Homers Odyssey - Ballymoney Prizes
National winning season for Ballymoney HPS -
The big Ballymoney club members held the annual prize giving recently in their clubrooms. Danny Dixon was the highest prize-winner for the 32nd year in a row and had the highlight of the club season when he won 1st Open Irish National Flying club from the Penzance young bird national in September with 'Venus'. Darwin Stuart also won an Open when he topped the NIPA from Fermoy young birds and also won 1st Open in the Fermoy 5 Bird Classic event. William Rodgers had the best bird in the NIPA old bird National from Plougastel finishing 3rd Section B and 60th Open and James Walker had the best bird in the INFC Kings Cup race from St Allouestre winning 54th North Section & 70th Open. Over the course of the season ten different lofts recorded club wins.
Highest prize-winner Danny Dixon with cups and trophies including McGugan Cup for 1st Open INFC Penzance YB Grand National.
Old Birds Race Winners
Kilbeggan OB - Danny Dixon - 9th, 11th, 36th Section 72/1794 birds
1st Roscrea OB - D & H Stuart - 18th, 21st, 31st, 32nd Section 92/2796
2nd Roscrea OB - M Gamble & Son - 15th Section 92/2831
Stephen Young and Mervyn Gamble of Ballymoney.
1st Fermoy OB - D & H Stuart - 1st Section 92/3050 19th Open 733/23987
2nd Fermoy OB - Young & Gibson - 12th Section 100/3158
NIPA Skibbereen OB Inland National - Danny Dixon - 3rd Section 47/294 144th Open 327/2926
3rd Roscrea OB - Danny Dixon - 22nd Section 65/1352
Skibbereen INFC OB Inland National - Danny Dixon 109th, 11th North Section 153/1430
1st Dale - A & M Boyle - 16th Section 84/1363
2nd Dale - Danny Dixon - 6th Section, 98th Open 494/6850
3rd Fermoy - Danny Dixon - 7th Section 65/1071
Fermoy 5 Bird Championship - Danny Dixon - 5th Section 39/178
INFC Penzance Yearling National - J Connolly - 6th North Section & 8th Open 455/3086, C McCook 30th Open, D & H Stuart 92nd, 164th, 181st Open, D Dixon 153rd, 243rd, 277th Open, J Walker 168th Open, A & M Boyle 300th Open
At the INFC prize presentation, J Walker D Dixon, D Stuart and Colin Thompson.
Bude - Danny Dixon - 1st Section & 23rd Open 374/4014 Eastern Promise" wins Combine & Section honours for Danny Dixon
Due to a poor weather forecast the Nipa Bude race was put back to Tuesday 18th June. The birds were released in north Cornwall at 8.00am in light north easterly winds and a seriously hard race followed with quite a number of lofts failing to time any birds on the day. Top fancier
Danny Dixon of Dunloy timed an arrival 16.42pm after the 300 miles fly to his Ballymacaldrick loft's to win 1st Mid Antrim Combine, 1st Section B & 22nd Open Nipa 3971 birds velo 1012. Danny's winner "Eastern Promise" is a 2yo cheq cock bred from direct Herman Custer stock from Derek Nicholls of Premier Lofts. This cock won 2nd Open Nipa from Fermoy as a young bird beaten by a loftmate. Danny topped the Combine in a tough Bude race in 2020 on that occasion his velocity was 1077.
Skibbereen NIPA Yearling National - D & H Stuart - 7th Section & 135th Open 261/2228
D & H Stuart with cups won at Ballymoney HPS
Penzance - John Connolly - 11th Section 47/364. Penzance OB Classic - D Dixon
Fermoy (4) - John Connolly - 4th Section 53/693
NIPA Plougastel OB National - W Rodgers 3rd Section & 60th Open 321/1371, Willie Blair 5th Section & 64th Open
INFC Penzance Friendship National - D & H Stuart 71st, 72nd, 123rd Open 204/1308, D Dixon 83rd Open
INFC Kings Cup St. Allouestre - J Walker 70th Open 425/1961, J McConaghie 183rd Open, D & H Stuart 202nd Open. Danny Dixon wins OB Inland Average
James Walker with trophy at the Ballymoney presentation.
Young Birds
1st Kilbeggan YB - J Connolly - 27th Section 70/2242
2nd Kilbeggan YB - D Dixon - 35th Section 76/2398
1st Roscrea YB - D & H Stuart - 17th Section 67/2153
2nd Roscrea YB - D & H Stuart - 24th Section 83/2527
Cloughmartin YB - R McCook - 3rd Section 73/2046
Fermoy YB - D & H Stuart - 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th Section & 1st, 10th, 14th, 71st Open 414/9816
Fermoy 5 Bird YB Championship - D & H Stuart - 1st Section & 1st Open 188/885. This hen also won the club from 1st Roscrea 367 birds & 17th Sec B 67/2153 and 2nd Roscrea 453 birds & 24th Sec B 283/2527 Sire is a grandson of Best Kittel and the dam Louis Thijs x Sticker Doncker.
Dale Young Bird National - D Dixon - 2nd, 18th Section & 20th, 111th, 199th Open 259/2997 J Connolly 11th Section & 59th Open, C McCook 130th Open.
3rd Roscrea YB - J Hutchinson & Son - 3rd Section & 63rd Open 363/8374
Nipa Dunmanway YB National - Danny Dixon - 5th, 18th, 21st Section & 88th, 167th Open 248/2719 C McCook 10th, 15th Section & 113th, 140th Open, J Connolly 127th Open, D & H Stuart 14th Section, 128th Open.
INFC Penzance YB National - Danny Dixon - 1st North Section & 1st, 12th & 13th Open INFC 181/1084, D & H Stuart 24th & 50th Open
Danny Dixon collects the J M K McGugsn Cup winning the Blue Riband YB Nat for the second time.
Fourth National win for Danny Dixon of Ballymoney.
Danny Dixon Ballymoney 1st, 12th & 13th Open 339 miles velo 1515 timed 15.04pm winning £1300.
What more can be said about Danny Dixon, this year's winner of 1st Open INFC Penzance Young Bird National. I did a loft report on Danny in December last year and was amazed at the list of top prizes this man has amassed. 1st Open INFC Skibbereen YB National 1998, 1st Open Nipa Rosscarbery YB National 2006 and 1st Open INFC Penzance YB National 2010 being the major wins. On top of those there are many more top ten finishes in other National races plus a handful of one loft race wins. To the race now and Danny timed a blue wf cock at 15.04pm flying 339 miles to the lofts in Dunloy village to win the Penzance young bird national for the second time.
The winner of 1st North Sect & 1st Open INFC Penzance YB Grand National for D Dixon.
Sire of the winning cock is a son of Bobby Coyle's pencil cock (a grandson of 'Dixie Chic') when paired to a daughter of 'Knight Rider' Jeff Greenaway's Nipa old bird French National winner. Dam is a daughter of 'Dixie Chic' x Danny's good Wildermeersch 'Belgie Cock'.
Danny's young birds were tossed the length of Newry with Sam Crawford before racing commenced. The National winner had both Roscrea races and Cloughmartin. He was then tossed with Homer from Oxford Island with his last toss one week before the National.
Danny timed two more birds at 15.12pm to win 12th & 13th Open National
Sire of Danny's 12th Open bird is "Baldy' a full brother to Bobby Coyle's pencil cock a grandson of 'Dixie Chic' and dam is another daughter of Dixie Chic x Belgie Cock.
Danny's 13th Open bird is bred off a pair of Walkinshaw pigeons he acquired from Pompeii Plunkett of Bray. Another major win for one of Irelands top racers.
INFC Skibbereen YB National - D & H Stuart - 18th, 63rd, 138th Open 137/1623, Danny Dixon 23rd & 130th Open.
Ballymoney awards winners at the INFC Dinner 2024
Duddy Extreme Distance Trophy-- Saint Allouestre O.B. Furthest flying member in the King’s Cup open prizes. J Walker Ballymoney H.P.S. 523 Miles 70th Open Vel. 719
Jim McCrory special guest at INFC presents the King Cup Extreme Distance trophy to James Walker of Ballymoney.
J.M.K. McGugan Perpetual Cup--- Penzance —Y.B. Channel Grand National. D Dixon Ballymoney H.P.S. Vel. 1515
Robin Duddy Trophy. Penzance Y. B. Furthest flying member in the Penzance Young Bird channel national open prizes. D & H Stuart Ballymoney H.P.S. 24th Open 346 miles Vel. 1469
Kings Cup Merit Award. D & H Stuart Ballymoney H.P.S. Blue Hen GB19B 23349
St. Allouestre King’s Cup 2023 - 99th Open. St. Allouestre King’s Cup 2024 - 202nd Open. Mervyn Eagleson PO Mid Antrim.
Darwin Stuart from Ballymoney collects the Extreme Distance Trophy for Grand Nat Penzance YB Nat from Jim McCrory at INFC presentation.
Gold Awards 2024 winning a Gold Medal & Gold Diploma (4 Times OB Nat France) -
A C & T Tweed Rasharkin & District Dk Cheq w/f hen GB19R-09182
2021 - St Malo 43rd Open & 5th Section B Vel 578, 2022 - St Malo 71st Open & 7th Section B Vel 280, 2023 - St Malo 30th Open & 3rd Section B Vel 625, 2024 – Plougastel 61st Open & 4th Section B Vel 798.
One of the major presentations was the Gold Medal awarded for a bird 4 times in the result of the OB National from France. A C & T Tweed from Rasharkin were the worthy winners in 2024 to join the list of 12 previous winners. The INFC have an equivalent award for 4 times Kings Cup and only 14 winners there, a very worthy achievement.
NIPA Gold Medal winners over the years. 2000 – Murphy & Martin of Cookstown with “Billy’s Pride”. 2001 – A Darragh Cullybackey with “Golden Dreams” and Speirs & Campbell from Cookstown with “Tommy Girl”. 2007 – A Darragh Cullybackey. 2008 – B & M Gilmore Ballyclare & District with “Easton Gold”. 2010 – S Corrigan Loughgall with “Blue Boy”. 2011 – Elliott Bros Carrick & District and B McNeide & Sons Lurgan Social with “Miss Consistance”. 2012 – C & L Fryers Dromara and W G Neill Annaghmore. 2023 – G & C Topley Laurelvale with “Honeysuckle”. 2024 – A C & T Tweed Rasharkin & District with “Tommy’s Dream”.
“Tommys Dream” Gold Medal winner in 2024, 4 times France OB Nat in the NIPA Prizes for A C & T Tweed.
Please note - The AGM for the INFC is planned for Lisburn Leisure Centre on Saturday 15th March at 2.00pm. The Agenda has not been set yet but items up for discussion will include a number of Rule Changes for 2025. That all might attract a larger attendance as well as voting on officials and the 2025 Race Programme. Mid Antrim Combine AGM will be in Ballymena & Dist. clubrooms on the usual date Wednesday 12th March at 7.30pm. The club membership fee for 2025 is £5.00. Jamie Greer has let me know that the annual Section B meeting will be held in the Cullybackey HPS Clubrooms on Tuesday 25th March at 8.00pm. All local clubs should be represented.
HOMER - Willie Reynolds
Tel/Fax: (028) 256 44683
Mobile: 07538 238364
Twitter: willie reynolds@homerbhw>
Email:
http://www.irishnationalflyingclub.com
