Mid Antrim presentation for 2025 Season
Mid Antrim Combine Dinner 2025 -
The Mid Antrim Combine held their annual dinner in conjunction with the Rasharkin club in the Ballymoney British Legion on Saturday 8th November. Jackie Steele said a few words and then called the winners up and Bobby Coyle presented the cups and diplomas. First up was Johnston Eagleson & Sons who won eleven cups which included the Bryan Eagleson Memorial Cup for best average 1st & 2nd Dale, Bude & Penzance, the Leslie Mairs Memorial cup for OB Points Fanciers of the year, William McIlhagga Memorial Cup for 1st Combine in the NIPA French OB National, OB average, OB Cross Channel average and Champion League.
Johnston (r) & Mervyn Eagleson of Ballymena & District with Mid Antrim Combine awards won in 2025 including 5 x 1st Combines
Danny Dixon was next up to collect five awards including the Ken Parker cup for Combined Average, Adams Cup for National Points, Young Bird Average, Champion Young Bird Of The Year and Young Bird Points. The Diplomas for the club points shield were next and Jamie Greer collected the old bird points shield for Cullybackey. The young bird points shield was shared by Ahoghill, Ballymena & District and Cullybackey. The Combine winners then collected their diplomas with Danny Dixon Rasharkin winning 6 x 1st, Johnston Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 5 x 1st, Gary Gibson Cullybackey 4 x 1st, Johnny Barkley Kells 2 x 1st, Keith & Callum Kernohan Ballymena 1 x 1st and Trevor & Gary Johnston Ballymena 1 x 1st
Combine winners at the 2025 dinner from left Trevor & Gary Johnston, Callum & Keith Kernohan, Mervyn Eagleson, Johnny Barkley, Gary Gibson and Danny Dixon.
Jamie & Jimmy Greer were runner up four times in the Combine in 2025.
Mid Antrim Combine Awards 2025
2nd Talbenny & Penzance Individual Bird Meritorious Award - Mr & Mrs Robinson Cullybackey GB22A24973 Velo 1378
Bryan Eagleson Memorial Cup - Best Average All Old Bird Channel Races Excluding Nipa OB National - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena & District Velo 1399
Channel Princess. Winner of 1st Sect B & 7th Open NIPA Plougastel for J Eagleson & Sons of Ballymena & District.
Old Bird Inland Points - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena & District 296 points
Old Bird Inland Average - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena & District velo 1506.84
Champions League - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena & District
Old Bird Knockout - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena & District
Old Bird Channel Points - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena & District 253
Tommy Shanks Memorial Cup - Champion Old Bird Of The Year - T Whyte Ahoghill GB24A24181 - 61 Points
Joshua Whyte of Ahoghill topped the Combine from 1st Roscrea Old Birds.
Old Bird Average - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena & District 1418.54
Old Bird Cross Channel Average - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena & District 1313.70
William Mcllhagga Memorial Cup - 1st Mid Antrim Combine NIPA OB National - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena & District velo 1149 1st Section & 7th Open NIPA
Les Mairs Memorial Cup - Old Bird Points Fancier Of The Year - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 549 points
New North Cup - Best Average Bude & Dale YB National - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena & District 1349.25
Herbinson Cup- Young Bird Average - D Dixon Rasharkin 1576.46
YB Knock Out - J Smyth & Son Ahoghill
Champion Young Bird Of the Year - D Dixon Rasharkin GB25B18206 - 91 Points
Combined Average - D Dixon Rasharkin 1371.50
Young Bird Points - D Dixon Rasharkin 470
Adams Cup - INFC Points - D Dixon Rasharkin
Danny Dixon of Rasharkin with the Adams Cup for INFC National Points. 6 x 1st Combines won in 2025
Old Bird Points Club Shield - Cullybackey 96 Points r/u Ballymena & District 93 Points
Young Bird Points Club Shield - Shared between Ahoghill 59, Ballymena & District 59 & Cullybackey 59 points.
Old Bird Race Winners 2025
1st Kilbeggan 40/1101 J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1374
1st Roscrea 55/1700 Joshua Whyte Ahoghill 1798
2nd Roscrea 55/1768 G & A Eagleson Cullybackey 1278
1st Fermoy 59/1762 A Darragh Cullybackey 1804
Alan Darragh of Cullybackey topped the Combine from 1st Fermoy Old Birds.
Grenagh 51/1444 G Gibson Cullybackey 1335
Dunmanway OB Inland National 25/255 Rock & Moore Cullybackey 1593
Jimmy Rock and Darrel Moore topped the Combine twice including the Dunmanway OB Inland National.
Cloughmartin 38/919 A Barkley & Son Kells 1616
1st Dale 43/659 D Dixon Rasharkin 1536
2nd Dale 38/481 J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1396
Corrin 31/406 Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1602
Corrin 5 Bird 24/118 H Boyd Kells 1582
Harry Boyd of Kells won 1st Combine from Corrin 5 Bird with the old birds.
Bude 31/308 J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1333
Dunmanway Yearling National 22/178 J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1449
Penzance 37/308 Mr & Mrs Robinson Cullybackey 1461
Laurence Robinson of Cullybackey won 1st Combine from Penzance.
Penzance OB Classic 20/137 K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1440
Callum, Keith & Lewis Kernohan topped the Combine from Penzance Classic with 'Knock Out'
Cloughmartin 25/243 J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1677
Plougastel OB National J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1149
INFC Skibbereen OB Inland National D Dixon Rasharkin 1558
INFC Penzance Yearling National G Gibson Cullybackey 1266
Gary Gibson of Cullybackey won 4 x 1st Combine including the INFC Penzance Yearling National.
INFC Saint Allouestre Kings Cup D Dixon Rasharkin 387
INFC Plougastel Friendship National J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 839
Young Bird Race Winner 2025
1st Kilbeggan 23/581 G Gibson Cullybackey 1508
2nd Kilbeggan 39/1285 T Johnston & Son Ballymena 1520
Trevor Johnston & Son took 1st & 2nd Combine from Kilbeggan young birds.
Roscrea 44/1341 J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1657
Cloughmartin 41/1166 Rock & Moore Cullybackey 1506
Fermoy 36/916 Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1303
William & Paddy McManus of Ahoghill had 3 x 1st Mid Antrim Combine wins.
Corrin 24/515 J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1692
Corrin 5 Bird D Dixon Rasharkin 1674
Benamore 27/589 G Gibson Cullybackey 1797
Grenagh 18/306 Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1778
Dale YB National 23/213 D Dixon Rasharkin 1470
Dunmanway YB National 19/189 A Barkley & Son Kells 1834/
Johnny Barkley & Laura Surgenor of Kells won 2 x 1st Combine including Dunmanway YB National.
INFC Rosudgeon YB National J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1256
Jimmy Smyth of Ahoghill won 5 x 1st Combines and 1st Open in the INFC Rosudgeon YB National.
INFC Skibbereen YB National D Dixon Rasharkin 1543
Stephen & Natalia Doherty were Combine runners up twice in 2025 from INFC Penzance Yearling National and NIPA Plougastel OB National & Glencar Queen. Winner of NIPA Bronze Diploma winner for S & N Doherty of Cullybackey.
Bertie Blair of Ballymena twice Combine runner up in 2025.
Mid Antrim Combine Chairman Robin Service was runner up in the Combine from Dunmanway Yearling National and Dunmanway YB National.
Mervyn Eagleson MAC Press Officer. Note the annual INFC Charity Show will take place as usual in the Lisburn Leisure Centre, Saturday 13th December 2025. Sale birds are on-line at Sawyers Pigeon Auctions. Don’t forget to send items of interest to help keep the column going until racing starts in 2026.
HOMER. Willie Reynolds
Tel/Fax: (028) 256 44683
Mobile: 07538 238364
Twitter: willie reynolds@homerbhw>
Email:
www.irishnationalflyingclub.com
