Bertie Blair Of Ballymena Wins 1st Combine & 1st Section from Kilbeggan
The second young bird race of the season was again from Kilbeggan in County Westmeath. Liberation was 9.45am in south westerly winds and leading birds took just over one- and three-quarter hours to return to their local loft's. The best pigeon was timed by the popular Ballymena & District fancier Bertie Blair to win 1st Mid Antrim Combine 44/1332 and 1st Section B 76/2398 on velo 1858. Bertie timed his dark cheq cock at 11.32am flying 113 miles to Chichester Park in Harryville. The winning youngster purchased in a kit of six from the Delaney O'Roory Hill Stud is off the best of their Willy Jacobs, Van Den Bulck and Luc Vervoort family's. The sire is a grandson of Willy's Pride and Diamond Princess and dam is off the 34 hen from Luc Vervoort. Another top result from one of the Town's top flyer's Bertie Blair.
Runner up in the Combine and 3rd Section were Johnston Eagleson & Sons on 1820 with a gay cheq pied hen sitting on eggs. Sire form their good Van Den Bulck stock cock "Dirk" when paired to a double Combine winning hen full of Paddy & William McManus's old Van Der Wegen and Louis Thijs lines. The dam Van den Bulck x Best Kittel of Dehon-Demonseau.
Ken & Keith Kernohan & Sons had the next three birds in the Combine and 4th, 5th & 6th Section. The 3rd Combine pigeon is off direct vermeerbergen / wilms stock with the dam having bred good first prizewinners for Keith and others. The 4th Combine pigeon was purchased in a kit from Gerald Delaney O'Roory Hill Stud and the 5th Combine bird is again Vermeerbergen / wilms with the sire a direct son off the Grizzly Wonder breeder.
Harold Cubitt had the winner in Rasharkin on 1808 and in total had seven birds in the top twenty five of the Combine and finished 8th, 9th, 10th, 21st, 27th, 30th & 33rd Section. Harold's winner was bred from a Lambrecht cock from clubmate Jackie Steele x Van Den Bulck from O'Roory Hill Stud Noel Percy & Son Mark had the top two in Randalstown with the winner doing 1796. Their blue hen was bred by Paddy & William McManus of Ahoghill and is from their top Lambrecht x Van Den Brande stock.
Last week's Combine and Section winners Jimmy Smyth & Son were again best in Ahoghill on 1796, their winner this week coming from Glenn Smith of Cookstown. Gregg Bros had the best two birds in Kells on 1793 & 1786. Mervyn and Jimmy's first two birds were purchased in a kit from Gerard Delaney's O'Roory Hill Stud. Rock & Moore had the Harryville winner on 1784, Alan Darragh had the top 5 in Cullybackey the winner doing 1779 and Marc Neilly had the Broughshane winner for the second week on the trot on 1775.
Mid Antrim Combine 2nd Kilbeggan 44/1332 - Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1858, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1820, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1819, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1819, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1818, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1810, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1808, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1808, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1807, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1807, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1807, N Percy & Son Randalstown 1796, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1796, W & J McLean Rasharkin 1795, Gregg Bros Kells 1793, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1791
Steele & McNeill Rasharkin 1790, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1789, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1787, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1787, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1786, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1786, Gregg Bros Kells 1786, D Dixon Rasharkin 1786, D Dixon Rasharkin 1786, Rock & Moore Harryville 1784, A Darragh Cullybackey 1779, M Neilly Broughshane 1775, A Darragh Cullybackey 1775, A Darragh Cullybackey 1774, A Darragh Cullybackey 1773, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1772, A Darragh Cullybackey 1771, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1766, S Crawford Harryville 1766, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1766, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1766, S Crawford Harryville 1766, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1766, M Graham Ballymena 1763.
Mid Antrim Combine YB Points - Blair & Rankin Ballymena 103, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 98, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 89, H Cubitt Rasharkin 76, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 69, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 60.
Mid Antrim Combine Young Bird Knock Out -
Any fancier with a velocity of 1622.33 or above has qualified for the first round of the young bird knock out. First round will be flown next week from Roscrea with the final held from the Dale young bird National in September. Mervyn Eagleson PO.
NIPA Section B 2nd Kilbeggan 76/2398 – Blair & Rankin Ballymena & Dist 1858, S Thompson Muckamore 182, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena & Dist 1820, K & K Kernohan & Sons 1819, 1819, 1818, Blair & Rankin 1810, Harold Cubitt Rasharkin & Dist 1808, 1808, 1807.
NIPA Sect B Clubs
Ahoghill Flying Club 5/287 –J Smyth & Son 1796, Young McManus & Sons 1766, 1766, J Smyth & Son 1749, Young McManus & Sons 1736, 1736.
Ballymoney HPS 14/487 – D Dixon 1786, 1786, J Connolly 1778, 1775, D Devenney 1767, D & H Stuart 1761.
Ballymoney West Combine – Young & Gibson 1750, C Henry 1705, L Neill 1666, M Gamble & Son 1621, W Rodgers 1561.
Broughshane & District 2/78 – M Neilly 1775, 1757, 1749, J Getty 1674, 1662, 1657.
Ballymena & District HPS 6/205 – Blair & Rankin 1858, J Eagleson & Sons 1820, K & K Kernohasn & Sons 1819, 1819, 1818, Blair & Rankin 1810.
Cullybackey HPS 11/225 – A Darragh 1779, 1775, 1774, 1773, 1771, G & A Eagleson 1759. Well done to Alan Darragh on taking the win today and the top five with another great card, marking two wins on the trot with the young birds. Well done to all in the result.
Crumlin & District 6/172 – Sefton Thompson 1829, Fleming Bros 1797, Sefton Thompson 1795, R & S Hope 1793, 1791, McConville Bros 1791. Well done Sefton and Tony today from 2nd Kilbeggan.
Harryville HPS4/105 – Rock & Moore 1784, Sam Crawford 1766, 1766, 1743, 1742, 1733.
Kells & District HPS 3/115 – Gregg Bros 1793, 1786, A Barkley & Son 1762, 1761, 1760, 1759. Sizzlers 2 Bird Club – A Barkley & Son 1760, 1752. Well done to this weeks winner Gregg Bros taking the top 2 spots this week from Kilbeggan 2
Muckamore HPS 7/223 – S & N Maginty 1802, Magill & Lavery 1794, A Steele 1789, S & N Maginty 1773, 1771, A Steele 1763.
Randalstown HPS5/114 - N Percy & Son 1796, 1760, Stewart Bros 1755, Smylie Bros 1735, N Percy & Son 1713, Smylie Bros 1704.
Rasharkin &District HPS 6/136 – Harold Cubitt 1808, 1808, 1807, W & J McClean 1795, Harold Cubitt 1791, Steele & McNeill 1790.
Bertie Blair of Ballymena with his 1st Mid Antrim Combine & 1st Section B winner from Kilbeggan