EAST DOWN COMBINE
Reports by Clifford Browne
November 15th is Prize Night for EDC
Already the 2013 racing season seems to have ended a long time ago and as the nights close in and we head for winter, thoughts turn to prize distributions and shows etc. The East Down Combine will be holding their Annual Dinner & Prize Distribution in the Millbrook Lodge Hotel Ballynahinch on Friday November 15th. Tickets are £22 for the Dinner of Christmas fare and tickets should be booked through Combine Secretary Sam Duke. I’ll publish a full list of the winners at this time but congratulation to the Crossgar partnership of McCartan & Woodsides on being the 2013 EDC Fanciers of the Year.
Sam Regan reports from
AROUND THE ARDS PENINSULA
Shoreline Lofts to the fore in final Derby
Saturday the 14th of September saw the East Down Combine hold its last race of 2013, “The Ken McConaghie Young Bird Derby” from Skibbereen and the birds were released in a light variable wind at 09.30am for their flight of 250 miles plus back to the lofts in the Ards Peninsula. The race turned out to be a good test for the pigeons to reach home and the top birds took just under 6 hours to complete the journey.
The Ballywalter Club had the winning Amalgamation club bird clocking into the lofts of Sam Regan timing a very consistent young Blue W/F Cock flown on darkness and sent paired up and sitting on 14 day old eggs. This pigeon also takes 2nd Open and 2nd East Section in the Derby. The breeding is Cattrysse/Lambrecht from Sam's own Cattrysse crossed with the Lambrechts supplied to him from his very good friends David and Eirlys Jones of Llandudno Junction in North Wales and this strain of birds have won many times for the Shoreline lofts both pure and crossed. They’ve added a second gear to the Cattrysse birds and again the Regans would like to thank them for supplying these pigeons.
Sam Regan
The next six places go to Portavogie sited lofts with a batch of 6 pigeons arriving into the fishing port together and these were only parted by two yards. In second position in the Amalgamation and first club goes to Brian Young, Portavogie's secretary, who has had a very good year especially with his young birds and his first bird a Cheq Pied cock is 15th open and the same loft timed two more in with at 11th a Blue Cock and 13th a Blue Hen - well done on a good season with the pigeons Brian.
Third sees the partnership of Drew Harper and Martin Young flying with Cloughey timing a Blue Cock which finishes 16th open and ends a very good year for the team with many top spots during the year. In at fourth and with a second pigeon at 10th it is the father and son combination of Walker and son Niall Cully timing firstly a Blue Cock taking 17th open and then their 2nd bird, another Blue Cock is 20th East Section into their Portavogie lofts completing a good young bird season. The next three places go to another father and son team Ronnie Young and son Jim, also members of the well known Young family with Ronnie being brother of two other noted fanciers, Jim who races in Dundonald and Brian and in this race had three drop in together winning 5th, 6th and 7th Amalgamation and 19th, 22nd and 23rd open, the pigeons all being hens, two Blue Bars and a Blue Chequer and again well flown. Top bird in Millisle club is a Blue Cock timed into the Ballybuttle lofts of Jackie Rankin for 8th Peninsula and 36th open to end another good year for him. Local pigeon trainer Robert Thompson and son Glenn his loft manager time a young Chequer hen for 8th place in the Amalgamation and 37th open with the Combine for the Portavogie members.
The Donaghadee team of Bennett Ferguson and Harry Wilkinson clocked a Red Cheq Hen for 1st club and 12th Amalgamation and this bird also wins the three bird club for the men and very nice work. Runner up pigeon in Ballywalter Club is a Blue Hen for Winston and Hugh McMaster in 14th position, a steady racer for the team being placed from Navan earlier in the season and this is another loft which has had a very good year.
Full Result 21/210.
1st. Sam Regan 1305.
2nd. 11th, 13th. B. Young. 1243, 1220, 1210.
3rd. Harper & Young 1242.9.
4th & 10th. W&N.Cully 1242.7, 1225.
5th, 6th & 7th. R&J. Young 1242.5, 1241 x 2.
8th. J. Rankin 1232.
9th. R&G. Thompson 1231.
12th. Ferguson & Wilkinson 1211.
14th. W. McMaster & Son 1210.
3 Bird Club
1st. Ferguson & Wilkinson BC. 1211
2nd. B&J. Donnan ABC.NOM. 1180.
3rd & 4th. Harper & Young 1148. ABC. & 1136 A.
Finally with this being the last race of the season all the clubs and their members in the Peninsula Amal would like to thank the very hard working secretary/treasurer Olive Adair for all the excellent work throughout the year which is greatly appreciated by us all. Many, many thanks Olive. Also to Clifford and the staff of both The British Homing World & The Racing Pigeon and also Elimar for all their efforts throughout the year in getting good pigeons and fanciers noticed in our sport.
Ballylesson HPS
Held their annual prize giving in their clubrooms on Friday 18th October. After a beautiful 4 course meal of turkey and ham or roast beef, the chairman Paul Johnston made a short speech in which he thanked everyone for their input throughout the season which had made the club run so smoothly. The secretary John Albert then called on the club President Bert Millen to present the prizes.
Top prize winner this year is the ever consistent John Patterson.Next was the partnership of A Cousins & Sons with C & D Smyth & Sons in third place with the rest of the club members all getting amongst the prizes. Ballylesson members also did very well in the E.D.C, winning the open 5 times during the season with members also doing very well in all National races.
After all prizes had been presented the rest of the night was spent chatting and dancing to John L, a fantastic country group who rounded the night off with the beautiful “Absent Friends”. It was a fantastic night all round.
Finally this week I extend my sympathy to Paul McCartan and the family circle on the recent death of his mother.
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