Annalong HPS 1569.321
32 Lambert & Stewart Bangor RPC 1567.553
33 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 1565.638
34 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 1565.275
35 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 1564.912
36 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 1564.912
37 J.Davis Ballylesson HPS 1562.232
38 S Casement & Son Ballylesson HPS 1561.775
39 J Patterson Ballylesson HPS 1559.594
40 Harper & Young Cloughey HPS 1555.489

West Section
1 B C T Foulis & Gill Dundonald HPS 1624.165
2 B C T Foulis & Gill Dundonald HPS 1624.165
3 B C T Foulis & Gill Dundonald HPS 1616.522
4 Brown & McConnell Dundonald HPS 1605.025
5 Brown & McConnell Dundonald HPS 1603.336
6 Brown & McConnell Dundonald HPS 1599.968
7 Cowan & McCartney Dundonald HPS 1599.782
8 Cowan & McCartney Dundonald HPS 1595.761
9 J.Davis Ballylesson HPS 1592.205
10 Cowan & McCartney Dundonald HPS 1583.820
11 J.Young & Ptnrs Dundonald HPS 1577.796
12 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 1565.638
13 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 1565.275
14 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 1564.912
15 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 1564.912
16 J.Davis Ballylesson HPS 1562.232
17 S Casement & Son Ballylesson HPS 1561.775
18 J Patterson Ballylesson HPS 1559.594
19 C & D Smyth & Sons Ballylesson HPS 1549.460
20 J.Davis Ballylesson HPS 1517.823
East Section
1 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1621.895
2 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1618.852
3 J.McCartan Annalong HPS 1618.820
4 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1617.638
5 J.McCartan Annalong HPS 1616.912
6 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1615.215
7 J.McCartan Annalong HPS 1614.374
8 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1609.791
9 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1608.591
10 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1607.991
11 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1607.392
12 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1607.392
13 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1603.807
14 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1603.807
15 K.Rooney,Son & Dtr Annalong HPS 1600.237
16 J & R Young Portavogie 1596.831
17 J & R Young Portavogie 1596.503
18 J & R Young Portavogie 1596.503
19 J & R Young Portavogie 1595.520
20 J Newell Annalong HPS 1569.321

Around the Combine Clubs
Annalong 1st K .Rooney,Son & Dtr 1621.895 2nd K .Rooney,Son & Dtr 1618.852
3rd J McCartan 1618.82
Annsborough 1st D Croskery & Son 1425.884 2nd D Croskery & Son 1335.358
3rd M Croskery 1327.9
Ballylesson 11 members sent 230 birds 1st J Davis 1592 2nd C&D Smyth & sons 1565.6
3rd C&D Smyth & sons 1565.2
Ballywalter 1st x 2nd Sam Regan 1487 x 1436. With two Cattrysse birds 3rd Bob Christie 1430.
Bangor 1st Lambert & Stewart 1567.582 2nd D Shaw 1492.507 3rd Lambert & Stewart 1490.675
Cloughey 1st Harper & Young 1555.489 2nd Harper & Young 1529.36
3rd Cully & Monan 1522.256
Comber 1st K Tompsett 1276.57 2nd G Lyttle 1261.38 3rd G Lyttle 1225.5
Crossgar 1st T Horner & Sons 1515.494 2nd T Horner & Sons 1501.766 3rd B Murray 1456.312
Donaghadee 1st E D & K Allan & Sons 1523.228 2nd E D & K Allan & Sons 1523.228
3rd E D & K Allan & Sons 1522.955
Downpatrick Premier 1st P Flanaghan & Dtr 1448.726 2nd P Flanaghan & Dtr 1437.823
3rd R Connolly 1401.338
Dundonald 1st B C T Foulis & Gill 1624.165 2nd B C T Foulis & Gill 1624.165
3rd B C T Foulis & Gill 1616.522
Hillfoot 1st A & R & G Crawford 1390.834 2nd A & R & G Crawford 1385.36
3rd D Brennan 1358.806
Killyleagh Central 1st McComb Bros 1494.396 2nd Gordon Bros & Sons 1492.373
3rd McComb Bros 1478.724
Millisle 1st A & E Muckle 1459.219 2nd A & E Muckle 1458.963 3rd A & E Muckle 1443.511
Newtownbreda 1st W White & Son 1487.027 2nd B Hogg & Sons 1471.413
3rd B Hogg & Sons 1471.112
Portavogie 1st J & R Young 1596.831 2nd J & R Young 1596.503 3rd J & R Young 1596.503

This week the Combine returns to Navan