Cumbrian fanciers’ channel race is tough test

Sam and James Benn of Millom Social with their first Cumbria Combine winner.

Cumbrian fanciers were involved in the final channel race, and for West Cumbria the first young bird race, of the season, on Saturday.

The distance men should have flown from Vire but the liberation site was declared unsuitable at a late stage and the birds were released from Isigny-sur-Mer, which is 25 miles shorter.

Those involved with the young birds had the opening test from Garstang but numbers were down, mainly because of a spate of sickness which had affected a number of lofts and curtailed training.

The channel race proved a tough one while the first test for the youngsters proved more testing than was expected.

Topping the Cumbria Combine for the first time was the Millom Social husband and wife team of James and Sam Benn.

They only started in the sport in 2022 and this was the first time they had sent to a channel race, although they have had their successes inland.

The winning bird is a two-year-old chequer hen who had been flying consistently but last year won the Benns over £400 in a few weeks being 2^nd Bath and first in a yearling race.

She actually lost her cock at Holmsley but was showing to another hen when she was sent to the channel.

Andrew Berwick and Kenneth Watson of Aspatria who fly in the Flimby club and won the Derwent Valley Federation, taking 2nd Combine in the final channel race.

Topping the Derwent Valley Federation from the channel was the Aspatria loft of Andrew Berwick and Kenneth Watson, who race in the Flimby club.

They were also second in the Cumbria Combine.

Berwick and Watson won with a three-year-old red hen who had been 18^th Fed, 45^th Combine from Fougeres this year.

She returned injured and was given time to recover before sent to the second Holmsley race as a prep fly ahead of Vire.

Although Berwick and Watson fly widowhood, after her injury the red hen was allowed to go to nest.

Blue cock won both Workington clubs for Williams and Hadfield.

She is from a long line of Channel pigeons. Her sire is a late-bred red cock who is direct from the loft’s red white flight cock who won six races including Messac three times.

He is proving to be a very good breeder being sire to two Combine winners and now another Fed winner.

The dam of their latest winner is from pigeons the partners were given by Gary and Paul Thompson, birds the have done really well with over the years.

Cumbria Crack’s john Walsh spoke to Andrew about the bird below:

Cumbria Crack · Andrew Berwick, pigeon racer

One of the best performances came from Mick Walker of Harrington Central who had three birds in the first six of the Federation.

The first one, which won his club, was a two year-old blue hen which was sent sitting overdue 20 days on eggs. She is off a blue hen which was 7^th Fed this and 9^th Fed last year from Fougeres. Her sire was 13^th Fed last year from Fougeres, so certainly bred to fly the channel.

His second bird, fourth Fed, is a two-year-old chequer hen sitting on a six-day-old youngster and had never been in the clock before.

Chequer cock won first young bird race in Flimby for Nelson and Crellin.

Finishing 6^th Fed was a five-year-old chequer hen which has scored a few times inland and had been siting 24 days on eggs.

The family loft of Varty, son and grandson took the first three positions in the Workington Victoria club and their winner was a two-year-old chequer hen. It looks like a straight fight between them and Berwick and Watson for the Derwent Valley’s Big Cup.

Cumbria Crack’s John Walsh spoke to James Benn of Millom Social about his bird below:

Cumbria Crack · James Benn

That will be decided over the young bird programme and the youngsters had a poor start on Saturday from Garstang where they split into three batches on liberation and did not properly clear for a good length of time.

There were some anxious faces in West Cumbria when there was nothing back in nearly 90 minutes after the 9.30am liberation approximately 60 miles away..

Indeed early returns were poor and then they were variable, with some lofts doing ok and others suffering empty perches.

Young birds have been lost, too, at pre-season training so it’s a worrying time for fanciers especially with sickness affecting a good number of lofts.

Off to a winning start in Harrington from first young bird race for John Pooley.

Some lofts did not send to the opening race, and partly because of that the Derwent Valley Federation will go back to Garstang on Saturday instead of the planned step-up to Charnock Richard.

Winning both Workington clubs were Williams and Hadfield with a blue cock whose sire is off McLuckie brothers’ star race Geordie Lass when paired to a hen from Fibbersley Lofts in the West Midlands, off Bullet Boy and Golden Girl.

In Harrington Central it was John Pooley who had the winner which was bred off a pair of gift birds from Williams and Hadfield.

Grizzle hen won Egremont for Bewsher and Park.

Jimmy Nelspon and Fleck Crellin took the first three position in the Flimby club, and for good measure were sixth.

Their winner was a chequer cock, bred the same way as a yearling that won Appleton earlier this season. They are bred off the loft’s best racing hen, a Karl Boeckx which had 11 tickets in club racing and the sire is a Van den Bulkke.

First and second in Egremont Rangers were Peter Bewsher and Wayne Park with a grizzle hen which they had been gifted by Jason Dempsey, who was sadly forced to give up the sport at the end of last season.

Blue hen capped a fine team effort for Harrington’s Mick Walker who had three in first six of Derwent Valley Federation.

She’s bred out of a daughter of Culbert and Hambling’s double Combine winner, also a grizzle hen, when paired to a son of Jason’s good pied hen (Lambrecht/Van Reet).

Peter said: “I can’t thank Jason enough for his support since we came into the sport.”

ISIGNY SUR MER

CUMBRIA COMBINE (110 birds): 1, J. and S. Benn (Millom Social) 1201; 2, Berwick, Watson and co (Flimby) 1097; 3, A. and K. Young (Millom Social) 1070; 4, S. Culbert (Barrow) 1047; 5, M. Walker (Harrington Central) 1018; 6, J. Fitzsimmons and son (Cleator Moor) 1013.
DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION (45 birds): 1, 5, Berwick, Watson and co (Flimby) 1097, 905; 2, 4, 6, M. Walker 1018, 922, 873; 3, J. Fitsimmons and son (Cleator Moor) 1013.
FLIMBY (4 sent 24): 1, 2, 3, Berwick, Watson and co 1097, 905, 847; 4, 5, M. Varty and co 609, 604; 6, A, Bromley and co 587.
CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (5 sent 9): 1, 2, Berwick, Watson and co 906, 847; 5, M. Varty, son and grandson 609; 4, A. Graham and co 588.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (2 sent 10): 1, 2, 3, Varty, son and grandson 60-8, 604, 510.
HARRINGTON CENTRAL: 1, 2, 3, M. Walker 1018, 922, 873; 4, N. and G. Wordsworth 483.

GARSTANG YBS

HARRINGTON CENTRAL (4 sent 121): 1, J. Pooley 836; 2, 5, 6, Mr and Mrs Carter and sons 832, 713, 712; 3, I. and D. Wood 827; 4, N. and G. Wordsworth 739.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (6 sent 285): 1, 6, Williams and Hadfields 712, 706;2. G. Best 711; 3, 4, J. Dolan, son and daughter 708, 707.4; 5, Mr and Mrs Walters 707.2.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (7 sent 313): 1, Williams and Hadfield 745; 2, Varty, son and grandson 744; 3, Evans, Taylor and Abraham 739.97; 4, 5, J. Dolan, son and daughter 739.92, 739.07; 6, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 738.
FLIMBY HS (5 sent 121): 1, 2, 3, 6, Nelson and Crellin 830, 823, 707, 677; 4, M. Varty and co 696; 5, A. Bromley and co 678.
EGREMONT RANGERS: (112 birds) 1, 2, P. Bewsher, son and Park 665, 659; 3, 4, 5, 6, H. Whittam 658.4, 657.99, 657.99, 657.91.