Navan (2) - 24/07/10

[willie reynolds]

Around South Down with Brendan McLoughlin

Toners lead the way from Navan

The East Down Combine was back in Navan for their second race of the season on Saturday 24th July. Saturday morning started off dull and overcast but this was due to clear as the day went on. By lunch time there was a good improvement north of the Mournes and from the race point right up to Newry. The race controller was in regular contact with the Mourne area for updates on visibility and general weather conditions.

By 2.30pm there was signs of some improvement in and around the locality with some breaks in the cloud. At 2.45pm the race controller made a final check and it was decided that things had improved sufficiently to enable a liberation and so the birds were released at 2.50pm. This was an excellent decision by the race controllers Trevor McKelvey and Patrick McComb as the sun was out by the time the birds got home and all reported excellent returns.

The winners of the South Down Federation this week are Annsborough’s L & A Toner who take a superb 1st Section, 4th Open East Down Combine. Last year Liam and Andy topped the Combine from Nenagh and with this sort of form they will be looking to repeat that this year. Racing with a small team of young birds this year, they had another great result here. They were telling me that they hope to race just another two races and then stop the young birds for the season but it will be nice to do that with a section win under their belts.

The dam of the winning pigeon is the pigeon they timed in the Old Bird Derby from St Malo last year to take 3rd Fed, 4th section, 12th Open, and is a Soontjens from J Dalby & Son, Chatters near Cambridge. The sire is a Janssen that was bought at the Blackpool Show this year from Tumley Lofts from Devon. The sire of this bird was a double RPRA Award winner, while the dam was timed in the Sun City One Loft race.

Michael Jennings Annsborough is second Fed this week and also takes 3rd section, 6th Open for another great result. The sire of the pigeon timed here was bought at Croskerys Sale in the Grosvenor club last year and is a son of the original ‘Joe 90’. The dam is a Janus & Fox which Michael bought from John Jobey, from Dunstan in the Up North Combine.

Annsborough’s Benson Bros are 3rd and 4th Fed with both birds taking good section and Open positions. The first of these is 10th section, 29th Open while the second pigeon is 11th section, 31st Open. This is the first year that the Bensons have raced on the Darkness systems and they see a big change in the maturity of their birds at this time of the year as well as in their feather. Both birds timed are Vandenabeeles from M & D Evans.

R McDowell & Son Annsborough are 5th Fed this week. They have a great record from all distances and have been known to win from Navan right through to St Malo. The pigeon timed here was reared by club mates, long distance enthusiasts, W Hardy & Son.

Newcastle’s E & A Rogan are 6th Fed this week as they mark up another good performance. The pigeon timed is a Frank Tasker Busschaert x Janssen cross.

The Fed’s newest and youngest members J & J Rogan Newcastle are 7th Fed in their first ever race. This is a great start for 13 year old Jack and 10 year old Jessica who race at the same location as their fathers. Jack is Eddie’s son and Jessica is Adie’s daughter. I believe a few of their young friends are showing a bit of interest in pigeons now too. Jack and Jessica’s pigeon is a Janssen from Brian Murray, Manchester. This could have been even better as a seagull scared their bird as it was about to enter the loft and allowing their fathers’ bird to get in first. As I said this is a great start for this pair of young fanciers and I hope that I get to write about them very soon again.

P Brown & Son Annsborough are 8th and 10th Fed to keep their good start to the season going. They took the top 3 in the Fed’s pre-season race from Navan and were 2nd club last week from the first Navan. Both pigeons were reared by Patrick Brown and are from K Rooney & Son stock.

The result is completed by Annsborough’s James Cleland in 9th position. James is another fancier whose pigeons can perform throughout the entire programme. The pigeon timed here is another from his Pros Roosen stock which he obtained from Martin Flynn.

Full Result: 1, L & A Toner Annsborough 1443; 2, M Jennings Annsborough 1431; 3, 4, Benson Bros 1406, 1404; 5, R McDowell & Son Annsborough 1369; 6, E & A Rogan Newcastle 1362; 7, J & J Rogan Newcastle 1358; 8, P Brown & Son Annsborough 1338; 9, J Cleland Annsborough 1336.93; 10, P Brown & Son 1336.18;

• Pool race this week from Tullamore
• The Loft KO continues with Round 2 this week.

• All money and numbers for the Young Bird auction race should be with the secretary or treasurer before this Friday 7th August.