The officers and members of the club met recently in the clubrooms to present awards for the racing season, my look back at results will again include performances achieved in the Mid Antrim Combine which they re-joined before the season commenced having had a big majority vote of the membership.
Kells & District lofts enjoyed a very good first season back winning 8 x 1sts and a Diploma each for the following. C & D Jackson (Kells) 4 x 1sts, Surgenor Bros (Kells) 3 x 1sts, and single race victory for Harry Boyd.
In 2019 Season the leading lofts were – Surgenor Bros, C & D Jackson, B Swann & Son, Harry Boyd, A Barkley & Son, Henry Turkington, McFarlane & Agnew and Gregg Bros.
Brian Swann always a top competitor won the first three races of the old bird season, Mullingar, Tullamore and then Roscrea when the birds were held till Sunday due to unfavourable conditions. Harry Boyd had the leading positions from Gowran Park a super 1st, 2nd and 3rd with the winner doing velocity 1280 to finish 5th MAC.
In another good race over 22,000 birds were released in Fermoy County Cork at 10.30am in a Lt North Westerly wind. Best birds locally were timed by Geoff Surgenor from Kells & District, two birds at 3.00pm flying 201 miles completing a Mid Antrim and Seven Towers double 21st & 2nd for the first time, doing velocity 1313. The winner is off his good blue hen “Marion” that has now bred three individual winners.
Harry Boyd won again from Corrin and doing velocity this one finished 4th MAC. On the last weekend in May we had two races, both Fermoy Comeback and the Inland Nat from Barley Cove were delayed due to weather conditions. Kells don’t compete in the comeback events so the only winner over the weekend was McFarland & Agnew on velocity 1418 finished 6th MAC.
Over the weekend the Mid Antrim birds were competing from Gowran Park, a late replacement for Talbenny which was ruled out due to very unfavourable weather conditions. Race marking was delayed until Saturday afternoon and the birds were transported to Gowran Park, released on Sunday at 10.15am in a helping South SW wind. A quick race was the order of the day, most birds home in little time from the approx. 160 miles into Mid Antrim. Best birds locally were timed by Harry Boyd in Kells, recording velocity 2135 he finished 1st MAC & 1st Sect B 77/1909.
Fermoy (3) and the duplicate 5 Bird Classic was flown on Friday 7th June, C & D Jackson winner of both races was a Lambrecht cock bred by Derek Parr winner of Open from Area Lib last year also other prizes. On a difficult weekend birds were marked Friday evening and released in Talbenny at the early time of 6.45am in perfect conditions and the birds made light work of the 220 odd mile flight. The Mid Antrim lofts were well placed with the top five birds locally up at the top of the NIPA Open result where 7,800 birds were competing. Davy Jackson had a super weekend in Kells & District 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th Club with the winner recording velocity 1564. A lot of the early birds were from Derek Parr, including the winner which Davy has named “Parr Ranger” the loft also 1st MAC, 1st Seven Towers Championship, 1st Sect B and 6th Open NIPA.
Despite poor weather local members enjoyed good racing on 15th June with the second cross channel event from Bude and the Irish Race the Castletown Ylr Nat just a couple of days before the INFC event. C & D Jackson won 1st Bude, doing velocity 1419 finished 7th MAC. C & D Jackson the most improved loft racing locally were best in both weekend events. From Castletown 1st Ahoghill Centre, 1st MAC, 2nd Section B on velocity 1538. Winner is the Area lib 1st Open winner from Mullingar, he won Fermoy and 5 Bird last week as well, bred by Derek Parr from his best Lambrecht family.
Davy Jackson best from Penzance –The final race prior to the big Derby and National events from France was flown from Penzance, after many weather difficulties over the entire old bird programme the cross channel events all worked out well. The NIPA released almost 6,000 birds in Penzance on Saturday 22nd June at 6.45am wind Lt SE. Best bird was timed just short of six hours for the 325 mile flight into Mid Antrim, Davy Jackson from Kells & District recorded velocity 1598 to finish 1st MAC, 1st 7 Towers, 1st Sect B and 5th Open NIPA 555/5913 while in the duplicate OB Classic finished 1st Ahoghill Centre, 1st MAC, 1st 7 Towers, 1st Sect B & 3rd Open NIPA.
Moving to the young bird season the first three races were Area Liberations, Mullingar was the start followed by two races from Tullamore the second of which was flown on Friday. Such was the weather, usually the third race is the Mass Liberation. Seemed to make little difference to Surgenor Bros, who won all three races.
Poor weekend weather delayed the race marking for Gowran Park, Sunday was the better day and the local birds were race marked on Saturday evening. The liberation on Sunday 11th August was also delayed and the birds were released at 11.30am in a North West wind. It turned out the hardest race to date for the young birds and the best bird was timed by Surgenor Bros in Kells & District to record velocity 1302. The loft was winning for the fourth race on the trot and finished this time 1st MAC, 1st 7 Towers, 1st Sect B and 60th Open NIPA with 16,400 birds competing. Surgenor Bros are last year’s 1st Open Talbenny YB National winners. Geoff timed his blue hen flying to the perch at 15:03 hrs for the 157 mile fly to the Moorfield lofts. The winning hen bred from Derek Parr stock through club-mate Davy Jackson is the same way bred as last week's winner. It's four wins on the trot for this loft and their second Combine winner of the season have won 1st & 2nd Combine from Fermoy old birds. Super flying Geoff, the loft to beat each week.
Geoff Surgenor continued with his super form 1st Club Fermoy (1), the top 4 in the Sunday race from Fermoy (2) also 1st MAC & 2nd Sect B 73/1732 and this was followed by the Talbenny YB Nat flown on Monday. Geoff timed the same blue hen bred from Marion, already a winner of 1st Club Fermoy (1) and 3rd Club Fermoy (2) for 1st Club, 3rd MAC & 6th Sect B 54/344 doing velocity 1421. The Surgenor loft won 1st National in this race last season and this year Mid Antrim completed the double with Blair & Rankin of Ballymena & Dist 1st Open.
Alan Barkley & Son had 1st Club from Corrin, best in Ballymena and 4th MAC, the winner was a Lambrecht Cheq cock and best in the 5 Bird Championship was Brian Swann & Son. Same loft wins again in the final Skibbereen Nat, this winner and the Corrin winner were Lambrecht nest-mates, finished 6th MAC & 11th Sect B.
Racing with the Irish Nat FC McFarlane & Agnew were best in both Skibbereen Inland OB and the Sennen Cove Yearling Nat winning 6th MAC followed by H Boyd and H Turkington.
Cups and trophies were won as follows:
Surgenor Bros won – Highest Prize-winner, Sizzlers 2 Bird Cup, Old Bird & Young Bird Knock-Out, McKitterick Cup Fermoy, T Morrow Mem League Cup, Young Bird Points, ny YB National, Adair Cup Best Ave YB Talbenny & Skibbereen Nat, Boddy & Ridewood Cup YB of the Year, Logan Cup Ave 3rd & 4th YB Races, R Service Cup Ave 1st 2 YB & 1st 2 OB Races, and Joey Wright Cup.
C & D Jackson won – Old Bird Inl Average, Talbenny Cup, Bude Trophy, Penzance Cup, OB Classic, Old Bird of the Year and Ingram Cup.
McFarlane & Agnew won – OB Inland National, INFC Ylr National, INFC Inland OB Nat, Duncan Cup Lowest winning velocity, and D Graham Mem Cup Top INFC Points.
Brian Swann & Son won – M Smyth Trophy Ave 1st & 2nd OB Races and H Smyth Trophy Ave 3rd & 4th OB Races. Alan Barkley & Son won – Nan McFarlane Corrin Shield, and Skibbereen YB National.
Secretary Mervyn Gregg would like to thank all those in the club who helped in making it such a successful racing season and thanks also to Thompson Millar for the Sizzlers 2 Bird Club sponsorship. The club members send sincere condolences to Harry Boyd on the passing of his brother and the whole club wish a speedy recovery to Maurice Agnew from his recent illness. Many thanks to Mervyn for his season report, and Davy Jackson for looking after photos.
The officers and members at the presentation of prizes held recently at the Kells & Dist HPS Clubrooms.
Highest Prize-winner yet again Geoff Surgenor, winner of 8 x 1sts.
Best ever racing season for Davy Jackson 3 x 1st Sect B and wins from Castletown Ylr Nat, Talbenny, Bude and Penzance.
Brian Swann won the first three races of the old bird season.
Ever consistent Harry Boyd toped Combine & Section from Gowran Park in old birds.
Alan Barkley finished the young bird season with wins from Corrin and the Skibbereen Nat.
Davy’s Pride, winner of 1st NIPA Mullingar also 1st Club Fermoy 5 Bird.
The Mid Antrim Combine winners for C & D Jackson of Kells & District.
C & D Jackson won 1st Club Talbenny and 1st Club Bude.