Workington fanciers John and Liz Walters have been confirmed as winners of the Derwent Valley Federation.
They scored a one-two in the West Cumbria Amalgamation earlier in the season from Appleton and now they’ve done it again from Cannock.
This was the first Federation race in the Derwent Valley after they got over the 100-mile mark.
The Amalgamation had waited until Bank Holiday Monday for their race from Cannock and it proved to be a bad one.
A good number of birds were missing on the day and several have already been reported in Wales.
They were liberated at 11.50am in a light south-west wind and the Walters pigeons were clocked at 2.53pm – nine seconds apart.
They had covered the 148 miles at over 48-and-a-half miles and hour.
First bird was a blue pied hen bred in the stock loft. Her sire was bred for stock off an Ian Stafford Steffan Lambrecht cock bred down through China Boy.
Her dam was purchased in Belgium off Eijerkamp, a Lambrecht/Bulkke, a granddaughter of their famed 992 and 4000.
Second was a blue hen bred in the race loft from an Ian Stafford cock crossed with a hen from Egremont’s retired ace flyer David ‘Sugar’ Wilson.
There was an interesting winner for Peter Dobie and Ralph Palmer in Seaton RBL.
He is a blue cock whose sire is a German pigeon called Franz bred by Stefan Joekel, a top one loft flyer.
Franz was 27th in the final of the very last Million Dollar race in South Africa, a tough race with only three on the day from 350 miles. He was also just pipped for the $25,000 knockout prize by three minutes.
Peter said: “I had a lot of trouble getting him back to the UK because the organisers did a flit with the money and it took me about 16 months, with great help from a South African fancier called Jurie Erwee, before he arrived.”
On a more humble note the dam is a Soontjen from good birds off Ray Forbes in County Durham.
In Harrington Centra Ian Wood took first and second with two birds which went over the pad together to record the same second.
Both were bred in the stock loft through Paul Fisher’s Kees Bosua pigeons.
Given first was a blue cock, a grandson of Paul’s super breeder Chico whilst the pigeon given second, another blue cock, is the grandson of another main breeder for Paul called Porky Bella.
Ian McGarr won Flimby with a mealy cock he bred out of the stock loft and is a brother to his blue cock that was 2nd Combine from Weymouth this year.
They are both bred through Van den Bulks that Ian obtained from the McLuckie brotjers. Both parents are grandchildren to the McLuckie’s Lady Kittel and Ricardo 42.
This mealy cock has never been far away as he was 6th club from the second race and has won a Nom prize after that.
Ian said: “I’d just like to thank the brothers or the pigeons they bred me two years ago. They have made a big difference to my birds now. I’m glad I bumped into Morris on that night out. Cheers pal.”
In Dearham Jason Dempsey won with a mealy hen that he sent sitting on eggs.
She’s off a good yearling pied hen (Lambrecht x Van Reet) that flew well in the Copeland NW club.
In the West Cumberland Federation the winners were John Wilson and Neil Buchanan at Egremont.
A blue hen was a clear winner in the Federation after being clocked at 2.42pm, covering the 138 miles at just over 48mph.
She’s a Frans Zwol bred by Neil’s good friend, the top Carlisle fancier Peter Kirkwood.
She was purchased in the A ring breeder buyer sale after being bred in Peter’s stock loft from one of his best pairings.
Birds the same way bred have won and bred Federation and Combine winners.
The sire is in-bred to Tip Top Junior from Tipper, responsible for at least 15 Federation winners when paired to the 996 pigeon while her dam is bred from the 082 pigeon, a brother to the King of Rekkem when paired to a daughter of The Eagle Boy.
Andrew and Tom Kenmare won in Cleator Moor Central with their Frizington loft picking up first and second.
The winner was out of a pigeon bough from Jimmy and Riley Newall of Manchester. This was crossed with a hen bought at the Amal moot last year bred by Mike McGrady.
Ther second bird was also a Jimmy Newell pigeon cross with a hen off McLuckie brothers’ stock.
Cottier and Patrickson were the winners in Sandwith while David Lofthouse led them home in Lowca.
WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (1315 birds): 1, 2, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1428, 1427 (Workington Social); 3, Wilson and Buchanan (Egremont) 1415; 4, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria)1408; 5, 6, Williams and Hadfield (Workington Social)1406, 1405.8.
DERWENT VALLEY
FEDERATION (735 birds): 1, 2, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1428, 1427 (Workington Social); 3, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria)1408; 4, 5, Williams and Hadfield (Workington Social)1406, 1405.8; 6, Wilson and Johnston (Workington Social) 1405.6.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (6 sent 144): 1, 2, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1428, 1427; 3, 4, Williams and Hadfield 1406,.8; 51405, Wilson and Johnston 1405.6; 6, McLuckie bros 1404.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (10 sent 370): 1, 2, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1438, 1437; 3, 6, Martindale and Lawman 1415.9, 1412; 4, Wilson and Johnston 1415.2; 5, McLuckie bros 1414.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (5 sent 111): 1, 2, 5, I. and D. Wood 1403.03, 1403.03, 1397; 3, 6, Mr and Mrs D. Wood and son 1401.9, 1386; 4, N. and G. Wordsworth 1401.8.
DEARHAM UNITED (2 sent 39): 1, 4, 5, 6, Dempsey, son and Reay 1417, 1377, 1375, 1355; 2, 3, Todhunter and Grisedale 1407, 1406.
SEATON RBL (15 birds): 1, 2, 3, 4, Dobie and Palmer 1460, 1429.7, 1429.7, 1418.
FLIMBY HS (7 sent 205): 1, I. McGarr 1403; 2, Nelson and Crellin 1398; 3, A. Bromley and co 1395; 4, 5, R. Hodgson 1379, 1378; 6, J. Varty, son and grandson 1377.
CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (17 sent 34): 1, Mr and Mrs D. Wood and son 1401; 2, Varty, son and daughter 1364.9; 3, I. and D. Wood 1364.7; 4, Williams and Hadfield 1351; 5, Dolan and daughter 1295; 6, Nelson and Crellin 1294.
WEST CUMBERLAND
FEDERATION (580 birds): 1, 5, Wilson and Buchanan 1415, 1385.6; 2, Cottier and Patrickson (Sandwith) 1396; 3, D. Lofthouse (Lowca) 1395; 4, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon (Cleator Moor) 1387; 6, B. Irving (Sandwith) 1385.1.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (7 sent 270): 1, 2, A. and T. Kenmare 1390.8, 1390.4; 3, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon 1389; 4, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle 1385; 5, Rodgers and Benn 1384; 6, Tomlinson and Banks 1382.
EGREMONT RANGERS (122 birds): 1, 2, Wilson and Buchanan 1415, 1385; 3, Scott, Marr and Lofthouse 1376; 4, 5, 6, D. Harrison and son 1372, 1357, 1346.
LOWCA (4 sent 87): 1, 4, D. Lofthouse 1395, 1358; 2, Tomlinson and Banks 1380; 3, Holliday and Dixon 1367.
