Mike McGrady completed a quick double in the West Cumberland Federation, following up the opening week’s win with a repeat in the second race from Charnock Richard.
The Sandwith fancier was first and second, again with birds that have been bred from stock obtained from the successful Northern Ireland fancier Davey Calvin.
First over the pad by three seconds was a yearling mealy cock and right behind was a yearling mealy hen.
The winner had previously scored first and second club, third and eighth Fed as a young bird. He was 12th Fed last week in the opener from Garstang.
Both parents of the winner have topped the West Cumbria Amalgamation. The sire also had two first Feds, plus a second Fed when he was beaten by a loft mate by only a second.
The West Cumbria Amalgamation birds were liberated together at 10am in a north west wind, although it was only a West Cumberland Federation race.
Mike’s winner covered the 71 miles in an hour and 17 minutes, flying at over 55mph.
Cleator Moor Central was won by Graham and co who had to settle for fifth in the Federation with a three-year-old blue pied hen sitting on eggs for 14 days. That was her third win in the Cleator Moor club.
She has been on the Amalgamation sheet six times and has had 1st, 5th, 6th and 8th in the West Cumberland Fed.
David Harrison and son won Egremont again, this time with late bred blue pied hen which is a cousin to last week’s winner.
She was bred in the stock loft, again in-bred to Malc Scott’s No1 stock hen “Becky” who at the last count (three years ago ) is dam to eight Gateshead Fed winners and three Section winners for Malcolm, plus many more for other fanciers.
The dam of the winner is a daughter of a double section winner for Malcolm who also won three first clubs and three seconds while being beaten by loft mates.
David Lofthouse won Lowca with a two-year-old chequer pied hen which had been bred by Bob McAvoy of the Harrington Central club.
The Derwent Valley are still just racing for club honours and in Flimby a successful name for many years has disappeared from the result sheet – Lawrence Tinnion.
Not that Lawrence has given up the birds, he’s just content to help out and leave young Ian McGarr as the name on the sheet.
Ian, who came into the partnership a couple of years ago, has started the season well following-up a third at Garstang with a win from Charnock Richard.
There’s an interesting tale to the winner, a two-year-old pencil blue cock who was only having his second race ever.
“He was among 20 young birds that went missing from a bad chuck from Haverigg and was out three or four days, so he never raced.
“Then last year he was among 12 cocks we used just to keep the hens quiet so never got on the road again.
“This time we made the decision to race him and after flying Garstang this was only his second race.
“His father is a blue cock, a Karl Boerx we were gifted by McCluckie brothers and the mother is a blue hen which goes back to Ian Stafford’s pigeons with Big Smithy and The Machine in her pedigree.”
Ian sent 52 to the race and had them all back, clocking his winner at 11.28am after the near 80-mile flight.
Winning in Workington Social Limit were Williams and Hadfield, a timely success for the loft.
One of the senior partners Harry Williams has been seriously ill and this would be a tonic.
Stephen Williams said: “We want to dedicate this win to Harry and hope he has a speedy recovery. If it wasn’t for my dad Graham and Jimmy doing the bords when I’m at work we wouldn’t be able to race them.”
Their winner is a three-year-old Lambrecht hen off birds the loft has had over the years from Stephen Foster.
She is off a cock who won five races and herself won both Social Limit and Victoria from Marlborough last year, when she was 4th Fed, 5th Amal, 44th Combine as well as winning the Show race.
In Victoria Richard Martindale and George ‘Pal’ Lawman took the first four tickets.
The one that went in first had trapped great when they got the four together. She is bred from a cock of Steve Chambers which the partners bought at an Amalgamation Moot.
He had numerous tickets, including three from Guernsey, while the dam was bred by Jepson and Bennett from Bolsover who won £1,800 in the A ring race after being 6th Combine the week before from Cheltenham.
In the Seaton RBL club Alan Parker took first and second with two brothers which came together.
They were bred from a cock off Alan Devlin through his Kittle lines while the dam is off Jennings bros from the Midlands and is a Van den Bulkke x De Kruif.
WEST CUMBERLAND
FEDERATION (834 birds): 1, 2, W. McGrady and son (Sandwith) 1628, 1627; 3, D. Lofthouse (Lowca) 1620; 4, Holliday and Dixon (Lowca) 1614; 5, Graham and co (Cleator Moor) 1609; 6, C. Davidson (Sandwith) 1601.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (11 sent 426): 1, Graham and co 1616; 2, A. and T. Kenmare 1607; 3, Tomlinson and Banks 1600; 4, 5, 6, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle 1592, 1582,5, 1582.1.
LOWCA (5 sent 140): 1, D. Lofthouse 1620; 2, Holliday and Dixon 1614; 3, 4, Tomlinson and Banks 1593, 1543.
EGREMONT (111 birds): 1, 3, 4, 5, D. Harrison and son 1596, 1580, 1579, 1577; 2, 6, Wilson and Buchanan 1590, 1575.
SANDWITH (6 sent 205): 1, 2, W. McGrady and son 1628, 1627; 3, C. Davidson 1601; 4, 5, 6, B. Irving 1594, 1593.4, 1593.1.
COPELAND NW (9 sent 137): 1, 2, Cottier and Patrickson 1406, 1406; 3, 4, 5, 6, Dempsey, son and Reay 1405, 1405, 1405, 1405.
DERWENT VALLEY
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (6 sent 286): 1, 2, 3, 4, Williams and Hadfield 1612.9, 1612.6, 1612.6. 1612.3; 5, Mr and Mrs Walters 1610; 6, Wilson and Johnstone 1609.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (10 sent 404): 1, 2, 3, 4, Martindale and Lawman 1645, 1644, 1643, 1641.8; 5, Evans and Abraham 1641.5; 6, Williams and Hadfield 1639.
SEATON RBL (97 birds): 1, 2, A. Parker and son 1635, 1634; 3, 4, Dobie and Palmer 1624, 1621.
FLIMBY HS (10 sent 403): 1, I. McGarr 1592; 2, 4, Nelson and Crellin 1591, 1583; 3, Rushforth and Hunter 1589; 5, A. Bromley and co 1582.85; 6, J. Varty, son and grandson 1582.84.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (8 sent 247): 1, 2, Mr and Mrs Carter and sons 1613.6, 1613.6; 3, M. Walker 1611; 4, N. Semple 1609; 5, J. Devlin 1606; 6, N. and G. Wordsworth 1593.
DEARHAM (7 sent 224): 1, Varty, son and grandson 1596; 2, 6, Berwick, Watson and co 1573.4, 1566; 3, 4, Todhunter and Grisedale 1573.3, 1569; 5, Dempsey, son and Reay 1568.
