West Cumbrian pigeons had it tough on Saturday in the race from Guernsey.
It was overcast in the morning in the Channel Islands and the birds weren’t released until 1.25pm.
On a hot day and into an east-north-east wind it would prove a big ask and there were no birds in on the day.
There was, however, a remarkable effort by a Flimby pigeon racing to the loft of Lawrence Tinnion and clocked at 4.18am on Sunday to win the West Cumbria Amalgamation and Derwent Valley Federation.
Racing partner Ian McGarr was actually crossing the field just after 4am to go to the loft when she arrived.
“I got my eyes on this bird in the Seaton direction and I thought it was a dove. But then I saw her fold her wings and drop for the loft.
“She landed and I was running around like a lunatic because there were no doors open and the clocking gear wasn’t ready.
“It was a great feeling when she was clocked and I saw the time. She can’t have been far away because she was fresh and maybe she just let on somewhere like Asda at dark.
“She had been to the Marlborough race a week beforehand and was in great nick. She just wanted into her box all the time.
“So I split her from the cock bird until the night before she was basketed for the race,” said Ian.
She is a two-year-old blue hen bred through bloodlines Lawrence obtained from the successful north east loft of Marshall, Marshall, Marshall and Smith with a famous pigeon called the Machine in her pedigree.
The other side of the family are birds obtained from Lawrence’s good friend Ian Wood of the Harrington Central club.
There were only 22 birds clocked in race-time in the Derwent Valley Federation and for good measure Tinnion and Aitken were 12th as well with the mother of the winner, a four year-old blue hen who will now be retired to the stock loft.
Ian has been involved at the loft for two years now and said: “It’s a good team effort. Lawrence does the birds when I’m at work so both of us put our time into them when we can.”
Good pigeons shine through in a race like that and second Fed were Andrew Berwick and Kenneth Watson of Aspatria, flying in the Dearham club.
Their four year-old blue cock is a bit special who has won the club three times and was second on another occasion when the partners won the Fed with a loft-mate.
He now has a 1st Fed, two 2nd Feds and a sixth Fed. In the Cumbria Combine, before this race he’d had a 1st, 7th and 17th.
Andrew said: “We bred him ourselves, being a grandson of our good red white flight cock which won Messac twice.
“He in turn was a grandson of our red cock that won two Feds from the Channel.
“His sire is from a grandson of Euro Diamond we got from Jutla brothers when he was paired to an Ian Stafford hen through The Machine.
“It was a tough race but awesome by Lol and Casper to time at 4-18am. Very well done to them.”
Another very good pigeon was the winner in Workington Victoria for Les Blacklock.
A three-year-old chequer hen she has won from Guernsey three years on the trot in the Victoria club, when she has been 4th Fed, 5th Fed and this time 9th Fed.
The sire was bred by Ray White of Gretna while the dam is a grand-daughter of Les’ 2016 Cumbria Combine winner.
In the West Cumberland Federation the Cleator Moor loft of Alan Graham and co took the main honours.
There were only 11 back in race time and the Graham loft had seven of them.
Another Cleator Moor loft of Joe Fitzsimmons and son Brian had three with the 11th bird homing to the Sandwith loft of veteran Billy Cottier.
The Graham loft took first, second and third in the Federation and all are grandchildren of Pau Grand National winners.
The winner is a chequer cock bred from a son of Mark Bulled’s Legacy – a top distance flier from Harlow. This cock has now bred the loft four Federation winners and his blood is actually in six of the seven birds they had on the Fed sheet.
The dam is a home bred hen who won the section in the National Flying Club flying 527 miles on the day.
She also won 2nd Fed, 2nd Amal 12th Combine Messac before she had to be retired due to being hawked.
The second bird home on Sunday morning is a chequer hen who is a granddaughter of Paul Kendall’s Litton Glory and a grand-daughter of Barry Winter’s Little Gem – both Grand National winners.
The third pigeon home is a granddaughter of Chris Gordon’s Syndale Express.
Paul Byers, a partner in the loft, said: “We’d like to pass on our congratulations to Tinnion and Aitken on winning the Amal with clearly an absolutely top-class pigeon, and to Andrew Berwick and partner for timing their grand Combine winner to be second.”
The Copeland North West club raced from Cannock and enjoyed a very good race with excellent returns.
Andy Holliday and Ken Dixon won it with their good blue hen, a three-year-old who had been second Fed from Stratford a fortnight earlier. She’s bred through birds from Syndicate Lofts x T. and K. Garman.
WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (178 birds): 1, Tinnion and Aitken (Flimby HS) 1104; 2, 5, A. Graham and co (Cleator Moor) 990, 912; 3, Berwick and co (Dearham) 968; 4, Nelson and Crellin (Flimby HS) 955; 6, A. Bromley and co (Flimby HS) 907.
WEST CUMBERLAND
FEDERATION (45 birds): 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, A. Graham and co (Cleator Moor) 990, 912, 853, 805, 790; 4, Fitzsimmons and son (Cleator Moor) 851.
CLEATOR MOOR (6 sent 51): 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, A. Graham and co (Cleator Moor) 990, 912, 853, 805, 790; 4, Fitzsimmons and son (Cleator Moor) 851.
BNFL: 1, G. Fallows 844; 2, Wilson and Barrie 691; 3, J. Fitzsimmons and son 653; 4, Cottier and Patrickson 536.
COPELAND NORTH WEST (Cannock): 1, 2, 3, Holliday and Dixon 1480.9, 1480.6, 1480.3; 4, 5, 6, J. Fitzsimmons and son 1474, 1446.7, 1446.6.
DERWENT VALLEY
FEDERATION (133 birds): 1, Tinnion and Aitken (Flimby) 1104; 2, Berwick and co (Dearham) 968; 3, 5, Nelson and Crellin (Flimby HS) 955, 837; 4, A. Bromley and co (Flimby HS) 907; 6, Mr and Mrs Carter and sons (Harrington Central) 826.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (7 sent 38): 1, Mr and Mrs W. Carter and sons 826; 2, N. Semple 740; 3, I. and D. Wood 665; 4, 5, M. Walker 649, 630.
FLIMBY HS (8 sent 64): 1, Tinnion, McGarr and Aitken 1109; 2, Berwick and co 1046; 3, 5, 6, Nelson and Crellin 1020. 887, 846; 4, A. Bromley and co 966.
FLIMBY HS SHOW RACE (178 birds): 1, Berwick, Watson and co 968; 2, A. Bromley and co 907; 3, Nelson and Crellin 837; 4, Mr and Mrs Carters and sons 826; 5, Blacklock and sons 750; 6, Tinnion, McGarr and Aitken 699.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (6 sent 23): 1, Blacklock and sons 750.
CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (15 sent 30): 1, Berwick and co 968; 2, Nelson and Crellin 837; 3, 5, Mr and Mrs Carter and sons 826, 725; 4, Blacklock and sons 750; 6, A. Graham and co 703.
FURNESS
MILLOM: 1, 5, Fullard, Murning and Coward 1060, 923; 2, A. and K. Young 1033; 3, D. L. T. Fallows 1029; 4, Wilson and Barrie 995; 6, G. Fallows 845.
