The final race of the Nipa pigeon racing season was flown on Friday 13th September. The birds were liberated at 10.00am in southerly winds and a fast race followed. Best two birds at the top of the Cullybackey Centre sheet belonged to the loft on form Bertie Blair of Ballymena & District. Bertie timed two birds at 14.09pm to win 1st & 2nd Mid Antrim Combine, 2nd & 3rd Section B and 66th & 69th Open National velocity 1741. Bertie's first bird a cheq cock is Sticker Doncker. The sire from Gary Gibson and the dam purchased from D C & P McArdle of Armagh is a full sister to their Nipa Skibbereen YB National winner in 2021.
Bertie's second bird a cheq cock has been racing well all season. It was his first bird last week 12th Combine & 14th Section and the week previous 1st Combine, 2nd Section & 6th Open Nipa Fermoy 5 Bird and 1st Combine, 5th Section & 16th Open 9861 birds Fermoy. The cock was in a kit of six from Delaney's O'Roory Hill Stud. The sire is Jacobs and the dam is Luc Vervoort x Philip Baadjou. Thats 4 x 1st Mid Antrim Combine wins for Bertie with the young birds this season. Top racing.
Keith & Ken Kernohan & Sons of Ballymena were next best just decimal points behind and had a great team performance with four birds in the top ten of the Combine and all four making the Nipa Open result. 4th, 7th, 12th & 13th Section and 70th, 99th, 116th & 122nd Open. Their first bird a blue hen has raced well all season having four positions in the top 20 of the Combine. She was in a kit from Delaney's O'Roory Hill Stud and is Jacobs x Van Den Bulck, their second bird again from O'Roory Hill Stud is Jacobs x Ver Voort / Baadjou. Third bird a blue cock 'Knock Out' was 41st Open Dale yb National a fortnight and the fourth bird is Dillon x Vermeerbergen. The Dillon sire was gifted to Keith last winter from O'roory Hill Stud and is a son of the Pied Piper.
Danny Dixon of Rasharkin was placed 4th Combine on 1734 with a grandson off his famous Lambrecht cock 'Champion Heartbreaker' Danny was placed 5th, 18th & 21st Section and 87th & 166th Open. Jimmy Smyth & Son had the best bird two birds in Ahoghill on 1730 & 1715 and placed 8th & 17th Section and 101st & 155th Open. Jimmy's first bird a chequer cock topped the Combine from Roscrea on week three of the young bird season and was purchased in a kit from Mark Milliken of Rasharkin. Robin Service of Ballymena was 7th Combine on 1725 and finished 11th Section & 114th Open. Sire 'Wee Rab' 1st Mid Antrim Combine Tullamore 2021 and dam a Gerard Delaney hen gifted by Davy Jackson.
Gary Gibson was best in Cullybackey on 1715 and finished 16th & 19th Section and 153rd & 171st Open. His winning hen won 1st club & 4th Combine from Fermoy and is from a son of Emperor when paired to Gary's No1 daughter of the Golden Couple. She is dam to 1st Open Nipa Bude etc. Freddie Barkley had the best bird in Rasharkin on 1704 and 22nd Section. This Lambrecht hen was winning for the second time having won 1st Kilbeggan.. Jonathan Barkley & Laura Surgenor won Kells & District on 1701 and W & W Gilbert were best in Randalstown for the second week on the trot, their winner this week Soontjen x Lambrechts.
Mid Antrim Combine Dunmanway YB National 20/208 - Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1741.89, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1741.43, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1741.27, D Dixon Rasharkin 1734, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1731, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1730, R Service & Son Ballymena 1725, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1723, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1722, G Gibson Cullybackey 1715, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1715, D Dixon Rasharkin 1712, G Gibson Cullybackey 1710, D Dixon Rasharkin 1705, F Barkley Rasharkin 1704, D Dixon Rasharkin 1701, A Barkley & Son Kells 1701, D Dixon Rasharkin 1694, G Gibson Cullybackey 1686, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1685, G Gibson Cullybackey 1677, G Gibson Cullybackey 1677, R Service & Son Ballymena 1670, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1668, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1668, A Barkley & Son Kells 1667, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1667, Steele & McNeill Rasharkin 1667, A Barkley & Son Kells 1667, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1666.
Mid Antrim Combine YB Points - Gary Gibson Cullybackey 399, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 397, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 374 , Blair & Rankin Ballymena 342, Danny Dixon Rasharkin 271, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 254. Mervyn Eagleson PO.
NIPA Section B Dunmanway YB Nat 36/324 – M & J Howard & Son Coleraine Prem 1755, Blair & Rankin Ballymena & Dis 1741, Blair & Rankin 1741, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena & Dist 1741, D Dixon Ballymoney 1734, R & J Parke Windsor Soc 1732, K & K Kernohan & Sons 1731, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1730, Fleming Bros Crumlin & Dist 1730, C McCook Ballymoney 1725.
NIPA Sect B Clubs
Ahoghill Flying Club – J Smyth & Son 1730, 1715, Young McManus & Sons 1668, J Smyth & Son 1647, Young McManus & Sons 1627, J Smyth & Son 1626.
Ballymoney HPS 9/82 – D Dixon 1734, C McCook 1725, J Connolly 1721, D & H Stuart 1720, C McCook 1716, D Dixon 1712.
Ballymena & District HPS 3/50 – Blair & Rankin 1741, 1741, K & K Kernohan & Sons 1741, 1731, R Service & Son 1725, K & K Kernohan & Sons 1723.
Cullybackey HPS – G Gibson 1715, 1710, 1686, 1677, 1677, 1642.
Crumlin & District – Fleming Bros 1730.
Kells & District HPS – A Barkley & Son 1701, 1667, 1667, 1655, 1614.
Randalstown HPS 3/20 – W & W Gilbert 1529, 1506, Stewart Bros 1366, 1263, 1213.
Rasharkin &District HPS 5/29 – F Barkley 1704, Steele & McNeill 1667, H Cubitt 1605, Steele & McNeill 1563, H Cubitt 1532, W McFetridge 1426.
Cullybackey Centre Dunmanway – Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1741, 1741, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1741, 1731, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1730, R Service & Son Ballymena 1725, K & K Kernohan & Sons 1723, 1722, G Gibson Cullybackey 1715, J Smyth & Son 1715.
Bertie Blair from Ballymena & Dist - Blair & Rankin 1st & 2nd MAC Dunmanway YB National.