West Cumbrian pigeons raced from Salisbury on Saturday and they certainly motored on the way home.
Kevin Evans of Workington Victoria, just edged out fellow club members Martindale and Lawman to top the West Cumbria Amalgamation with a winning velocity that equated to over 57mph.
Kevin also topped the Cumbria Combine as well, which confirmed his position as one of the top inland fliers in the county.
It’s a very good yearling blue hen that came up trumps as she won Flookburgh 2 as a young bird and then was top of the sheet from Nantwich, going on to win the Combine award as bird of the year.
Her mother came from Tony and Jeff Holker of Manchester and the sire is a familiar one, breeding more winners for Kevin than he can recall. He’s a brother to Steve Foster’s Liam.
The birds were liberated at 8.30am in a south west wind and Kevin clocked her at 12.57 after the 256-mile fly.
Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle topped the West Cumberland Federation with a pied hen off stock birds they bought from P and D Lofts. She did over 54mph.
Jackie Dobson said: “She’s a two year old who has been very consistent for us, especially the longer inland races. She actually won the Fed from Weymouth last year.”
David Harrison continued his fine run by winning again in Egremont with a chequer hen bred by Mr and Mrs Billington from Lancashire.
“I actually bought her in one of the Amal transporter sales at the Senhouse Street Club. It’s her first ticket and is from their successful Lambrecht and van den Brande bloodlines,” said David.
In Workington Social Limit Williams and Hadfield took the honours with the in-form Wayne McLuckie having the next seven on the sheet.
They took the honours with a yearling blue hen and there was a nice story behind it. Steve Williams helped solve a unikon ets problem for Robert Mallinson of Whitby who responded by sending him up six youngsters.
This was one of them off Robert’s number one stock cock Louis Thijs/Leo Herman and a hen Gert Heylen/Louis Thijs.
Gordon Tinnion and Richard Hodgson won in Flimby – a race they nearly didn’t contest.
Richard said: “The win was completely unexpected as Gordon had been in hospital again all week so the birds didn’t get out too much.
“We nearly didn’t send as I had to go down to London on Saturday but Gordon insisted he would be home – and was.
“I would also like to send congratulations to Kevin Evans and Wayne McLuckie on their Combine wins over the last two weeks.”
The winning bird is a yearling blue cock bred off the Marcel Sangers pigeons that Richard bought a couple of years ago.
The birds had just been paired up again in readiness for the channel and this one had found himself a new hen.
John Devlin enjoyed his first win of the season in Harrington Central and for good measure took third as well.
He won with a double grandson of Blackpool Kittel when paired with a Leo Hereman’s bred by Alan Devlin.
The cock had been fifth club last week and was also on Fed and Amal sheets.
CUMBRIA REGION COMBINE: 1, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1685; 2, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1683; 3, D.L.T. Fallows (Millom) 1666; 4, A. and K. Young (Millom) 1663; 5, P. Kirkwood (Harraby) 1661; 6, R. Mitchell (Harraby) 1659.
WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (500 birds): 1, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1685; 2, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1683; 3, Williams and Hadfield (Workington Victoria) 1646; 4, 5, 6, McLuckie bros (Workington Victoria) 1622.8, 1622.6, 1622.4.
DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION (371 birds): 1, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1685; 2, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1683; 3, Williams and Hadfield (Workington Victoria) 1646; 4, 5, 6, McLuckie bros (Workington Victoria) 1622.8, 1622.6, 1622.4.
WEST CUMBERLAND FEDERATION (129 birds): 1, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle 1607; , J. Fitzsimmons and son 1603; 3, 5, A. and T. Kenmare 1592, 1588; 4, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon 1588; 6, D. Harrison and son1579.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (9 sent 127): 1, Evans and Abraham 1689; 2, Martindale and Lawman 1686; 3, Williams and Hadfield 1650; 4, 5, 6, McLuckie bros 1627, 1626.7, 1626.5.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (5 sent 46): 1, Williams and Hadfield 1646; 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, McLuckie bros 1622.8, 1622.6, 1622.4, 1622.3, 1622.09.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (8 sent 62): 1, 3, J. Devlin 1618, 1558; 2, 5, Mr and Mrs D. Wood 1616, 1506; 4, N. and G. Wordsworth 1553; 6, J. Pooley 1489.
FLIMBY HS: (10 sent 160): 1, Tinnion and Hodgson 1631; 2, 6, M. Varty, son and grandson 1625, 1596; 3, A. Bromley and co 1620; 4, Mr and Mrs Proctor 1612; 5, Hodgson and Saldert 1601.
DEARHAM (3 sent 62): 1, 2, 4, 6, D. Todhunter 1621, 1617, 1602, 1575; 3, 5, Varty, son and grandson 1616, 1588.
CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (19 sent 38): 1, 2, McLuckie bros 1622.9, 1622.5; 3, Mr and Mrs D. Wood and son 1616; 4, Hodgson and Saldert 1532; 5, Berwick, Watson and co 1518; 6, Mr and Mrs Proctor 1487.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (5 sent 72): 1, 6, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle 1609, 1565; 2, J. Fitzsimmons and son 1606; 3, 4, A. and T. Kenmare 1597, 1592; 5, Nolan, Hetherington Coultas and Easdon 1565.
LOWCA (3 sent 30): 1, 2, 3, Tomlinson and Banks 1528, 1516, 1481; 4, Pears and son 1472.
EGREMONT RANGERS (43 birds): 1, 2, 4, 5, D. Harrison and son 1580, 1557, 1525.71, 1516; 3, 6, Wilson and Buchanan 1525.79, 1515.
