The 2012 season with the NIPA & INFC was the first year of racing for the newly reformed Blackwatertown West End HPS. The club started out from quite humble beginnings with only a handful of members due to many fanciers being novices and not having old birds to race. By the end of the young bird season Blackwatertown’s humble beginnings turned into anything but humble results. The 21st April 2012 was the day that the club hit the ground running and first race of the year from Tullamore.
Old Birds -
Joe Brown: 9 x 1st, 9 x 2nd, 11 x 3rd, 6 x 4th, 5 x 5th & 7 x 6th
R, G & G Donaldson: 8 x 1st, 7 x 2nd, 4 x 3rd, 8 x 4th, 7 x 5th & 6 x 6th
Edward McKnight: 2 x 1st, 2 x 2nd, 1 x 3rd, 3 x 4th & 1 x 5th
George Owens: 2 x 3rd
Young Birds -
R, G & G Donaldson: 4 x 1st, 3 x 2nd, 2 x 3rd, 1 x 4th, 3 x 5th & 3 x 6th
Joe Brown: 3 x 1st, 6 x 2nd, 7 x 3rd, 6 x 4th, 5 x 5th & 4 x 6th
Jennifer Douglas: 4 x 1st, 3 x 2nd, 3 x 3rd, 4 x 4th, 3 x 5th & 3 x 6th
Edward McKnight: 1 x 1st & 1 x 4th
M & C Sheridan: 1st, 2nd & 3rd Young Fanciers Clonmel
Mark Brown: 1 x 6th
The overview of the clubs success makes good reading but the bigger picture produced some outstanding performances that truly put the club on the map. The top open position was won by R, G & G Donaldson who finished 1st Club, 6th Section and 9th Open out of an entry of 25, 008 birds from Roscrea. The United Lofts squad racked up an impressive 12 races: Tullamore x 2, Roscrea x 2, Clonmel x3, Rosscarbery OB National, Talbenny x 2, 5 Bird Fermoy & Penzance YB National. Joe Brown also finished the year with an equally impressive haul of 12 wins including 1st Club, 10th North Section & 15th Open from Vannes Kings Cup picking up 5th Single Bird Challenge. Other wins included: Tullamore, Fermoy x 3, Skibbereen OB National, Rosscarbery Cocks National, Rosscarbery Hens National, Bude, Penzance, Penzance OB Classic and Skibbereen YB National. Edward McKnight finished the year with 3 wins out of 4 races: Sennon Cove, St Malo National and Talbenny YB National in the Young birds, his highlight for 2012, winning Section E from Talbenny YB National. Jennifer Douglas finished the year with 4 wins out of the last 6 races from: Tullamore, Fermoy, Fermoy 5 Bird & Rosscarbery National, taking 4th Section E from Tullamore.
RGG Donaldson: Tullamore: 40th Section E, Clonmel: 8th Section E & 37th Open, Fermoy: 39th Section E, Rosscarbery Nat: 14th, 50th & 76th Section E & 53rd, 203rd & 280th Open, 1st Talbenny: 24th, 38th & 52nd Section E & 61st, 101st & 139th Open, 2nd Talbenny: 32nd Section E & 84th Open, Fermoy 5 Bird: 14th Section E & 106th Open, Tullamore: 70th Section, Roscrea: 6th Section E & 9th Open, Clonmel: 30th Section E & 81st Open, Talbenny: 51st Section & Penzance YB National: 20th & 76th North Section & 33rd & 112th Open.
Joe Brown: Fermoy: 16th Section E, Rosscarbery Nat: 52nd & 85th Section E & 205th, 314th & 396th Open, Skibbereen National: 72nd & 119th North Section, Rosscarbery Yrl Hens: 4th & 14th Section E and 22nd & 83rd Open, Bude: 44th Section E & 143rd Open, Penzance Classic: 19th & 20th Section E and 43rd & 45th Open, Penzance: 23rd & 24th Section E and 56th & 59th Open, Vannes: 10th North Section & 15th Open, Fermoy: 29th Section E & 93rd Open, Tullamore: 9th, 35th & 36th Section E & 88th Open, Talbenny: 5th Section E & 40th Open, Rosscarbery: 47th & 67th Section E, Skibbereen National: 41st, 103rd & 207th North Section.
Edward McKnight: Talbenny: 1st Section E & 12th Open.
Jennifer Douglas: Tullamore: 4th, 12th & 32nd Section & 67th & 109th Open, Rosscarbery: 30th, 34th, 40th & 62nd Section E & 308th Open, Fermoy: 25th & 36th Section E & 87th & 116th Open
All in all, the Blackwatertown West End may have come from rags but there is no doubt in recent years they will enjoy many riches and build on these foundations and will soon add 1st Open and/or 1st National winner to their CV.
Joe Brown.
Edward McKnight.
RGG Donaldson from (l) Roy, Gary and Graeme.