2024 Season Round-up

[willie reynolds]

East Antrim Amal Season Round-up

Good evening to you all, after a very successful first season, I just thought I would put a small report together detailing the racing year that was.
Throughout the year 82 members sent 22,639 birds, competing for £1200 pools & Golden ring money, there were 17 different winners also!
It has to be said that our first season surpassed all expectations with the members excelling from the very first race, returning open winners, section winners & indeed some really top notch national performances!
The communication from all the clubs & reps has been first class with pool sheets etc all being sent in on time and making the Amal streamlined to run, ideas have been floated along the year and there has been a general atmosphere of good craic & a genuine interest from the wider fancy for the result on a sat night to see who topped the sheet!
I have had many comments from different people, but the one that came up most was “it’s great to see the east Antrim up and running again”
This brings me to my next point of the organ grinders who got it there, firstly our chairman Alistair Stuart Mcnaghten, he covered most of the groundwork for the start up doing a lot of behind the scenes work that most are not aware of even right up until the pre dinner where he drove on his own time to kilrea to collect the race diplomas, as I said all these jobs still need doing and Alister has been at the forefront in meetings and communication from the outset!
Mark McCormick our secretary has been simply dedicated to the role and has carried the bulk of the workload, results, velocities, pools, golden ring, communications to the clubs, etc. I spoke to mark at the very start and he told me “if I’m going to do the secretary work I want to do it right” he certainly did, even taking the note pad with him on holidays and doing the velocity & result while he was away shows the effort mark has put in for us!
Myself, all I can say is the two boys mentioned above made my job easy, I enjoyed the different phone calls I had with folk telling them they had won the Amal and the details they shared with me!
I hope you enjoyed reading my reports as much as I enjoyed writing them!
Thanks to the NIPA for their hard work and updates through the season, these early updates make all the difference to us all!
To Jordan Hughes, for all the publicity he has given the EAA in their own piece in the homing world every week! Thank you
Thank you to the folks who very kindly sponsored the EAA trophies, James Hastings, Robert Mills & Tony Rodgers.
A mention to Hugh Bigger & Gary McKenna who both put up young birds for the bonus ball.
The EAA prize distribution was held along side the Larne & District HPS Awards dinner.
It has to be said with a full house it was a great evening for all, but thanks must go to the Larne members & Joe mcGlaughlin for organising a splendid night from start to finish!
I just want to say to the 82 members who put the trust in us at the start thank you, I think we can all agree it was well worth it, now that it is firmly established I hope to pick up a few more members for the forthcoming season!
A mention to our trophy winners, Hugh Bigger on what can only be described as his best individual season yet! Hugh took home the Old bird champion cup & the old bird & young bird combined trophy. Simply brilliant wining the open & sections and also finishing highest prize winner in a strong Carrick club!
He was also awarded the Presidents cup at the NIPA dinner, a great advertisement for the EAA from a great fancier, WELL DONE!
Gary McKenna, taking home the Young Bird trophy, and back to his very best along with the help of his grandson, I had a couple of really good calls with Gary, and it’s the old saying there’s no substitute for experience and if you look over the years Gary’s racing record is up there with the very best of them. Winning 2 Amal young bird races, a noteable result was the 2nd kilbeggan where Gary took the top 4, a smashing card, followed by another win in the 2nd roscrea!
WELL DONE Team McKenna!
Folks I will now include the pictures from the prize giving, all that leaves me to do is wish you all & your families a merry Christmas and a happy new “pigeon” year!
Jonny Baxter