The popular Mid Antrim Combine was formed 45 years ago by the late Davy Campbell of Harryville to give some publicity and note performance by local lofts in the Ballymena Area. Founder members were Ballymena & District, Harryville, Ballymena Championship, Kells & District, Ahoghill, Cullybackey and Broughshane. In later years Rasharkin and Randalstown were added along with New Antrim when they moved their base to Ballymena. The Ballymena Championship and New Antrim Amal clubs have now closed.
Over its long history many top awards have been won including Kings Cups for Alan Darragh and Jimmy Greer and members have won at the highest level in the NIPA with a big list od Derby and National 1sts and many 1st as well achieved in the all-Ireland Irish Nat Flying Club. Numerous Fancier of the Year awards have been won in the NIPA including in Sect B, and also the Northern Ireland Fancier of the Year award on occasions.
A few years back some clubs dropped out and one has returned, for 2022 racing I intend to invite the others to return. The vast majority already compete in MAC, either through their member club or as Individual Member. We need all the clubs themselves to be members to take part in the famous Champions League. The fees at the present time are £3 for each club or £3 for Individual Member, club members not wishing to compete can opt out. There will be no membership fee necessary for members attached to member clubs. The major problem over recent seasons is no longer relevant and the sport of pigeon racing should be enjoyed by all the local lofts, it was set up as a bit of fun and that should be the policy used to determine the future.
The Champions League winners over the years are as follows.
2008 R H Clements Harryville, 2009 D Dixon Rasharkin, 2010 M Graham Ballymena, 2011 S Miller Randalstown, 2012 Reid Bros & McCloy Cullybackey, 2013 A Darragh Cullybackey, 2014 Steele & McNeill Rasharkin, 2015 D Dixon Rasharkin, 2016 J & M Milliken Rasharkin, 2017 D Dixon Rasharkin, 2018 J & M Milliken Rasharkin, 2019 Mr & Mrs Robinson Ahoghill 2019, 2020 D Dixon Rasharkin, 2021 Mr & Mrs Robinson Ahoghill.
It was always intended the boundary for competition would be a Ballymena address only and that was the way it worked initially. When New Antrim joined some dispensation was given regarding a few lofts racing in Antrim but no more were to be added. I expect the Ballymena address will be added to the Rules at the first opportunity of holding an AGM, this matter has been pending. Any changes made in the future are not retrospective which means that all the members in each club irrespective of not meeting the Ballymena address change will be able to remain in the MAC. If the clubs that left come back it will be with its full membership, that’s all lofts racing locally with none left out!
Mid Antrim Combine – Rules to apply from 2017
1. Majority vote in each club to secure MAC Club Membership, before application in writing to MAC Secretary.
2. Management Committee MAC – 2 Delegates from each member club.
3. Associate Members welcome from eligible clubs that were former members in the MAC.
4. Fees for 2017 – Clubs £3.00, Associate Members £5.00. Fees set at each AGM.
5. AGM – The Annual Meeting to take place in middle of March each year.
6. Officials to be elected annually, to include Chairman, Secretary & RPRA Delegates.
7. Accounts to be approved at each AGM.
8. Diplomas to be issued for winner of each race INFC & NIPA (Only 1 Diploma per loft).
9. The published result will be Member Club x 3.
10. Best results each year to be submitted to RPRA (Irish Region) for their consideration.
11. INFC Trophy to be calculated on Points.
12. Cup & Trophies for competition by Clubs & Membership as listed.
Old Bird Inland Average, Cross Channel Average, Old Bird Average, McIlhagga Memorial Cup for 1st MAC in NIPA Old Bird Nat, B Eagleson Memorial Cup best average Talbenny (1) & (2), Bude & Penzance, Tommy Shanks Memorial Cup Old Bird of the Year, Les Mairs Old Bird Fancier of the Year, Herbison Young Bird Average, New North Cup best average Bude OB & Talbenny YB, Parker Cup Combined Average, INFC Cup and Young Bird of the Year.
Club Points Shield for Old Birds & Young Birds, Champions League, and Old Bird & Young Bird Individual Loft Knock-Out.
Added at 2019 AGM - Former member clubs intending to re-join MAC will have an opt-out clause in respect of Individual Members, not wishing to compete in the MAC Competition.
For 2022 meeting, a change status of the Eagleson Memorial Cup to cross channel races flown in the season (Excluding France).
Over time, a number of cups were presented for competition, and that included a number of memorial awards for some of the highly respected flyers in the area. The Billy McIlhagga Cup is for first local bird in the NIPA France OB National, Les Mairs Cup for the OB Fancier of the Year, Bryan Eagleson Cup for Best Ave Talbenny, Bude & Penzance, Stewart Herbison Cup for YB Average, Ken Parker Cup for Combined Average and the latest Tommy Shanks Cup for Old Bird of the Year. They are remembered every single year.
Mid Antrim Combine 2021 Awards updates -
OB Inland Average - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena, Cross Channel Average - A C & T Tweed Rasharkin 1073, OB Average - A C & T Tweed Rasharkin 1208, Mid Antrim Combine Meritorious Award best average 2nd Talbenny & Penzance - W & J Smyth Ballymena, Bryan Eagleson Memorial Cup - Best Average 1st & 2nd Talbenny, Bude & Penzance - Mr & Mrs Robinson Ahoghill, William McIlhagga Memorial Cup - 1st Combine OB Derby - McAlonan Bros Cullybackey, Les Mairs Memorial Cup - OB Points Fancier Of The Year - Young, McManus & Sons Ahoghill, Champions League - Mr & Mrs Robinson Ahoghill, OB Knock Out - Mr & Mrs Robinson Ahoghill, New North Cup - Best average Bude & Talbenny YB National - D Dixon Rasharkin, Adams Cup - National Points Cup - D Dixon Rasharkin, Herbinson Cup - YB Average - D Dixon Rasharkin, YB Points - D Dixon Rasharkin, T Shanks Memorial Cup - Old bird of the year -, Young bird of the year -, YB Club Points Shield -, OB Club Points Shield -, Parker Cup - Combined Average - No Winner, YB Knock Out - No Competition. Winner OB of the year Young McManus & Sons Ahoghill GB19A07737 - 44 Points - 1st, 2nd, 7th & 10th Combine. YB of the year Gary Gibson Cullybackey GB21C05611 - 41 Points - 1st, 1st & 5th Combine. All cups and trophies need to be returned to be engraved, prior to presentation along with winning Diplomas.
We need to be looking to the future of local racing when we will need to be depending on and helping each other, with membership in many clubs getting down to single figures and a lot of elderly members and those with ill health. In the not-too-distant future we will be getting collected as one group, collection of a few crates at each individual club will be a thing of the past. Homer.
Mr & Mrs Robinson have won the MAC Champions League for Ahoghill twice in the last three seasons, in 2019 and again in 2021. Rosie presents the award won in 2019.