"William's Choice" wins Combine & Section For Eagleson Loft Of Ballymena
The final inland race of the old bird season was flown on Saturday 22nd June from Fermoy in County Cork. The strings were cut and the birds released at 7.30am in southerly winds. Johnston Eagleson & Sons had the best two birds in the local area winning 1st & 2nd Mid Antrim Combine and 1st & 6th Section B on 1829 & 1814. The first bird timed at 10.43am was a 2yo blue hen winning the Mid Antrim Combine and Section B for the second time this season having won it in late April from Roscrea. This hen also won the club from 1st Fermoy and was placed 10th in the Combine. The hen has been named "William's Choice" after William McManus of Ahoghill who selected the parents from his stock loft a couple of years ago. The sire is a stunning blue Van Den Brande cock and the dam is Lambrecht x Paddy & Williams best Karel Laenen cock which is responsible for dozens of winners. The loft's second bird timed was a yearling chequer Van Den Bulk hen bred from one of their top stock cocks "Dirk". That's 5 x 1st Combine wins and 3 x 1st Section wins for the Eagleson loft this season.
The Kells winner Geoff Surgenor was next best in the Combine on 1807 with a yearling mealy cock bred from Bertie Blair's Sticker Donckers stock . The Kells runner up Harry Boyd was 4th Combine and Marcus Morrow had the best two birds in Broughshane for 5th & 6th Combine. His winner a yearling cheq hen is Lambrechts x Van Den Brande, both parents coming from Gary Gibson and the dam won two races for Marcus this season.
Roy Clements had the Harryville winner on 1788 and Alan Darragh the Cullybackey winner on 1782. Jackie Steele was best in Rasharkin on 1769 with a dark yearling Lambrecht cock off a brother of "02" and Jimmy Smyth & Son were the winners in Ahoghill on 1767 with one bred from a pair of Sam Murphy's.Mervyn Eagleson PO.
Mid Antrim Combine Fermoy 33/292 - J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1829, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1814, Surgenor Bros Kells 1807, H Boyd Kells 1794, T & M Morrow Broughshane 1793, T & M Morrow Broughshane 1792, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1790, R H Clements Ballymena 1788, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1785, A Darragh Cullybackey 1782, Surgenor Bros Kells 1778, G Gibson Cullybackey 1772, Steele & McNeill Rasharkin 1769, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1767, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1767, D Magill Harryville 1764, G Gibson Cullybackey 1762 Surgenor Bros Kells 1762, H Cubitt Rasharkin 1759, J & J Greer Cullybackey 1758 S Johnston & Son Ballymena 1743, Surgenor Bros Kells 1753, A Darragh Cullybackey 1750, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1750, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1750, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1749, D Dixon Rasharkin 1749, W Livingstone Ahoghill 1749, D Dixon Rasharkin 1742, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1741.
Johnston Eagleson of Ballymena with his double Combine and Section winner from Roscrea and Fermoy.