A new name was at the top of the Cumbria Combine sheet this week – Chris Wilson and Martin Johnston of the Workington Social Limit club.
The partnership was only formed 11 years ago with both fanciers having many years of experience in the sport.
Chris, in fact, started in 1960 with his father and that original loft and site is where the current partnership races from – known as the Social Gardens. With his dad they won two Derwent Valley Federation races in the 1970s.
Martin also started as a young lad in the 1980s with his dad Cliff and Bobby Anderson on the Cloffocks. Although just a boy who watched the birds come back from the races, it was a good learning base as the loft won the Big Cup.
But Saturday’s achievement in winning both Workington clubs; the Derwent Valley Federation, the West Cumbria Amalgamation and the Cumbria Combine surpassed anything either had achieved in the past.
The winning bird is a bit special, too. The blue hen has flown every race this season and previously won both Workington clubs from Cannock 1. She’s only small, flying to the perch, but is a bundle of energy and nicely bred.
Her sire is a Wildesmersch cock which was given to the partners by club-mates the McLuckie brothers while the dam is from Louella World, a Jacob Poortvliet, a Dutch sprint master through his Magic Wonder lines.
The Amalgamation birds were liberated at Cheltenham on Saturday morning at 8.30am with no wind and the winner was clocked at 12.54pm, covering the 198 miles at just under 45mph.
The winning loft has only been sending a small team of hens for the last three races when they have scooped a treble of wins in the Social Limit – and had seven away at Cheltenham of which three returned.
John Walsh went along to the Wilson and Johnston loft to speak about their Combine win which topped their other achievements. You can hear it here:
Cheltenham has proved a tough test in the past, particularly for young birds, and so it proved again on Saturday with less than half back on the night.
Wilson and Johnston have finished the season impressively in the Derwent Valley, while Dobson, sons, grandson and Kyle have been outstanding in the West Cumberland Federation.
The Cleator Moor loft topped the sheet again from Cheltenham and for good measure were second and third.
The winner is a blue cock which, earlier in the season, had a couple of minor tickets from Appleton.
He is bred off the same pigeon who sired last week’s Amalgamation winner.
That bird came from Keith Rafferty who gave them a hen to go with him and which has already bred a Fed winner.
The dam was bought from Mick Collins of Birmingham and is a Leo Herman’s.
First at Egremont was Mark Lofthouse with his second win of the season. Both parents are gift birds from Martin Mingins of Cleator Moor, the sire being a Lambrecht and the dam a Ko Nipius,
That might have wrapped-up the Amalgamation’s season but there is still a huge race left on Saturday for local fanciers – the popular Cleator Moor A ring race from Weymouth.
The birds are being transported and liberated with the North West Grand National Flying Club with basketing on Friday at the West Cumberland Fed headquarters in Whitehaven from 10.45am.
Fanciers are competing for £22,900 in prize money from £3,000 each to the winning breeder and to the winning buyer/racer, to £100 each to the 15th pigeon home.
Graham Best was first, second and third in the Copeland North West club race from Weymouth at the weekend – a tough one too.
He said: “That’s me done to April now but I’d just like to wish all the members of the Amalgamation all the best in the A ring race this Saturday.”
WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (740 birds): 1, Wilson and Johnston (Workington Social) 1316.8; 2, 4, R. Hodgson (Flimby) 1316.04, 1315.8; 3, 5, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1316.00, 1315.5; 6, Rushforth and Hunter 1312.
WEST CUMBERLAND FEDERATION (254 birds): 1, 2, 3, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle (Cleator Moor) 1303, 1302, 1301.9; 4, D. Lofthouse (Lowca) 1301.858; 5, 6, Rodgers and Benn (Cleator Moor) 1301.850, 1301.6.
CLEATOR MOOR (7 sent 136): 1, 2, 4, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle 1304, 1303.83, 1303.7; 3, 5, 6, Rodgers and Benn 1303.81, 1303.6, 1303.6.
EGREMONT HS (59 birds): 1, 4, Marr, Scott and Lofthouse 1119, 1079; 2, 6, Mr and Mrs Bewsher and daughter 1111, 1007; 3, 5, D. Harrison and son 1099, 1053.
DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION (486 birds): 1, Wilson and Johnston (Workington Social) 1316.8; 2, 4, R. Hodgson (Flimby) 1316.04, 1315.8; 3, 5, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1316.00, 1315.5; 6, Rushforth and Hunter 1312.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (5 sent 65): 1, 5, Wilson and Johnston 1235, 1083; 2, M. and L. Cape 1228; 3, 4, 6, Williams and Hadfield 1101, 1095, 1065.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (9 sent 131): 1, Wilson and Johnston 1321; 2, 3, 5, Evans and Abraham 1320.6, 1320.1, 1312; 4, M. and L. Cape 1313; 6, Martindale and Lawman 1311.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (8 sent 92): 1, 6, N and G Wordsworth 1311, 1143; 2, 5, Mr and Mrs D. Wood and son 1295, 1152; 3, M. Walker 1227; 4, I, and D. Wood 1211.
CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (16 sent 32): 1, R. Hodgson 1315; 2, Rushforth and Hunter 1312; 3, I. and D. Wood 1211; 4, Nelson and Crellin 1176; 5, Williams and Hadfield 1167; 6, Varty, son and grandson 1159.
COPELAND NORTH WEST: 1, 2, 3, 6, G. Best 1082, 831, 825, 673; 4, Cottier and Patrickson 795; 5, Pears and co 789.
FLIMBY HS (7 sent 182): 1, 2, 4, R. Hodgson 1326.8, 1326.5, 1316; 3, Rushforth and Hunter 1323; 5, 6, A. Bromley and co 1314, 1308. (Cannock 2, 7 sent 202): 1, 3, 5, Rushforth and Hunter 1578, 1564.4, 1563; 2, A. Bromley and co 1576; 4, 6, Tinnion, Aitken and McGarr 1564.4, 1562.
