The curtain finally came down on a frustrating season for local pigeon fanciers on Sunday.
The weather had looked decidedly changeable over the weekend and they were liberated from Stratford-upon-Avon on Sunday morning.
But although there were initial fears of another poor race returns were good in the main, after what proved another fast race.
Liberated at 7.30am in a light south, south east wind the West Cumbria Amalgamation was won just before 10.33am.
Topping the Amalgamation and the Derwent Valley Federation was a chequer white flight cock to the Workington loft of John and Liz Walters.
He’s been racing steadily all season and has had two tickets, but would probably have had more but tends to “show off on his return” before going over the pad.
He is a Steffan Lambtrecht/Van den Bulcke whose grandsire was bred by Ian Stafford off Chine Boy which Liz purchased at a sale in Blackpool.
His grand-dam is a daughter of Les Green’s Hercules, the dam purchased off Richard Martindale and this pair bred an Amal winner for the loft last year from Cannock.
This latest winner was clocked at a fraction under 61mph over the 185 miles.
Kevin Evans, who flies on the same allotments site as John and Liz was second to them in the Victoria club as well as Fed and Amal.
His grizzle hen is a great-granddaughter of the loft’s fountainhead, a red cock from Steve Foster.
She nearly didn’t go because of the number of flights she had left but came a minute behind the race winner.
The Cleator Moor partnership of Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon clocked a blue cock after the 178-mile flight to win the West Cumberland Federation.
He was clocked at 10.26am, which equated to just over 60mph and took third in the Amalgamation.
The winner is bred off another blue cock who was the grandson of a pigeon the partners called Holy Moly, who was a very good racer for them.
The mother is one they call the Fifty hen who had a first and second in the Amal from Cannock, as well as three firsts in the Cleator Moor club.
The poor young bird season overall was reflected in the entry of just 265 birds in the Cumbria Combine.
However there have been some good performances, including Neil Semple in Harrington Central.
He’s had 27 tickets in the club, which include five wins.
Not bad for a back garden flyer who didn’t race any young birds last season as he was sorting out a new set-up.
He took all the tickets except second on Sunday, and that went to the Carter family who have also kept going to the bitter end.
Neil’s winner was a blue white flight cock, bred through his number one stock hen. That’s seven winners she’s been responsible for and on both sides of the pedigree are Stefan Lambrecht bloodlines.
Mark Hodgson has also had a good season in Flimby, winning the final race with a blue hen.
She is off a Herman cock he bought in the transporter sale from Michael Lovelock, paired to a Vandenabeele of McGimpsey brothers. Her nestmate was also 6th club, 21st Fed.
Only six lofts sent 62 birds in the West Cumberland Federation and three of those lofts were in the Egremont Rangers loft.
It proved a big finish to the season for the Marr, Scott and Lofthouse partnership.
They were 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th and their winner, a chequer hen had also won Appleton 3 when she was 19th Fed.
She has been very consistent for the partners, winning the pools for a third time.
She is off a bird Colin Davidson bought from former top local flier Steve Chambers, and then gifted to Mark Lofthouse when he went overseas.
The mother is from the loft’s own family Gaston van de Wouwer, which came from Ian Stafford.
CUMBRIA COMBINE (265 birds): 1, Mr and Mrs Walters (Workington Social) 1788; 2, 4, 5, 6, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1782, 1733.1, 1733.1, 1731; 3, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon (Cleator Moor) 1780.
WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (232 birds): 1, Mr and Mrs Walters (Workington Social) 1788; 2, 4, 5, 6, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1782, 1733.1, 1733.1, 1731; 3, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon (Cleator Moor) 1780.
WEST CUMBERLAND FEDERATION (62 birds): 1, 3, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon (Cleator Moor) 1780, 1725; 2, Marr, Scott and Lofthouse (Egremont) 1726; 4, 5, H. Whittam (Egremont) 1717.8, 1717.4; 6, D. Lofthouse (Lowca) 1715.
DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION (170 birds): 1, 6, Mr and Mrs Walters (Workington Social) 1788, 1721; 2, 3, 4, 5, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1782, 1733.1, 1733.1, 1731.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (6 sent 65): 1, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1791; 2, 3, 4, 5, Evans and Abraham 1787, 1737.3, 1737.3, 1736; 6, Varty, son and grandson 1728.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL (3 sent 29): 1, 2, 5, 6, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1788, 1721,7, 1720.9, 1720.6; 4, 5, McLuckie bros 1721.5, 1721.5.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (2 sent 20): 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, N. Semple 1686, 1674, 1671, 1602,1601.
FLIMBY (6 sent 71): 1, 5, 6, Hodgson and Saldert 1740, 1732.9, 1732.8; 2, 3, A. Bromley and co 1738.7, 1738.7; 4, M. Varty, son and grandson 18733.
CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (9 sent 18): 1, Hodgson and Saldert 1711; 2, 3, Varty, son and grandson 1709, 1705; 4, McLuckie bros 1688; 5, Mr and Mrs Carter and sons 1678; 6, N. Semple 1671.
EGREMONT (37 birds): 1, 4, 5, 6, Marr, Scott and Lofthouse 1726, 1701.4, 1701.2, 1700; 2, 3, H. Whittam 1717.8, 1717.4.LOWCA: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, D, Lofthouse; 6, Pears and son
