The West Cumbrian pigeons raced from Weymouth on Sunday after the decision had been taken to move it back 24 hours because of the weather forecast.
The race itself produced mixed returns with some lofts doing well and others looking at empty perches overnight.
The Derwent Valley winner Ian McGarr tops the Amalgamation, clocking at 2.36pm, following the 283-mile fly to Flimby at just over 45mph.
His winner is a yearling blue cock on the roundabout who is a Karel Boeckx x Van den Bulkke bred by Ian and Lawrence Tinnion from parents obtained off the McLuckie brothers of Workington.
A steady performer to the loft this season, he has actually been away for the last three weeks – twice previously in the North West Copeland club at Blandford and Cheltenham. He was second club from Cheltenham and fourth in the Red Rose West Section as well as 36th Open.
Ian said: “I had him picked out as one of eight to go to Stoneycross in the North West Grand National but I didn’t like the weather forecast and instead put him into a team for Weymouth with the Amalgamation. It was the first time I had sent in the Derwent Valley since Stratford.
“I’d just like to say, too, that although Lawrence’s name isn’t on the sheet now he’s around to help me with the birds.”
Lawrence – who headed up the successful Tinnion and Aitken loft for years – was happy to hand over the reins to the younger man and be his helper, with some good performances capped by the week-end.
One loft hitting top form as the inland season comes to a close is that of Kevin Evans in the Workington Victoria club.
He had his second successive one, two, three and took second, third and fourth in the Amalgamation and Federation.
Kevin had three birds come together with the first two going in together and with a little shooing from behind he got the third one over the pad.
His winner was a good-looking yearling chequer hen bred through Steve Foster’s Lambrecht’s and Graham Best’s Van den Bulkkes. She scored as a young bird and has been a steady racer this year.
Just beaten, but on the same time, is a blue hen, another yearling which has flown consistently this season and is a Van den Bulkke bred by Graham Best.
The third pigeon is a two-year-old hen which flew steady as a youngster, spent her yearling days in the stock loft and returned to racing this season and has been very consistent. She’s off a good red cock of Steve Foster’s Lambrecht strain.
The McLuckie brothers took the first five positions in Workington Social Limit with their first two 6th and 7th Fed.
Their winner is a blue Van den Bulkke hen and is a half sister to a chequer cock which is a grandson of good friend Alfie Hawthorn’s Mars. She’s had several tickets both this year and last season as a young bird.
Morris and Wayne also won the Cumberland Social Circle and Flimby show race with their exceptional pigeon Geordie Lass which also came from Alfie Hawthorn.
You wait all season for a winner and just like a certain bus two come around together. That’s the case with the Dearham club’s youngest member Liam Norris.
After last week’s win from Marlborough he took he honours again from Weymouth with a yearling blue cock, which like last week is off good friends Andrew Berwick and Kenneth Watson, who also fly in Aspatria.
His sire won Guernsey for them while his dam is a daughter of their good cock Young Kenny. He was sent sitting four days on eggs.
It was nice to see Bob McAvoy come up with a win in Harrington Central, his first for two years. The yearling blue hen comes through a pairing of Bob’s Combine winner and a double Combine winner of Neil and Geoff Wordsworth.
Bob paired a Soontjen hen, a gift from the late Neville Flett, to a son of the Combine pairing and this Harrington Central winner is a product of that mating. She has flown the programme for him too.
Heading the West Cumberland Federation sheet were the Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle partnership of Cleator Moor.
They won with a yearling grizzle hen whose parents were both obtained from the P and D stud for stock and is out of their Pitbull family.
She had a few tickets as a young bird and this year she’s been very consistent from Cannock onwards, earning numerous tickets in the Fed, Amal and Combine.
The West Cumbria birds were liberated at 8.20am in a fresh south-west wind with the Dobson’s winner clocked at 2.28pm following the 272-mile fly, which was just over 44mph.
Egremont Rangers was won by David Harrison with the blue hen of John Todd’s from Easington that now has three first clubs in the last four weeks as well as 3rd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 28th and 29th Fed this season. She’s certainly a pigeon that has earned her perch!
WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (345 birds): 1, I. McGarr (Flimby) 1327; 2, 3, 4, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1325.5, 1325.5, 1325.2; 5, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1324.8; 6, McLuckie bros (Workington Social) 1324.5.
WEST CUMBERLAND FEDERATION (79 birds): 1, 4, 6, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle (Cleator Moor) 1302.5, 1301.04, 1282; 2, Rodgers and Benn (Cleator Moor) 1302.1; 3, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon (Cleator Moor) 1301.3; 5, Graham and co (Cleator Moor) 1300.
EGREMONT RANGERS (15 birds): 1, 3, 6, D. Harrison and son 1280, 1273, 773; 2, 4, 5, Wilson and Buchanan 1278, 1239, 1046.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (6 sent 57): 1, 3, 6, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle 1303, 1301.7, 1283; 2, Rodgers and Benn 1302; 4, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon 1301.5; 5, Graham and co 1301.2.
DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION (266 birds): 1, I. McGarr (Flimby) 1327; 2, 3, 4, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1325.5, 1325.5, 1325.2; 5, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1324.8; 6, McLuckie bros (Workington Social) 1324.5.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (7 sent 54): 1, 5, R. McAvoy and son 1312, 1277; 2, 3, 6, J. Devlin 1309, 1291, 1262; 4, N. Semple 1289.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (7 sent 78): 1, 2, 3, Evans and Abraham 1327.2, 1327.2, 1326.8; 4, 5, McLuckie bros 1326.2, 1325.97; 6, Martindale and Lawman 1325.92.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (3 sent 30): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, McLuckie bros 1324.5, 1324.3, 1307, 1304, 1303; 6, Mr and Mrs Walters 1289.
DEARHAM (4 sent 59): 1, L. Norris 1308; 2, 3, Varty, son and grandson 1298.5, 1298.1; 4, Dempsey, son and Reay 1292; 5, 6, Berwick, Watson, Harker and Thompson 1285, 1234.
CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (17 sent 34): 1, McLuckie bros 1304; 2, A. Graham and co 1300; 3, Martindale and Lawman 1293; 4, Williams and Hadfield 1282; 5, R. McAvoy and son 1277; 6, Berwick, Watson and partners 1261.
FLIMBY (8 sent 105): 1, I. McGarr 1327; 2, R. Hodgson 1318.5; 3, A. Bromley and co 1318.4; 4, 5, J. Varty, son and grandson 1297, 1296; 6, Mr and Mrs Proctor 1281.
