Homer's Odyssey/BHW Plus - 15/01/10

[willie reynolds]

The Royal Pigeon Racing Association (Irish Region) AGM will be held in the Clarion Hotel, 75 Belfast Road, Carrickfergus on Saturday 6th February starting at 1.30pm. Will no meeting held in the Autumn, there will be a full agenda. Any member wishing to be elected to the Committee of the Irish Nat Flying Club should attend this meeting. If my memory serves me right the RPRA must nominate the future President of the INFC.

Items listed for discussion include 1. Minutes of previous AGM (2009). 2. Matters arising. 3. Statement of accounts for 2009. 4. Any other business 2009. Secretary would like committee to tell him where they want their meetings held. 5. Election of officers for 2010. 6. New Clubs North South Federation. Includes members from the following NIPA Clubs ie. Newry & District, Millvale, Ballyholland, Newry City and Bessbrook.

Following the AGM, a Region Delegates meeting will be held. Following this at 2.45pm there will be a General & Appeals Committee meeting. Agenda items include. 1. Minutes of the last meeting. 2. Matters arising 2009. 3. Correspondence. 4. Suspensions/Removals. 5. Appeals B & G Cochrane, Killinchy Road, Comber v Comber Central HPS. Mr & Mrs Maxwell, Rathlin Drive, Derry v Foyle RPS. 6. Any other business.

Could all members who have not registered their ETS Clock with the Irish Region Secretary, please do so as soon as possible as this must be done before they are used. The Secretary has also asked for the names of all members that have resigned or had a Clearance Sale in their club during 2009/10.

Members should not some change in the Administration Fees for 2010 due by 1st March 2010. Clubs £4.00. Single Members £8.00. Individual Members £8.00. Each Partnerships £8.00 in respect of each member of the partnership.

Lisburn & District Awards 2009 -

In the Lisburn & Dist Club premises at Market Square Lisburn on 2nd January the years main prize winners received their Cups and Diplomas for the 2009 season. To present the awards was the Chairmans wife Loranine English who the club would like to thank for a great job.

Once again the top prize winners for 2009 were Spence Bros and first up to the prize table was Roy Spence to collect one of the 13 trophies achieved over the year, amongst the awards for 2009 Spence Bros lifted Inland Ave, Old Bird Combined Ave, Bomb Old & YB Average, YB Knock-out, OB Knock-out and the Alfie Turkington Cup for Highest Prize- winners.

Runner up was once again Mark Laffin who had a very good young bird season and took the YB Ave amongst his 7 trophies for the year. Third to the table was McKibben & Magee who took the 6th OB race from Rosscarbery. Of the members who attended next to the prize table was S McAllister & sons followed by L Magee & son, R Topping & don, J Waring & son, G McMullan who had a great race out of Penzance and who won 1st Section on a very hard day, S Briggs, J McCready who won the first YB race from Tullamore in style and then M Gibson followed by C Coates who won the W Wright Cup for first club member in the Kings Cup, finishing 27th Open in the INFC Vannes/Plaudren

The New Year show had a good turn out and Best in Show was R Topping & son followed by BOS Willie English and Best YB was McKibben & Magee. Class winners were: Eye-sign won by R Topping & son, T/Wires won by Mark Laffin and Handled won by Willie English. Thanks to all who supported the shows throughout the year and assisted at the club. Good luck to all in the coming season.

Ballymena W & J Smyth tops again

Ballymena & Dist delayed the annual presentation until the New Year, for the last few years the event has been held in the local Adair Arms Hotel just a short distance from the clubrooms at Fountain Place. Most of the winning lofts were represented and the visitors and guests from other clubs included Danny Dixon who had another great season racing into Dunloy, Brian Herbinson from Cullybackey and Monty Magill. The W & J Smyth team who race to the Carniny Road took the Highest Prize-winner for the second season on the trot under strong pressure this time from the emerging star Martin Graham who had a best ever season racing with a team of birds that includes the very best from the Oroory Hill Stud of Gerald Delaney.

The two top lofts featured in the results of the main organizations, each had a 1st Mid Antrim Combine Diploma, with Martin Graham adding the Mid Antrim Young Bird Average while W & J Smyth took the Old Bird Average and the Bird of the Year. At the recent NIPA Ladies Night W & J Smyth won the RPRA Award for Sect B, best individual bird performance in two cross channel races Talbenny (2) & Penzance. Martin Graham was to win the Brendan Fox Trophy for the OB Nat having the best position of any Official or Delegate and he added the Dickson Cup for Best Ave Bude OB and Fermoy YB. Back in Mid Antrim the Champions League has been a great introduction giving fantastic competition in the member clubs, all nine nominate their top four racing lofts working a bit like the football with a league competition at the start and then moving on to the knock-out stage. W & J Smyth got knocked in a tight semi-final by Hugh Boyd of Randalstown who contested the final with the overall winner Danny Dixon who had knocked out J & N Simpson in the semi-final from Bude. The Champions League Final was flown from Penzance, one of the best races of the season.

I should also mention a new venture by Ballymena & Dist in the last season a Ring Nomination Race which was flown from Fermoy, it was open to all lofts in the Mid Antrim Combine and Danny Dixon was to take 1st & 2nd with two birds almost together winning over £300. This new venture like the Champions League was the brain child of James Harris and the Ballymena Ass Secretary also does all the admin, a fantastic member is Jim. The total payout by the club was raised to just over £1,000, something to be very proud of.

The leading lofts were W & J Smyth, M Graham, J Devlin, Blair & Rankin, Richmond Bros, G Barr, B ORawe, McAlonan Bros, J Harris, Smyth Bros, Sempey & McGowan. The cups and trophies were presented as follows:-

Martin Graham won - G Barr Perpetual Challenge Cup (NIPA Old Bird France Nat), S J McDowell Challenge Cup (St Malo OB Nat), Kings Cup Trophy, William McIlhagga Memorial Cup (Best Ave INFC Kings Cup & YB Nat), ORourke Cup (NIPA France & Kings Cup Ave), Vintage Cup (Talbenny YB Nat), Ruddle Cup (YB Nat), YB Inland National, Skibbereen YB Nat, YB Inland Average, Best Individual Young Bird, Victory Cup (YB Ave), Best Ave NIPA Talbenny & Rosscarbery YB, Maternaghan Challenge Cup Best Ave NIPA OB Nat (France) & YB Nat (Cross Channel), Flamingo Cup (Best Ave YB Derbies), Law Family Memorial Cup (INFC Points Ave).

W & J Smyth won Harper Cup (Highest Prize-winner), OB Inland Ave Shield, Yearling Cocks Inland Nat, Talbenny (2), Simon McCrory Cup (Best Ave OB 2nd, 4th, Talbenny & Penzance), Old Bird Knock-Out, Bill Carney Rose Bowl (Lowest Winning Vel Old Bird), Mooney Cup (Best Individual Old Bird).

Blair & Rankin won Yearling Hens Inland Nat, Bobby Law Memorial (1st Yearling Penzance), Carnvale Cup (Penzance), Best Ave Bude & Penzance, Roger King Memorial (6th YB Race), Smyth Bros Perpetual Trophy (Ave OB Classic & YB Nat).

McAlonan Bros won A S Hughes Cup (Cross Channel Ave), Best Ave Kings Cup & 2nd Talbenny, Joe Devlin won Rosscarbery OB Inl Nat, Mallow 5 Bird, Richmond Bros won Carnvale Cup (INFC Yearling Nat), Livingstone Cup (2 Bird Ave Yearling Nat), James Harris won Talbenny (1), Sempey & McGowan Novice Cup.

When the rings for 2009 arrived last year with the Ballymena & Dist there were some concerns that they were the Letter K and not the usual Letter B, some thought they should have been returned. I said at the time maybe, just maybe we would have something big to report with the young bird racing, thinking Penzance National where the club have a long record of success. News was in fact made but not in the most expected place, Martin Graham was asked to breed two youngsters for entry in the Galway One Loft Race and the rest in now history and will be talked about for years to come. One of the pair now named Cool Lass bred from his Gerald Delaney family won the final Galway Plate flown from the Giants Causeway and a cool 50,000 Euro top prize shared between Adie McCormick and Martin Graham. I collected the birds from the loft and Adie and myself delivered them to Galway. A full report on the Galway Race is available at www.pigeonnetwork.com

Secretary Willie Reynolds congratulated all the seasons top winners, a season of great success on many fronts, and 2010 might be even better. He also thanked all those involved in the week to week running of the club, all the members had a role to play and that included the show season which just recently finished with Bertie Blair winning the Show Cup for the first time and Brian Herbinson collecting the Visitors Trophy. The help received from Assist Secretary James Harris was invaluable and also Treasurer Brian ORawe. The club AGM will be held in the local Clubrooms at Fountain Place on Monday 15th February at 8.00pm, Resolutions in writing must be with the Secretary Willie Reynolds no later than Saturday 30th January.

Muckamore HPS presented the prizes at a function held recently at the local Muckamore Cricket Club. I think you all agree that Muckamore has had a very good years racing with a few good Section and Open results in both the NIPA and INFC. This year the highest prizewinner position is shared between John White and Glen Magill. Firstly John White who is a tremendous flyer in the club, racing just old birds this season he took 19 prizes in the club 7 of them being 1st position, and he also scored high in the Section C and NIPA Open results. Glen Magill who raced very steadily this year took 24 club prizes. He was 1st Bude with his old birds and 1st & 2nd Talbenny YB's, he also scored highly in the Section and Open results. Glen is a very dedicated club man having run the club single handedly for many years and the members would like to extend their appreciation to him. Tommy Patterson & son is the club's second highest prizewinner taking 18 total prizes and winning 1st at Roscrea, Tullamore and Rosscarbery. Very well done indeed. A & E Bell take 3rd having won 13 prizes with racing just old birds, highlight being 1st Lamballe. Jim Sinton who has raced pigeons for many years takes 4th spot within the club and always seems to make the prizes. He won 14 prizes which included to wins from Fermoy and a 1st from Clonmel. Frank Todd in only his first season racing took 5th spot within the club winning 10 prizes, the highlight being 1st Section & 2nd Open in the Old Hens National. Well Done. DJ Thompson took 9 club prizes and is in 6th spot, he was 1st Club Roscrea and 1st Club Tullamore. DJ is also a committed Club man whom is present every week and helps with the clocks, and the craic. Where would we be without that? Amanda Mitchell made all the arrangements for the prize night, we had the usual quiz and buffet she thanked everyone who worked so hard in the last year and had a special word of thanks for Glen Magill who was ever present at the NIPA Centre in Muckamore, its greatly appreciated by all the members. She also congratulated the long list of winners.

Ahoghill Flying Club raised funds recently with a Fireside Quiz and Name the Doll. The club wish to thank everyone who supported the ventures and giving a good help to the running costs. Result: 1st plus £15 won by M/M Galloway, Royal Court, Galgorm. 2nd plus £10 won by Tony Hamill, Carnburn Park, Ballymena. 3rd plus £5 won by Aimie McMullan, 2 Portrush Road. The name of the doll was Louise, and it was won by Gloria Lester, Sandmount Park, Galgorm.

Millisle HPS are holding a Pigeon Moot at Ards Sailing Club, Portaferry Road, Newtownards on Friday 12th February. The Quiz Panel will include Alan Darragh (Cullybackey), Davy Hutchinson (Ashfield), Gerald Delaney (Dromore) and George Rankin a SNFC winner. Supper will be provided and John said the heat will be on. Admission is £5. Any further details contact John Hollinger Tel: (028) 91 863536.

Blackpool Show of the Year at Winter Gardens will be held over this weekend from Friday 15th January. Irelands Own Pigeon Auctions will have a series of sales in Blackpool Football Club, Cliffs Hotel and the Claremont Hotel. Gary Gibson the Hartog Man from Cullybackey is having an Entire Clearance Sale, Friday night and Saturday afternoon. The Sale Lists/Photos for all sales are available to view at www.pigeonnetwork.com any further details, commission bids etc contact Homer Tel: 07939 684876.

HOMER
Tel/Fax: (028) 256 44683
Mobile: 07939 684876
E-mail: reynoldshomer@aol.com
www.pigeonnetwork.com
www.niparacingpigeons.co.uk