R Carson & Son, Banbridge -
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:13 pm
R Carson & Son – 1st Open INFC Kings Cup Rennes in 1989
I recently did some bird pics for Diamond Carson of Banbridge and it was an opportunity to remember the success from Rennes when the loft were the very proud winners of the Blue Riband Kings Cup flying into an area of County Down which was steeped in the tradition of Long Distance racing. The following article was published in the various Year Books at the time. It is also worth noting our website with details at the tail of this article has a dedicated section on INFC History which includes most of the Kings Cup winners, updates are on-going.
The invitation from the Year Books is in itself an honour and it is with much pleasure that we do so. Racing pigeons have been a tradition in our family since the turn of the century. In the early 1900s my late father and an uncle started up in partnership to race the birds. They were very young but the love of racing pigeons has been inherited through the generations from those early days.
I commenced racing my own team of birds in 1951 after I had been in partnership with my brother for a number of years. My youngest son Diamond joined with me at an early age and we now race as father and son. We had some success from the beginning and after many years this has continued in club and Open competition. For the past four seasons we have been highest prize-winners in very hot competition in BanbridgeHPS and Banbridge Social HPS. However our best ever season has been the past one. Our birds hit form very early and kept this up longer than we could reasonably have expected.
Some of our results in Open races are 40th Sect E in the NIPA Skibbereen OB Inland Derby; 2nd & 14th Sect E plus 5th Open NIPA Bude; 6th, 13th & 34th Sect E plus 13th, 25th & 65th Open NIPA Penzance OB Classic; 10th Sect E and 13th Open NIPA Dinard (France) OB Derby.
However these results paled into insignificance when we timed our for year old blue cock “Jackie” to win the most coveted prize in all Ireland, the Blue Riband of all races, The King George V Cup plus a Vauxhall Nova car and £2,922 cash. The clue cock was hatched in 1985 and flew all stages to Skibbereen (230 miles). As a yearling he was also raced to Skibbereen. As a two year old he was raced across the channel for the first time winning 5th Club Penzance (294 miles). In his third year he repeated the performance of 5th Club Penzance. This year 1989, as a four year old he flew all inland stages to Skibbereen. Then across the water, to Talbenny and Penzance, winning 2nd Club. He was sent to this race sitting five days on eggs, he was then lightly trained with single-up tosses.
For Rennes he was sent feeding a one and a half-day old youngster when hampered on Tuesday for a Friday liberation in France. Owing to adverse weather conditions the convoy was held-over until Sunday. This gave us some concern but our fears were tempered with the knowledge that our birds were being cared for by Tommy McDowell the INFC convoyer. We knew that Tucker thought more of the birds comfort than his own. The condition of the birds on return, were proof of this.
Our birds are mostly Kenyons which we purchased from those great National racers, Smyth Bros of Ballymena and we cannot pay them a high enough tribute for the quality of these pigeons. They have kept us to the fore for many years.
The birds we timed in the Penzance Classic and Rennes were of the Imbrecht family. These were bred from stock birds which we received from a lifelong friend namely J H O’Neill from Newry and Co Down who has had outstanding success in both Club and National races over many years.
Our advice to young and new fanciers is not original but is relevant nevertheless. Start with good sound and healthy stock irrespective of the breeding. Unhealthy stock will never produce what it takes to make a good racing pigeon. Good clean fresh-smelling mixture, no matter what you feed make sure it is sound and clean. Give your birds plenty of hamper work when they need to be fit, un-fit pigeons will never win races. Keep the loft and utensils clean and be regular in your duties. These are the fundamentals if you want to be successful.
Finally we would thank all who called to congratulate us. Pigeon racing is a sport with many fine people. You only realise this when you have such a success as we have had. We are grateful for many good friends.
E C Gordon writes – I have been privileged to play a small part in producing this article, very small indeed – I typed it! I must add that Dick Carson and his son Diamond are too modest. I can state without hesitation that this partnership are the most highly regarded in this district, and further afield. They have been premier prize-winners this past number of years. A just reward for hard working, and dedicated fanciers. It is also pleasing to record that they both play their part in the administration end of the sport. In fact Diamond is the secretary of three clubs and has contributed more than one can expect to the furtherance of the sport, he is a very hard worker.
Winning the Kings Cup has been a boost to the sport in this district. To see how hard work and dedication can result in just reward is an encouragement to all who hope to emulate the success of Dick Carson & Son. Finally, our best thanks go to Edwin May Ltd in Portadown who very generously sponsored the Vauxhall Nova car, we are all very grateful. First published 1990.
R Carson & Son from Banbridge won the INFC Kings Cup winner from Rennes in 1989.
George Willis (l) from Portadown collects the Kings Cup from the previous
season’s winners R Carson & Son. George won the race from Rennes in 1990.
Rick Osman from the RP presents the NIPA Cup to R Carson & Son, at the 1989 presentation.
At the loft of R Carson & Son, from (l) Kirker Porter, Ernie McDowell, Ernie Gordon,
Richard Carson, Diamond Carson and Tommy McDowell. Photo by Sam Porter.
Blue (h) 17B-42253 winner of 1st Sect G & 20th Open NIPA Gowran Park.
Also 1st Sect & 1st Open NIPA St Malo OB National in 2020.
Cheq w/f (h) 16B-37505 winner of 1st Sect G & 67th Open NIPA Rosscarbery OB National.
Blue Cheq (h) 12D-34580 winner of 1st Sect G & 24th Open NIPA Rosscarbery OB Nat
and 2nd Sect G & 8th Open NIPA Sennen Cove OB Classic.
Blue (c) 14B-13814 winner of 1st Sect G & 11th Open NIPA Rosscarbery OB Nat
and 1st Sect G & 99th Open NIPA Gowran Park.
I recently did some bird pics for Diamond Carson of Banbridge and it was an opportunity to remember the success from Rennes when the loft were the very proud winners of the Blue Riband Kings Cup flying into an area of County Down which was steeped in the tradition of Long Distance racing. The following article was published in the various Year Books at the time. It is also worth noting our website with details at the tail of this article has a dedicated section on INFC History which includes most of the Kings Cup winners, updates are on-going.
The invitation from the Year Books is in itself an honour and it is with much pleasure that we do so. Racing pigeons have been a tradition in our family since the turn of the century. In the early 1900s my late father and an uncle started up in partnership to race the birds. They were very young but the love of racing pigeons has been inherited through the generations from those early days.
I commenced racing my own team of birds in 1951 after I had been in partnership with my brother for a number of years. My youngest son Diamond joined with me at an early age and we now race as father and son. We had some success from the beginning and after many years this has continued in club and Open competition. For the past four seasons we have been highest prize-winners in very hot competition in BanbridgeHPS and Banbridge Social HPS. However our best ever season has been the past one. Our birds hit form very early and kept this up longer than we could reasonably have expected.
Some of our results in Open races are 40th Sect E in the NIPA Skibbereen OB Inland Derby; 2nd & 14th Sect E plus 5th Open NIPA Bude; 6th, 13th & 34th Sect E plus 13th, 25th & 65th Open NIPA Penzance OB Classic; 10th Sect E and 13th Open NIPA Dinard (France) OB Derby.
However these results paled into insignificance when we timed our for year old blue cock “Jackie” to win the most coveted prize in all Ireland, the Blue Riband of all races, The King George V Cup plus a Vauxhall Nova car and £2,922 cash. The clue cock was hatched in 1985 and flew all stages to Skibbereen (230 miles). As a yearling he was also raced to Skibbereen. As a two year old he was raced across the channel for the first time winning 5th Club Penzance (294 miles). In his third year he repeated the performance of 5th Club Penzance. This year 1989, as a four year old he flew all inland stages to Skibbereen. Then across the water, to Talbenny and Penzance, winning 2nd Club. He was sent to this race sitting five days on eggs, he was then lightly trained with single-up tosses.
For Rennes he was sent feeding a one and a half-day old youngster when hampered on Tuesday for a Friday liberation in France. Owing to adverse weather conditions the convoy was held-over until Sunday. This gave us some concern but our fears were tempered with the knowledge that our birds were being cared for by Tommy McDowell the INFC convoyer. We knew that Tucker thought more of the birds comfort than his own. The condition of the birds on return, were proof of this.
Our birds are mostly Kenyons which we purchased from those great National racers, Smyth Bros of Ballymena and we cannot pay them a high enough tribute for the quality of these pigeons. They have kept us to the fore for many years.
The birds we timed in the Penzance Classic and Rennes were of the Imbrecht family. These were bred from stock birds which we received from a lifelong friend namely J H O’Neill from Newry and Co Down who has had outstanding success in both Club and National races over many years.
Our advice to young and new fanciers is not original but is relevant nevertheless. Start with good sound and healthy stock irrespective of the breeding. Unhealthy stock will never produce what it takes to make a good racing pigeon. Good clean fresh-smelling mixture, no matter what you feed make sure it is sound and clean. Give your birds plenty of hamper work when they need to be fit, un-fit pigeons will never win races. Keep the loft and utensils clean and be regular in your duties. These are the fundamentals if you want to be successful.
Finally we would thank all who called to congratulate us. Pigeon racing is a sport with many fine people. You only realise this when you have such a success as we have had. We are grateful for many good friends.
E C Gordon writes – I have been privileged to play a small part in producing this article, very small indeed – I typed it! I must add that Dick Carson and his son Diamond are too modest. I can state without hesitation that this partnership are the most highly regarded in this district, and further afield. They have been premier prize-winners this past number of years. A just reward for hard working, and dedicated fanciers. It is also pleasing to record that they both play their part in the administration end of the sport. In fact Diamond is the secretary of three clubs and has contributed more than one can expect to the furtherance of the sport, he is a very hard worker.
Winning the Kings Cup has been a boost to the sport in this district. To see how hard work and dedication can result in just reward is an encouragement to all who hope to emulate the success of Dick Carson & Son. Finally, our best thanks go to Edwin May Ltd in Portadown who very generously sponsored the Vauxhall Nova car, we are all very grateful. First published 1990.
R Carson & Son from Banbridge won the INFC Kings Cup winner from Rennes in 1989.
George Willis (l) from Portadown collects the Kings Cup from the previous
season’s winners R Carson & Son. George won the race from Rennes in 1990.
Rick Osman from the RP presents the NIPA Cup to R Carson & Son, at the 1989 presentation.
At the loft of R Carson & Son, from (l) Kirker Porter, Ernie McDowell, Ernie Gordon,
Richard Carson, Diamond Carson and Tommy McDowell. Photo by Sam Porter.
Blue (h) 17B-42253 winner of 1st Sect G & 20th Open NIPA Gowran Park.
Also 1st Sect & 1st Open NIPA St Malo OB National in 2020.
Cheq w/f (h) 16B-37505 winner of 1st Sect G & 67th Open NIPA Rosscarbery OB National.
Blue Cheq (h) 12D-34580 winner of 1st Sect G & 24th Open NIPA Rosscarbery OB Nat
and 2nd Sect G & 8th Open NIPA Sennen Cove OB Classic.
Blue (c) 14B-13814 winner of 1st Sect G & 11th Open NIPA Rosscarbery OB Nat
and 1st Sect G & 99th Open NIPA Gowran Park.
