West Cumbrian pigeons were back racing again on Saturday after the previous week’s cancellation.
The Amalgamation birds were liberated from Guernsey at 10.15am in a light south-east wind.
Ian and Denise Wood of Harrington Central had first and second in the Derwent Valley Federation which took first and third in the West Cumbria Amalgamation.
Splitting the pair in the Amal result sheet were Graham and co. The Cleator Moor partnership sent 10 birds and were the only loft to send in the West Cumberland Federation.
The Amalgamation winner for Ian Wood of Harrington Central is a four-year-old blue cock. As a young bird he flew the ‘A’ ring race from Portland being 21st Red Rose Fed.
In 2021 he was third club (beaten by loft mates) third Fed, third Amal and 8th Combine from Cannock when he was third in the Red Rose Fed through duplication.
Last season he was second club Guernsey, 27th Fed when only two birds were in on the night in the Federation.
This season he was at the disastrous Yeovil race when he had over 12 hours on the wing before going to Guernsey.
His sire was actually the third bird back to the loft being 15th Fed and previously in 2022 was 26th Combine & 12th Combine from Guernsey 1 & 3.
The loft’s second bird is also a four-year-old blue cock who although being consistent had never scored until last year when he was 2nd Club, 4th Fed, 8th Amal and 15th Combine Guernsey 1. And 2nd Club, 6th Fed, 11th Amal and 16th Combine Guernsey 3.
Ian said: “These birds are all Kees Bosua pigeons bred through my good friend Paul Fisher stock with their grand sire and great grandsire being a pigeon called Shrek.
“This year my racers have never been paired and have only flown on the Celibate method.”
Graham and co had seven of their ten entries back in race-time with their first bird taking second in the West Cumbria Amalgamation.
She is a four-year-old hen, a half sister to the cock that was first Fed, 4th Amal and 7th Cumbria Combine from the first Guernsey race.
A consistent pigeon she has been on the last five Amal sheets from Guernsey taking 2nd, 13th, 27th, 33rd and 36th – earning three Combine positions.
She’s out of a son of Legacy which won a National Flying Club race from Tarbes and this cock has bred the Graham loft four Fed winners, plus countless birds to score.
The dam is a homebred hen from a son of Big Smithy when he was paired to a daughter of Starlight. Her dam is a daughter of Wingdown.
Paul Byers, a partner in the loft, said: “We won’t be sending to Guernsey 3, the final old bird race in the Amalgamation programme as we are hoping to get a decent team ready for the NFC race from Sigogne.
“We’d just like to congratulate our good friends Ian and Denise Wood on winning the Amalgamation.”
Chris Wilson and Martin Johnstone had a good race, too, with five of their six entries back in race-time – and three good tickets in the Workington Victoria club.
They were first, third and fifth in Victoria ands had the first five spots in Workington Social Limit.
The winner was a blue pied hen – a Van den Brade which was sent on chipping eggs while the second home was a chequer white flight cock from the legendary Northern Ireland fancier John Pattison.
Perhaps most interestingly, their third bird was an eight-year-old blue white flight hen who has flown thousands of miles for the partners and will now go into the stock loft. She’s a Flor Engels breed.
The Cumbria Combine will race from Marlborough this weekend, being transported by the East Cumberland Federation.
Guernsey 3 will be raced on Friday, July 7 and will be convoyed with Scottish Federations.
WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (60 birds): 1, 3, I. and D. Wood (Harrington Central) 1318, 1275; 2, Graham and co (Cleator Moor) 1314; 4, Nelson and Crellin (Flimby HS) 1272; 5, Rushforth and Hunter (Flimby) 1223; 6, Johnstone (Workington Social) 1098.
WEST CUMBERLAND
FEDERATION (10 birds): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Graham and co (Cleator Moor) 1314, 1062, 1029, 991, 950, 819.
DERWENT VALLEY
FEDERATION (50 birds): 1, 2, I. and D. Wood (Harrington Central) 1318, 1275; 3, Nelson and Crellin (Flimby HS) 1272; 4, Rushforth and Hunter (Flimby) 1223; 5, Wilson and Johnstone (Workington Social) 1098; 6, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1076.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (4 sent 18): 1, 3, 5, Wilson and Johnston 1098, 1003, 727; 2, Martindale and Lawman 1076; 4, 6, Varty, son and grandson 791, 726.
CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (10 sent 20): 1, I. and D. Wood 1275; 2, Nelson and Crellin 1272; 3, Martindale and Lawman 1076; 4, Rushforth and Hunter 1053; 5, Graham and co 789; 6, Berwick, Watson and co 787.
FLIMBY HS (6 sent 27): 1, Nelson and Crellin 1274; 2, 3, Rushforth and Hunter 1226, 1055; 4, 6, Berwick, Watson and co 1014, 797; 5, A. Bromley and co 905.
