The West Cumbria Amalgamation will officially have its first young bird race of the season on Saturday from Appleton.
The two participating federations – West Cumberland and Derwent Valley – should have teamed up last week but circumstances prevented a liberation from the same race-point.
The West Cumberland Federation have been catching up and they raced from Charnock Richard on Saturday after an 8.45am liberation into a north-west wind.
Leading them home was the Sandwith loft of Billy Cottier, the Fed’s oldest competitor and race partner Barry Patrickson.
After the 72-mile fly they clocked at 10.18am with their winner recording just under 44mph.
The winner was given to Billy by Barry Kegg, loft manager to Steve Chambers the highly successful Sandwith flier who has not raced this season.
He bred them 12, as he has in previous years, and three of them have scored already.
The cock that bred the winner is of Steve’s old bloodlines from Paul Stobbs while the hen is from Curtis, Wall and Lunt.
“Once again we have to say a big thank-you to Steve and Barry for the birds they have bred for us,” said Billy.
He started racing in 1954 with his brother John and father and has just turned 94.
He and Barry won the old bird Fed race from Appleton earlier this season and last year topped the Fed from Charnock Richard, again with a young bird.
The second Fed went to David Harrison and son of Egremont with a young bird bred by good friend Malcolm Scott, of Gateshead.
He finished racing last year but had one pair left in his loft which never went to the clearance sale as he had no details of the hen and the cock was withdrawn on the day of the sale.
This Egremont winner (2nd Fed) is one off that pair.
The Derwent Valley Federation raced from Appleton with the winners covering the distance (just under/over 100 miles) at nearly 45 miles an hour.
John and Liz Walters won in both the Workington clubs while Neil and Geoff Wordsworth continued their good run with a win and three other tickets in Harrington Central.
WEST CUMBERLAND
FEDERATION (831 birds): 1, Cottier and Patrickson (Sandwith) 1290; 2, D. Harrison and son (Egremont) 1289; 3, Tomlinson and Banks (Cleator Moor) 1287.5; 4, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon (Cleator Moor) 1287.2; 5, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle (Cleator Moor) 1283; 6, Waddington and Taylor (Lowca) 1282.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (9 sent 368): 1, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon 1292; 2, 4, Tomlinson and Banks 1290.8, 1275; 3, 6, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle 1290.6, 1264.7; 5, Rodgers and Benn 1264.9.
LOWCA HS (5 sent 217): 1, 3, Tomlinson and Banks 1287, 1272; 2, Waddington and Taylor 1282; 4, 5, 6, D. Lofthouse 1264.8, 1264.8, 1264.6.
EGREMONT HS (102 birds): 1, 2, 3, 6, D. Harrison and son 1289, 1278, 1251, 1247; 4, 5, Wilson and Buchanan 1249, 1248.
SANDWITH: 1, Cottier and Patrickson 1290; 2, W. McGrady and son 1270; 3, 4, 5, 6, B. Irving 1261.7, 1261.5, 1261.5, 1261.1.
DERWENT VALLEY
DEARHAM (5 sent 169): 1, 2, 3, 4, Berwick, Watson, Harker and Thompson 1348, 1334, 1324, 1320; 5, 6, Todhunter and Grisdale 1300, 1299.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (8 sent 243): 1, 4, 5, 6, N. and G. Wordsworth 1314, 1284.4, 1284.2, 1284.1; 2, J. Devlin 1311; 3, N. Semple 1285.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (8 sent 292): 1, Mr and Mrs Walters 1314; 2, 5, 6, G. Best 1313, 1307.8, 1307.5; 3, Williams and Hadfield 1310; 4, McLuckie bros 1309.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (9 sent 371): 1, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1329; 2, 3, 4, Martindale and Lawman 1328.6, 1328.2, 1325; 5, 6, McLuckie bros 1324, 1308.
FLIMBY HS (7 sent 232): 1, 2, 3, A. Bromley and co 1310, 1275, 1272; 4, Nelson and Crellin 1270; 5, R. Hodgson 1255; 6, Rushforth and Hunter 1250.
SEATON RBL ( 3 sent 68): 1, 2, 3, 4, Dobie and Palmer 1268, 1256, 1255, 1226.
