Crowning Glory For A Novice

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KINGS CUP SUCCESS FOR YOUNG GEOFFREY

This particular piece has been retyped by one of our pigeonnetwork.com editorial team in the interests of promoting the sport of pigeon racing in Ireland with Ronnie Johnstons approval which dates back to September 2007, for the enjoyment of our many loyal members around the world who don't have access to the Racing Pigeon Weekly or the monthly Racing Pigeon Pictorial. Homer.

In 1980 the headlines in all the pigeon publications went something like this: Crowning Glory for a novice; A Dream Come True. The young Geoffrey Douglas of Lurgan caused something of a surprise by winning the INFC Kings Cup from Les Sables at a distance of 584 miles. This was Geoffrey’s third attempt to win the Kings Cup and now he can take his place among the greats in Irish pigeon racing.

A few days after the 1980 Kings Cup race from Les Sables I made a 30 mile journey to Lurgan and received a warm welcome from the Douglas family. The following is my report, first published in The Racing Pigeon August 1980.

Irish National Double for Lurgan

The two Irish National races flown to date have proved a great double for members of the Queens Club, Lurgan with McCarron Bros & McAlindon winning 1st Open Penzance Yearling National and G Douglas taking 1st Open Kings Cup Les Sables OB National.

The Kings Cup Blue Riband of Irish Pigeon Racing was flown from Les Sables, France on Saturday 5th July after a one day hold-over. The Kings Cup has been flown from Rennes for the past few years and the entry in 1979 from this point was 2,859 a record for the INFC. The AGM decided to move again in distance and Les Sables was selected adding more than 100 miles to most lofts. The Channel racing before the National was very mixed and a great deal of good pigeons were lost with the result that the final entry for Les Sables was down by almost 1,000 pigeons at 1880.

The birds were liberated at 6 a.m. in a light NW wind and it was generally accepted that only day birds would be in the Dublin area. This proved to be the case, but only one pigeon was clocked on the day by a popular fancier, John O’Neill. I am told that the pigeon lost time on the roof before being clocked and he was well fancied having won 19th Open INFC Rennes in 1979.

So we in the North knew that it was going to take a game pigeon to beat this one of John’s and would need to be in the clock early second morning. Geoffrey Douglas of the Queens Club, Lurgan was the fancier who got that pigeon, a yearling blue chequer cock to make velocity of 954 ypm as against John O’Neill’s 925 ypm.

I was able to make the short journey to Lurgan and received a warm welcome from the Douglas family who were overjoyed with this wonderful success. The winning pigeon as I said before, a yearling blue chequer cock and for the second year in succession a yearling has won the Kings Cup, in 1979 it was won by the mealy hen of Tommy Speers, Dublin.

I wonder! Did any pigeon fly as much before winning the Kings Cup than this yearling, just listen to this for a race programme; Arklow twice, Wexford twice, then from the Channel, Haversfordwest twice, Penzance with the INFC Yearling National, clocked after 12 hours to win 6th club, and finally Penzance with the NIPA to win 7th Club and 34 with the New North Flying Club. The final race being Les Sables winning 1st Section, 1st Open Kings Cup plus 1,179 in pools and prizes.

I make his race mileage for 1980 close on 2,000 miles and he was sent feeding a 4 day old youngster this being his first eggs of the season, not having been paired until very late on in the season.
Now for a few details on his breeding. The sire is a blue chequer and he was bred from pigeons obtained from local fancier T Savage and Walsh & Mallon of Banbridge, former winners of the NIPA Derby. The dam is a dark chequer and she is from pigeons through Billy Yarr of Crumlin and the late Stanley Calvert who was of great help to Geoffrey in his early years in the sport.

This fancier is only 24 years of age and must be one of the youngest Kings Cup winners in the history of the sport. I am told a new loft is to be built and should be ready for the 1981 season.

The runner-up was John O’Neill of Dublin and he also wins 1st South Section making 925 ypm, plus the Gilliland Cup for the first IHU member after the winner and a total cash prize of 2,328 to add to the 400 he won in 1979. The winning pigeon is bred from birds obtained from John’s close friend and a great National flyer in his own right, Joe Doheney. Joe was to clock two birds himself in this race and is always in the prize list at this level.

The 3rd Open winner was clocked by the 1979 Fancier Of The Year, Russell Bros of Cullybackey and again this great hen has some racing record. Bred in 1977 she is from a Kenyon cock through close neighbour Sammy Smyth; he being a former winner of the French Diploma, and the one and only Tommy Harper of Ballymena. As a YB she was in the clock three times from Wexford and the INFC and NIPA Derbys from Skibbereen 265 miles. The following year she flew Penzance and then in 1979 won the 13th Open Rennes plus 288.

This year she scored 2nd Cub from Haverfordwest before going on to win 2nd Sect, 3rd Open INFC Les Sables vel 921 ypm plus the Nelson Vase for the first RPRA after the winner and 2,080 in prize and pool money. This lovely hen also won in the show and pen gaining 1st YH at Kells in 1977, 2nd INFC Open Show in 1979 plus winning her class and BIS at Randalstown Open Show.

Fourth Open winner is also another great racing hen clocked by B Tremlett of Annalong and she has already won 1st Open NIPA Weymouth and before going to Les Sables 1st club Haversfordwest. The velocity was 916 ypm and cash winnings 1,121. The 5th Open winner is not new to National winning being a past winner of the Harkness Rose Bowl and was 4th Open Rennes in 1976, the fanciers in question, Savage Bros of Castledawson. This pigeon was 24th Open Rennes in 1979 and won 527 to add to the 900 she wins in 1980.

B McMurray of Larne took 6th Open vel 892 ypm again well fancied to win 693. On my way to Lurgan I called to see the 7th Open winner, a 2yo red chequer cock clocked by Kennedy & Wells of Moira to win 421. This is a beautiful cock and contains the blood of those two top Moira lofts, Downey & Dodds and Kennedy & Swail.

Other highlights from the race, the famous McCartney Bros of Moira clocked three pigeons and will win two Hall of Fame awards with two of them, this is a record for any loft to win two Hall of Fames in the same year. the equally famous Smyth Bros of Ballymena, also clocked three birds as did the Russell Bros of Cullybackey. The East Down Combine Cup will be won by John & Jean Hollinger of Bangor; The Harkness Rose Bowl, Best 2 bird Average to the ever consistent Spence Bros of Lisburn, this loft also win the Ulster Federation Trophy. McCartney Bros of Moira won the Robinson cup for 14th Open. The Ervine Trophy Best Average Beauvais and Les Sables won in Cullybackey by great fancier Jimmy Anderson.

Only 154 birds were recorded over the three day race leaving 16 prizes not won.

The partnership winning the Yearling National are two brothers and brother in-law, something of a family affair and they have enjoyed success over a number of years at National level. The winning pigeon is a dark chequer hen Stichelbaut breeding and the parents were purchased from Johnny Geary of Lurgan who obtained them from B Miles. She was very well fancied and made a velocity of 959 ypm to prove a clear winner, total cash winnings 1,485.

When racing as O & E McCarron they won 4th Open in this same race with a blue cock Delbar/Fabry and a half sister of this pigeon won for them a color TV from Skibbereen YB with the INFC. McCarron in 1980 went on to set a National record by winning this National race for the second year in succession in 1981.

Geoffrey Douglas has established himself as one of Ireland’s top fanciers wit many top performances at the highest level but nothing will compare to the excitement that the Kings Cup victory generated in the Douglas family.