West Cumbrian pigeons had a different test on Saturday when they raced from Nantwich.
The first three races of the new season had been virtual blow homes but the wind had changed to north west for the latest test – but they coped well with good returns.
The Derwent Valley fanciers haven’t started their Federation programme but still contest the West Cumbria Amalgamation, and in a tight finish had first and second at the weekend.
Wayne McLuckie, of McLuckie brothers, who won both Workington clubs from Lymm, did it again but this time he also topped the Amalgamation.
He said: “The winner is a blue pied yearling hen who was second as a young bird, beaten by a loft mate.
“She’s through two stock birds off our good mate Alfie Hawthorn. The grandmother had won the WDA for Alfie and he called it after his mother Super Mo.”
The name would have pleased Wayne’s brother Morris, who died earlier this year.
Second Amalgamation was the Harrington Central loft of Neil and Geoff Wordsworth with a yearling blue hen through Bob McAvoy’s Bedhampton Combine winner when paired to their own Combine winner from Bedhampton.
She is through Alfie Hawthorn’s Mercury and thois is the eighth winner that the cock has sired.
Taking third Amal was the West Cumberland Federation winner, the Lowca loft of David Lofthouse, who has a new helper in Barry Irving.
It’s great to see Barry in the sport again after an illness forced him to part with his own successful pigeons.
The chequer hen that won was among six young birds that Barry bought last year from Kevin Hibbert while the loft took sixth as well with a blue cock. The dam was bred off off McLuckie bros stock while the sire was a Van den Bulkke bred from birds off Derick Walsh from Southern Ireland.
Second WCF was another Lowca HS member, formerly in the Sandwith club, Mike McGrady.
Mike had won the first Federation race of the season with a chequer cock he has named Just for John in memory of John Connery who was a regular at the loft on race days.
On the club scene Flimby HS was won by Ian McGarr with a strikingly good looking yearling chequer cock.
He won a race as a young bird, scoring on a couple of other occasions and was Ian’s pool bird on Saturday.
Bred in the stock loft his mother is a McLuckie brothers Van den Bulkke while the sire was bought from Robert Langrish of Chorley.
Ian says: “I was lucky enough to buy one out of his top breeding hen Keeper Pitbull who is a daughter of Lady Pitbull, who in turn is a daughter of the famous Pitbull 777.”
In Egremont Rangers it was a good day at the office for David Harrison and son as they took the first five positions.
The winning three year old hen is no stranger to the prize podium having scored every season but been beaten by loft mates on four occasions for the top spot. But not this week.
David said: “After being beaten by a loft mate into second Combine from Salisbury last year she has finally won a race. Her sire is a 2008 chequer cock bred by great friend, and sadly recently deceased Tommy Lawrenson from South Shields from his “uncle Tony’s” stock ( Tony Ali) and the dam from Johnson and Steele of Gateshead.
“This pair are responsible for four Amal winners for me and also grand parents to many many prize winners.”
This week’s race from Cannock will have special prizes to celebrate VE Day. Long and Small of Flimby will sponsor with the winner receiving £80 and a special commemorative medallion.
WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (1815 birds): 1, McLuckie bros (Workington) 1293.8; 2, N. and G. Wordsworth (Harrington) 1293.2); 3, D. Lofthouse (Lowca) 1292.42; 4, W. McGrady and son (Lowca) 1292.41; 5, 6, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1291.6, 1291.2.
WEST CUMBERLAND FEDERATION (632 birds): 1, 6, D. Lofthouse (Lowca) 1292.42, 1282; 3, W. McGrady and son (Lowca) 1292.41; 3, Tomlinson and Banks (Cleator Moor) 1289.8; 4, Nolan Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon (Cleator Moor) 1289.1; 5, Graham and co (Cleator Moor) 1286.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (10 sent 307): 1, 5. Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon 1291.1, 1274; 2, 6, Tomlinson and Banks 1291.06, 1273; 3,4, Graham and co 1289, 1275,
LOWCA HS (7 sent 279): 1, 4, 5, D. Lofthouse 1292.4, 1282, 1279; 2,6, W. McGrady and son 1292.41, 1274; 3, Tomlinson and Banks 1289.
EGREMONT RANGERS (117 birds): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, D, Harrison and son 1280.7, 1280.4,1279.6, 1279.4, 1277; 6, Wilson and Buchanan 1276.
COPELAND NORTH WEST (Cheltenham 4 sent 40): 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, B. Cottier 1160, 1141.1, 1141.05, 1110, 1101; 4, A. and J. Maudling 1118,
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (6 sent 220): 1, 3, 4, McLuckie bros 1293, 1289, 1288.9; 2, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1291; 5, 6, Williams and Hadfield 1288.1, 1281.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (10 sent 370): 1, 4, McLuckie bros 1301, 1299.4; 2, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1300; 3, Evans and Abraham 1299.9; 5, 6, Martindale and Lawman 1299.2, 1298.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (8 sent 225): 1, 4, 5, N. and G. Wordsworth 1293, 1282, 1281; 2, 3, Mr and Mrs D. Wood 1290, 1289; 6, J. Devlin 1273.
ELLENBOROUGH: 1, 2, Barker and Charlton 1195, 1170; 3, 4, Barlow and Doyle 1158, 1152.
DEARHAM: 1, 3, 6, D. Todhunter 1250, 1239, 1227; 2, Varty, son and grandson 1242; 4,5, Dempsey, son and Reay 1236, 1231.
SEATON RBL (2 sent 40): 1, 2, 3, Dobie and Palmer 1234, 1226, 1187.1; 4, F. Scott 1187.02.
FLIMBY HS (11 sent 403): 1, I. McGarr 1304.9; 2, 6, Tinnion and Hodgson 1304.7, 1282; 3, Nelson and Crellin 12304.1; 4, 5, Hodgson and Saldert 1288, 1287.
