West Cumbrian fanciers experienced their toughest race of the season so far when they were at Worcester on Sunday.
The liberation was put back 24 hours because of the weather forecast but facing the north-west wind for the first time seemed to pose problems after the 11-30am liberation.
There were a number of empty perches by nightfall and subsequently a fair number of birds are being reported in North Wales.
One seasoned watcher said that when the birds were going over at different heights in a head wind he knew they had been disrupted somewhere along the line of flight.
Topping the Derwent Valley Federation open and north sections are the Workington partnership of Graham Williams, son Stephen and Jimmy Hadfield.
For good measure the Victoria and Social Limit winners also took other leading tickets in both clubs and the Federation.
Their winner is a two-year-old blue pied hen, a Hereman Cuester from Dave Broxup, an old pal of Stephen’s on a pigeon chat website. She covered the 174 miles at 44mph and actually was one of three who arrived together.
Unfortunately, Jimmy got so excited he tripped on the platform and spooked one who was eventually clocked 35 seconds behind her loft-mates. The platform slabs are reported to be fine!
Jimmy, however, won plaudits for the work he puts in during the day with old birds exercise while Graham is responsible for stock and young birds until Stephen gets back in from work.
Their second bird is off Alan Devlin stock that are looking as though they are producing top class racers for the loft, while the third is from a pair off Tim Aitken of Rugby.
The 166 miles trip to the Cleator Moor loft of Joe Tomlinson and Brian Banks proved no problem for a yearling blue white flight hen which won the Derwent Valley Federation south section again.
In the last three weeks she has been second club, second DVF south section beaten over the pad by a loft-mate from Appleton; first club, 4th DVF south section and 8th DVF Open from Penkridge and now has been first club, 6th DVF open and first DVF South section.
The partners won both the Cleator Moor Central club and Lowca club.
Her sire is off Niewe Goede Rode 192 when paired to a daughter of Lady Audie and the dam is a daughter of a pair purchased from McGimpsey brothers of Northern Ireland.
In Egremont the winners Peter Bewsher, son and Wayne Park who were claiming their second win of the season, this one by a clear five minutes for the 163 mile trip.
Their winner is a home bred yearling chequer hen whose dam is called Frances. She’s a direct daughter of Brolin and The Beautiful while the sire is a direct son of Staffan’s Favourite and Evi, the pair coming from the successful loft of Ian Stafford.
The pair were gifted to the partners by a good friend Paul Cree.
The Carter family have had a very good start to the season, for although this was their first winner in Harrington Central they have had three seconds, two thirds and two fourths.
The one to make the breakthrough is a yearling chequer hen whose sire is from Adrian Leach of Hebden Bridge’s stock loft and the dam is from Martindale and Lawman’s stock loft.
In Flimby Alan and Stanley Bromley were back on top with one of their successful Busschaert family bred in the stock loft. The yearling blue hen, which was 5th Fed, has had some minor tickets before.
Seaton RBL club is only small but it’s been dominated by Alan Parker so far who had his fifth successive win.
This time leading his birds home was a blue yearling widowhood cock which was a gift bird bred by Zac Weightman from north Wales.
He just had one race as a young bird but he’s done four out of five so far this season.
- DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION OPEN (1358 birds): 1, 2, 4, Williams and Hadfield (Workington Social) 1311.3, 1311.1, 1307; 3, G. Best (Workington Social) 1308; 5, A, Bromley and co (Flimby HS) 1305; 6, Tomlinson and Banks (Cleator Moor) 1304.
- DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION NORTH SECTION (975 birds): 1, 2, 4, Williams and Hadfield (Workington Social) 1311.3, 1311.1, 1307; 3, G. Best (Workington Social) 1308; 5, A, Bromley and co (Flimby HS) 1305; 6, I. McGarr (Flimby) 1285.
- DERWENT VALLEY SOUTH SECTION (383 birds): 1, 3, 4, Tomlinson and Banks (Cleator Moor) 1304, 1281.1, 1281.08; 2, J. Fitzsimmons and son (Cleator Moor) 1284; 5, Bewsher, son and Park (Egremont) 1278; 6, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon (Cleator Moor) 1270.
- CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (9 sent 173): 1, 3, 4, Tomlinson and Banks 1305, 1281.6, 1281.5; 2, J. Fitzsimmons and son 1287; 5, 6, Dobson, sons and grandson 1271.8, 1271.7.
- EGREMONT RANGERS (73 birds): 1, Bewsher, son and Park 1278; 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, D. Harrison and son 1247,3, 1247.2, 1247.1, 1245, 1234.
- LOWCA HS (6 sent 173): 1, 2, 3, 4, Tomlinson and Banks 1304, 1281.1, 1281.08, 1248.1; 5, 6, Pears and son 1248, 1243.
- HARRINGTON CENTRAL (7 sent 216): 1, Mr and Mrs Carter and sons 1256; 2, N. and G. Wordsworth 1253.3; 3, 4, 5, 6, N. Semple 1253.04, 1251, 1245.3, 1245.03.
- FLIMBY HS (11 sent 349): 1, A. Bromley and co 1305; 2, 4, I. McGarr1285, 1265; 3, M. Varty and co 1282; 5, Tinnion and Hodgson 1264; 6, Nelson and Crellin 1256.
- SEATON RBL (3 sent 59): 1, 2, 3, 4, A. Parker 1291, 1269, 1260.9, 1260.6.
- WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (8 sent 206): 1, 2, 4, Williams and Hadfield 1311.3, 1311.1, 1307; 3, G. Best 1308; 5, J. Dolan, son and daughter 1252; 6, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1251.
- WORKINGTON VICTORIA (10 sent 301): 1, 2, 3, Williams and Hadfield 1316.4, 1316.1, 1312; 4, Varty, son and grandson 1293; 5, 6, Martindale and Lawman 1287, 1268.
- CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (16 sent 32): 1, Williams and Hadfield 1307; 2, Tomlinson and Banks 1304; 3, J. Dolan, son and daughter 1252; 4, Nelson and Crellin 1228; 5, Berwick, Watson and co 1216; 6, Varty and co 1208.
