1st Open INFC Kings Cup
Billy McCluggage at the age of 8 years old used to run with the rubber rings for Billy Rainey who funnily enough was the son of the then INFC Secretary Bobby Rainey, that was some years ago, as we continue on our pages of achieve the year in question is 1970 and Bobby Rainey was still racing pigeons in partnership with McAuley Bros, proof if it was ever needed that no age barrier was, or is involved in the sport of pigeon racing.
During those years of continual running with rubbers for others the sport of pigeon racing really took hold of Billy McCluggage and from the minute he left school one of his strongest ambitions was to race a good pigeon, anything pigeon related that Billy could get involved with, he was front of the line. Including with regards the administrative aspect of the sport, he never was shy of getting his hands dirty and almost immediately upon leaving school and when the chance presented itself he decided to take on the Secretary’s job within the Larne & District HPS when at that early stage had a membership of just over a dozen. Many within the sport now will know that the Larne & District HPS for many years now is regarded as one of the largest and most competitive within the NIPA with many weeks over 1,000 pigeons competing.
Administration was the name of the game for Billy and 1945 seen the formation of the Northern Ireland Provincial Amalgamation and as if it was wrote in the stars, Billy was to be the inaugural secretary of this fine organisation. They had when it was formed a membership of just over 400 under and with the hard work of Billy and the Committee things looked bright for the future. Billy excelled at the job and was in the post of Secretary for a further 23 years before leaving his post to become President at that time of stepping down the membership had reached somewhere in the region of 2,200, which is something similar to what the membership of this organisation is today.
Billy’s racing career started in 1929 when he won the Young Bird Average and followed it up in 1930’s when he flew a great Chequer long remembered by his club mates and won 1st, 2nd & 3rd bird into Larne from Landerneau, achieved in three consecutive years also in the first 20 of the Federation result each time. It was around the same three year period that Bobby Boyd’s good Blue hen won 13th, 6th and 2nd from the same race point. As a yearling this outstanding hen was also 1st Federation Bude and Johnston & Allen who raced in the Sydenham club had a Black Cheq Hen which flew Landerneau in the same 3 year period but she was always beaten by the other two pigeons mentioned. All three pigeons were sent for the fourth year in succession but this turned out to be one of the hardest races on record with Johnston & Allen’s hen finishing 2nd Open the pigeon in question was named “Nuggat”. The other two gallant pigeons owned by Billy McCluggage and Bobby Boyd both arrived home on the day just outside of race time.
Billy McCluggage (Junior) and Billy Senior of Larne winners of the 1970 INFC Kings Cup from Nantes with "Inver King" Billy Junior is holding the winning pigeon.
When talking about outstanding pigeon another one owned by the McCluggage family was a Lt Blue Cheq Hen who as a Y/Bird won 2nd Club, 2nd Section and 7th Open Skibbereen winning £120. As a yearling she flew Penzance, a hard race it was with 14 hours on the wing. Then in 1961 as a 2 year old she went on to win 2nd Section, 4th Open St Malo collecting £350 for her efforts. Not finished for the following year she flew the race again and in 1963 she took 1st Club Arklow in preparation before going to St Malo for the third year on the trot yet another disaster of a race but she made it as one of only 7 birds recorded in race time (3 days). In 1964 she went again, (no holding back in those days) she finished 38th Open and with winning close to £150 she had now lifted just over £750 in prize and pool money in her incredible racing career. Sadly the fifth time she went to France was her last as she failed to return home, but she reared many good pigeons that remained in the loft including a Red Pied daughter who won 70th Open Nantes in 1964 and 36th Open Nantes in 1965.
To start and go into the long history of all the exceptional birds that were raced to the McCluggage lofts would take some days to compile, the reasoning behind this article is to highlight a five year old Blue Cheq Cock named “Inver King” who was timed at 8.30am on the second morning of the 1970 Kings Cup race from Nantes. The magnificent pigeon was sent to Skibbereen twice as a Y/Bird winning 6th Club in the Derby event. In 1966 he flew all the races in the programme working home in his own steady pace on all occasions. In 1967 once again he showed fine form all season but like he had done previously worked home at his own steady pace and it was decided that he would go to Dinard, with only 6 pigeons timed on the day he turned early on the second day to finish 21st Open. He was then prepared for the same race points for the next two seasons on both occasions arriving home on the second day before lunch-time.
"Inver King" winner of 1st Open INFC Kings Cup Nantes for W McCluggage & Son of Larne. Winning a colour TV and £932 on a Velocity of 765ypm.
That took us up to the year in question 1970, he had a preparation race from Wexford and also flew the first two events in the programme from Haverford before going to Nantes. He had several short tosses each week from around the 10 mile mark to keep him interested in the lead up to the Kings Cup event. Son Eddie was the elected person for tossing and this fitted in well as Eddie work his Y/Bid team well and he often took “Inver King” with him, Eddie was part of the original team along with brother Billy and father Billy but opted funny enough in 1970 to step out on his own and race Youngsters under his own name. “Inver King” was sent to the race sitting 15 days and Billy Senior had the joy of clocking him at 8.30am on the second morning to win 1st Open INFC Kings Cup, a colour TV and £932.
His pedigree is rich in INFC Kings Cup winning Bloodlines. “Inver King” he is from a hen of one of the most famous partnership of Brothers ever to race in Ireland namely Smyth Bros of Ballymena this super hen was a breeder of no less and 13 x 1st prize winners, also contains the blood of Tommy Harpers 2nd Open Redon Winner. Hansenne from Jim McAllister of Carrick which in turn was related to a pigeon gifted to him from Billy and last but not least yet another fabulous line of Kings Cup blood namely that of McCartney Bro of Moira who won this race from Redon in 1959 on a velocity of 870ypm. Must point out when on the subject of velocities that “Inver Kings” winning velocity of 765ypm was one of the lowest in a number of years taking us back to 1957 when the H Spratt loft of Ligoniel won this fine race from Redon on a velocity of 655ypm.
Billy McCluggage Senior and Junior race a small team of pigeons both Old and Young in comparisons to the modern day set ups, back in 1970 Billy raced a team of 16 O/Birds and 14 Y/Birds. At that time the vast majority of his bloodlines came from the legendary loft of Tommy Harper of Ballymena.
Billy McCluggage gave so much to the sport of pigeon racing in Ireland with endless years of administrative work and winning the Kings Cup from Nantes couldn’t have happened to a more deserving fancier.
The following is the result of the 1970 Kings Cup race flown from Nantes, the list contains the names of some very exceptional fanciers. 967 members sent 2,107 birds, these were liberated in a Lt West Wind at 6.00am on the 3rd of July 1970. 1st W McCluggage & Son, Larne Vel 765 £932, 2nd A Walkingshaw & Son, Killyleagh Vel 754 £457, 3rd E Shaw, Cookstown Vel 722 £572, 4th Kirkwood Bros, Lisburn Vel 717 £160, 5th L Fryers, Lisburn Vel 709 £155, 6th R Magee, Larne Vel 705 £79, 7th B & H Spence, Lisburn Vel 704 £122, 8th R McCallum & Son, Ballymena Vel 701 £122, 9th S Walker & Son, Creagh Vel 691 £10, 10th Duffy & Courtney, Richhill Vel 668 £105, 11th Lecky Bros, Lisburn Vel 658 £94, 12th Bell Bros, Lisburn Vel 649 £94, 13th H Stockman, Ballynahinch Vel 641 £220, 14th W Garrett, Ahoghill Vel 626 £94, 15th W B Law Templepatrick, Vel 625 £178, 16th R Robinson, Larne Vel 616 £94; 17th E Maternaghan & Son, Ballymena Vel 616 £76; 18th A S Inglis, Castledawson Vel 612 £66; 19th Boucher Bros, Belfast Vel 602 £66; 20th D A Dunlop, Banbridge Vel 601 £66; 21st James Quinn, Dundrum Vel 601 £64; 22nd Mawhinney & Adair, Kells Vel 591 £8; 23rd Smyth Bros, Ballymena Vel 589 £29; 24th J Dohoney, Dublin Vel 582 £8, 25th J & W Maghie, Cregagh Vel 581 £8; 26th A E Jones, Newtownabbey Vel 570 £8; 27th F Adams & Son, Belfast Vel 569 £8; 28th Henry Hayes, Portstewart Vel 569 £8; 29th Sutherland & Devoy, Killyleagh Vel 562 £8; 30th J Dohoney, Dublin Vel 561 £8; 31st Benson Bros, Castlewellan Vel 559 £8; 32nd W Robb, Carrick Vel 553 £8; 33rd T & D Mills, Larne Vel 551 £8; 34th Glendenning Bros, Muckamore Vel 546 £8; 35th W M Thompson, Muckamore Vel 543 £8; 36th W McKelvey, Killyleagh Vel 526 £6; 37th R Law, Ballymena Vel 523 £6; 38th W Parkes, Killyleagh Vel 523 £6; 39th A Simpson & Son, Randalstown Vel 522 £6; 40th G Campbell, Whiteabbey Vel 514 £6; 41st J Forsythe, Ballymena Vel 510 £6; 42nd W B Law Templepatrick Vel 504 £6; 43rd A O’Rourke, Lisburn Vel 497 £6; 44th J McCoo, Queens Vel 486 £6; 45th B McAdam, Hillsborough Vel 483 £6; 46th J Magee & Son, Belfast Vel 482 £6; 47th G McNeilly, Ballyclare Vel 482 £6; 48th W Kidd, Gilford Vel 480 £6; 49th J Forsythe, Lurgan Vel 479 £6; 50th T Adams, Brockfield Vel 477 £6; 51st J McCloud, Newtownards Vel 472 £5; 52nd W McKelvey, Killyleagh Vel 434 £5; 53rd R Robinson, Larne Vel 430 £5; 54th W J Agnew, Larne Vel 416 £5; 55th A Walkingshaw & Son, Killyleagh Vel 403 £5; 56th S Bunting, Belfast Vel 4396 £5; 57th McKeown Bros, Derriaghy Vel 396 £5; 58th A Kane, Muckamore Vel 395 £5; 59th J McMullan, Bangor Vel 395 £5; 60th Gratton Bros, Belfast Vel 392 £5; 61st R Hughes & Son, Cookstown Vel 385 £5; 62nd H Caughey, Greyabbey Vel 385 £5; 63rd Machett Bros, Portadown Vel 378 £5; 64th J McKitterick, Loughgall Vel 363 £5; 65th Hemphill Bros, Portstewart Vel 357 £5; 66th I Moles, Killyleagh Vel 341 £5; 67th N Kennedy, Moira Vel 337 £5; 68th A McDonnell, Coleraine Vel 329 £5; 69th Kelly Bros, Kircubbin Vel 318 £5; 70th R Kernoghan, Dromore Vel 317 £5; 71st Houston Bros, Lurgan Vel 313 £3; 72nd G K Porter, Crumlin Vel 313 £3; 73rd H Elliott, Lisburn Vel 307 £3; 74th W J Brown & Son, Cregagh Vel 302 £3; 75th W McCreanor & Sons, Lurgan Vel 296 £3.