The McLuckie brothers are enjoying another good season, particularly with birds they have had from top North East fancier Alfie Hawthorn.
Morris and Wayne were back on top of the West Cumbria Amalgamation on Friday from the first young bird in which the Derwent Valley and West Cumberland Federation were liberated together.
In handing praise to the birds they have had from Alfie, senior partner Morris also gave a special mention to brother Wayne.
“I’ve had some major surgery and Wayne has done a brilliant job with the birds, training them and feeding etc when I have been in hospital.
“I also have to mention Alfie because he’s become a good friend and we have had some cracking pigeons from him in recent years, People are winning with his birds all over the UK,” said Morris.
The Amalgamation birds were liberated from Appleton at noon and the McLuckies won the two Workington clubs – Victoria and Social Limit – as well as the Derwent Valley Fed and West Cumbria Amalgamation with a blue cock.
This pigeon had been third at Flookburgh, beaten by two loft mates, and is really well bred with the sire a direct son of Mars when paired to Olympic Rachel, which was the North East Homing Union Bird of the Year in 2018.
The dam is another well-bred pigeon, a Heremans-Ceusters from the loft of Gary Cox.
The McLuckie brothers can also take some credit for another winner on Friday for another loft turning in some outstanding results this season.
David Todhunter and Mark Grisedale, flying in the Dearham club, were third, fourth and fifth in the opening Flookburgh race and then the Ellenborough-based loft has won the subsequent four races from Flookburgh 2, Garstang, Charnock Richard and Appleton with 11 other tickets to go with them.
Their winner on Friday was bred off a Van den Bulkke cock from the McLuckie brothers which had been won by Todhunter and Grisedale in the Easter raffle organised by the Cumberland Social Circle. The mother of their latest winner is a Lambrecht hen from the Lincolnshire loft of Glen Johnston.
Their previous race winners have been different birds and have been pure Lambrecht or Lambrecht/Franz Zwols with the Zwols from Peter Kirkwood of Carlisle.
The McLuckie’s clocked their winner at 1.43 following the 98-mile fly from Appleton, which was just under 57mph.
The Derwent Valley Federation fanciers dominated the Amalgamation result sheet with West Cumberland Federation winner Barry Irving in 8th – the only one in the top 40.
Barry, who was one, two, three in the Sandwith club bought the sire of this latest winner at the Doncaster sale, bred by Dave Thrall while the dam is one of his McGimpsey brothers pigeons from Northern Ireland which have done well for him over recent years.
The chequer hen was clocked at 1.38pm after the 91-mile fly at just over 56mph.
Winning in Egremont, and also fifth Federation was the partnership of John Wilson and Neil Buchanan with a grizzle hen bred by clubmates David Harrison and son which Neil bought at the A ring sale.
The sire won the fed from Charnock this year in its very first race of its life having been lost from Bootle and reported in Wrexham as a youngster and not raced as a result. Three days after winning the fed he damaged his wing training so hasn’t raced since.
These are Karel Laenen Pitbull lines from Malcolm Scott of Gateshead which he purchased in Belgium in 2014 and have proved very successful for him and quite a few other lofts in the North East who he has shared them with.
The dam is a 2022 late bred which scored twice this year from Cannock and Stratford and is a grand-dauughter of Malcolm’s No1 stock pair which are Heremans-Ceusters.
So far in the young bird programme the local fanciers have had only one Saturday race – with two Friday and two Monday liberations – because of the poor weekend weather forecasts.
The next race in the schedule is again from Appleton and once more officials will be carefully monitoring the weather.
WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (1720 birds): 1, McLuckie bros (Workington) 1670; 2, Dolan, son and daughter (Workington) 1665; 3, 4, Martindale and Lawman (Workington) 1662, 1659; 5, M. and L. Cape (Workington) 1654.5; 6, Williams and Hadfield (Workington) 1654.1.
WEST CUMBERLAND FEDERATION (488 birds): 1, B. Irving (Sandwith) 1646; 2, Rodgers and Benn (Cleator Moor) 1639; 3, 4, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle (Cleator Moor) 1632.9, 1632.3; 5, Wilson and Buchanan (Egremont) 1619; 6, D. Lofthouse (Lowca) 1617.
CLEATOR MOOR (6 sent 184): 1, 6, Rodgers and Benn 1646, 1620; 2, 3, 4, 5, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle 1639.9, 1639.4, 1622, 1621.
SANDWITH (6 sent 188): 1, 2, 3, B. Irving 1646, 1616, 1613; 4, J. Davidson 1609; 5, Cottier and Patrickson 1604; 6, W. McGrady and son 1599.
EGREMONT (3 sent 90): 1, 5, Wilson and Buchanan 1619, 1575; 2, D. Harrison and son 1613; 3, Mr and Mrs Bewsher and co 1593; 4, 6, Marr, Scott and Lofthouse 1584, 1574.
DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION (1,232 birds): 1, McLuckie bros (Workington Victoria) 1670; 2, J. Dolan, son and daughter (Workington Social) 1665; 3, 4, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1662, 1659; 5, M. and L. Cape (Workington Social) 1654.5; 6, Williams and Hadfield (Workington Social) 1654.1.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (6 sent 227): 1, 5, McLuckie bros 1670, 1653; 2, J. Dolan, son and daughter 1665; 3, 6, M. and L. Cape 1654.7, 1641; 4, Williams and Hadfield 1654.1.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (7 sent 331): 1, 6, McLuckie bros 1687, 1672; 2, J. Dolan, son and daughter 1683; 3, 4, Martindale and Lawman 1678, 1675; 5, M. and L. Cape 1673.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (9 sent 263): 1, M. Walker 1645; 2, N. and G. Wordsworth 1641; 3, 5, 6, J. Devlin 1640, 1639.7, 1639.7; 4, Mr and Mrs Carter and sons 1639.9.
FLIMBY HS (9 sent 289): 1, 2, Berwick, Watson and co 1691.6, 1691.4; 3, 4, 5, Rushforth and Hunter 1680.8, 1680.8, 1680.1; 6, A. Bromley and co 1677.
SEATON RBL (3 sent 62): 1, 3, 4, A. Parker and son 1664, 1655, 1654; 2, Dobie and Palmer 1661.
DEARHAM (4 sent 156): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Todhunter and Grisedale 1655, 1654.9, 1654.4, 1651, 1649, 1647.
