West Cumbrian birds racing from Cannock on Saturday covered the 140 miles in rapid time.
Alan Graham and co topped the West Cumbria Amalgamation with their winner racing back at 64mph, following the 9.30am liberation in an east south east wind.
Talking of the Amal winner, a yearling blue cock, racing partner Paul Byers said: “He was flown natural as a young bird until Lymm where, like all our youngsters, he was stopped. This year he is being raced on a bit of a new system we are trying.
“Breeding wise he shouldn’t have been winning a race like Saturdays. He’s from the son of a Pau National winner when paired to a daughter of Legacy and Wingdown. A bit more speed on the dam’s side is through pigeons from John Crehan.”
Because the Cleator Moor Central club race on a breaking-up point, rather than Great Circle, the Graham/Byers loft had to settle for second place behind Rodgers and Benn.
Their club winner was also 2nd Fed and 4th Amal, a chequer cock which is a cross – the dam being one of their Stefaan Lambrecht from Ian Stafford, when paired to a cock from top local flyer Steve Chambers before his recent retirement from the sport.
They went on to take 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th in the club and the rest of the scorers are all Stefaan Lambrechts. The one that was third club is a mealy pied hen which also had a 4th Fed from Cheltenham as a young bird.
To top off a great day for the loft they won the Copeland North West club from Bath with the same pigeon that won this club last week, again a Stefaan Lambrecht.
In this Copeland NW club Rodgers and Benn also won the West Section, which includes Barrow, Millom, Allerdale, Copeland and Carlisle so this takes some doing with their birds having to virtually on their own for the last 30 to 40 miles.
Winning in Lowca was David Lofthouse, and also taking second and fourth. The winner, a two-year-old chequer hen and the runner-up, a yearling chequer cock are both through birds from Barry Irving.
Speaking of whom, Barry Irving had the first five in Sandwith. His winner is a yearling blue hen, whose sire is from the McGimpsey brothers in Ireland while the dam is off McLuckie brothers from Workington.
In Egremont it was five on the trot for David Harrison and son with the winner also picking up fourth Fed. David’s first bird was a blue cock bred in the racing loft who had a 1st and 2nd club from Cannock last year as a youngster, also taking 2nd Amal in one of the races.
His sire is a double Amal winner having won from Cannock in 2023 and Appleton 2024. His dam is a multiple prize winner in club, Fed and Amal and is a full sister to three Amal winners. The bloodlines are from David’s long-time friend Tommy Lawrenson of South Shields, Kevin Johnson and Mal Scott from Gateshead.
The Derwent Valley Federation sheet was dominated by the successful Workington Victoria loft of Richard Martindale and George ‘Pal’ Lawman. They took the first nine places and had 17 of the top 30 pigeons on the sheet.
Richard told Cumbria Crack: “We had a bunch come together and I nearly got caught out as I was just going to get a fantail when George shouted.
“Just catching them in the corner of an eye I just threw the fantail and a few dropped first time.
“The winner had taken a few tickets previously. In fact his nest mate was third Open Midlands Continental for Roger Wood of Wolverhampton. He is a Bulkke/Hereman cross, and both parents have bred us Fed winners before.
“The pigeon that was second is a Bulkke/Kannibal cross that also has a few previous tickets.”
In Harrington Central father and son duo of Geoff and Neil Wordsworth won with a three-year-old chequer hen bred from the Mercury lines off Alfie Hawthorn crossed with a Dutch hen that won three races for the loft with a best position in the Amalgamation of third.
This winning hen was 2nd club, 14th Fed last week making quite a comeback after spending two years in the stock loft following a win in her young bird season.
Alan Parker won in Seaton RBL with a yearling blue cock flown on widowhood. He has Van den Bulkke/Syndicate loft bloodlines and was bred by Andrew Weightman of Colwyn Bay and was bought by Alan at last year’s A ring auctions.
Workington Social Limit was won by John and Liz Walters with a two-year-old blue hen on roundabout bred by David ‘Sugar’ Wilson, who is a good friend and has provided the loft with previous winners.
The competitive Flimby HS club was won by Jimmy Nelson and Fletcher Crellin who came up with the old one, two, three.
Their winner is a two-year-old chequer white flight hen bred in the stock loft – a Van den Bulkke/Karel Boeckx and yet another who was only trained as a young bird without being put into a race.
She flew well last year as a yearling and Saturday’s win was her third ticket this year having previously had a 2nd and 6th in the Flimby club.
WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (1,902 birds): 1, Graham and co (Cleator Moor 1887; 2, 3, 5, 6, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1886.5, 1886.4, 1886.09, 1885.8; 4, Rodgers and Benn (Cleator Moor) 1886.19.
WEST CUMBERLAND FEDERATION (661 birds): 1, Graham and co (Cleator Moor) 1887; 2, Rodgers and Benn (Cleator Moor) 1886.19; 3, 5, 6, B. Irving (Sandwith) 1885.7, 1885.48, 1885.48; 4, S. Harrison and son (Egremont) 1885.6.
LOWCA HS (4 sent 102): 1, 2, 4, D, Lofthouse 1885, 1884, 1875; 3, Holliday and Dixon 1883.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (10 sent 284): 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, Rodgers and Benn 1891, 1888, 1887, 1886.6, 1886.4.
SANDWITH: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, B. Irving 1885.7, 1885.4, 1885.4; 1885.2, 1885.2; 6, W. McGrady and son 1884.
EGREMONT RANGERS (94 birds): 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, D. Harrison and son 1885.6, 1885.3, 1884, 1870, 1869; 4, Wilson and Buchanan 1880.
COPELAND NORTH WEST (6 sent 52): 1, 3, 6, Rodgers and Benn 1593, 1553, 1530; 2, G. Best 1588; 4, 5, J. Fitzsimmons and co 1551.6, 1551.5.
DERWENT VALLEY
FEDERATION (1,241 birds): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Martindale and Lawman 1886.5, 1886.4, 1886.09, 1885.8, 1885.6, 1884,
SEATON RBL (4 sent 74): 1, A. Parker and son 1887; 2, Dobie and Palmer 1876; 3, 4, J. Gale 1856, 1848.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (10 sent 365): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Martindale and Lawman 1896.7, 1896.7, 1896.2, 1896, 1895.8; 6, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1895.1.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (6 sent 223): 1, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1882; 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, McLuckie bros 1880, 1878.5, 1878.3, 1876.3, 1876.09.
DEARHAM UTD (6 sent 218): 1, 2, Varty, son and grandson 1864.7, 1864.07; 3, 4, 5, 6, Dempsey, son and Reay 1863, 1860,8, 1860.8, 1860.5.
FLIMBY HS (10 sent 415): 1, 2, 3, Nelson and Crellin 1861, 1858.4, 1858.2; 4, 5, J. Varty, son and grandson 1856.6, 1856.01; 6, I. McGarr 1852.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (9 sent 236): 1, 2, 5, N. and G. Wordsworth 1883, 1881, 1874.2; 3, Mr and Mrs Carter and sons 1878; 4, Telford and Pooley 1876; 6, I. and D. Wood 1874.1.
CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (23 sent 46): 1, McLuckie bros 1880; 2, 3, I. and D. Wood 1874, 1872; 4, 5, Varty, son and grandson 1856.6, 1856.1; 6, Mr and Mrs Carter and sons 1851.
