Fermoy - 08/05/10

[willie reynolds]

SOUTH DOWN FEDERATION with Brendan McLoughlin

Noel Maguire Tops the South Down Federation

The East Down Combine pigeons were in Fermoy in County Cork for their fifth race of the season on Saturday 8 May. We have been very fortunate with the weather so far and this week was no different, although colder than of late it was still bright and sunny. The birds were liberated at 10.30am in a north-north-east wind, which was going to give a very steady race.
The race provided the birds with over four hours on the wing which many fanciers like before the hit the Classics and channel. The first birds timed were at 2.50pm in Annalong with the South Down Fed winner timed just after 3pm in Annsborough.
The winner of the South Down Fed this week is Annsborough’s Noel Maguire who is having a superb season. Noel takes a very creditable 2nd section, 5th Open East Down Combine. This is the second week in a row that Noel has been 5th Open, which is very consistent racing, and has led him to be third in both the Open and East section Old Bird Inland Championships. I can’t emphasize enough just how good this is as Noel only has 8 old bird racers and two of those haven’t started yet.

The winning pigeon is the same bird that was 5th Open last week and was 5th section, 8th Open three weeks ago from Tullamore and is already a strong contender for the Old Bird of the Year award. The pigeon timed here is again from Bob McMeekin, Mossvale and is a Van Rijn yearling hen.

James Cleland Annsborough is another fancier whose birds are showing good form at the moment. This week James is 2nd and 3rd South Down Fed, 6th and 7th section and 17th and 19th Open. As I have said before James main interest lies in the races from France and only keeps a small team of sprinters for a bit of interest in the inland races. This team of sprinters is based on Pros Roosen pigeons obtained from Martin Flynn, Drumaness and Soontjens from Maurice Alexander, Harryville. It is from these two families that James’ two birds originate this week and both are yearling hens.

Annsborough’s D Croskery & Son also have two birds in the Fed result this week at 4th and 10th. The first of these is also 8th section, 28th Open while the second bird timed is 18th section. The bird at 4th Fed is a yearling cock that has had a few minor positions. It is a son of the good ‘02’ cock when paired to his own half sister, a daughter of the ‘Bolden’ cock.

Dominic and Dolen’s second pigeon is a half De Klak, half Walker, Killyleagh and is the same way bred as their Joe Ringland Classic winner two years ago. This two-year-old cock has had seven different positions at Fed level.

Patrick McCartan Annsborough continues his run of form and has also has two birds in the result at 5th and 7th Fed. These two birds feature in the East Down Combine result at 9th and 13th section, 29th and 37th Open. Both birds are Soontjens from McKinstry Bros Dromara, whose birds form the backbone of Patrick’s loft. The first bird is a yearling hen while the bird taking 7th Fed is a yearling cock that was 7th Fed from 1st Mount Charles.

Annsborough’s Michael Jennings another fancier having a good season is 6th Fed this week as well as 10th section, 32nd Open. The pigeon timed here is a four-year-old latebred cock, unraced as a yearling, then given a few races as a two-year-old and then stopped again until this year. The breeding is De Klak from D Croskery & Son x Staf Van Reet.

Annalong’s K Rooney & Son complete the result with two birds at 8th and 9th Fed. They are also 14th and 16th section, 38th and 40th Open. The first of these is a two-year-old Soontjens cock that was injured last year and taken off the road and restored to fitness for this year. Their second pigeon is a yearling Cooremans hen that has had three previous Fed positions and two Open positions.

Full Result: 1, N Maguire Annsborough; 2, 3, J Cleland Annsborough 1162.3, 1162.1; 4, D Croskery & Son Annsborough 1157; 5, P McCartan Annsborough 1156; 6, M Jennings Annsborough 1154; 7, P McCartan 1152; 8, 9, K Rooney & Son Annalong 1151.6, 1151.3; 10, D Croskery & Son 1149:

• DTW resumes this week from Fermoy.
• Pool race this week from Fermoy
• Draw for 3rd round of the Old bird Knock Out; McLoughlin Bros v Mr & Mrs Irvine; W Hardy & Son v R McKibbin; A Murray & Son v R McDowell & Son; B McConnell v M Croskery; N Maguire v D McNabb & Ptrs; P McCartan v J Cleland; P Brown v S Halpin & Sons; G & B Feenan v K Rooney & Son:

• The committee and members offer their sympathies to the Toner family, Castlewellan on the recent death of Roseleen, mother of Liam and Andy, and to the Toner family Annsborough and Ballykinlar on the death of former member John Joe Toner.

Result of May Day race flown on 3rd May 2010
1, 2, M Croskery Annsborough1206 £35, 1203.3 £25; 3, P Brown & Son Annsborough 1203.1 £15; 4, S Halpin & Sons Tyrella 1200 £12; 5, R McDowell & Son Annsborough 1193 ABCDNom £79; 6, 7, M Jennings Annsborough 1189.37 £10, 1189.37 ABCD £42.80; 8, D Croskery & Son Annsborough 1189.29 £8; 9, M Jennings 1189.20 £7; 10, D Croskery & Son 1189.12 £7; S Halpin & Sons 1168 ABCD £23.20:

Thanks to Patrick Brown for transporting the birds and all who helped out at the basketing and clock checking.