Plougastel OB Nat (France) - Frid 28/06/24
Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2024 9:47 am
Nipa Plougastel OB National - Mid Antrim Combine 28/06/24
Top Ten National Finish For Laurence & Heather Robinson Of Cullybackey
Anne, Chris & Tommy Tweed Win Nipa Gold Medal with "Tommy's Dream"
The Nipa old bird National was held from Plougastel in France on Friday 28th June. Liberation took place at 7.00am in light north westerly winds and like all this year's channel races another tough race followed. Only two birds were clocked in the Cullybackey Centre by close of first day. The first of these was to the husband and wife team of Laurence & Heather Robinson who race in Cullybackey Flying Club. The partnership timed their 5yr old blue hen at 19.35pm to record 1060 and win 1st Mid Antrim Combine, 1st Section B and 9th Open Nipa National 1371 birds. The winning hen has raced powerful well other the channel and among her many prizes have been 5th Section & 9th Open Nipa Bude and last season 91st Open from the St. Malo Friendship National. This season she had three inland races and then 1st Dale. She was racing the early part of the season on roundabout and then put down on eggs and sitting 12 days going to Plougastel. Her sire was a gift from Tommy Grattan and the dam Vandenbeele from top Kells racer Harry Boyd. Another top result for a very consistent loft especially on the channel and they look like winning the Section B cross channel averages for the second year running.
Stephen & Natalie Doherty of Cullybackey had the only other bird timed on the night in the Cullybackey Centre doing 1021. Their 2yo blue hen now named "Glencar Queen" timed at 20.10pm, was sitting eggs about 12 days and had a couple of young ones slipped two days before basketing. The sire is a son of Stephen's good Jan Aarden cock from Cedarwood lofts that bred 24th and 287th Open in the INFC Penzance Yearling National this season when paired to a direct N Black & Sons of Dromara hen from their Fiona lines. The dam is from E Murtagh and Sons and is a double granddaughter of Dinkey's Delight 8th Open Kings Cup and also helped win the Harkness Rose Bowl. Also in her breeding is Manny's girl which has flown the Kings Cup four times and has also won the Hall Of Fame. Stephen & Natalie have only been in the pigeons for three seasons and only set their stall out for channel and National racing. They have had a number of good results already, some being 235th & 237th Open INFC Sennen Cove Yearling National 2022 at their first attempt, 25th Section Talbenny YB National Nipa 2022, 1st Mid Antrim Combine & 11th Open INFC St Malo Friendship National 477 miles 2023, 14th & 19th Section, 143rd & 191st Open Dale, 24th, 71st,199th, 261st & 285th Penzance Yearling National 2024 and now 2nd Section B & 14th Open Nipa Plougastel OB National 2024. Once again many thanks to Mr & Mrs Connolly of Portglenone for allowing us the use of their field where the loft's are erected.
Clocking early the next morning was the Tweed team of Rasharkin. Anne, Chris & Tommy timed their super 5yo chequer pied hen at 06.08am flying 470 miles to win the coveted Gold Medal for a bird place four times in the Nipa Old Bird National Open result. Dam is from Joe Murphy and contains top Scottish distance lines and the sire from Rudi Gage of Windsor Social contains Fred Simpson x Robin Duddy bloodlines.
Dark Pied Hen GB19R09182 - "Tommy's Dream"
Gold Medal Winner 2024
2021 St Malo - 2nd Mid Antrim Combine, 5th Section B & 43rd Open Nipa 1980 birds velo 578
2022 St Malo - 4th Mid Antrim Combine, 7th Section B & 71st Open Nipa 1232 birds velo 280
2023 St Malo - 2nd Mid Antrim Combine, 3rd Section B & 30th Open Nipa 1309 birds velo 625
2024 Plougastel - 3rd Mid Antrim Combine, 4th Section B & 61st Open Nipa 1371 birds Velo 798
A few words spoken by Tommy Tweed and penned by son Chris "What a way to complete 50 years clocking pigeons from France. I clocked my first French bird in 1974. She was later called “Meadow Queen” when she won 7th open Rennes Kings Cup 1976 winning us £784, exactly 1/3 of the price we had paid for a brand new Opel Kadett Special which cost £2250 at the time.
My gold award winner may be the furthest flying winner in the NIPA, she was sent sitting 10 days, flew 3 races from Roscrea 150 miles. No more tosses, just flew each morning with 25 young birds, usually 1 hour+, fed on the best Van Tilburg Varimix, supplied by Henry McLaughlin. Also peanuts and sunflower hearts & iron tonic in the water. She has won us over £1,050 from her past four races from France. I’m now under pressure from Anne & Chris to not race her again, but we will just have to watch this space".....
Chris Moore of Cullybackey also clocked early on the second morning at 06.24am to win 6th Section & 66th Open National. Chris's 2yo chequer cock is Koopman bred from pigeons he acquired from the late Jackie Traynor of County Durham. It was sitting 10 days on eggs, was well raced down Ireland and got 2nd Dale plus private training.
Roy Clements of Harryville timed the only other bird in the Mid Antrim Combine in the three day race to win 7th Section & 99th Open. The 3yo chequer cock was Roy's only entry and was club bird of the year as a youngster. Sire is Wildemeerch bred by Daniel Magill x a daughter of Roy's Vermeerbergen pair. He was in 1st Dale then Fermoy the week after and was sitting eggs.
Top Ten National Finish For Laurence & Heather Robinson Of Cullybackey
Anne, Chris & Tommy Tweed Win Nipa Gold Medal with "Tommy's Dream"
The Nipa old bird National was held from Plougastel in France on Friday 28th June. Liberation took place at 7.00am in light north westerly winds and like all this year's channel races another tough race followed. Only two birds were clocked in the Cullybackey Centre by close of first day. The first of these was to the husband and wife team of Laurence & Heather Robinson who race in Cullybackey Flying Club. The partnership timed their 5yr old blue hen at 19.35pm to record 1060 and win 1st Mid Antrim Combine, 1st Section B and 9th Open Nipa National 1371 birds. The winning hen has raced powerful well other the channel and among her many prizes have been 5th Section & 9th Open Nipa Bude and last season 91st Open from the St. Malo Friendship National. This season she had three inland races and then 1st Dale. She was racing the early part of the season on roundabout and then put down on eggs and sitting 12 days going to Plougastel. Her sire was a gift from Tommy Grattan and the dam Vandenbeele from top Kells racer Harry Boyd. Another top result for a very consistent loft especially on the channel and they look like winning the Section B cross channel averages for the second year running.
Stephen & Natalie Doherty of Cullybackey had the only other bird timed on the night in the Cullybackey Centre doing 1021. Their 2yo blue hen now named "Glencar Queen" timed at 20.10pm, was sitting eggs about 12 days and had a couple of young ones slipped two days before basketing. The sire is a son of Stephen's good Jan Aarden cock from Cedarwood lofts that bred 24th and 287th Open in the INFC Penzance Yearling National this season when paired to a direct N Black & Sons of Dromara hen from their Fiona lines. The dam is from E Murtagh and Sons and is a double granddaughter of Dinkey's Delight 8th Open Kings Cup and also helped win the Harkness Rose Bowl. Also in her breeding is Manny's girl which has flown the Kings Cup four times and has also won the Hall Of Fame. Stephen & Natalie have only been in the pigeons for three seasons and only set their stall out for channel and National racing. They have had a number of good results already, some being 235th & 237th Open INFC Sennen Cove Yearling National 2022 at their first attempt, 25th Section Talbenny YB National Nipa 2022, 1st Mid Antrim Combine & 11th Open INFC St Malo Friendship National 477 miles 2023, 14th & 19th Section, 143rd & 191st Open Dale, 24th, 71st,199th, 261st & 285th Penzance Yearling National 2024 and now 2nd Section B & 14th Open Nipa Plougastel OB National 2024. Once again many thanks to Mr & Mrs Connolly of Portglenone for allowing us the use of their field where the loft's are erected.
Clocking early the next morning was the Tweed team of Rasharkin. Anne, Chris & Tommy timed their super 5yo chequer pied hen at 06.08am flying 470 miles to win the coveted Gold Medal for a bird place four times in the Nipa Old Bird National Open result. Dam is from Joe Murphy and contains top Scottish distance lines and the sire from Rudi Gage of Windsor Social contains Fred Simpson x Robin Duddy bloodlines.
Dark Pied Hen GB19R09182 - "Tommy's Dream"
Gold Medal Winner 2024
2021 St Malo - 2nd Mid Antrim Combine, 5th Section B & 43rd Open Nipa 1980 birds velo 578
2022 St Malo - 4th Mid Antrim Combine, 7th Section B & 71st Open Nipa 1232 birds velo 280
2023 St Malo - 2nd Mid Antrim Combine, 3rd Section B & 30th Open Nipa 1309 birds velo 625
2024 Plougastel - 3rd Mid Antrim Combine, 4th Section B & 61st Open Nipa 1371 birds Velo 798
A few words spoken by Tommy Tweed and penned by son Chris "What a way to complete 50 years clocking pigeons from France. I clocked my first French bird in 1974. She was later called “Meadow Queen” when she won 7th open Rennes Kings Cup 1976 winning us £784, exactly 1/3 of the price we had paid for a brand new Opel Kadett Special which cost £2250 at the time.
My gold award winner may be the furthest flying winner in the NIPA, she was sent sitting 10 days, flew 3 races from Roscrea 150 miles. No more tosses, just flew each morning with 25 young birds, usually 1 hour+, fed on the best Van Tilburg Varimix, supplied by Henry McLaughlin. Also peanuts and sunflower hearts & iron tonic in the water. She has won us over £1,050 from her past four races from France. I’m now under pressure from Anne & Chris to not race her again, but we will just have to watch this space".....
Chris Moore of Cullybackey also clocked early on the second morning at 06.24am to win 6th Section & 66th Open National. Chris's 2yo chequer cock is Koopman bred from pigeons he acquired from the late Jackie Traynor of County Durham. It was sitting 10 days on eggs, was well raced down Ireland and got 2nd Dale plus private training.
Roy Clements of Harryville timed the only other bird in the Mid Antrim Combine in the three day race to win 7th Section & 99th Open. The 3yo chequer cock was Roy's only entry and was club bird of the year as a youngster. Sire is Wildemeerch bred by Daniel Magill x a daughter of Roy's Vermeerbergen pair. He was in 1st Dale then Fermoy the week after and was sitting eggs.