The second NIPA race of the season was from Roscrea, one of the oldest Towns in Ireland situated in County Tipperary. Liberation took place on Sunday 23rd April at 10am in light north westerly winds and just like the week previous another excellent race was to follow with little or no loses. Best in the Mid Antrim Combine this week were the Young & McManus & Sons partnership from Ahoghill. Paddy & William timed their 4-year-old chequer cock at 13.06pm flying 144 miles to their Croft Lofts to record velo 1361. This cock is full brother to last week’s club winner from Tullamore plus 3rd Mid Antrim Combine. Sire is their top Karel Laenen stock cock when paired to a daughter of Danny Dixon's "Heartbreaker". A great start to the season for the McManus team. Just half a yard behind and runner up in the Combine were Johnston Eagleson & Sons of Ballymena & District on 1360. Their 2-year-old blue cock timed at 13.09pm was best in the town. Sire Van den Bulck x Hermans Custer from Trevor Simpson of York and dam Vermeerbergen from Keith Kernohan of Harryville and is from one of Keith's top stock cocks "Speedy" . A brother and a sister of the dam won 1st Club & 2nd Section Fermoy and 1st Club & 2nd Section Corrin for Keith. Shane Johnston timed two good birds in Harryville at 13.13pm to record 1343 & 1342. His winning yearling mealy cock won 1st Club and 3rd section from Roscrea last season and was bred by good friend Gary Gibson and is down from his Golden Couple. Next best and 3rd & 4th Combine was Gary Gibson of Cullybackey with two birds doing 1339. Gary timed a yearling mealy widowhood hen from his Donckers family. Around the other clubs and Harry Boyd had the top 3 in Kells & Dist on 1332 and was winning for the second week. Last week’s 1st Combine winner Harold Cubitt was 1st & 2nd in Rasharkin for the second week on the trot, timing two widowhood cocks both bred by Jimmy Smyth of Ahoghill. Harold's racing 16 widowhood cocks this season and has them going well. Stewart Bros were the best in Randalstown on 1315 with a cheq hen winning her second race. Breeding is Sticker Donckers x Peter Martin, and Mark Neilly was best in Broughshane on 1244 with a 2-year-old blue cock bred off a cock gifted to him by Jonny Simpson when paired to a hen bred from Van Mechelen pigeons he purchased from Paddy McManus in 2015. Mervyn Eagleson PO. Mid Antrim Combine reminder – We need four lofts from each club to compete in the Champions League and a list of competing lofts in each local club for OB League and OB Knock-out competition. Mervyn Eagleson PO.
Mid Antrim Combine Roscrea 51/1445 - Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1361.22, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1360.75, G Gibson Cullybackey 1338, G Gibson Cullybackey 1339, S Crawford Harryville 1334, D Dixon Rasharkin 1334, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1333, H Boyd Kells 1332, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1329, H Boyd Kells 1327, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1324, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1323, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1321, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1321, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1321, S Crawford Harryville 1321, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1321, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1320, D Dixon Rasharkin 1319, D Dixon Rasharkin 1317, D Dixon Rasharkin 1317, S Crawford Harryville 1317, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1315, Stewart Bros Randalstown 1315, S Crawford Harryville 1314, S Crawford Harryville 1312, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1311, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1311, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1310, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1310, H Boyd Kells 1308, S Crawford Harryville 1308, R H Clements Harryville 1307, S Crawford Harryville 1307, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1307, Mr & Mrs Robinson Ahoghill 1307, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1305, R H Clements Harryville 1303, G Gibson Cullybackey 1302, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1301.
MAC Clubs Roscrea.
Ahoghill Flying Club 8/359 – Young McManus & Sons 1361, 1324, 1322, 1321, 1301, T & G Balmer 1301.
Ballymena & District HPS 3/124 – J Eagleson & Sons 1360, 1333, 1329, 1323, Blair & Rankin 1321, J Eagleson & Sons 1320.
Broughshane & District 4/114 – M Neilly 1244, 1236, A Purvis 1222, 1206, J Getty 1162, D Houston & Son 1149.
Cullybackey HPS 11/311 – G Gibson 1339, 1339, M/M Robinson 1305, G Gibson 1302, 1294, M/M Robinson 1290.
Harryville HPS 9/269 – S Johnston & Son 1343, 1342, Sam Crawford 1334, S Johnston & Son 1324, Sam Crawford 1321, 1317.
Kells & District HPS 7/159 – Harry Boyd 1332, 1327, 1308, B Swann & Son 1300, Gregg Bros 1290, Surgenor Bros 1288.
Randalstown HPS 7/145 – Stewart Bros 1315, J Millar 1290, 1276, 1268, Smylie Bros 1260, Stewart Bros 1248.
Rasharkin & District 7/111 – H Cubitt 1321, 1307, 1290, 1289, 1264, F Barkley 1264.
NIPA Section B Roscrea 86/2486 - Sam & Norman Maginty Muckamore 1387, Young McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1361, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1360, McConville Bros Crumlin 1358, Sam & Norman Maginty 1357, 1356, 1356, T Patterson & Son Muckamore 1353, S & J Bones and T Yates Muckamore 1351, 1343.
Young McManus & Sons from Ahoghill 1st MAC.