Kilbeggan Sat 18/04/26

[willie reynolds]

Mid Antrim Combine - NIPA Kilbeggan 18/04/26

1st, 2nd & 3rd MAC for Johnston Eagleson & Sons Of Ballymena & District

The 2026 pigeon racing season got underway on Saturday 18th April with the opening race from Kilbeggan in County Westmeath. The NIPA liberated over 10,000 birds at 9.30am in north westerly winds and a good steady race followed. The best three birds in the Mid Antrim Combine were timed by Ballymena & District fanciers Johnston Eagleson & Sons at 11.40am flying 113 miles to the home loft's. The Eagleson loft took the top ten positions in the Ballymena club and had 15 birds in the top 30 of the Combine including 1st, 2nd & 3rd. Their first bird timed a 4yo cheq hen has now won ten positions in the top twenty of the Combine including 1st, 2nd & 3rd Combine. The sire is from Trevor Simpson and son Paul of York and the dam was from Jackie Steele of Rasharkin. The Second bird timed a 2yo blue cock was in a kit from Delaney's O'Roory Hill Stud and the third bird a 3yo cheq pied hen is a daughter of their old 'Double Combine Winner' and is also a full sister to 1st Combine & 1st Section B Dale 2024
Gary Gibson was next best and took the top five positions in Cullybackey. Gary's winner doing 1530 was a 4 year old dark celibate hen. She was bred by DCP McArdle of Armagh and is a previous winner from the first old bird race in 2024 being 2nd Mid Antrim Combine & 5th Section B.
Gordon Jackson was next best winning Ahoghill on 1526 with a dark pied 3yo hen bred by Mark Milliken of Rasharkin. She had a come back race in 2024 and wasn't raced last season.
Marc Neilly was best in Broughshane on 1490 with a 2yo cheq widowhood cock. This bird has now won 6 x 1st having won twice as a youngster and three times last year from Roscrea, Corrin 5 bird and Dunmanway Yearling National and also won bird of the year in Broughshane club 2025. The sire is Marc's good Van Mechelen cock from Paddy & William McManus that has bred him many winners and the dam from Geoff Dickey was in a kit of young birds in 2021.
Harold Cubitt was best in Rasharkin on 1466 with a 2yo blue widowhood cock bred from his good Van loon 14R04079 cock that won 7 x 1st in his racing days but unfortunately passed away over the winter.
John Millar took the top three in Randalstown with the winner doing 1458. His winning 4yo mealy Lambrecht widowhood cock has won Talbenny twice and Brian Swann won Kells on 1447 with a 2 year old Freddie Vanderheede cock.

Mid Antrim Combine Kilbeggan 35/9 - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1532, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1532, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1531, G Gibson Cullybackey 1530, G Gibson Cullybackey 1530, G & G Jackson Ahoghill 1526, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1520, G Gibson Cullybackey 1517, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1509, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1497, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1496, G Gibson Cullybackey 1496, G Gibson Cullybackey 1493, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1493, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1492, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1491, M Neilly Broughshane 1490, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1484, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 1482, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1477, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1476, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1475, A Darragh Cullybackey 1474, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1473, G Gibson Cullybackey 1472,, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1471, M Neilly Broughshane 1469, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1468, J Whyte Ahoghill 1468, A Darragh Cullybackey 1467, A Darragh Cullybackey 1467, A Darragh Cullybackey 1467, A Darragh Cullybackey 1467, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1467, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1467, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1466, A Darragh Cullybackey 1466, A Darragh Cullybackey 1464, A Darragh Cullybackey 1462, G Gibson Cullybackey 1461.

MID ANTRIM COMBINE 2 BIRD
1st J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1476 - 2 Points
2nd Josh Whyte Ahoghill 1468 - 1 Point
Johnston Eagleson & Sons of Ballymena & District won the Combine 2 Bird with a 3yo cheq cock that has topped the Combine twice from Cloughmartin 2025 and the NIPA Skibbereen Yearling National in 2024.

OLD BIRD CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The top two in each group go through to the last 16 along with the two fanciers with the most points in third place.
In the result of a points tie the highest velocity in the last group matches determines who goes through.
Group (1) G Gibson 68, R Service & Son, H Cubitt, J Millar
Group (2) J Eagleson & Sons 135, J Smyth & Son 4, Rock & Moore, W McFetridge
Group (3) Young & McManus & Sons, Surgenor Bros, Blair & Rankin, A Purvis
Group (4) D Dixon, T & M Morrow, H Boyd, J Whyte
Group (5) M Neilly 5, F Barkley, W & W Gilbert, J & J Greer
Group (6) Stewart Bros, A Darragh, T Whyte, H Turkington
Group (7) K & K Kernohan & Sons 3, A Barkley & Son, N Percy & Son, J Getty.

LES MAIRS MEMORIAL CUP - OLD BIRD POINTS FANCIER OF THE YEAR
J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 135
G Gibson Cullybackey 68
G & G Jackson Ahoghill 16
M Neilly Broughshane 5
J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 4
K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 3

Mervyn Eagleson MAC Press Officer

Ryan ad Scott Hope take top two in Sect B from Kilbeggan.
The first bird was a 3 year old mealy cock bred by myself and my dad Scott Hope he was previously 15th section Grenagh and 323rd open Dale and he is mostly Van den Bulk bred. My 2nd pigeon is a Sticker Donker bred by Geoffrey Dickey, she’s previously been 19th section Kilbeggan, 3rd Section Roscrea, 10th section Roscrea, and 42nd section Grenagh

NIPA Section B Kilbeggan 60/1896 – R & S Hope Crumlin 1551, 1549, S & N Maginty Muckamore 1547, 1539, 1536, R & S Hope 1535, S & N Maginty 1534, 1533, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena & Dist 1532, 1531, Gary Gibson Cullybackey 1530, 1630, 1536, R & S Hope 1525, Fleming Bros Crumlin & Dist 1525, 1523, J Eagleson & Sons 1520, Gary Gibson 1517.

NIPA Sect B Clubs

Ahoghill Flying Club 6/179 – G Jackson 1526, J SYTH & Son 1484, 1471, J Whyte 1468, Young McManus & Sons 1467, J Smyth & Son 1467.

Ballymoney HPS 18/624 – C Henry 1461, D Dixon 1454, 1447, J Connolly 1438, A & M Boyle 1433, 1428.

Ballymoney West Combine –

Broughshane & District 3/61 – Marc Neilly 1490, 1469, 1451, John Getty 1388, 1352, 1350.

Ballymena & District HPS 5/168 – J Eagleson & Sons 1532, 1532, 1531, 1520, 1509, 1497.

Cullybackey HPS 8/317 – Gary Gibson 1530, 1530, 1517, 1496, 1493, Alan Darragh 1474.

Crumlin & District 4/168 –Ryan Hope 1551, 1549, 1535, 1525, Fleming Bros 1525, 1523.

Kells & District HPS 5/94 –B Swann & Son 1447, Surgenor Bros 1447, A Barkley & Son 1437, 1425, 1424, B Swann & Son 1416.

Muckamore HPS 7/230 –Knocker & Bill 1547, S & N Maginty 1547, Knocker & Bill 1645, S & N Maginty 1539, 1539, 1536.

Randalstown HPS 4/69 – John Millar 1458, 1456, 1440, Stewart Bros 1417, 1409, 1408.

Rasharkin &District HPS – H Cubitt 1466, W McFetridge 1453, F Barkley 1442, W McFetridge 1435, H Cubitt 1418, W McFetridge 1413.


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