Mount Charles (3) - 26/05/12

[willie reynolds]

Cleland hits the Crossbar again – 2nd Open East Down Combine for second time this year

The East Down Combine were scheduled to go to Fermoy in Co Cork on Saturday 26th May but due to the Irish Army undertaking manoeuvres at the Fermoy liberation site they had to find another racepoint and the birds were taken to Mount Charles, just outside Nenagh in Co Tipperary. The birds were released at 8.45am in a northeasterly wind and while the early birds were right on their time there were big gaps again in the birds returning home.

The winner of the South Down Fed this week is Annsborough’s James Cleland who takes second Open East Down Combine for the second time this year having been second Open the last time the birds were in Mount Charles just four weeks previous. James has had a tremendous Old Bird season and early indications are that he will win the east section Inland Championship. As well as his two x 2nd Opens he was also 6th Open from Fermoy and 12th Open from 1st Mount Charles.

The winning pigeon this week is the Freddy Vandenheede pigeon that was 12th Open from 1st Mount Charles. This yearling cock was unraced as a young bird but certainly has learned very quickly this year and will be a contender for Old Bird of the Year at both Fed and Combine level.

G & P Brown Annsborough continue their excellent run with two birds together to taking 2nd and 3rd Fed, 2nd and 3rd section, 3rd and 4th Open. Geraldine and Patrick then had another bird taking 7th Fed, 12th section, 22nd Open.
The first of their birds was 1st Fed, 1st section, 2nd Open Fermoy two weeks ago. This yearling cock is a Van Dyck bred by the Rooneys. This one was 3rd Fed, 11th section, 27th Open 1st Mount Charles having been 3rd club Tullamore the previous week. So here we have in our first two birds this week two great contenders for the Old Bird of the Year. This Saturday’s Derek Wishart race could decide where this particular accolade goes this year.

The Browns second pigeon is another yearling Van Dyck from Kevin and Kristopher Rooney. These birds have certainly proved their worth for Geraldine and Patrick. Their third bird at 7th Fed is a Busschaert from Busschaert from K Rooney & Son Annalong who provided the bloodlines for the Browns’ three pigeons in this week’s Fed result. Kevin and Kristopher obtained these Busschaerts from Davy Shiels Son & Dtr, Durham and they have produced a host of winners including the pigeon that was 1st Open for Geraldine and Patrick from Fermoy last year. The dam of the pigeon timed here is a Soontjens that has also bred prizewinners.

Annsborough’s J McNally & Son had a very good race here with two birds in the result at 4th and 9th Fed, 4th and 15th section, 6th and 34th Open. Jimmy and Brendan have been working their pigeons well as can be seen by their results this year. Both birds timed here are Busschaerts from Alfie Williamson’s Down Lofts. The bird at 4th Fed is a two-year-old latebred hen that had very little training as a young bird and only a couple of races as a yearling. Their patience has paid off here. Their second bird is a yearling blue pied cock.

Mickey Croskery Annsborough always to the fore when there are Open positions to be won is 5th Fed, 5th section and 7th Open this week with two-year-old hen out of a daughter of the Bude hen when paired to a son of John Jobey’s Queen’s Cup winner.
Tyrella’s Sean and Jennifer Milligan follow up their first and second Fed last week from Skibbereen by taking 6th Fed, 8th section, 13th Open this week. This two-year-old hen was 5th Fed, 7th section, 11th Open in the Skibbereen Classic last year. The sire is a Braspenning from R McKelvey, Newry, while the dam is a Jos Van der Veken from G Delaney Dromore. This hen won the Nom in the club for Sean and Jennifer three times last year and wins it this week again.

Annalong’s Kevin and Kristopher Rooney complete the result with two birds at 8th and 10th Fed. These birds take 14th and 16th section, 33rd and 35th Open. Kevin and Kristopher take the top five positions in the Annalong club as they did from 2nd Mount Charles. From the 1st Mount Charles they took the top three. Their first pigeon this week is a yearling from Telford Bros Downpatrick. The sire is a son of ‘Rab’ and ‘Tracy’ from Colin Gibson, Dromara while the dam was also bought at Gibson’s Clearance Sale. It is a Wal Zoontjens and is a daughter of Geoffrey Douglas’ number 1 pair.
Their second pigeon is the bird that was 7th Fed, 9th Open Tullamore this year. It is a yearling whose sire is Gust Jansen while the dam is from top Belgian fancier, Rudi Diels. The dam is a daughter of ‘Goud Haantje’.

Full Result: J Cleland Annsborough 1168; 2, 3, G & P Brown Annsborough 1167.765 ABCDNom £34.50, 1167.765; 4, J McNally & Son 1164; 5, M Croskery 1162 ABCD £16.80; 6, S Milligan & Dtr Tyrella £11.20; 7, G & P Brown 1133; 8, K Rooney & Son Annalong 1124; 9, J McNally & Son 1123.67; 10, K Rooney & Son 1123.56:

• Draw for semi-finals of Loft Knock Out to be flown from 2nd Talbenny; 1, J McNally & Son v K Rooney & Son; 2, J Newell v J Cleland:
• Next pool race is Bude.

Brendan McLoughlin PO