Dale (2) - Friday 5th June

[willie reynolds]

Mid Antrim Combine - NIPA 2nd Dale 05/06/26

Jimmy Smyth from Ahoghill best from 2nd Dale –

The second channel race of the season was again flown from Dale in Pembrokeshire, West Wales on Friday 5th June. The birds were released at 9.20am in south westerly winds and a fast race followed with the early winners recording nearly 60 mph. Jimmy Smyth & Son of Ahoghill were best in the Mid Antrim Combine this week after timing at 13.04pm flying 223 miles to record 1750ypm. The loft finished 1st Section B and 9th Open Nipa 5459 birds.

Gary Gibson of Cullybackey was runner up in the Combine and Section plus 11th Open on 1747. His winner a 4 year old blue cock sent sitting 15 day eggs is Stickers Donckers, bred from a son of the 'Golden Couple'. The cock won 5th MA Combine in the first race of this season from Kilbeggan.

Alan Darragh was 3rd Combine, 3rd Section and 13th Open on 1746 followed by a second bird for Gary Gibson on 1746 placed 4th Section & 14th Open and then the Ballymena & District winners Johnston Eagleson & Sons on 1743. The Eagleson loft timed a 3yo cheq pied hen to win 5th Section & 17th Open. This hen was 3rd MA Combine in the opening race this season beaten on the trap by two loftmates and she also won 27th Section last week from 1st Dale. A full sister topped the Section from Dale two seasons ago. Sire Lambrecht and dam the 'Double Combine Winner'
Stewart Brothers took the red card in Randalstown on 1720 with a yearling Osman x Busschaert cross feeding a small youngster and Freddie Barkley was best in Rasharkin on 1609. Freddie's 3yo cheq hen on roundabout was winning for the fourth time including last weekends Dale.

Mid Antrim Combine 2nd Dale 31/427
J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1750, G Gibson Cullybackey 1747, A Darragh Cullybackey 1746, G Gibson Cullybackey 1746, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1743, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1742, T Whyte Ahoghill 1731, Stewart Bros Randalstown 1720, J McNeill & Son Randalstown 1719, J Whyte Ahoghill 1717, Stewart Bros Randalstown 1711, J & J Greer Cullybackey 1708, C & R McIntyre Cullybackey 1698, J Millar Randalstown 1698, J Millar Randalstown 1698, D Dixon Rasharkin 1696, C & R McIntyre Cullybackey 1695, A Darragh Cullybackey 1693, A Darragh Cullybackey 1682, Stewart Bros Randalstown 1681, A Darragh Cullybackey 1655, A Darragh Cullybackey 1650, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1648, D Dixon Rasharkin 1644, G Gibson Cullybackey 1643, G Gibson Cullybackey 1642, J Millar Randalstown 1636, G Gibson Cullybackey 1635, A Darragh Cullybackey 1633, A Darragh Cullybackey 1632, A Darragh Cullybackey 1631, G Gibson Cullybackey 1630, D Dixon Rasharkin 1627, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1627, D Craig Cullybackey 1625, R Service & Son Ballymena 1624, A Darragh Cullybackey 1621, S Johnston & Son Ballymena 1618, J & J Greer Cullybackey 1618, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1615.

MID ANTRIM COMBINE 2 BIRD CLUB 2ND DALE
1st G Gibson Cullybackey 1746 GB24C18231
2nd J Whyte Ahoghill 1717 GB24A24329
Gary Gibson of Cullybackey won the Combine 2 Bird with a 2yo Van Herck hen sent on the nest. She is half sister to his 5th Open Penzance Classic cock and full sister to Mid Antrim Combine Champion YB 2021.

OLD BIRD CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Q/F KNOCKOUT 2ND DALE (winners in capitals)
Blair & Rankin 0 v J EAGLESON & SONS 1743
H Boyd 0 v A Barkley & Son 0
A Darragh 1746 v G GIBSON 1747
STEWART BROS 1720 v J Whyte 1717.

OLD BIRD KNOCKOUT Q/F 2ND DALE (winners in capitals)
Blair & Rankin 0 v STEWART BROS 1720
J McNeill & Son 1719 v G GIBSON 1747
J SMYTH & SON 1750 v J Millar 1698
D DIXON 1696 v H Cubitt 1589.

LES MAIRS MEMORIAL CUP - OLD BIRD POINTS FANCIER OF THE YEAR - 2ND DALE, FERMOY & FERMOY 5 BIRD
G Gibson Cullybackey 600, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 354, A Darragh Cullybackey 299, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 209, D Dixon Rasharkin 132, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 93, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 90, H Boyd Kells 87, Stewart Bros 62, F Barkley Rasharkin 56, Surgenor Bros Kells 51, K & K Kernohan & Sons Ballymena 45, J Whyte Ahoghill 45, D Craig Cullybackey 44, J & J Greer Cullybackey 42.

OLD BIRD CLUB POINTS - 2ND DALE, FERMOY & FERMOY 5 BIRD
Cullybackey 71, Ballymena 55, Ahoghill FC 52 Rasharkin 44, Kells & Dist 34, Randalstown 24, , Broughshane 19. Mervyn Eagleson - MAC Press Officer and MAC Race Sec

NIPA Dale (2) O/Birds Section B Result 39 members sent 563 pigeons – 1 st J Smyth
& Son, Ahoghill 1750; 2 nd Gary Gibson, Cullybackey 1747; 3 rd Alan Darragh,
Cullybackey 1746; 4 th Gary Gibson 1746; 5th J Eagleson & Sons, Ballymena & District 1743, 6th J Smyth & Son 1742, 7th T Whyte, Ahoghill 1731, 8th Stewart
Bros, Randalstown 1720, 9th J McNeill & Son, Randalstown 1719, 10th J Whyte Ahoghill 1717, M Graham Ballymena & Dist 1716, T & J McDonald Coleraine Prem 1716, Stewart Bros 1711, J & J Greer Cullybackey 1708, S McConnell Muckamore 1700, C & R McIntyre Cullybackey 1698, J Millar Randalstown 1698, 1698, D Dixon Ballymoney 1696, C & R McIntyre 1695.

NIPA Sect B Clubs
Ahoghill Flying Club – 7/73 1 st & 2 nd J Smyth & Son 1750, 1742; 3 rd T Whyte 1731,
4 th J Whyte 1717, 5 th J Smyth & Son 1648, 6 th T Whyte 1615.
Ballymoney HPS – 11/141 1 st & 2 nd Danny Dixon 1696, 1644, 3 rd J Connolly 1630, 4 th
Danny Dixon 1627, 5 th A & M Boyle 1609, 6 th Danny Dixon 1605.
Broughshane & District –
Ballymena & District HPS – 3/60 1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd & 4 th J Eagleson & Sons 1743, 1743,
1627, 1627, 5 th & 6 th R Service & Son 1624, 1624.
Cullybackey HPS – 12/180 1 st Gary Gibson 1747, 2 nd Alan Darragh 1746, 3 rd Gary
Gibson 1746, 4 th J & J Greer 1708, 5 th & 6 th C & R McIntyre 1698, 1695.
Crumlin & District – 5/104 1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd Ryan Hope 1631, 1626, 1624, 4 th K Carson
1606, 5 th & 6 th Ryan Hope 1605, 1605.
Kells & District HPS – 1/14 1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd , 4 th , 5 th & 6 th H Turkington 1528, 1520, 1514,
1504, 1504, 1496.
Muckamore HPS – 5/97 1 st & 2 nd Stephen McConnell 1700, 1657, 3 rd A Steele 1652,
4 th T Patterson & Son 1636, 5 th Stephen McConnell 1605, 6 th Mr & Mrs Magill 1603.
Randalstown HPS – 4/47 1 st Stewart Bros 1720, 2 nd J McNeil & Son 1719, 3 rd Stewart
Bros 1711, 4 th & 5 th J Millar 1698, 1698, 6 th Stewart Bros 1681.
Rasharkin & District HPS – 3/21 1 st F Barkley 1609, 2 nd , 3 rd & 4 th Harold Cubitt 1589,
1569, 1568, 5 th Jack Millar & Son 1527, 6 th F Barkley 1502.

NIPA Race/Date
2nd Dale Friday 6th June 2026 – Liberated at 9.20am in a South-west wind

NIPA Open 2nd Dale 344/5,369 –
1 st (1C) Crawford &
Robinson, Larne & District 1780; 2 nd & 3 rd (1E) & (2E) Alan Craig, Laurelvale 1764
& 1764; 4 th (1G) Mark Maguire & Son, Newry & District 1757; 5 th (3E) J Barr,
Lurgan Social 1756; 6 th (4E) Ronnie Williamson, Bondhill Social 1756; 7 th (2G) J F
McCabe & Son, Newry & District 1751; 8 th (1B) J Smyth & Son, Ahoghill 1750; 9 th
(5E) Sean Curran, Lurgan Social 1749; 10 th (2B) Gary Gibson, Cullybackey 1747; 11 th
(6E) McClean & Craig, Edgarstown 1747; 12 th (3B) Alan Darragh, Cullybackey 1746;
13 th (4B) Gary Gibson 1746; 14 th & 15 th (7E) & (8E) Gary Marsden, Hills & Maze
1745 & 1744; 16 th & 17 th (5B) & (6B) J Eagleson & Sons, Ballymena & District 1743
& 1743; 18 th (7B) J Smyth & Son 1742; 19 th (9E) A R Neill, Edgarstown 1736; 20 th
(1D) W Joss, Lisburn & District 1736.

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https://photobucket.com/share/9bc9a827- ... 56fbf82432
Jimmy Smyth Ahoghill 1st MAC 2nd Dale