Talbenny & Fermoy - 09/06/12

[willie reynolds]

Double Tops for G & P Brown

Saturday 9th June saw the East Down Combine with races from both Talbenny, in South Wales and Fermoy in Co Cork. While the Derek Wishart Classic saw excellent returns the Talbenny race was once again disappointing with many lofts reporting poor returns. While some may have done alright, by and large returns overall were little more than 50%.

Both races proved very successful for Annsborough’s G & P Brown who topped the South Down Federation from both races taking with top ten finishes in the Open results.

2nd Talbenny
The birds were back in Talbenny on 9th June, and following a disappointing race from the race point the week before we were hopeful of a better race this week, but alas this was not to be the case. A good friend of mine told me many years ago that if the first Talbenny doesn’t get you, the second one will. Unfortunately this year, both of them got us.

The pigeons were liberated at 12 noon in a west wind with the early pigeons arriving home in just over four hours, which was very much the expected time. However there were few birds about later in the evening as the early promise soon faded.
The winners of the South Down Fed this week are Annsborough’s G & P Brown who had another super race here to build on a very impressive season. With another in the Fed result at 9th Fed this was indeed another superb performance for Geraldine and Patrick. Patrick is keen to acknowledge the key contribution that Geraldine has made since becoming his racing partner.

Their winning pigeon this week is a four-year-old Grondelaar hen from the birds he obtained from Dromore’s Victor Reid a number of years ago. The sire is out of the ‘19’ cock, a tremendous racer in his own right, while the dam is a pied hen from the original stock obtained from Victor. This four-year-old hen put up a great performance to take 1st section, 3rd Open. This bird has always been a consistent racer but this is the first time that she has actually won a race.

Geraldine and Patrick’s second pigeon is 9th Fed, 17th section and is a yearling hen from K Rooney & Son Annalong who have provided the Browns with most of their top prizewinners over the past two years. The breeding of this one is Van Reet x Marijka Vinks.

Benson Bros Annsborough continue their build up to the end of the Old Bird season with a fine result here, taking 2nd Fed, 5th section and 10th Open East Down Combine. This one is new stock brought in last year from the Dublin area and further information will be made available when the bird is next in the Fed result. Hopefully this wont be too long but sure we all love a mystery.

Newcastle’s E & A Rogan are enjoying another successful season in the Newcastle club and this week they are 3rd Fed, 7th section, 16th Open. The pigeon timed is a two-year-old Janssen cock from Brian Murray, Manchester, who has provided Adie and Eddie with some great pigeons recently including an Open winner from Bude. This is this two-year-old’s third win, having been 1st club as a young bird from Fermoy, and then 1st club as a yearling from Mount Charles and now 1st club again.

Annsborough’s J McNally & Son are having a consistent season and this week they are 4th Fed, 8th section, and 17th Open. These guys love the channel racing and its good to see them doing so well here. The pigeon timed here is a yearling hen off stock obtained from John McNeill, Broxburn in Scotland. Jimmy and Brendan have been very pleased with the birds obtained from the McNeill loft.

This result puts the McNallys through to the final of the Loft Knock-Out, beating their semi-final opponents K Rooney & Son by less than half a yard.

It is to Kevin and Kristopher we go for 5th Fed this week and what another superb season it has been for the father and son partnership with many fine results in their own right and for many other fanciers throughout the country. The pigeon timed this week is a Luc Pocelot, Belgian KDBD sprint champion, from Mick and Joe Gaunt from Derby. It is a two-year-old hen that was 1st club from Tyone Mills and 2nd club Talbenny Young Bird Derby. As a yearling she was twice in the NIPA section ‘F’ result and was 8th Fed, 9th Open East Down Combine from Tullamore.

W Hardy & Son Annsborough are 6th Fed, 11th section, 23rd Open this week with a yearling hen. The dam of this one is from the ‘Tina Turner’ lines, while the sire is from L & A Toner, Annsborough. This bird won the Show Special run by the Newcastle club this year and had another place. Paddy is having a good season so far and can go into the French races with a lot of confidence.
Annsborough’s R J Keown is 7th Fed this week, taking 13th section, 25th Open in the process. RJ has notched up a few very good results this year and this form could well continue over the next few weeks. The pigeon timed here is a two-year-old hen. She is a full sister of the cock that was 1st South Down Fed, 40th Open Vannes Kings Cup in 2009. The dam is the Meritorious Award winner that was also 2nd Open twice in 2004 from Talbenny and Lamballe.

James Cleland Annsborough is on the crest of a wave at the moment and is 8th Fed, 14th Open, 33rd Open here. In the Derek Wishart race James had five birds in the Fed and Open results. James has had many great results this year and early indications are that he will win the East section Inland Championship. The pigeon timed is a four-year-old hen that was a gift bird from John Greenaway, Bondhill.

The result is completed by Annsborough’s Bert Knight in tenth position. Bert was late getting the pigeons started this year but they are showing a lot of good form now as he was 7th and 8th Fed from Mount Charles and 9th Fed last week from 1st Talbenny. The pigeon timed is another one from his own bloodlines

Full Result: 1, G & P Brown Annsborough 1318; 2, Benson Bros Annsborough 1293; 3, E & A Rogan Newcastle 1284; 4, J McNally & Son Annsborough 1281.807; 5, K Rooney & Son Annalong 1281.427; 6, W Hardy & Son Annsborough 1272; 7, R J Keown Annsborough 1268; 8, J Cleland Annsborough 1255; 9, G & P Brown 1251; 10, H Knight Annsborough 1247:

• The Penzance Classic will have a £2 Nom
• All 3 French races will have a £2 Nom

• The Final of the Loft Knock will take place this week from Penzance with James Cleland meeting J McNally & Son in an all Annsborough final

• Full Report on the Derek Wishart race will appear next week

Brendan McLoughlin