One of the outstanding lofts in the Derwent Valley Federation over the young bird programme has been that of Kevin Evans in Workington Victoria.
Kevin still flies under the shared name of his former late racing partner Willie Abraham although his latest helper is Bob Taylor, who has helped contribute to their latest success which also doubled up in the West Cumbria Amalgamation.
Kevin had the first four on the sheet in the Derwent Valley Federation and the Amalgamation and he has consistently taken the bulk of the tickets in Victoria. His reward for consistency was to clock these four to lead the way in the Fed and Amal.
The first, second and fourth – a red cock, barless cock and blue hen are all Lambrecht-based through an old red cock from Steve Foster.
The third pigeon, a blue hen, is a Patrick Borx from stock Kevin’s loft helper Bob Taylor acquired from his Doncaster contacts.
All four were clocked inside two seconds at 3.46pm following a 1.50pm liberation at Lymm.
The race was planned for Cheltenham but with the weather poor the transporter travelled back up country and with Cannock also ruled-out they let go in good conditions at Lymm in no wind.
The winnings birds covered the 98-mile flight to the Evans loft at 50.49mph.
Winning Workington Social Limit were Chris Wilson and Martin Johnston with a mealy cock which also took sixth Federation. He’s from McLuckie brothers’ Van den Bulke lines.
They were also second in the Social Limit Club with a chequer white flight hen, a full sister to The Mighty Atom, last year’s Best Young Bird. The partners sent six to the race and got them in decent time.
Harrington Central was won by Ian and Denise Wood with a blue cock bred in the stock loft from birds gifted by Paul Fisher. Both parents were bred through Paul’s principle stock birds Chico, Rossi and Million Dollar Harriet, all responsible for breeding Fed winners for him.
The cock was on his sixth race have been 22nd Fed the week before from Cannock 2.
The first three to the loft, all scoring in the club, were also the first three from Cannock 2 and all are Kees Bosua x Jan Hooyman.
Jimmy Nelson and Fleck Crellin won in Flimby with a blue hen which had also been 2nd club from Appleton 2.
Her sire was off Van den Bulke stock from Keith Rafferty who scored four times for the Flimby partnership but has not raced this year because of an injured wing.
The dam is a Karel Boeckx from Keith Rafferty who was a late bred 2020 pigeon trained with the the 2021 YBs and raced in 2022 where she had had first club and other positions, and has gone on to score this season.
The Cleator Moor “solicitors” – Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon – completed a fine season with back-to-back wins in the West Cumberland Federation.
They had the first two on the same velocity and were clocked by the Moor partners at 3.39pm, covering the 90 miles in just under 50mph.
They were also 4th, 6th, 7th and 24th on the Federation sheet, although on this occasion their first two had to settle for 11th and 12th on the West Cumbria Amalgamation sheet as Derwent Valley Federation members took the first 10 spots.
The Fed winner is a blue hen the same way bred as the lofts good blue hen that flew well for them in the old bird season. She’s off Keith Rafferty stock, a full auntie to the one that led up last week when they took the first six in Fed and Amalgamation.
The second bird on the same velocity is a chequer white flight hen which also took second last week, again on the same velocity as the winner.
Her sire is a red cock of Danny Rodger’s which he gifted them the mother is a mealy hen of their own stock, out of a chequer hen which topped the Combine in 2018.
Danielle Easdon, a key member of the partnership, said: “Overall it was a good race and we’ve had a good season with old and young birds after a couple of on-off seasons with them.”
One of the anomalies of measurement systems on great circle, broken leg, breaking-up point is that there can be different results regarding club and Federation.
Cleator Moor Central is a case in point and taking the first three spots were the Dobsons with a chequer cock bred off their number one stock pair who has flown steady all season with some minor tickets in the club.
The sire is out of two pigeons (Van den Bulkes) they bought off Keith Rafferty when he packed in racing.
The dam is a Leo Hermans off Micky Collins and this is the fourth winner they’ve bred in two years and includes a Fed winner.
John Wilson and Neil Buchanan won in Egremont with another of their Frans Zwol pigeons, a blue hen which had been bred by a good friend, Peter Kirkwood of Carlisle. She’s previously been first club, first Fed and 3rd Amal from Cannock 1.
She was purchased in the A ring breeder buyer sale and presumably will be well fancied for this weekend’s big money race.
She was bred in Peter’s stock loft from one of his best pairings as 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. Her dam is bred from the 082, brother to the King of Rekkem when paired to a daughter of The Eagle Boy.
The main club season may be over but there is still the big-money A ring race which is scheduled for Saturday.
It should have been from Lyndhurst but the transportation is not going there now so organisers are looking at either Frome or Bath.
The winner buyer/racer and the breeder will each pick up £3,500 and there are prizes all the way down to 16th of £200 each.
WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (380 birds): 1, 2, 3, 4, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1481.7, 1481.5, 1481.3, 1481.3; 5, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1479.6; 6, Wilson and Johnston (Workington Social) 1479.4.
WEST CUMBERLAND FEDERATION (165 birds): 1, 2, 4, 6, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon (Cleator Moor) 1464.3, 1464.3, 1463.8, 1463.20; 3, 5, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyall (Cleator Moor) 1464.1, 1463.26.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (5 sent 89): 1, 2, 3, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle 1470, 1469, 1468.6; 4, 5, 6, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Eadson 1468.1, 1468.1, 1467.
DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION (215 birds): 1, 2, 3, 4, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1481.7, 1481.5, 1481.3, 1481.3; 5, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1479.6; 6, Wilson and Johnston (Workington Social) 1479.4.
FLIMBY HS (5 sent 87): 1, 3, Nelson and Crellin 1462, 1458.2; 2, 5, A. Bromly and co 1458.5, 1455; 4, R. Hodgson 1457; 6, Mr and Mrs Proctor 1410.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (9 sent 76): 1, 2, 3, 4, Evans and Abraham 1498.6, 1498.4, 1498.2, 1497; 5, Wilson and Johnston 1496; 6, Martindale and Lawman 1493.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (4 sent 15): 1, 2, Wilson and Johnston 1479, 1429; 3, Williams and Hadfield 1424.8; 4, 5, 6, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1424.6, 1424.1, 1420.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (3 sent 30): 1, 2, 3, 4, I. and D. Wood 1474, 1473, 1472, 1443; 5, N. and G. Wordworth 1440; 6, Mr and Mrs Carters and sons 1430.
CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (28 birds): 1, I. and D. Wood 1473; 2, Nelson and Crellin 1458; 3, R. Hodgson 1457; 4, Mr and Mrs Carters and sons 1430; 5, Williams and Hadfield 1425; 6, Varty, son and grandson 1416. Special D-Day race Anniversary – 1, Williams and Hadfield 1367; 2, Mr and Mrs Carters and sons 1360; 3, Berwick, Watson, Harker and Thompson 1075.
