Johnston Eagleson & Sons win 1st, 2nd & 3rd Mid Antrim Combine from tough Bude race.
The racing season continued with a Sunday race from Bude in north Cornwall. Liberation was at 9.00am in light westerly winds, the birds cleared the race point well but had to endure a pretty tough race. Johnston Eagleson & Sons of Ballymena & District club had a fantastic result taking 1st, 2nd & 3rd Mid Antrim Combine and 1st, 2nd & 4th Section B and had a further four birds in the Combine & Section Result. The partnership timed at 15.22pm almost 15 minutes clear of the next fancier and were flying 289 miles to the lofts.
The first bird a 2yo red cock is from their top pair of Van Den Bulcks from P & D Breeding Stud. The cock was the fourth bird from 2nd Dale last weekend winning 11th Combine &16th Section. Two full sisters of the winner were 1st & 2nd club & 7th & 9th Combine in another hard race from Bude last season, one of which was the fourth bird this week winning 9th Section. The second bird a yearling blue wf hen timed at 15.31pm was from another P & D Van Den Bulck cock 'Dirk' which is sire and grandsire of many 1st prize winners. Dam of the second bird was Danny Dixon's old Lambrecht line x Louis Thijs from Paddy & William McManus. The third bird a 4yo blue cock was timed at 15.34pm. Sire was from Trevor Simpson & Son of York and dam Vermeerbergen from Keith Kernohan. This cock has been a top racer winning 2nd Combine & 3rd Section Roscrea, 2nd Combine & 2nd Section Dale beaten by loftmate and now 3rd Combine beaten by 2 loftmates & 4th Section Bude 289 miles. A top result for the Eagleson loft who over the years have won many Combine & Sections from Bude including 1st Open Nipa in 1998 with 'True Grit'.
Willie Gilbert and son William topped Randalstown on 1284 with the same pencil blue cock that won Dale the previous week and also 4th club from 1st Dale. The Kenyon parents were bought at a sale of C & L Woodside's of Ballyclare. Paddy & William McManus continued their fine form winning Ahoghill for the ninth time this season on 1260. This week's winner a yearling hen is half sister to 'Dark Delight' 2nd Open Infc Penzance young bird National 2024 for Martin Graham. Freddie Barkley had the Rasharkin winner on 1162 and Geoff Surgenor was best in Kells on 1179.
Broughshane winner John Getty won his third channel race on the trot winning the last two with the same cheq cock.
Mid Antrim Combine Bude - 31/308
J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1333, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1302, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1293, G Gibson Cullybackey 1287, W & W Gilbert Randalstown 1284, Stewart Bros Randalstown 1271. J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1262. Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1360. J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1259, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1259. Mr & Mrs Robinson Cullybackey 1237, J Millar Randalstown 1235, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1232, Mr & Mrs Robinson Cullybackey 1217
Rock & Moore Cullybackey 1209, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1202, Blair & Rankin Ballymena 1197, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1192, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1192, J & K Balmer Ahoghill 1192, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1191, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1190, W & W Gilbert Randalstown 1188, J Whyte Ahoghill 1187, D Dixon Rasharkin 1183, G & G Jackson Ahoghill 1181. Surgenor Bros Kells 1179, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1178, D Dixon Rasharkin 1172, T Whyte Ahoghill 1170, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1169
T Whyte Ahoghill 1164, J & K Balmer Ahoghill 1162, G Gibson Cullybackey 1162, F Barkley Rasharkin 1162, Rock & Moore Cullybackey 1161, Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1160, S Johnston & Son Ballymena 1160, A Barkley & Son Kells 1160, T Whyte Ahoghill 1158.
Les Mairs Memorial OB Points Fancier Of the Year Cup (Bude & Dunmanway Yearling National)
J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 429
G Gibson Cullybackey 338
Young & McManus & Sons Ahoghill 328
A Darragh Cullybackey 270
D Dixon Rasharkin 207
Rock & Moore Cullybackey 134
T Whyte Ahoghill 131
Surgenor Bros 113
S Johnston & Son Ballymena 105
R Service & Son 100
J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 91
Harry Boyd 80
Blair & Rankin Ballymena 72.
Mid Antrim Combine OB Knock Out - Bude - Winners in capitals
J & J Greer Cullybackey 921 v D DIXON Rasharkin 1183
J EAGLESON & SONS Ballymena 1333 v J Whyte Ahoghill 1187.
Mid Antrim Combine Champions League Knock Out - Bude - Winners in Capitals
J EAGLESON & SONS Ballymena 1333 v D Dixon Rasharkin 1183
J SMYTH & SON Ahoghill 1259 v Surgenor Bros Kells 1179.
Mid Antrim Combine Club Points Shield - Bude & Dunmanway
Cullybackey HPS 74
Ahoghill FC 71
Ballymena & District 66
Rasharkin & District 51
Kells & District 49
Broughshane & District 24
Randalstown HPS 23 - Mervyn Eagleson MAC Press Officer
NIPA Section B Bude 56/641 – J Eagleson & SNS Ballymena 1333, J Eagleson & Sons 1301, S & J Bones Muckamore 1299, J Eagleson & Sons 1293, G Gibson Cullybackey 1287, W & W Gilbert Randalstown 1284, Stewart Bros Randaltown 1271, R & S Hope Crumlin & Dist 1263, J Eagleson & Sons 1262, Young McManus & Sons Ahoghill 1260.
NIPA Sect B Clubs
Ahoghill Flying Club 6/88 – Young McManus & Sons 1260, J Smyth & Son 1259, 1259, 1192, Young McManus & Sons 1192, J & K Balmer 1192
Ballymoney HPS 5/58 – W Rodgers 1258, D Dixon 1183, A Wilson 1183, D Dixan 1172, 1152, D & H Stuart 1149.
Broughshane & District 2/9 – John Getty 861.
Ballymena & District HPS 5/58 – J Eagleson & Sons 1333, 1301, 1293, 1262, 1232, 1202.
Cullybackey HPS 10/89 – G Gibson 1287, M/M Robinson 1237, S Murphy 1224, M/M Robinson 1217, Rock & Moore 1209, S Murphy 1163.
Crumlin & District 8/128 – R & S Hope 1263, 1225, 1213, Sefton Thompson 1204, John Harkness 1201, Sefton Thompson 1201.
Kells & District HPS 2/11 – Surgenor Bros 1179, A Barkley & Son 1160, 1151, 1065, 1039.
Muckamore HPS 6/111 – S & J Bobes 1299, D J Thompson 1251, 1251, Magill & Lavery 1250, S & N Maginty 1235, 1214.
Randalstown HPS 5/38 – W & W Gilbert 1284, Stewart Bros 1271, J Millar 1235, W & W Gilbert 1188, 1155, Stewart Bros 1095.
Rasharkin &District HPS 2/17 – F Barkley 1162, 1151, 1144, 1134, 1102, 1078.
HOMER. Willie Reynolds
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Photo Captions
Johnston Eagleson of Ballymena with his 1st MA Combine & 1st Section B winner from Dale
Willie & Willie Gilbert Randalstown winners & 5th Combine
Paddy McManus 9 x 1st in Ahoghill 2025 including the three channel races
Freddie Barkley with his Bude & Dunmanway winners in Rasharkin at the weekend
Geoff Surgenor best in Kells from Bude
John Getty with his 2nd Dale & Bude winner in Broughshane