Skibbereen Classic - Sunday May 18

[willie reynolds]

D Croskery & Son win Fed from Skibbereen Classic.

The East Down Combine held their annual Joe Ringland Skibbereen Classic on Sunday 18 May. The race was originally scheduled for the Saturday but in a weekend that saw a lot of bad weather the weather on Saturday never cleared sufficiently to allow a race. Sunday again started off overcast and wet but this was clearing away and by 10am there were clear skies and good visibility both at the race point and on the route home. As such the birds were liberated in a southwesterly wind which turned southerly and then southeasterly on the way home.

At the home end there was bright sunshine from about noon and everything looked prosperous for a good race. Indeed the early arrivals were very much on their time with the early pigeons timing in less than five hours. The winner of the East Down Combine is the irrepressible John Patterson, Ballylesson who had three birds in the top ten of the Open. This is two weeks in a row that John has topped the Combine. Other pigeons seemed to run into some difficulty with a band of rain spreading to the east coast of Ireland, which left returns a bit patchy, particularly along the coast.

The winners of the South Down Federation are the Annsborough lofts of D Croskery & Son who had four birds in the Fed result with all four taking section and Open positions. I mentioned earlier that John Paterson had won the East Down Combine race last week from Mallow, ironically from that race the Croskerys were the South Down Fed winners. On that occasion they were 6th section, 8th Open, this week their first bird is 1st section, 6th Open. From this race last year the Croskerys were the Open winners.

The sire of the winning pigeon this week is the bird that was 3rd Open from the Portsmouth National in 2007, while the dam was 6th Open in the Lamballe Derby in the same year.

Their second bird is 5th South Down Fed, 7th section, 38th Open and is last year’s Classic winner. This three-year-old hen is from the birds they obtained from Rodney and Jason Walker, Killyleagh. This bird was timed in the Wadebridge Young Bird National in 2006, and in the Yearling National from Sennan Cove in 2007. The grand dam on the dam’s side is a nest mate of the Walker’s Yearling National winner, while the sire is a grandson of the Yearling National winner. This bird is well and truly bred for the big occasion.

The third pigeon timed by the Croskerys takes 7th Fed, 9th section, 43rd Open. This pigeon is a nest mate of their first bird.

Their fourth pigeon is 9th Fed, 13th section, 54th Open, and is three-year-old De Klak hen that has won Feds both as a young bird and as a yearling.

Annsborough’s Mickey Croskery is second Fed and has another bird at tenth in the Fed result. His first bird is 3rd section, 10th Open. This bird was 7th Open in the Skibbereen Young Bird Derby last year. The sire is a Walter De Richt while the dam is the hen that was 6th Open Lamballe for D Croskery & Son.

Mickey’s second pigeon is a 10th Fed, 14th section, 57th Open and is a two-year-old De Klak hen. It’s a daughter of the ‘Provence’ cock and a sister of the bird that was 2nd club 5th Fed from Mallow.

J Maguire & Ptrs Dundrum always seem to have their birds in form for the major races and this week they are 3rd Fed, 5th section, 17th Open. Keith and Josie’s pigeon is a two-year-old Willy Van Herck hen from P & J Boal, Dromore. This bird was 1st club Mallow the previous week and was their fancied pigeon on the day to pick up the Nom in the Fed.

Annsborough’s R McDowell & Son, another name for the big occasion is 4th Fed, 6th section and 38th Open. The pigeon timed here is a three-year-old cock, with the sire coming from Joe McGreevy Crossgar and the dam from Lecky Bros and Davies. This bird has been a consistent racer and has picked up a few prizes at club and Fed level.

M Croskery & Son Annsborough are 6th Fed, 8th section, 42nd Open to see al the Croskerys in the Fed result. This yearling cock is out of the ‘Broken Wing’ cock obtained from D Croskery & Son and a hen from Mr & Mrs Girvan Newry.

The result is completed by Noel Maguire Annsborough who is 8th Fed, 12th section, 52nd Open. The pigeon timed here is a yearling hen with the sire being a Van Wildermeersch and the dam a Pros Roosen from James Cleland.

Full Result: 1, D Croskery & Son Annsborough 1468; 2, M Croskery Annsborough 1453; 3, J Maguire & Ptrs Dundrum 1433 Nom £28; 4, R McDowell & Son 1387.4; 5, D Croskery & Son 1387.0; 6, M Croskery & Son Annsborough 1385; 7, D Croskery & Son 1384; 8, N Maguire Annsborough 1368; 9, D Croskery & Son 1367; M Croskery 1362:

• Pool race this week from Talbenny
• £2 Nom from Skibbereen National
• The Quarter Finals of the Loft KO to be flown from Talbenny this weekend are; 1, S Halpin & Sons v S Milligan & Dtr; 2, D McNabb & Ptrs v P Brown; 3, D Croskery & Son v J Cleland; 4, M Croskery v A Murray & Son:


Result Of May Day race flown on 4th May.

1, 2, J Newell Annalong 2045 D £69.50, 2024 D £42.70; 3, McLoughlin Bros Annalong 2020 £15; 4, J Newell 2009 D £21.80; 5, 6, McLoughlin Bros 2007 ABC £27; 2002 ABC £19; 7, K Rooney & Son Annalong 1988 £6; 8, 9, 10, S Halpin & Sons 1980 £6, 1979 £5, 1968 £5; D Croskery & Son Annsborough 1904 ABC £8; A McNamara & Ptrs Nom £8.
Thanks to Patrick Brown for transporting the pigeons and for his very generous sponsorship of the race.

Brendan McLoughlin PO