Sticky race for West Cumbrian pigeon fanciers

George Lawman and Richard Martindale with the Derwent Valley Fed winner.

West Cumbrian fanciers suffered a second successive sticky race on Saturday.

After four very good races, there had been disappointing returns from Worcester and it was a similar story from Cheltenham.

The birds were liberated at 7-15am in a light south west wind and the Derwent Valley Federation winner was clocked in Workington just after 11.02am to the Workington Victoria loft of Richard Martindale and George ‘Pal’ Lawman.

A two-year-old grizzle cock, he covered the 197 miles back home at just over 52 miles an hour.

He was bred by a friend Dave Roberts from Doncaster and Richard purchased him from a charity sale which was on the Whitby stray centre site on Facebook, so asked him to send him one of his new grizzles.

Richard added: “He’s Gebr Liedeman, based through the lines of Goude Grijsn and his mother has won five or six firsts now for Dave.

“This one has had a couple of Fed positions previously and been quite consistent this year but he is a character and does his own thing when exercising.”

The Derwent Valley south section was won by Mike McGrady, now flying in the Lowca club.

Mike McGrady with the winner of the Fed south section.

A two-year-old blue cock, raced on roundabout, he’s another son off a pair from Kevin Hibbert of Rotherham which have bred him eight Fed winners, one Amalgamation winner and a first and second DVF South Section. Also the grandparents of three Fed winners.

Winning the Workington Social Limit club were Williams and Hadfield – with the same bird that topped the Fed sheet the previous week from Worcester. A blue pied hen from a pal Dave Broxup of Rugby, she was third in the Workington Victoria club and also the Federation.

Winning in Harrington Central was John Devlin, his second success of the season. This winner is a yearling blue cock who was only trained to Silecroft as a young bird. Both parents are Leo Heremans bred by Alan Devlin.

Showing the way in Flimby were Andrew Berwick and Ken Watson with a two-year-old widowhood cock who is becoming a very consistent racer. That’s his third win in the Flimby club having previously won both Marlborough’s last year as well as a second Stratford and a third Holmsley.

Cleator Moor Central winner for the Dobsons.

He is another winning son of their Eijerkamp cock when paired to a Who Dares Wins hen.

There’s still no stopping Alan Parker in Seaton with another first four tickets and 10^th and 11^th Fed open.

Consistent performer for Berwick and Watson wins Flimby.

The winner is a yearling blue hen through Mike McGrady/McLuckie brothers birds who won from Charnock Richards earlier in the season and was second club from Worcester last week.

Bewsher, son and Park win in Egremont again

Back on top at Cleator Moor Central are Dobson, sons and grandson. Their latest winner is a yearling grizzle hen that won as a young bird and has been steady this year.

Worcester Fed winner leads them home in Workington Social from Cheltenham

On breeding, the sire’s side is from P and D Stud while the dam is a Van den Bulcke from Louella.

Scoring their third win in Egremont were Peter Bewsher, son and Wayne Park with a home-bred yearling blue cock off a pair of stock birds gifted from ex-west Cumbrian Richard Miller living in Kendal.

Second win in Harrington Central for John Devlin

Peter said: “When we first set off 18 months ago Richard go in touch with me through Ken Benn and Danny Rodgers and gifted us some stock birds for which we are very grateful. All of them are the very best of Tony Mardon’s Staff Van Reet.”

DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION (880 birds): 1, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1529; 2, Evans, Taylor and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1526.9; 3, Williams and Hadfield (Workington Social Limit) 1526.1; 4, M. McGrady (Lowca) 1525.9; 5, McLuckie bros (Workington Victoria) 1525.1; 6, G. Best (Workington Social Limit) 1524.
DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION SOUTH SECTION (256 birds): 1, 6, W. McGrady and son (Lowca) 1525, 1499; 2, 3, 4, 5, Dobson, sons and grandson (Cleator Moor) 1522, 1521.7, 1521.6, 1514.
DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION NORTH SECTION (624 birds): 1, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1529; 2, Evans, Taylor and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1526.9; 3, Williams and Hadfield (Workington Social Limit) 1526.1;4, McLuckie bros (Workington Victoria) 1525; 5, G. Best (Workington Social Limit) 1524; 6, A. Parker (Seaton RBL) 1513.
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (8 sent 170); 1, 2, 3, 4, Dobson, sons and grandson 1524, 1523.8, 1523.5, 1516; 5, 6, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon 1488, 1487.
EGREMONT RANGERS (44 birds): 1, 5, 6, Bewsher, son and Park 1476, 1439, 1413; 2, 3, 4, D. Harrison and son 1474.8, 1474.8, 1474.7.
LOWCA HS (63 birds): 1, 2, 3, 4, W. McGrady and son 1525, 1499, 1474.7, 1474.4; 5,,6, Tominson and Banks 1472, 1457.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (7 sent 113): 1, J. Devlin 1488; 2, N. Semple 1477; 3, 4, 6, N. and G. Wordsworth 1476.68, 1476.05, 1442.5; 5, Mr and Mrs Carter and sons 1442.8.
FLIMBY HS (11 sent 262): 1, Berwick, Watson and co 1480; 2, M. Varty and co 1476; 3, 6, I. McGarr 1472, 1470.60; 4,5, A. Bromley and co 171, 1470.65.
SEATON RBL (3 sent 43): 1, 2, 3, 4, A. Parker 1526, 1516, 1446, 1442.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (7 sent 116): 1,5, Williams and Hadfield 1526, 1487; 2, 6, McLuckie bros 1525, 1478; 3, G. Best 1524; 4, j. Dolan, son and daughter 1503.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (10 sent 172): 1, Martindale and Lawman 1533; 2, 6, Evans, Taylor and Abraham 1532, 1490; 3, Williams and Hadfield 1531; 4, McLuckie bros 1530; 5, Dolan, son and daughter 1509.