EAST DOWN COMBINE
Reports by Clifford Browne
Birds brought back from Mallow to Mullingar
The East Down birds left for Mallow on Friday May 23rd 2014 as planned but once again the weather was to be the deciding factor as to the events of the weekend. Saturday was not a suitable day for racing with some very heavy downpours and Sunday proved little better so the decision was made to bring the birds back to Mullingar which is roughly half the distance of Mallow, with a view to getting the birds up and home before the INFC race marking which was scheduled for that afternoon. It was 1pm before the weather en route was seen to be suitable for a liberation but with a mainly southerly wind it was expected to be a fairly quick affair but, as you can see, the leading velocities are down in the 1300s, slower than expected.
The top two pigeons in the open were to the two lofts which had been 1st and second in the Skibbereen Classic the previous week, Mark Foulis and Stephen Brown & sons, with Jim Young & ptnrs also Dundonald 3rd open and then it was the Ballywalter partnership of Walter Carlile & son 4th open 1st East Section. The provisional top open and section places were:
1st M Foulis Dundonald HPS 1366.4
2nd S Brown & Sons Dundonald HPS 1363.2
3rd J Young & Ptnrs Dundonald HPS 1362.2
4th D W Carlile & Son Ballywalter SPC 1353.6
5th A & J Brown Dundonald HPS 1353.0
6th W McMaster & Son Ballywalter SPC 1351.2
East Section
1st D W Carlile & Son Ballywalter SPC 1353.6
West Section
1st M Foulis Dundonald HPS 1366.4
Around the Combine Clubs
Annalong 1st K. Rooney, Son & Dtr 1274.1 2nd C McVeigh 1245.9 3rd B Tremlett 1229.7
Annsborough 1st J McNally & Son 1267.01 2nd B Jennings 1262.6 3rd J McNally & Son 1245.5
Ballylesson 13members sent 201 birds. 1st C&D Smyth& Sons 1349.57 2nd Mackey & Lockhart 1332.69 3rd John Patterson 1326.65
Ballynahinch 1st R & H Trimble 1312.7
Ballywalter 1st Walter and Norman Carlile 1353 Blue Yearling cock flying natural. 2nd and 3rd W. Mc Master and son 1351, 1294.
Bangor 1st J & I Moore 1333.4 2nd R Moore & Son 1311.7 3rd R Moore & Son 1307.2
Cloughey 1st Gordon Bros & Sons 1325.7 2nd Harper & Young 1293.2 3rd Gordon Bros & Sons 1286.3
Comber 1st R Johnson 1315.38 2nd R Johnson 1312.18 3rd A Edgar & Son 1305.44
Crossgar 1st J McGreevy 1277.9 2nd B Murray 1271.0 3rd McCartan & Woodsides 1264.82
Donaghadee 1st Ferguson & Wilkinson 1309.3 2nd A & P Trimble & Sons 1284.037 3rd D & K McCutcheon 1280.688
Downpatrick 1st P McCullough & Dtr 1268.5 2nd J Crossan 1264.02 3rd J Crossan 1258.381
Dundonald 1st M Foulis 1366.428 2nd S Brown & Sons 1363.256 3rd J Young & Ptnrs 1362.285
Dundrum 1st A Murray & Son 1279.43 2nd J Ringland & Son 1180.077 3rd A McNamara & Ptrs 1172.959
Hillfoot 1st J Scates & Son 1312.905 2nd J Scates & Son 1311.204 3rd D Brennan 1299.571
Killyleagh Central 1st T Smith 1348.626 2nd T Smith 1347.442 3rd Irvine Bros 1301.617
Millisle 1st J Rankin 1315.913 2nd J Rankin 1312.63 3rd R Strain & Son 1290.41
Newcastle 1st R Mc Veigh & Son 1234.0 2nd R Mc Veigh & Son 1205.1 3rd W Mc Neilly& Son 1182.2. R McVeigh & Son wins pools nom and show specials.
Newtownbreda 1st D & D Chew 1336.534 2nd B & H Marshall 1322.226 3rd E Salmon 1312.376
Portavogie 1st J & R Young 1307.087 2nd Agar Bros 1299.511 3rd K Ambrose 1288.391
Tyrella 1st & 2nd C Mc Manus & Dtr 1262.468, 1241.848 3rd S & E McGaw 1220.537
East Down2bird News
2 Bird Club result from the Skibbereen Classic
1st F Gilmore Comber Soc 2032
2nd J Patterson Ballylesson 2008
3rd R Moore & Son Bangor 1988
4th S Brown & Sons Dundonald 1977
5th J Young & pts Dundonald 1969
6th J&J Hollinger Millisle & Dist 1965
7th J&R Young Portavogie 1955
8th J Young & Pts Dundonald 1946
9th W Mc Master& Son Ballywalter 1939
10th J Mc Nally & Son Annsborough 1931
11th Mackey & Lockhart Ballylesson 1927.7
12th K&B McConaghie & Son Ballylesson 1927.6
Sam Regan reports From Around The Ards Peninsula
Peninsula Amalgamation Skibbereen Classic Result
The first Derby race of the 2014 season saw the East Down Combine in Skibbereen and this race saw excellent conditions on the day of liberation and a very helping southerly wind meant a very fast race with the leading pigeons making short work of the average 260 miles flight home recording speeds of 70 m.p.h. Winning loft into the area, saw the Millisle club father and son team of Raymond and Michael Strain take the top place with a yearling Blue cock first into the peninsula and also taking first East Section, 9th Open and being fancied, a nice return of the pools kitty very well done.
Full Result. 33/315.
1st & 2nd R. Strain & son 2052, 2000.
3rd A&P. Trimble & sons 1999.
4th, 5th, 6th J.Rankin 1996, 1981, 1971.
7th D&K. McCutcheon 1969.
8th J&J.Hollinger 1965.
9th Harper & Young 1956.
10th - 12th J&R. Young 1955, 1950, 1948.
13th & 14th W. McMaster & son 1939 x 2.
3Bird Derby Pools
1st A&P. Trimble & sons 1999. A.B.C. NOM.
2nd D&K. McCutcheon 1969. A.B.C.
3rd J&J. Hollinger 1965. A.B.C.
The next race saw the birds being brought back from Mallow to Mullingar and now it is time for the channel with the first race from Talbenny.
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Well the birds have now left for the first cross channel race scheduled from Talbenny and for once the forecast looks quite good at present.
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