Locally the best birds in the NIPA Sect B were timed in Muckamore HPS with the Maginty Family scoring 1st & 2nd.
Muckamore HPS (8 sent 230) – 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, S & N Maginty 1540, 1539, 1513, 1513, 1509, 3 S & J Bones and T Yates 1529.
Ahoghill Flying Club (5 sent 115) – 1, 2, 5, 6 Young McManus & Sons 1521, 1471, 1455, 1454, 3, 4, J Smyth & Son 1470, 1463.
Cullybackey HPS (9 sent 280) – 1 G Gibson 1521, 2, 5, A Darragh 1490, 1477, 3, 4, M/M Robinson 1477, 1477, 6 J & J Greer 1467.
Crumlin & District (5 sent 111) – 1, 3, R & S Hope 1514, 1479, 2 McConville Bros 1509, 4, 5, 6 Fleming Bros 1457, 1456, 1456.
Rasharkin & District (8 sent 140) – 1, 3, H Cubitt 1510, 1479, 2 W McFetridge 1483, 4, 6, J Millar & Son 1475, 1460, 5 F Barkley 1472.
Ballymena & District ( 4 sent 138) – 1, 2, Blair & Rankin1490, 1482, 3, 3, 5, 6 J Eagleson & Sons 1481, 1478, 1477, 1476.
Kells & District HPS (5 sent 104) – 1, 4, Surgenor Bros 1459, 1424, 2, 3, B Swann & Son 1441, 1425, 5 A Barkley & Son 1416, 6 H Turkington 1413.
Harryville HPS (6 sent 70) – 1, 3, 4, Sam Crawford 1422, 1401, 1398, 2, 5, 6, Rock & Moore 1421, 1391, 1391.
Broughshae & District HPS (3 sent 60) – 1, 2, 3, A Purvis 1391, 1383, 1382, 4, 5, 6 M Neilly 1338, 1329, 1323.
NIPA Section B (72 sent 1794) – S & N Maginty Muckamore 1540, 1539, S J Bones and T Yates Muckamore 1529, Young McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1521, G Gibson Cullybackey 1521, R & S Hoe Crumlin 1514, S & N Maginty 1513, 1513, D Dixon Ballymoney 1511, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1510, D Dixon 1509, McConville Bros Crumlin 1509, S & N Maginty 1509, S & J Bones and T Yates 1508, Magill & Lavery Muckamore 1505, S & J Bones and T Yates 1501, R & J Parke Windsor Social 1500, S Murphy Muckamore 1496, S & J Bones and T Yates 1495, 1495.
McManus loft (Ahoghill) best from opening race -
The 2024 racing season got under way on Saturday 20th April when the Nipa liberated 13,199 birds at 10.00am in clear blue sky's and warm sunshine with little wind turning variable enroute. An excellent race followed with little or no losses. Ace flyer's Paddy and William McManus of Ahoghill recorded the best pigeon in the local area on 1521.20 and topped the Mid Antrim Combine with 1,048 birds competing. Their winning yearling blue hen bred from two Henk Simons pigeons was sitting eggs around 10 days. A very close runner up in the Combine on 1521.03 was Gary Gibson who had the winner in Cullybackey. Gary's winner a two-year-old dark Van Den Brande hen racing celibate was from D.C.P McArdle of Armagh. Next best was Danny Dixon of Dunloy for 3rd and 5th Combine on 1511 and 1509, these two birds took the top two positions in the Ballymoney club. Danny's first bird a two-year-old chequer Lambrecht cock has been in the open prizes in both the INFC Penzance YB National 2022 and INFC Penzance Yearling National 2023 and all being well will be going for the triple crown this season. The sire's a son of Heartbreaker and the dam is down from Superke. Johnston Eagleson & Sons of Ballymena have a cock the same way bred at stock breeding good winners. The Rasharkin winner Harold Cubitt was placed 4th Combine on 1510 with his good double combine winning cheq cock that won the Section B bird of the year and Champion old bird of the year in the Mid Antrim Combine last season. Bertie Blair was best in Ballymena & District and the Town on 1490 and was placed 6th Combine with his good grizzle widowhood cock. This is another cock with a top racing record including 1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th & 9th Mid Antrim Combine and 2nd Section & 20th Open in the Nipa Fermoy Yearling National last season. Sire is a son of Gary Gibson's Sticker Doncker Golden Pair and dam is from clubmate Johnston Eagleson, the breeding being Pitbull from P & D Breeding Stud x Van Den Bulck. Other club winner were Geoff Surgenor in Kells on 1459 with a two year old widowhood cock. Breeding is a David Currell special, Stewart Bros best in Randalstown on 1430, Sam Crawford in Harryville on 1422 and Alistair Purvis with the top three in Broughshane & Dist with the winner doing 1391. Mervyn Eagleson PO.
Mid Antrim Combine Kilbeggan 45/1048 - Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1521.20, G Gibson Cullybackey 1521.03, D Dixon Rasharkin 1511, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1510, D Dixon Rasharkin 1509, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1490, A Darragh Cullybackey 1490, W McFetridge Rasharkin 1483, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1482, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1481, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1479, D Dixon Rasharkin 1478, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1478, Mr & Mrs Robinson Cullybackey 1477, Mr & Mrs Robinson Cullybackey 1477, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1477, A Darragh Cullybackey 1477, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1476, J Millar & Son Rasharkin 1475, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1472, F Barkley Rasharkin 1472, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1471, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1471, S Johnston & Son Ballymena 1471, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1470, S Johnston & Son Ballymena 1469, J & J Greer Cullybackey 1467, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1465, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1463, A Darragh Cullybackey 1461.
Paddy (r) and William McManus of Ahoghill 1st in Mid Antrim Combine from Kilbeggan.