Cumbrian birds had to tackle another tough cross-channel race at the weekend and most are still unaccounted for.
It didn’t help that they were liberated late at 10.30am from Messac with the Midlands National birds, seriously affecting chances of birds on the day into the county.
The race was open until 3pm on Monday but unfortunately several lofts were unable to record an arrival.
Graham and co of Cleator Moor were the only ones to send in the West Cumberland Federation but got none of their six entries in race-time. There were no birds clocked in the Furness Federation while Jimmy Easterbrook of Carlisle South End clocked two in the East Cumberland Federation.
Jimmy has been in the sport over 60 years and has won the Federation many times, particularly from over the channel which he likes to concentrate on.
He has built up a team of pigeons capable of tackling the longest tests and his family is based on purchases from Harold Hart, Jim Donaldson and Eddie Newcombe over the years.
This week’s winner is a three-year-old chequer hen who now has seven firsts to her name in the South End club. She has also won the Two Bird Club twice.
Clocked at 8.37am on Sunday she was sent to the race on two three-day-old young’uns.
Another senior East Cumberland member Laurie Silverwood also clocked on Sunday morning while Mark Pearson of Wigton did exceptionally well, getting three of his birds home in race time. It gave the Federation six returns from 32 entries.
The rest of the birds that made it were in the Derwent Valley Federation, and in the Flimby club, where the winner, clocked at 7.23am on Sunday, also earned Andrew Berwick and Kenneth Watson their second Cumbria Combine win.
That first Combine win came in 2022 from Guernsey when they won the coveted Derwent Valley Big Cup.
It topped a fine run of form for the Aspatria loft who were winning their fourth race in a row in the Flimby club.
Andrew said: “Our winner is a two-year old widowhood cock, a medium to small dark chequer who had scored at Weymouth as a yearling and was on the Fed sheet from Guernsey 3/Cheltenham come-back race.
“He’s bred for the channel being a grandson of our good red white flight cock that didn’t miss many times from France, and had a second Fed Messac as his best performance.
“This cock is really turning out some decent birds. Our blue cock that has a 1st, 3rd, 7th and 17th Combine Guernsey was a grandson and our 15th Combine Fougeres the other week was a grandson as well.
“This latest winner also has a maternal grandmother that is a double granddaughter of Legacy. We had this hen from Mark Pearson of Wigton, who has also had a good Messac race.
“We were disappointed they didn’t have a chance to get in on the night, but he can’t have been far away. He came absolutely full of himself and had a lot more flying left in him. We would like to thank everyone who got in touch to congratulate us, it’s very humbling.”
The winning bird had flown 484 miles to take the honours in the Cumbria Combine, almost an hour in front of the second Derwent Valley pigeon for John McNichol, who still races as Ostle and McNichol – a nod of respect to former Derwent Valley secretary and race partner, the late Cyril Ostle.
In fact there were five birds back in the Flimby club with Nelson and Crellin and Alan Bromley (two) joining the winner and runner-up.
Unluckiest fancier was Mick Walker of Harrington Central who got one back at 3.13pm – 13 minutes after the race closed, but is included on the result sheet.
The race this weekend is back inland from Marlborough although there will be no entries from the West Cumberland Federation. In-form Berwick and Watson have 12 earmarked for the race.
DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION (42 birds): 1, Berwick, Watson and co (Flimby) 954; 2, Ostle and McNichol (Flimby) 891; 3, Nelson and Crellin (Flimby) 416; 4, 5, A. Bromley and co (Flimby) 394, 374.
CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (8 sent 16): 1, Berwick, Watson and co 1102; 2, Ostle and McNichol 1020.
CUMBRIA COMBINE (87 birds): 1, Berwick, Watson and co (Flimby) 954; 2, Ostle and McNichol (Flimby) 891; 3, J. Easterbrook (Carlisle SE) 889; 4, L. Silverwood and K. Greer (Carlisle SE) 754; 5, M. Pearson (Wigton) 615; 6, Nelson and Crellin (Flimby) 605.
