West Cumbrian pigeons were at Appleton for the third time on Sunday – and enjoyed an excellent race.
Indeed, several fanciers commented on it being their best race of the season, again underlining Appleton’s reputation as the best of the Amalgamation’s racepoint.
Leading them home in the West Cumberland Federation were Joe Tomlinson and Brian Banks who took the first three positions.
The birds had been liberated at 9.45am in a light south east wind and following a 90-mile fly to the Cleator Moor loft of the successful partnership the trio were clocked at 11.16am.
That equates to over 59mph with the Fed winner, a mealy hen, a second in front of two loft-mates. Their fourth pigeon took fifth on the Fed sheet.
The Fed winner is a mealy hen who was 14th Fed and Amal the previous week, also from Appleton.
Her sire is a mealy cock who is a grandson of Nieuwe Goed Rode, who in turn is a son of Van den Bulcke’s legendary stock cock Goede Rode which P and D stud own.
The dam is a daughter of a top breeding cock Best Boy Kittle who has been responsible for three Fed winners for Joe and Brian since they purchased him.
But in the Cleator Moor club, because of the different measurement system, Tomlinson and Banks only managed 8th with their Fed winner.
It was the Dobson family who were 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th with their winner a grizzle hen which has raced quite steadily so far and won a couple of nominations.
Her sire is from P and D stud out of their Pitbull family while the dam is a Van den Bulcke from Louella.
In Egremont there was a change at the top of the sheet – and a popular winning loft of Marrs, Scott and Lofthouse.
Mark Lofthouse has earned a lot of praise for the work he puts in and the win was well deserved.
The sire of the winner, a chequer cock, was gifted by Colin Davidson who had got him from Steve Chambers.
The dam is one of the loft’s own Gaston van de Woower which originate from Ian Stafford.
The Derwent Valley fanciers have not had a Federation race yet with all club races so far.
Ian McGarr won Flimby and took three other tickets.
A chequer cock he was bred in the stock loft and the sire is from Robert Langrish of Chorley and his Pitbull lines. The dam is from McLuckie brothers of Workington.
Before winning on Sunday he had been second club Garstang, beaten by his nest mate.
John and Liz Walters were first and second in Workington Social club, both on the same velocity.
A chequer cock was off a silver cock that had flown well as a young bird and his mother was a chequer hen, with both parents from good friend David ‘Sugar’ Wilson.
The other joint winner was purchased at a charity auction in aid of an ill child and the bird was bred by Joe Smyth of Northern Ireland.
A blue hen gave Williams and Hadfield a win in Workington Victoria.
She had missed two weeks earlier in the season after taking a whack in the eye which left it black and blue.
When recovered she got back on the road and was second Victoria, 4th Social and 8th Amal from Appleton 1.
It’s always fascinating to hear about the breeding of winners in the Peter Dobie and Ralph Palmer loft, competing in the Seaton club.
This latest winner is a blue cock whose sire was bred by the late Pieter Oberholster a top South African fancier who moved to Bedfordshire.
It is steeped in top Million Dollar bloodlines. Dam is a Louella hen the nest sister of the hen which bred their Charnock Richard winner. Their siblings were 194th and 200th Algarve Golden race 2023 when there were no birds on the day.
She is also a cousin to John Hodgson’s 2nd SNFC Ancenis last year.
Meanwhile, the West Cumbria Amalgamation fraternity have been saddened to learn of the deaths of two well-known names in the sport.
Andy Holliday, who flew in the Lowca club, had raced pigeons for over 65 years and with friend Kenny Dixon since the late 1960s.
The partnership had won at every level over the years – Combine, Amalgamation, Federation and club.
Andy died suddenly last week, a shock to the family after losing his wife earlier this year.
Andy’s funeral service will be at Distington Crematorium on Tuesday, September 2 at noon.
Raymond Ingram, a prominent fancier in Seaton and even better known for his skills in treating sickness among pigeons, also died last week.
One of the first to fly on the widowhood system in West Cumbria he later provided a valuable service to fanciers who had sick pigeons.
FLIMBY HS (7 sent 243): 1, 4,5, 6, I. McGarr 1732, 1724.8, 1724.8, 1724.8; 2, 3, Hodgson and Saldert 1729, 1728.
SEATON RBL (3 sent 34): 1, Dobie an Palmer 1743; 2, 3, J. Dustin 1736.8, 1736.3; 4, A. Parker 1733.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (4 sent 111): 1,2, 3, 4, 5, Mr and Mra Carter and sons 1716.8, 1716.571, 1716.570, 1716,2, 1715; 6, N. Semple 1714.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (8 sent 235): 1, 2, Williams and Hadfield 1748.4, 1748.4; 3, 4, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1748.3, 1748.3; 5, 6, Wilson and Johnston 1745.9, 1745.9.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (6 sent 177): 1, 2, Mr and Mrs Walters 1729.02, 1729.02; 3, 4, Williams and Hadfield 1728.08, 1728.08; 5, 6, Wilson and Johnston 1726.48, 1726,48.
WEST CUMBRIA FEDERATION (390 birds): 1, 2, 3, 5, Tomlinson and Banks 1746.5, 1746.1, 1746.1, 1745.5; 4, 6, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon 1745.6, 1745.3.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (5 sent 165): 1, 2, 3, 4, Dobson, sons, grandson and Lyle 1751.8, 1751.2, 1750.9, 1750.5; 5, 6, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon 1750.2, 1749.
EGREMONT (106 birds): 1, 2, 6, Marr, Scott and Lofthouse 1741.8, 1741.8, 1709; 3, 5, Wilson and Buchanan 1735, 1727; 4, P. Bewsher, son and Park 1730.
