Mount Charles (2) - 05/05/12

[willie reynolds]

Annsborough’s James Cleland 2nd Open from Mount Charles

The East Down Combine pigeons were back in Mount Charles, in Co Tipperary for their fourth race of the season on Saturday 5th May. The birds were released at 10.45am in a northeasterly wind but with good sunshine and an odd scattered shower. With the NIPA liberating at the same time in Clonmel it is thought that there may have been some clashing as fanciers who race in both organisations had pigeons home at the same time from both races.

The East Down Combine was won by Ballylesson’s Colin and Dorothy Smyth but just behind them in second Open was Annsborough’s James Cleland. With 14 different clubs from right across the Combine featuring in this weeks Open result this was the most even result we have seen this year. Indeed its not often we have such a spread of clubs in the Open result as the wind is usually the key determinant of where the Open positions are taken.

The winner of the South Down Federation this week is James Cleland’s pigeon at second Open for another great result for this top flyer. James has another pigeon in the result at 10th Fed. The winning pigeon, which is also 1st East section of the Combine, is a yearling cock. The dam is a Pros Roosen from Martin Flynn and these lines feature regularly in the Federations results for James. The sire is new blood brought in from his good friends Roy and Marion Seaton from Annan in Scotland. Roy and Marion are the winners of three Nationals and were second on four occasions. Roy is originally from Newtownards but it was as a result of a friendship that developed after they had met at the Blackpool Show that pigeons were exchanged. Both fanciers benefited from this exchange as James’ pigeons have won for the Seatons as well.

James second pigeon is 10th Fed, 40th Open and is another yearling cock from the same lines as the Fed winner but from different parents.

S Milligan & Dtr Tyrella had another good race here again with two birds in the result taking 2nd and 4th Fed, 4th and 7th section and 7th and 10th Open. These two pigeons arrived together and there was only four seconds between them on the clock but with such a tight race the seconds are precious.

Sean and Jenifer’s first pigeon is a yearling cock. The dam is a Busschaert bred by Alfie Williamson’s Down Lofts while the sire contains Busschaert from Trevor Shalvis Kent, ‘Scarecrow’ from Donnelly Bros Newry and Deweerdt from Geoff and Catherine Cooper of Peasedown St John, near Bath.

Their second pigeon is a two-year-old cock whose sire is a direct son of ‘Scarecrow’ one of the top pigeons to race into N Ireland for Donnelly Bros, Newry. The dam is another Deweerdt from Geoff and Catherine Cooper top flyers in England.
A Murray & Son Dundrum are 3rd Fed, 5th section and 8th Open this week as they enjoy an excellent start to the season having won 3 out of the 4 races in the Dundrum club. The pigeon timed here is a four-year-old blue Maurice Corens x Soontjens hen that has won 5 x 1st clubs including 2 high Section positions in Section F of the NIPA. Her sire is a double South Down Fed winner and has won 6 x 1st clubs, while her dam is a daughter of M & J O'Reilly, Arklow’s No1 Soontjens pair - originating from Eric Carlisle.

Annsborough’s R J Keown 9th Fed last week from 1st Mount Charles improves to 5th Fed, 9th section and 15th Open this week to keep a good run of form going. The pigeon timed here is the same way bred as the pigeon that was 9th Fed last week. The sire is a son of ‘Oscar’, a wonderful Steenhaut pigeon that was bought at the Blackpool Show a few years back but has produced numerous prizewinners. The dam is a daughter of the ‘Show Cock’, another pigeon that has produced an array of prizewinners. Together they have been RJs number one stock pair.

Pritchard Bros Annsborough are 6th Fed this week and also take 13th section, 21st Open and I’m told that this could have been a lot better. The pigeon timed here is a two-year-old Staf Van Reet cock from Tony Smyth Downpatrick.

Annsborough’s Bert Knight has the next two to take 7th and 8th Fed, 13th and 20th Open and 24th and 37th Open. Neither of these two birds was raced as young birds and they were only tossed from Hilltown and Newry. This was their first race this year and they were trained to Navan in the week prior to the race. Both pigeons are yearlings from Bert’s own lines.

The result is completed by Tyrella’s S Halpin and Sons who are 10th Fed, 38th Open. Their pigeon is a two-year-old cock and is Jacobs x Soontjens. He was 1st club Tyone Mills as a young bird and was 3rd club 24th Open from Tullamore this year. A very consistent pigeon he has won the Nom three weeks in a row in the club. When I was talking to Sean he asked that I give a special mention to Sean Paul who has done all the work with the pigeons this year.

Full Result: 1, J Cleland Annsborough 1295; 2, S Milligan & Dtr Tyrella 1284.919; 3, A Murray & Son Dundrum 1284.900; 4, S Milligan & Dtr 1284.298; 5, R J Keown Annsborough 1280; 6, Pritchard Bros Annsborough 1274; 7, 8, H Knight Annsborough 1273, 1270; 9, S Halpin & Sons Tyrella 1269 ANCD Nom £34.50; M Jennings Annsborough 1256 ABCD £16.20; G & P Brown Annsborough 1233 ABCD £10.80

• There will be a £2 Nom from the Skibbereen Classic this weekend and from the Skibbereen National on Tuesday.
• There will be no DTW this week from Skibbereen Classic. It will resume next week from Fermoy
• The 3rd Round of the loft KO will be flown from 2nd Fermoy
• The committee and members of the South Down Fed offer their sympathies to RJ Keown on the death of his brother Richard.

Brendan McLoughlin PO.