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 AFTER success on the rugby field and also on the trail field, John Whitehead has reached the top in pigeon racing.
The Ellenborough Flying Club member topped the Derwent Valley Federation from Saturday’s tricky Stafford race when the 1,740 birds were flying back into a wet home county.
He only started racing young birds in 2001 after being forced to cut-short his blossoming career as a trail-hound trainer where he enjoyed considerable success.
Earlier in his sporting life he played amateur rugby league for Brookland Rovers and Broughton Moor before turning professional with Workington Town.
“I mostly played for the A team but remember having one match with the first team against Hull KR.
“I’d had pigeons when I was young but I got into hound trailing and did quite well in that but unfortunately I developed arthritis which meant I couldn’t walk my dogs.
“I started with young birds in 2001 and people were very good giving me pigeons. I’ve just built up from there,” he says.
He was clocking at 12-57pm after the 10-35am liberation in a light south wind at Stafford which was almost a mile a minute for the 142 mile trip.
Topping the Federation was a nice tonic for, like a number of other fanciers, he had suffered the previous week in a bad race from Appleton. He lost 15 from that race but on Saturday dropped only two from his entry of 16.
He had been second and third in the Ellenborough club from Appleton and thought his birds were just coming into form.
The winner is a blue yearling cock, raced on the roundabout system, who was scoring for the first time. He was a second round youngster last year and was stopped after racing as far as Stafford.
He’s bred from a cock which is a Staff Van Reet out of pigeons bought by Jackie Musgrave at the sale for the late Alec Cameron. The mother was bred by David Todhunter and Rodney Ismay.
DERWENT VALLEY
FEDERATION (1,740 birds): 1, J. Whitehead (Ellenborough) 1753’ 2, D. and J. Reay (Ellenborough) 1752; 3, 6, Graham and daughters (Netherton) 1736.1, 1732; 4, A. Hayton (Flimby WC) 1736.07; 5, D. Holliday (Harrington Central) 1734.
SEATON RBL (Sponsored by Metropolitan Racing - 6 Sent 120): 1, 6, F. Scott 1747, 1693; 2, A. Parker and son 1745; 3, Mr and Mrs Duggan 1726; 4, Mr and Mrs Dustin 1711; 5, Scholey and Gale 1694.
DEARHAM UTD (5 sent 62): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, J. Baker 1747, 1708, 1681, 1659, 1657; 6, Harker and Berwick 1645. (Appleton – 6 sent 86): 1, 2, T. L. Charters 1243, 1242; 3, J. Baker 1239; 4, 5, S. Sanderson and grandson 1237, 1235; 6, Harker and Berwick 1232.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA FC (16 sent 286): 1, 6, K. Harper 1720, 1668; 2, Blacklock and sons 1704; 3, Hadfield and Devlin 1703; 4, 5, Williams, sons and grandson 1688, 1687.
WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (8 sent 168): 1, 2, 5, Hucknall brothers 1706, 1694, 1668; 3, 4, 6, Williams, sons and grandson 1674, 1673, 1610.
FLIMBY WEST COAST (5 sent 122): 1, 2, A. Hayton 1736, 1693; 3, J and D. Hine and grandson 1685; 4, Harrison, Hodgson and Fearon 1639; 5, Ellwood and co 1574.
FLIMBY HS (11 sent 248): 1, 5, A. Bromley and co 1703, 1671; 2, 3, E. Hodgson and son 1694, 1687; 4, E. Pape 1677; 6, J. Varty and son 1666.
WEST CUMBERLAND
CLEATOR MOOR CELTIC (475 birds): 1, 4, J. Fitzsimmons and son 1761, 1706; 2, J. and J. Tomlinson 1755; 3, Riodgers and Benn 1707; 5, C. Doran son and grandson 1705; 6, Graham and co 1704.
DISTINGTON HS: 1, 3, 4, R. McAvoy and son 1705, 1672, 1615; 2, J. and D. Harrison 1694.
EGREMONT RANGERS: 1, M. Lofthouse 1733; 2, I. Sharples 1703; 3, 6, Mr and Mrs Bewsher and co 1694.6, 1691; 4, Mr and Mrs Trodden 1694; 5, J. bell and son 1693.
FRIZINGTON HS (6 sent 114): 1, 2, D. and K. Mingins and son 1626, 1593; 3, 4, J. Mossop and son 1588, 1580; 5, Mr and Mrs Burns 1575; 6, T. Scott and sons.
KEEKLE HS (7 sent 216): 1, 6, D. Buchanan and son 1728, 1636; 2, 5, Mr and Mrs Garner 1682, 1639; 3, Waddington and McLaughlin 1681; 4, J. Osborne 1679.
LOWCA HS (3 sent 90): 1, R. Ennis and sons 1691; 2, Holliday and Dixon 1690; 3, Mr and Mrs D. Wood and son 1687.
MIREHOUSE: 1, D. McLaughlin 1659; 2, Trodden and son 1636; 3, McGrady and son 1635; 4, Blaney bros 1633.
SANDWITH FC: 1, Pears and Currie 1684; 2, 4, Scuirr and Parry 1675, 1632.9; 3, 5, 6, McGHrady and son 1635, 1632.1, 1630.
EAST CUMBERLAND
ANGLO SCOTTISH (Brough 671 birds): 1, 2, 3, Mr and Mrs J. Graham 1235, 1234, 1228; 4, W. Pirie 1182; 5, Harker and Berwick 1178; 6, D. Graham 1176. (Ingleton 911 birds): 1, 2, D. Graham 1325, 1323; 3, 4, A. J. Fletcher 1284, 1274; 5, D. McNeil 1272; 6, Bell brothers 1255. (Sedbergh 270 birds): 1, 5, D. McNeil 1272, 1254; 2, 3, 4, A. Young 1263, 1260, 1255; 6, E. Edmundson 1253
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