1st Open Dinard & Winner of Miller Gold Cup
The Crack of a rifle, the ping of a bullet, the deafening sound of an explosion, neighbours and friends moving home; you don’t get a medal for guessing I’m writing about Belfast. Thomas Stronge who lives in the Oldpark area of Belfast has endured all of these things and is now the 1973 winner of the famous Miller Gold Cup for the first IHU member to clock in the O/Bird Derby. He also gets the News of the World Cup, the Dixon Cup and a Gold Medal, but he deserves another medal for keeping pigeons at all. He lives in a troubled area of the city where most of his neighbours have left home leaving scores of empty houses. Its quite an eerie place now, sometimes the deafening silence is broken by an explosion or gunfire but a love for his home and his pigeons has kept Tomas Stronge’s heart going.
Thomas Stronge of Belfast holding the winner of the O/B Derby from Dinard with the Ulster Federation.
He has a neat little 14ft x 6ft loft perched on the yard wall in which he winters some 30 birds. He keeps them scrupulously clean and wouldn’t have it any other way and has had some success with his birds at the distance i.e. 25th Nantes, 35th Nantes, 7th Open St Malo to name 3. To these he has now added the coveted 1st Open Dinard Trophy.
The winner is a nice 2 year-old Blue Cheq Hen sent to the race sitting eggs 13 days, only her third race of the season. Her other races were the first 2 of the programme since when she has been trained privately with many single up tosses. Thomas fancied her strongly, she was his only entry in the race. On the day of the race he went with some friends to Carrick and on the way home called to see Tommy Cairns, the 1972 Kings Cup winner, and came back via the mountain to call with McClurkin Bros, past Fed winners from Dinard. Neither of the fanciers where about, so they decided to head for home but didn’t expect birds until about 5 o’clock.
Blue Cheq Hen, winner of 1st Open Ulster Federation and the first IHU pigeon timed to win the Miller Gold Cup for Thomas Stronge of Belfast.
On reaching the waste ground beside the house Thomas, wide eyed and open mouthed, just couldn’t believe his eyes because sitting on the trap was his Blue Cheq Hen. The yard door was locked, the front door was locked and he had forgotten his key but with the minutes ticking by he eventually got in and timed the bird with time to spare. Heaven knows how long she was there.
Her Sire, a Blue Cock was purchased direct from Kenyon and he has won Eyesign Shows all over the place i.e. Kings Hal, West Belfast Fed but he’s not a show bird and can do a bit of racing having won 25th Open Nantes. His brother has won 35th Open Nantes and another daughter has won 7th Open St Malo so he’s no slouch. Dam of the Miller Gold Cup winner is also a winner – a Blue Cheq bred from a hen of Tommy Harper’s of Ballymena. So she was certainly bred for the job.
The fancier is a credit to the sport of pigeon racing and a glowing example of what a sportsman really is. He has come through many hazards, keeps only a small team, has sent one bird to the O/Bird Derby, and won it. What more can I say? Thomas Stronge you deserve it and more.