By their own high standards it’s been a very quiet young bird season for Richard Martindale and George ‘Pal’ Lawman loft.
They did not send to the first race as they were getting over illness in the young bird loft, and it’s taken time for them to find their form.
But the loft was top of the tree again this week when they topped the West Cumbria Amalgamation and the Derwent Valley Federation.
The Amalgamation decided to race on Monday because of doubts over weather conditions on the other possible liberation days.
It proved a bit of a wait until 1.35pm to let them go in a light north west wind but the birds dug deep and it proved to be a hard, steady race with very good returns.
This will certainly have tightened them up for the longer tests ahead, with many of the fanciers having an eye on the big money A ring race from Weymouth in three weeks.
Martindale and Lawman got three together and a good trap, although two of them were dehydrated and had to be ushered into the loft.
Richard said: “The first bird was bred from our race team and it’s sire had a few prominent positions in Fed/Amal including 4th over the pad when we were 1, 2, 3, 4, in the Combine from Marlborough in 2021.
“He was actually bred by Justin Rogers being one of a kit he sent up to us to try.
“The dam was herself a Fed winner last year as a young bird and was by far our best youngster being bred from our good breeder Red Lecter, now sire and grandsire to Fed and Amal winners when paired an inbred grand-daughter of Best Kittel bred by Andy Quirk.
“Our second bird was another off our racers that had flown well as young birds.
“The third pigeon to score in the club and top six of the Fed was an exchange bird in the Cumberland Social Circle from Andrew and Tom Kenmare.”
The Amal winner was clocked at 5-02 after the 148 miles fly, covered at almost 43mph. For good measure they also had first and second in the Cumberland Social Circle.
There was a first young bird win of the season in Workington Social Limit for Chris Wilson and Martin Johnston.
Their winner is a blue hen whose sire is a Wildemeersch bred by club-mates the McLuckie brothers.
The dam is a Jacob Poortvliet, the Dutch sprint master through his Magic Wonder lines.
“We sent 10 birds to the race and got nine back but unfortunately one was killed around the loft on Tuesday morning by a sparrowhawk which rather put a damper on things,” said Martin.
For a close-up of the race this week John Walsh went along to the Flimby loft of Jimmy Nelson and Fleck Crellin and what an enjoyable visit it was.
Fleck has an interesting theory on young bird racing whereby he gives half the team time to mature by only training them to Millom and then two or three times a week from the Shillies.
“Everyone of them doesn’t shine but I’ve done it for many years and with Jimmy we’ve had lots of success with birds left to mature that way,” he told me.
They obtained a number of birds from Keith Rafferty (Maryport) when he packed-up and progeny off these Karel Boeckx are flying particularly consistently.
They clocked at 5.06pm with a blue hen, one of their Boeckx pigeons and it was a clear winner of the Flimby club. Their second pigeon took third.
Danny Rodgers, with Ken and Wes Benn, certainly have a good record in the A ring race and they will have been encouraged by the fact that it was one of their entries for this year’s event which topped the Fed from Cannock.
Rodgers and Benn of Cleator Moor took the first five spots in the West Cumberland Federation.
There were only four seconds between the first over the timing pad and their fifth bird, but it was the A ring pigeon which actually went over first.
Danny said: “All five were bred from stock obtained from a very good friend, a top North East fancier Ian Stafford. They are all off his Stefaan Lambrecht stock.
“The one that actually clocked first and topped the Fed was a blue cock from a son of Vooruitvlieger and Stefanie when paired to a daughter of Linbro and the Dream Hen.
“Anybody who knows Staffy’s pigeons will appreciate these bloodlines which is the reason why it was selected by the partnership to be rung with one of our A rings.
“Another one of the five, another blue cock who was actually fifth, has previously had a first and second in the Cleator Moor club and also a 2nd Fed to his name, so we were pleased he was among the leaders again.
“The most pleasing thing for us was the whole team performance on a day when the birds had to work hard in a steady head wind.
“To top it off the loft took first and second in the BNFL Two Bird Club as well as their ring scheme.
“The loft sent 56 and 54 returned on the day and we are hoping the other two latecomers make it as well. We would also like to thank everyone for their phone calls and messages, they are very much appreciated.”
The winning bird covered the 140 miles in three hours 17 minutes and was flying at over 42mph.
David Harrison and son won Egremont with an interesting pigeon – a blue cock bred by Ronny Anthony of Bevel in Belgium which was purchased on a visit in March. He’s of Jos Cools and Roziers bloodlines.
You can hear the Walsh view on events from Flimby here:
WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (1,261 birds): 1, 2, 4, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1259, 1258.6, 1258.41; 3, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1258.42; 5, 6, Mr and Mrs Wood and son (Harrington Central) 1257.6, 1257.4.
WEST CUMBERLAND FEDERATION (457 birds): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Rodgers and Benn (Cleator Moor) 1252.8, 1252.7, 1252.5, 1252.5, 1252.4; 6, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle (Cleator Moor) 1246.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (7 sent 203): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Rodgers and Benn 1256.3, 1256.2, 1256.01, 1256.01, 1255; 6, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle 1249.
BNFL Two Bird Club: 1, 2, Rodgers and Benn 1252.5, 1252.4; 3, J. Moreau 1205; 4, 6, A. T. Kenmare 1146, 1036; 5, Cottier and Patrickson 1044. (Ring scheme): 1, 2, Rodgers and Benn 1252.5, 1252.4; 3, 4, J. Moreau 1184, 1132.
EGREMONT (96 birds): 1, 2, 3, 6, D. Harrison and son 1237, 1225, 1209, 1204.3; 4, Mr and Mrs Bewsher and daughter 1206; 5, Marr, Scott and Lofthouse 1204.6.
SANDWITH (4 sent 84): 1, 3, 4, W. McGrady and son 1233, 1219, 1207; 2, 5, 6, B. Irving 1226, 1205, 1203.
DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION (804 birds): 1, 2, 4, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1259, 1258.6, 1258.41; 3, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1258.42; 5, 6, Mr and Mrs Wood and son (Harrington Central) 1257.6, 1257.4.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (5 sent 127): 1, Wilson and Johnston 1234; 2, 3, 5, 6, Williams and Hadfield 1232.9, 1232.8, 1219.2, 1219.1; 4, McLuckie bros 1227.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (9 sent 225): 1, 2, Mr and Mrs D. Wood and son 1267, 1257.4; 3, 4, I. and D. Wood 1257.1, 1256; 5, 6, J. Devlin 1255, 1234.
DEARHAM (2 sent 64): 1, 2, 3, 5, Todhunter and Grisedale 1209, 1208, 1205, 1197; 4, 6, Berwick, Watson and co 1198, 1196.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (9 sent 237): 1, 5, Evans and Abraham 1267, 1264; 2, 3, 4, Martindale and Lawman 1265.9, 1265.5, 1265.3; 6, Wilson and Johnston 1242.
FLIMBY HS (7 sent 218): 1, 3, Nelson and Crellin 1270, 1231; 2, A. Bromley and co 1233; 4, R. Hodgson 1229; 5, Berwick, Watson and co 1228; 6, Tinnion, Aitken and McGarr 1225.
CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (17 sent 34): 1, 2, Martindale and Lawman 1231.5, 1231.1; 3, McLuckie bros 1227; 4, Williams and Hadfield 1194; 5, Mr and Mrs D. Wood and son 1188; 6, J. Devlin 1176.
