Top winners at Kells & Dist HPS during 2009 and winners of 1st Mid Antrim Combine,
from (l) Harry Boyd, Brian Swann, Jeff Surgenor and George McDowell.
The presentation of the season’s cups and trophies for Kells & District HPS was held in the local Buffs Social Club. Mid Antrim Combine Secretary George presented the club with the MAC Points Shield for Old Birds and Young Birds probably both won for the first time in one season, and showing just how consistent the club members were during the 2009 season. Scott & Clements were presented with the MAC Inland Average trophy and if that was not enough they won Highest Prize-winner in Kells & Dist for the first time. What an achievement that is for a partnership not long racing. Mid Antrim Combine was topped a massive seven times with four diplomas going to George McDowell and one each for B Swann & Son, Surgenor Bros, Brian Swann & Son, T & M Morrow and Harry Boyd.
Special guest Mrs Herron presented the cups and trophies to the winners, plus the prize money and show specials amounting to close on £1,150. The leading lofts were: Scott & Clements, Surgenor Bros, Harry Boyd, George McDowell, T & M Morrow and B Swann & Son. The cup and trophy winners were:
Scott & Clements won:- Highest Prize-winner, Transporter Cup Talbenny (2), Best Ave Talbenny (1) & (2), OB Inland Average, T Shanks Memorial Cup (Old Bird of the Year).
William McClure won:- G Herron Memorial Cup (Best Position in Kings Cup), D Graham Memorial Trophy (Best Position in any INFC Nat), Spar Cup (Best Ave OB Nat NIPA & INFC).
Surgenor Bros won:- M Smyth Cup (Best Ave 1st & 2nd OB Races), R Service Cup (Best Ave 1st & 2nd OB & YB Races), Old Bird Nat (NIPA St Malo), Young Bird Nat (NIPA Talbenny), Adair Cup (Best Ave YB Nationals NIPA Talbenny & Rosscarbery), Young Bird Average, Buffs Cup (Best Ave all Nationals NIPA), J Wright Cup, T Morrow Memorial Cup, Tramore Cup.
B Swann & Son won:- Yearling National Cup, OB Knock-Out Cup, YB Knock-Out Cup.
George McDowell won:- R Logan Cup (Clonmel (1) & (2) Ave), N McFarlane Cup, YB Inland Nat NIPA, Young Bird Points Cup, M Morrow 2 Bird Award, Boddy & Ridewood Cup (Young Bird of Year).
Before looking at racing in general I will cover the races where the club members won 1st Mid Antrim Combine. Clonmel was the forth race of the old bird programme, Harry Boyd timed the winner doing almost a mile a minute at 1753 and won 1st Comb 123/3,388, and 3rd Sect B with 4,945 birds competing. Next best T & M Morrow, G McDowell and B Swann & Son all made the MAC Top 10. We had to wait until the end of the old bird programme for the next success, it was the Yearling Cock Nat flown on 27th June when T & M Morrow had the early bird to win 1st Combine 46/153, 1st Sect B 70/255 and 17th Open NIPA 346/1,337 doing velocity 1348. Harry Boyd was next best doing 1325 finishing 3rd, Comb, 5th Sect & 33rd Open NIPA. The young birds were a bit more productive and what a result for Surgenor Bros in the opening liberation from Mullingar on 18th July. They had 1st, 2nd & 3rd Combine 82/1,756, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Sect B and 1st, 2nd & 3rd Open NIPA 124/2,859. The leading two birds were recording velocity 1315. From Clonmel on 15th August George McDowell was best, doing velocity 1646 he took 1st Combine 112/2,329, and 5th Sect B with 3,353 birds competing. Others well placed included Harry Boyd and Surgenor Bros. From Tullamore on the same day as Talbenny the club had another top result with the leading positions in the MAC. B Swann & Son were the winners doing velocity 1697, followed by Surgenor Bros and Scott & Clements. The winner finished 5th Sect with 1,943 birds competing. A fortnight later George McDowell done the double from Fermoy, doing velocity 1679 he took 1st Combine & 5th Sect B in the 5 Bird and in the ordinary race 1st Combine 71/877 and 10th Sect B with 1,730 birds competing.
Now my usual very quick review of the rest of the racing, first race of the year flown from Tullamore on 11th April was won by Alan Barkley & Son doing velocity 1878, the season started with a fast one and that was a feature over many races. The loft finished 5th Comb, 8th Sect B with 2,226 birds competing. Back at Tullamore for the second week, a race not favourable for Mid Antrim was won by Surgenor Bros doing velocity 1384 to finish 6th Comb, 21st Sect B with 3,763 birds competing and 118th Open NIPA 1133/24,924. Moving on to Roscrea the winner was H Fullerton & Son recording velocity 1794 to finish 10th Comb, 28th Sect B and 124th Open NIPA 1223/27,770. Mid Antrim lofts improved at Clonmel, 1st Combine won by Harry Boyd, a 4 year old bird that must have a host of positions. At Clonmel for the second time Harry is well placed again but just beat by Surgenor Bros on velocity 1396 to finish 3rd Comb & Sect and 63rd Open NIPA 1164/26,870. Racing from Tullamore for the third time the best bird was timed by B Swann & Son on 1922 placed 6th Comb, 8th Sect and 43rd Open NIPA 626/11,897. Next best were H Boyd and Scott & Clements, both lofts consistent all season to date. The first big race the Rosscarbery Inland National was next and the early bird was timed by Harry Boyd, doing velocity 1855 to finish 6th Comb, 8th Sect and 142nd Open NIPA 907/7602. Surgenor Bros were next best followed by a second arrival for Harry Boyd.
Fermoy was the final event prior to the channel racing, Harry Boyd wins for the second week doing velocity 1943 another fast one, his loft finished 9th Comb, 15th Sect and 99th Open NIPA 848/17,067. Talbenny in South Wales was the venue as usual for the opening cross channel race the NIPA had just short of 20,000 birds competing. Alan Barkley & Son had the best bird to finish 14th Comb, 25th Sect B and 86th Open NIPA 1143/19,942, doing velocity 1712. Liberation was delayed in the next Talbenny until Monday, in the meantime we had a Saturday race from Fermoy on 6th June, the Surgenor Bros were just ahead of Scott & Clements who had a good card. The Surgenor team doing velocity 1053 finished 6th Comb, 11th Sect and just outside the NIPA Top 100 with 4,768 birds competing. On Monday from Talbenny Scott & Clements were best doing velocity 1221, the loft finished 26th Comb, and 30th Sect B Swann & Son who won the YB Nat from here were next best. Harry Boyd was at the top again from Bude doing velocity 1574 he took 19th Comb, 27th in Sect B and 124th Open NIPA 771/7,060. Flown on the same day the Mallow 5 Bird Harry Boyd completed a winning double ahead of three good birds for Scott & Clements. Harry was to record velocity 1737 finishing 2nd Comb, 6th Sect and just outside the NIPA Top 100. Penzance, the race just before France was a different day altogether with the winner A Barkley & Son doing velocity 893 to finish 27th Comb, 36th Sect followed by H Fullerton & Son.
The Old Bird Nat from St Malo in France was a fantastic race flown on Thursday 25th June, early arrivals timed across all the NIPA including Mid Antrim. Best in Kells was Jeff Surgenor who has a very good record from France, doing velocity 1123 Surgenor Bros finished 7th Comb, 9th Sect B and 33rd Open NIPA 575/1,904. Others placed included Harry Boyd 154th Open, William McClure 168th Open and H Fullerton & Son 172nd Open. The final NIPA races were the Yearling Nat flown from Rosscarbery on Saturday 27th June, T & M Morrow as I had mentioned earlier won 1st Combine in the Yearling Cock. Harry Boyd was next best with two early birds timed to finish 3rd & 8th Comb and 5th & 12th Sect, Scott & Clements and McFarlane & Agnew were also listed. Harry Boyd was best in the Yearling Hen, with two arrivals doing velocity 1301 and 1297 he finished 6th & 7th Comb, 10th & 12th Sect B. bringing the old bird season to a conclusion.
A lot of the young bird season will have been covered already in the earlier report covering 5 x 1st Combine performances. The first race from Mullingar, an area liberation on 18th July was a fantastic result for Surgenor Bros who had the three best birds ahead of the big card that day for Martin Graham in Ballymena. The second race was from Tullamore the day Danny Dixon had the Card of the Day, McFarlane & Agnew had two good birds to finish 12th & 13th Comb, and 23rd & 24th Open NIPA with 4,826 birds competing. Tullamore was the venue again in the third area release, the Mid Antrim Birds did not feature in the NIPA Results dominated by East Antrim lofts. The Kells winner was Surgenor Bros doing velocity 1834 followed by McFarlane & Agnew to finish 7th & 8th Combine 2,479 birds competing. Roscrea flown on 8th August was the first mass liberation, 28,663 birds were released at 12.15pm. Harry Boyd had the early bird, recording velocity 1622 he finished 2nd Combine to John Getty (Broughshane), 5th Sect & 161st Open NIPA 1082/28,663. The club had a good result from Clonmel on 15th August, George McDowell took 1st Combine on velocity 1646 and finished 5th Sect B 156/3,353. Others well placed included H Boyd 3rd Comb & 8th Sect, Surgenor Bros 4th Comb & 10th Sect, Surgenor Bros 6th Comb & 13th Sect and a second bird for Harry Boyd as well finishing 7th Comb & 15th Sect. The next week Fermoy was another race not suited to Mid Antrim, and there were plenty of those. Winner again was George McDowell doing velocity 1603 to finish 3rd Comb, 16th Sect 151/3,386 and followed by Henry Turkington.
Surgenor Bros had 1st Club in the Talbenny YB Nat doing velocity 974, in the Tullamore race on the same day Brian Swann & Son had the early bird doing velocity 1697 to take 1st Comb & 5th Sect B 108/1,943. Others placed included Surgenor Bros, Scott & Clements and George McDowell. Fermoy and the duplicate 5 Bird were flown on 5th September, George McDowell had 1st Combine in both races doing velocity 1679. In the ordinary race with two birds George had 1st & 3rd Comb, 10th & 15th Sect B 117/1,730, Surgenor Bros were next best with two birds together. In the Fermoy 5 Bird he finished 1st Comb and 5th Sect B 54/256. George McDowell maintained his good form and was best again in the final event, Rosscarbery National. Doing velocity 1199 he finished 6th Comb and 13th NIPA Sect B 79/526.
Finally a look at the racing with the Irish Nat FC, starting at the Yearling Nat flown from Sennen Cove where Brian Swann & Son timed the best club bird to finish 113th North Sect & 169th Open INFC 786/4,134 flying 326 miles and doing velocity 1077. In the Kings Cup race flown from Plaudren/Vannes William McClure who I well remember was runner-up in the race when my hair was a different colour, had the best local bird. He was 3rd best in the Mid Antrim Combine, 38th North Sect & 46th Open INFC 770/2,619 flying 510 miles and doing velocity 1314. Cash winning were £435 and added to that he finished 4th in the Single Bird Challenge and lifted a further £150. The former OB Derby winners with the NIPA from France, T Shanks & Son finished 119th North Sect & 143rd Open and William McClure had a second bird placed at 125th North Sect & 156th Open. I should have mentioned that T Shanks & Son were also placed in the Single Bird Challenge. The Penzance YB Nat was a difficult race and Henry Turkington was well placed finishing 2nd Mid Antrim Combine, 93rd North Sect & 122nd Open 459/2,120 flying 324 miles and doing velocity 410.