EAST DOWN COMBINE
Reports by Clifford Browne
East Down2bird News
EDC 2Bird Members Enjoy Prize Night & Dinner
The East Down Combine 2 bird club dinner and prize giving took place in Magee's Lounges in Crossgar on Friday the 12th of February . The evening started with a beautiful meal once again supplied by Hilltop Caterers.
After the meal the chairman Francey Gilmore welcomed everyone and thanked the club Sponsors - Robert & June Kirkwood , Cyril Beattie , John Gordon, Telford Bros and Sawyers & co Estate Agents Banbridge for their support and he then called on the Club’s President Clifford Browne to present the prizes.
The top prize-winner for 2015 were Harper & Young of the Cloughey club The prizes throughout the year were well spread out with all clubs in the Combine doing well this year.
After the prizes were presented the rest of the night was spent chatting and socialising as it had been decided at the AGM to dispense with music this year and this seems to have gone down really well ,so well in fact that at the AGM this year it was agreed to do the same for next year’s prize night
It was a most enjoyable evening with everything well organised by the Secretary Dorothy Smyth who had put a tremendous amount of work not only into this night but also constantly throughout the Year and this enthusiasm and hard work has seen the membership of this club continue to grow . Once again this year my thanks to Tara Smyth for taking the photos some of which accompany this article and others I’ll use over the next few weeks
League A Mackey & Lockhart
League B C & D Smyth & sons
League C A & A Cheevers
League D C Healey
The trophies & cup winners were as follows :
GIBSON CUP C&D Smyth & Sons
OLD BIRD INLAND AVE R Moore & son
OLD BIRD SKIB CLASSIC Harper & Young
PENZANCE CUP J Patterson
ST MALO O/B DERBY CUP Mc Comb Bros
CHANNEL AVE J Patterson
OLD BIRD COMBINED AVE J Patterson
OLD BIRD K.O F Gilmore
OLD BIRD OF THE YEAR R Irwin
Pilmore Beach ( Derek Wishart ) R Irwin
1st SKIBBEREEN Y/B DERBY C&D Smyth & sons
2nd SKIBBEREEN Y/B DERBY Harper & Young
TALBENNY Y/B DERBY B,C.,T.Foulis & Gill
2nd CLONMEL F Gilmore
COMBINED AVERAGES C Healey
Y/B OF THE YEAR R Johnston
YOUNG BIRD AVERAGE C Healey
Best avg o/b & 2y/b derbies J& J Hollinger
The Gold ring winners were :
1st D Croskery £125 2nd Mackey & Lockhart £75 3rd J Patterson £50
EAST DOWN 2 BIRD CLUB AGM
The EDC 2 Bird AGM was held in Crossgar on Monday February 15th The chairman opened the meeting by requesting a minute’s silence for those members who had died during the previous year .
Apologies were then received and accepted and the minutes of the previous Year’s AGM were read and passed .The chairman thanked the Secretary Dorothy Smyth for her work during the racing season both as Secretary and also Treasurer and also thanked the assistant Secretary Sam Duke . Dorothy Smyth was also thanked for all her hard work in connection with the Dinner /Prize distribution which has now become an event not to miss and the running of the Gold Ring event . The prize winners were congratulated and it was hoped that 2016 would be as successful as 2015 and that the membership would continue to grow . The Treasurer presented the accounts which showed the club in a healthy financial .
The next item was the election of office bearers for 2015 and this saw little change from the previous year with the addition of Geoffrey McConaghie to the committee . The main offices being filled as follows ;
President Clifford Browne
Chairman Francis Gilmore
V/Chairman Colin Smyth
Secretary /Treasurer Mrs Dorothy Smyth
Asst Secretary Sam Duke
EDC Delegates D Smyth & A Lockhart
IHU Delegates C Smyth & A Lockhart
The very popular leagues will again be in operation for 2016 and Sponsorship has again been forth coming for some of these .All clubs within the Combine will be receiving membership forms for the 2016 season which secretary Dorothy Smyth will need returned by the date on the form to compile the various League tables etc . Membership fees remain at £10 for the full season or £5 for Young Birds only .The dinner /prize distribution which is proving so successful has been arranged for the 2016 season at the slightly earlier date of Friday Jan 27th 2017 and again will run on the format of the 2016 dinner and will be followed with the AGM on the 13th of February 2017 .
Again for the 2016 season the club members will have the opportunity to take part in a golden ring event where Members will nominate 5 rings of their own at a cost of £10 in total but nominations will only need to be placed with the 2 bird secretary on or before the date on the form in early August 2017 which gives members the chance to get their prospective entries well trained . This event will be held in conjunction with the last young bird club race .
In addition to the above competitions the club is continuing the £1 optional pool this season ,this means that members will be able to enter each of their 2 birds each week in this pool at 1£ each and there will be 4 prizes each week with 1st 40% , 2nd 30% , 3rd 20% & 4th 10% . Each race will stand on it’s own with no monies being carried over .
*******************************
East Down Combine Breeder/Buyer 2016
The East Down Combine is again running their Breeder/Buyer competition and the relevant information on this for everyone is ;
Only EDC members can buy birds ,but NIPA and Ulster Fed members can enter birds for sale with a maximum of 2 birds per member.
There will be 4 Prizes ,1st -50% , 2nd 25%, 3rd -15% 4th 10%
50% to breeder & 50% to buyer
To be raced for in the 1st Skibbereen YB Derby
Auction will be held in Magee’s Lounge Crossgar on Friday April 1st 2016
Auction time 8pm
Auctioneer Doley Croskery
IMPORTANT : 1)The buyer must race the bird to their loft
2) Birds Ring numbers cannot be changed under any circumstances
3) All Breeder/Buyers must be claimed on the Derby Envelopes
This event last year saw the winners A Cousins & Sons who bred and raced the winner lift a cheque for £1380.00 so it is a competition well worth having an entry for .
********************
LIAM WOODSIDE
It is with great sadness that I have to report the death of Liam Woodside just days after his wife Mary’s Death .Liam was the senior partner in the Crossgar partnership of McCartan & Woodsides and had been in failing health for some time . A great supporter of the East Down Combine he had served for a time a number of years ago as Combine Treasurer .
In later life he had enjoyed working with his son Darren and nephew Paul McCartan as part of the very successful partnership which had so many great results to their name which included being the East Down Fanciers of the Year both in 2013 and 2014 .
To Martin, Stuart, Darren & Stephanie and also to Paul and the wider family I extend my deepest sympathy at this sad time .
*****************
Well that’s it for this week ,I am grateful to Dorothy Smyth for the lovely photo of Liam and Mary Woodside .
