One of the most respected fanciers in Carlisle has topped the Cumbria Combine again.
Jimmy Easterbrook won Sunday’s delayed race from Fougeres and the Carlisle South End fancier took other prominent positions.
The birds had been held over on Saturday and liberated at 6.15am on Sunday in a light south west wind.
Jimmy clocked a four-year-old chequer hen at 3.09pm after the 457-mile fly.
A red pied hen was 10 minutes behind to take second East Cumberland Fed and he also took fourth.
He sent nine to the race and got six of them back in race time.
The first bird back was over the channel for the first time last year and was third Combine from Messac and won the East Cumberland Federation.
But she’s been a great pigeon beforehand and now has 10 wins to her credit.
Jimmy talks to Cumbria Crack’s John Walsh about the winning bird and his 60-year career in the sport below:
The Flimby loft of Ian McGarr provided the winner of the Derwent Valley Federation.
It was won by Ian McGarr at 3,43pm after a 450-mile fly.
The winner, a three-year-old chequer white-flight cock had flown home at over 47mph, compared to Jim Easterbrook’s winner at 51mph.
Ian’s bird had been over last year but came back hawked so he decided to put him away for this year.
He has flown consistently inland and was being flown widowhood this time.
His sire was bred by Andrew Edgar, of Keswick, a Jan Aarden who had been second Fed from the channel previously and Andrew was at the loft to see him clocked.
The dam was from Ian Wood of Harrington Central.
Ian also clocked a two-year-old grizzle cock, bred by a pal Ian Sharples of Egremont, to take fifth Fed, third club.
Ian talks to John Walsh below about the winning pigeon and the methods he uses to race them:
The Varty family at Flimby were second Fed with a consistent two-year-old chequer white flight hen.
Continuing his excellent run of results in Harrington Central Neil Semple won and was fourth and fifth, as well as third, 10th and 17th in the Fed.
This was his first win from the channel, though, and naturally he couldn’t be happier with the way the birds have been coming.
His winner is a two-year-old chequer pied hen, sitting on 16-day eggs and over the channel for the first time.
The sire is a Leo Heremans bred by John Haigh while the dam was bred by John Devlin in the Harrington club’s breeder exchange.
- DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION OPEN (44 birds): 1, 5, I. McGarr (Flimby) 1392, 1189; 2, M. Varty and co (Flimby) 1298; 3, N. Semple (Harrington Central) 1263; 4, M. Walker (Harrington Central) 1238; 6, Mr and Mrs Walters and son (Workington Victoria) 1150.
- CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (6 sent 12): 1, 4, Tinnion and Hodgson 1088, 1032; 2, 6, Berwick, Watson and co 1072, 702; 3, N. Semple 1060; 5, Varty, son and grandson 1016.
- WORKINGTON VICTORIA (3 sent 9): 1, 3, Varty, son and grandson 1298, 1216; 2, 4, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 1126, 718; 5, Blacklock and sons 494.
- FLIMBY HS (5 sent 23): 1, 3, I.McGarr 1392, 1189; 2, M. Varty and co 1298; 4,6, Tinnion and Hodgson 1088, 1032; 5, Berwick, Watson and co 1072.
- HARRINGTON CENTRAL (3 sent 10): 1, 4, 5, N. Semple 1263, 1060, 471; 2, 3, M. Walker 1238, 1095.
