The Cleator Moor loft of Graham and co have had a fine result to end the old bird season.
Competing with the National Flying Club from Sigonge they won the Cumbria section and finished 263rd in the provisional open result from 2,493 entries.
The birds had been held over until being liberated in south west France at 6.30am last Tuesday, so had spent five nights in the basket.
It proved a tough race and the Cleator Moor entry arrived home on the Saturday morning after a 625-mile fly.
Loft partner Paul Byers said: “It was a sticky race, even for those down country and he got home with a damaged wing. I imagine he would have been home sooner without that knock.”
The winner is a two-year-old chequer cock who topped the West Cumberland Federation from Guernsey 1 when the loft was 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
He is a grandson of a Paul Grand National winner, Legacy, for the top National flyer Mark Bulled.
Graham and co have a son of Legacy who bred this bird and three other West Cumberland Federation winners.
The dam of their Sigonge bird is home-bred who won section with the National Flying Club, flying 527 miles on the day.
She also won 2nd Fed, 2nd Amal, 12th Combine from Messac before being hawked and having to be retired.
Meanwhile the two west Cumbrian Federation are still flying young birds separately, and the Derwent Valley are still just having club races.
However these are Federation race in the West Cumberland organisation and latest winner Raymond Pears has dedicated his success to former race partner Michael Henderson.
Michael died in January and it was he who had gone to the North East to a clearance sale for a leading fancier Paul Stobbs and came back with five pairs.
Consequently through those pairings – mainly Busschaert x Van den Bulke – birds have emerged to fly well for the loft.
This latest winner is a blue pied cock who was clocked at 10.51am on Saturday after a 72-mile fly from Charnock Richard.
The birds had been liberated at 9.30am in a south-west wind and the Pears bird was doing 52mph.
Raymond and partners have had numerous Federation, Amalgamation and club successes over the years, and has also topped the Red Rose Fed as the loft also competes with the local North West club.
“I would obviously like to dedicate the win to Michael who died earlier this year, but also to remember another good friend in the sport Barry Patrickson who died a few weeks ago.
“John Maudling has been a good help, too, training my birds and I would also like to thank the West Cumberland Fed and the Copeland North West club for being able to compete in both organisations,” he said.
Rodgers and Benn had a good day in the Cleator Moor Club with four in the first eight – 1st, 4th, 6th and 8th.
All four are Stefan Lambrecht by stock obtained from Ian Stafford.
The winner is direct off a blue hen, a gift bird from Ian direct out of a brother and sister pairing Linbro and Sislin, both off Lincia.
She is from another top pairing of Vale Genseric and Venetta, a daughter of Venus.
The Derwent Valley Federation are still on club racing and they went from Garstang on Saturday with excellent returns.
The McLuckie brothers landed another clean sweep in the Workington Social Limit club and took another four tickets in the Workington Victoria club.
Their winner is a blue cock whose sire is a Stefan Lambrecht and a full brother to three sisters that have bred dozens of winners for the hugely successful Scottish loft of McAloney and son.
He was bred by the same sire and dam that produced the three sisters.
The Garstang birds were liberated at 9-20am and the McLuckie winner was clocked at 10-38am after a 58 mile fly at 50 mph.
WEST CUMBERLAND
FEDERATION (822 birds): 1, Pears, son and grandson (Sandwith) 1553; 2, Cottier and Patrickson (Sandwith) 1552; 3, 4, 5, 6, B. Irving (Sandwith) 1550.9, 1550.6, 1550.6, 1550.3.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (8 sent 331): 1, 4, 6, Rodgers and Benn 1551.9, 1548.6, 1548.04; 2, 3, A. and T. Kenmare 1551, 1548.8; 5, Dobson, Sons, grandson and Kyle 1548.2.
EGREMONT RANGERS (136 birds): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, D. Harrison and son 1541.5, 1541.17, 1541.17, 1540, 1536, 1535.
LOWCA (3 sent 110): 1, 2, D. Lofthouse 1537, 1525; 3, 4, J. Moreau 1522, 1509.
SANDWITH (6 sent 241): 1, Pears, son and grandson 1553; 2, Cottier and Patrickson 1552; 3, 4, 5, 6, B. Irving 1550.9, 1550.6, 1550.6, 1550.3.
DERWENT VALLEY
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (9 sent 266): 1, 2, 3, 4, N. and G. Wordsworth 1487, 1480, 1470, 1464; 5, N. Semple 1461; 6, Mr and Mrs Carter and sons 1460.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (5 sent 242): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, McLuckie bros 1489, 1488.8, 1488.5, 1488.1, 1485.6, 1485.2.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (9 sent 371): 1, Varty, son and grandson 1564; 2, 3, 4, 5, McLuckie bros 1557.4, 1557.04, 1556.7, 1556.3; 6, Evans and Abraham 1554.
FLIMBY HS (8 sent 270): 1, Berwick, Watson and co 1592; 2, 5, 6, Tinnion, Aitken and McGarr 1580, 1557, 1556; 3, R. Hodgson 1578; 4, Varty, son and grandson 1565.
SEATON RBL (72 birds): 1, 3, 4, A, Parker and son 1563, 1550, 1549; 2, Mr and Mrs Dustin 1551.
DEARHAM (6 sent 197): 1, 4, 5, 6, Todhunter and Grisedale 1513, 1497, 1489, 1488; 2, 3, Berwick, Watson and co 1499, 1498.
