West Cumbrian fanciers enjoyed another good day from the second race of the new season.
Liberated at 9-50am at Charnock Richard in a fresh east north east wind the West Cumberland Federation winner was clocked at 11-10am.
It was the start of a good day for Mike McGrady of the Sandwith club for not only did he top the Fed but he had 3rd, 4th and 5th and four more in the top 30 – 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th.
His loft is 71 miles 652 yards from the race-point and the winner was flying at 53 miles an hour.
She is a yearling blue hen that Mike bought last year from that celebrated Egremont fancier Davis ‘Sugar’ Wilson who concentrates on breeding good birds now instead of racing them.
Mike says: “She’s the second one I got off Sugar that have topped the Fed and the other one won the Amalgamation.
“I had four come together but this one managed a first-time trap while the other three went round once.
“The second pigeon clocked was third club, seventh Fed last week and she is half-sister to a mealy cock which had two first Feds, a second Fed beaten by a second by a loft-mate and has topped the Amal.
“The third pigeon is a first-time scorer while the fourth has scored four times in the first five in the Fed and on one occasion was equal first Fed, beaten by loft mate.”
Mike sent 37 at the race and within an hour he had them all back, was locked up and on his way to the club with the clock.
In Egremont, there was a popular win for Mark Doran with a blue white flight cock, and the loft also had sixth club.
His first pigeon was bred out of Steven Chambers’ RPRA award-winning bird from 2013 and 2014.
Incidentally, Steve has a health issue and is not racing this year so many fanciers have sent him their best wishes.
The majority of fanciers enjoyed excellent returns as they prepare for this week’s third race from Appleton, generally regarded as the best inland race-point in the programme.
In the Derwent Valley Federation, there were some lofts recording back to back wins after the opener from Garstang.
It was particularly good to see Robert and Albert Deacon take the first four in Dearham after they had won from Garstang.
The brothers have both had health issues and it was touch and go at one point whether they would be able to race.
Their winner is a two-year-old dark chequer cock on widowhood, a Janssen from Jackson and Andrews who used to fly near Goole. He scored for the brothers last year.
There was a repeat win in Workington Social Limit for the Williams and Hadfield loft.
This week’s first went to a yearling red hen on roundabout which is off a red cock, a brother to Liam (Cyril and Carl Lambrecht) from Steve Foster. He’s bred ten firsts now, including Fed and Amal winners.
They also took second club with a yearling dark hen on roundabout which is off the brother and nest-mate of the red cock.
Top Workington Victoria loft of Richard Martindale and George ‘Pal’ Lawman had been out of the tickets from Garstang but they made up for it by taking all six from Charnock Richard.
They had ten come together and the winner trapped perfectly while the next five followed her in. Both first and second are from a pair of eggs brought from the successful Leach brothers loft of Hebdon Bridge whose bloodlines grace the Workington loft in abundance.
Alf and Alan Parker won again in Seaton RBL; John Pooley successfully followed-up in Harrington Central and Jimmy Nelson and Fletcher Crellin also completed the double in Flimby HS.
Nelson and Crellin had won the competitive Flimby club last week with a yearling Van den Bulk of Keith Rafferty stock hwich did not race as a young bird but was trained.
Their follow-up winner is a two-year-old late bred off the original Karel Boeckx cock from Keith Rafferty which proved to be a great racer and breeder.
This week’s race was also tracked by the special rung bird of Andrew and Tom Kenmare of Frizington, and to accompany that Graham Cates has put together a superb video using the information provided by the Skyleader GPS ring attached to the hen.
It is included here below the results. It makes fascinating viewing, even for non-fanciers.
Copeland North West members had their second race from Nantwich and they were up at 10am in a cool, but fresh east north east wind.
It gave the birds a good workout and leading them home was a three-year-old blue hen to the loft of Jim Moreau. It took two hours 22 minutes.
Another three-year-old, a chequer cock, took second for the Maudling brothers.
WEST CUMBERLAND FEDERATION
(979 birds): 1, 3, 4, 5, W. McGrady and son (Sandwith) 1563, 1560, 1559, 1558; 2, B. Irving (Sandwith) 1561; 6, J. and M. Doran and son (Egremont) 1554.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (13 sent 467): 1, 5, Graham and co 1543, 1535; 2, Tomlinson and Banks 1541; 3, Dobson, sons and grandson 1539; 4, Rodgers and Benn 1537; 6, J. Fitzsimmons and son 1534.
SANDWITH FC: 1, 3, 4, 5, W. McGrady and son 1563, 1560, 1559, 1558; 2, B. Irving 1561; 6, Blaney bros 1549.
LOWCA: 1, 2, 3, D. Lofthouse 1550, 1549, 1541; 4, Holliday and Dixon 1533.
EGREMONT RANGERS HS (151 birds): 1, 6, J. and M. Doran and son 1554, 1501; 2, 3, 5, Wilson and Buchanan 1549, 1539, 1518; 4, D. Harrison and son 1529.
DERWENT VALLEY
SEATON RBL (5 sent 141): 1, 3, 5, A. Parker and son 1514, 1457, 1429,94; 2, 4, Dobie and Palmer 1460, 1445; 6, Mr and Mrs Dustin 1429.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (7 sent 309): 1, 2, Williams and Hadfield 1518, 1517.6; 3, 4, 6, McLuckie bros 1517.09, 1517.09, 1516.81; 5, Mr and Mrs Walters 1516.85.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (10 sent 420): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Martindale and Lawman 1544.7, 1544.1, 1543.8, 1543.8, 1543.8, 1543.6.
FLIMBY HS (10 sent 378): 1, 5, 6, Nelson and Crellin; 2, Varty, son and grandson; 3, 4, Bromley and co.
DEARHAM HS (10 sent 298): 1, 2, 3, 4, Deacon bros 1485, 1483.9, 1483.4, 1470; 5, Berwick, Thomson, Harker and Watson 1440; 6, L. Pearson 1421.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (9 sent 341): 1, Telford and Pooley 1526; 2, I. and D. Wood 1525; 3, 4, 5, 6, N. and G. Wordsworth 1520.5, 1520.2, 1519.7, 1519.1.
COPELAND NPWA (9 sent 161): 1, 4, J. Moreau 1340, 1317; 2, Maudling bros 1329; 3, 5, G. Best 1318, 1315.5; 6, Fitzsimmons and so 1315.
