What a difference a week makes, to the weather anyhow, following summer like conditions the week before it was a definite change in conditions for the NIPA Fermoy 5 Bird event and the subsequent cross channel Bude that was to be flown on the same date. But with the conditions in no way looking favourable for a race from Bude on the South coast of England, the NIPA made the decision that a race would be flown from Rosscarbery instead, a blow for the Channel men who had their contenders ready for what is deemed by many accomplished distance specialists as a good test prior to the French events in Early July.
Both liberations where up at 11.20am with the 1,789 pigeons entered by 408 competing lofts in Fermoy liberated in a Fresh Westerly and the 8,631 pigeons entered by 693 competing lofts liberated in a Fresh South Westerly in Rosscarbery.
The Fermoy pigeons this being the lesser distance where home first of all with the winning pigeons doing over 2000 yards per minute, many lofts then calculated what time the pigeons where expected from Rosscarbery based on the Fermoy times, but with the extended distance and a change in wind direction the wait was on for many as the Rosscarbery winners where some 300 yards a minute slower.
The Fermoy 5 Bird event is in my mind and I have previously reported such, the race to win, simply each and every competing loft within the NIPA has an option of entering up to 5 pigeons maximum. For the wee team man it puts him on an even keel so to speak, that does help, but of course form, location and wind on the release day have their parts to play also.
On the subject of form, it was indeed a couple of very in-form lofts from Dromore in County Down that seen out a photo finish at the top of the NIPA Open, that being Jeff Greenaway and the Boal Brothers Philip and Joe, with the latter coming out triumphs with as little as .3 of a yard separating them. This the second week on the trot that Jeff Greenaway has finished 2nd Open NIPA and better still doing it with the same pigeon now named “The Bridesmaid”. I might add at this point this in fact is the third time this season that Jeff has finished 2nd Open and twice beaten by a decimal point.
Philip & Joe Boal are having an incredible season to date as is the NIPA Open Winner named ’Bijou’ (Diamond) a Blue hen she is sure to be a contender for the 0-250 Mileage award this year with the following performances 1st Club, 1st Section D and 26th Open NIPA Tullamore 14,773 pigeons; 1st Club, 1st Section D and 1st Open NIPA Fermoy 5 Bird 1,789 pigeons; 1st Club, 1st INFC North Section and 7th National 4,205 Pigeons; 4th Club, 4th Section D and 7th Open Roscarbery Hens National 1,341 pigeons; 5th Club, 11th Section D and 36th Open NIPA O/Bird Roscarbery National 6,212 pigeons; 13th Club, 40th Section D and 154th Open NIPA Fermoy 26,883 pigeons.
So far this season the brothers have topped the very strong Dromore HPS seven times, the Section four times and now an NIPA Open to add, which must rate as one of the their best starts ever to a racing season will also add that the loft also finished 8th and 13th Open in the Fermoy 5 Bird and this out of 5 entries. Talking with Philip following his success, he was busy working with the youngsters, and like for many fanciers they are proving hard work. This period of time between the latter part of the O/Birds and educating the youngsters can be a stressful one for the fancier especially the working one and compounded on top of that if you get a week or two of bad weather. Philip has never raced the youngsters on Darkness, choosing to see it as a period of education rather than competitiveness. Although when I first scribed about this loft back in 2007/08, it was the performances of the young birds that where making the headlines particularly the young hens that where winning a power of Sections within the NIPA and what surprised me at that stage was Philip never raced Hens as Old Birds opting for the Widowhood Cocks, once again work was the main and overruling reason for this. Philip being a Manager within the building game, sees him now with just not the same level of pressure he certainly had during the housing boom back in those days and even though it’s still a stressful and very demanding job, a bit more time is now available for the Old Hens to be raced and what a difference they are making. In my experience of covering many top lofts in Northern Ireland, the hens are the harder of the two to motivate asking Philip had he any secret, simply I spend time with them was his reply.
As many of you will be aware the basis of the success story is there excellent family of Willy van Herck pigeons, simply Philip & Joe have the cream so much so they have bred ones to go back to Willy’s loft in Belgium. The latest winner ’Bijou’ is 100% Van Herck, you will have read her record so far as a Yearling this being after only four races as a youngster. The Dam is the impeccable ’Kliene 96’ and the Sire ’Karelske’ between them they have bred 7 x 1st Section Winners, “Karelske” was himself a winner of 9 x 1st in Belgium before coming to the Boal lofts in Dromore. When you look at the performances of the Fermoy Open Winner coming from this pair and taking into consideration her success with the INFC and the Yearling Hens race from Rosscarbery, her full sister last year as a yearling ’Nishi’ firstly in the build-up 2nd Club, 2nd Section D against 2838 pigeons, in the Yearling Hens National 1st Club, 1st Section D and 2nd Open against 1,699 pigeons and then Fermoy 5 Bird 3rd Section D and 7th Open against 2,488 pigeons. AWESOME.
Extended congratulations to both Philip and Joe, Joe of course staying very clear of the limelight but as Philip has claimed on every occasion possible Joe a sufferer of Pigeon Lung never fails to be at the loft on race days and has an active input in the day to day running of the loft to which Phil is very grateful.
Now having just recently put together an article on Jeff Greenaway, the current NIPA Section D Fancier of the Year with the headline, Simply - One of the Best !! and a truer word can’t be spoken. As reported earlier in this article, this is now the third time Jeff has finished 2nd Open NIPA this season alone, add that to the overall amount of times the loft has had the same fate, simply I can’t put a figure on it, I recall first writing an article about Jeff Greenaway in 2005, up till then he was a winner of 36 x 1st Section D and the year previous (2004) he finished 2nd Open NIPA on 5 occasions, so I think the up and coming article with the aforementioned title is very fitting.
The latest super star to grace his loft now named “The Bridesmaid” contains the bloodlines from two of his friends within the pigeon sport namely Andre Roodhooft the legendary Emperor of Belgium who supplied the Dam and Mr Ian Gibb NIPA Section D O/Bird Fancier of the Year co-owner of the Gibb & Byrne Stud who supplied the Sire a stunner of a Dark Cock, admired by all that see him. “The Bridesmaid” a Blue Pied hen is a stunning article and you won’t be surprised to learn that this is the same pigeon that finished 2nd Open in the Yearling Hens National, so yes twice 2nd Open in two weeks.
Consistency at the highest level just not this season but now for a number of years, Jeff having joined the Dromore HPS in 2009 from the Hills & Maze has been top prize winner every year to date, very well done on your continued success Jeff and the latest article on this top loft should be in the pigeon books over the next few weeks.
NIPA 1st OPEN DELIGHT for Spence Bros -
The NIPA opted to replace the Cross-Channel Bude event with an inland race from Rosscarbery. It turned out an excellent race for the father and son team from Lisburn namely Brian & Roy Spence a loft that has scored many good results from Bude over the years there team where obviously geared to do the business this season again and never failed even from the change of race point. They timed there good yearling Black hen to record a velocity of 1755ypm winning 1st Club, 1st Section D and 1st Open NIPA. She was sent over due on eggs a favoured winning condition for the loft with a small youngster slipped prior to basketing. This hen has scored previously, twice in fact from Talbenny in South Wales winning 9th Club & 43rd Section first time around and 1st Club, 5th Section D & 15th Open the second time around and was one of the favoured ones for Bude had the race been from there. She is bred down from a pair that are producing the goods containing the top Soontjen and Flor Engles bloodlines. Very well done gents on your NIPA Open success.
2nd Section D and 6th Open NIPA topping the Glenavy HPS is the ever consistent Ian Gibb & Sons, what a year they are having also currently one of the top competing lofts in Section D of the NIPA as they look to retain their title of NIPA Section D O/Bird Fancier of the Year. Ian and Peter timed at 3.22pm recording a velocity of 1742ypm in the clock this week is a Mealy cock the best of their Stickers Donckers this one a winner last year of 1st Club, 4th Section D & 5th Open NIPA Tullamore. The Gibb loft had a smashing race putting no less than 5 pigeons in the first 133 of the NIPA Open Result with 8,631 pigeons competing and as reported last week have bred numerous top pigeons this year for fellow fanciers including a Combine, Federation, and NIPA Open winner, not to forget a few runner-ups too.
3rd Section D and 1st Club Dromore HPS and finishing 7th Open NIPA you have the inform loft yet again of Jeff Greenaway, simply he can do no wrong this season and congratulations must be given for his and his father’s continuing hard, work I have a feeling it will only be a matter of time before he wins first Open NIPA. In this race what a team performance remembering you can only nominate 30 in the Club. Jeff finished 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th & 21st Section D with 76 lofts sending 1,164 pigeons these said winning pigeons finished 7th, 13th, 19th, 20th & 91st Open respectively with 8,631 pigeons competing, as I mentioned in my Fermoy report earlier in this article, a loft profile will be in the papers shortly on the electrifying Jeff Greenaway.
5th Section D and 1st Club Derriaghy for the umpteenth time this season is Ricky McCullough who is having an equally impeccable year to date. Ricky timed at 3.23pm flying 239 miles. This week’s winner yet again a Ian Gibb Special this a Dark Cheq cock, direct from the Ian Gibb & Sons Widowhood loft. An exceptional racer to date and you expect nothing else from the Gibb outfit if he isn’t doing the winning himself the pigeons are doing it for others, Ricky’s winner this week can add 1st Club, 5th Section D and 14th Open NIPA to its increasing CV which includes 12th Section D and 48th Open Yearling cocks National; 10th Section and 26th Open NIPA Roscrea. Well done Ricky.
8th Section D and 21st Open NIPA see’s yet again a father and son team in the name of Doonan from Dromore, once again a loft starting to put some positions together over the last number of weeks. Wayne Doonan and his father have been covered over recent weeks by fellow Scribe Ronnie Johnston on their achievements to date and no doubt they will have a very strong team of youngsters ready for the fourth coming Y/Bird Season.
The I Rollins & Son team from the very strong and competitive Hills & Maze HPS are next best in 9th Section D and 26th Open NIPA, what a year Clyde is having. Having reported on this loft already on a few occasions in the O/Birds the loft can be very pleased in their over-all O/Bird Campaign. Well done Clyde. Completing the Top 10 from Rosscarbery we have the loft of L Magee & Son of the Lisburn & District HPS, a loft that certainly needs no introductions and full praise to Jack who many regard as a very astute fancier, simply when Jack puts his mind to it, he will be hard to beat any week and credit must go to the sound team of family pigeons that have been created and crafted over the years with Jack and his late father Len. Well done Jack and keep up the good work.
On closing once again thanks for the all the emails and messages over the last few weeks as we head to the end of the NIPA O/Bird Campaign, your kind words and comments are greatly appreciated. With the Y/Bird season approaching I would ask all my old contacts and indeed any new ones to forward any detail you have reference Club or personal performance that you feel are not getting the due publicity and I will do my best to cover in the weekly columns, there are a number of scribes working now in various areas doing a sterling job, but past experience doing the Press Jobs myself has taught me that even going to extreme lengths you still can’t get it all done, and a lot of that is down to lack of info coming from some areas. So more now than at any time with the mobile and internet revolution there can be little excuse with most mobiles able to take high quality photos and having internet access, even its your mate that has won the Club send a photo through with some detail of the winning pigeon simple as that to any email address below or send as a message to the mobile numbers. Well regards for now and the best of luck to all in the French events.
Adie McCormick
Email celestiallofts@aol.com
Tele 07921 883997
http://www.pigeonnetwork.com
The winning NIPA Fermoy 5 Bird Open Winner 'Bijou' For P & J Boal Dromore.
Ricky McCullough was yet again the winner of Derriaghy with one sourced from Ian
Gibb & Son.
Clyde Rollins had yet another good result with the Hills & Maze HPS.
The Gibb men continue to produce winner just not For themselves including this
week but for various other fanciers also.
Karelske sire of the 5 Bird Fermoy Open Winner for P & J Boal already himself a winner of
9 x 1st's and Sire of 7 x 1st Section.
Nishi full sister to P & J Boals NIPA Fermoy Winner herself winner of 7th Open last
year in the same race and 2nd Open in the Hens Yearling National.