West Cumbria Amalgamation’s second channel race of the season proved a tough test for the birds.

Liberated at 6am in Brittany, northern France at Fougeres, the Cumbrian birds had to contend with scorching heat on one of the hottest days of the year.

But the form loft of Holliday and Dixon at Lowca still had the first bird back into west Cumbria, a four-year-old blue white flight hen which was clocked at 4:24pm after a 444-mile fly.

Flown on the roundabout system, the winner for Andy Holliday and son Gary is a Gert Heylen x Karel Laenen bred by Trevor and Kieran Garman of West Bromwich.

She was previously 1st Fed, 5th Combine from Bedhampton in 2014 and has scored on four further occasions at Fed and Amal’ level.

Of the original six purchased from the Garman’s, the Holliday’s have had four 1st Fed winners and three West Cumbria Amalgamation winners.

The loft is in good form at present and had topped the West Cumbria Fed for the last four races.

It has also won the Amal’ from both channel races and topped the Cumbria Combine out of Carentan.

Saturday’s win was the third Amalgamation win of the season and fifth in total.

Leading the way in the Derwent Valley Federation, taking second place in the Amalgamation was John Devlin from the Harrington Central club.

John, who is admin secretary/treasurer of the Federation, clocked a three-year-old mealy cock which he had bought as a squeaker in an Amalgamation sale in 2014.

It was donated to the Amalgamation by Raymond White, a leading fancier from Springfield, near Gretna, who specialises in the longer races.

“He’s a typical channel pigeon. You don’t see him in the early races but, the further they go, he starts to come to the fore," said John, who was notching his 14th Federation win, his third from over the channel.

“He won the club at Carentan and was 7th Fed, 21st Amal when I had just re-paired the birds after they had been flying roundabout.

“When he was basketed for Fougeres, he was sitting six days on eggs and was well-fancied."

John sent three to the race and clocked his second on Sunday morning to be 21st Fed.

The Amalgamation birds go back inland this weekend to Bedhampton before finishing-off with two final channel races.

RESULTS

WEST CUMBRIA AMALGAMATION (236 birds): 1, Holliday and Dixon (Lowca) 1251; 2, J. Devlin (Harrington Central) 1179; 3, J. Walsh and son (Workington Victoria) 1132; 4, I. and D. Wood (Harrington Central) 1124; 5, Varty, son and grandson (Flimby HS) 1114; 6, Pears, grandson and Henderson (Sandwith) 1113.

DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION (172 birds): 1, J. Devlin (Harrington Central) 1179; 2, J. Walsh and son (Workington Victoria) 1132; 3, 6, I. and D. Wood (Harrington Central) 1124, 1053; 4, Varty, son and grandson (Flimby HS) 1114; 5, M. Ward and son (Dearham) 1109.

HARRINGTON CENTRAL (7 sent 29): 1, 5, J. Devlin 1179, 715; 2, 3, I. and D. Wood 1124, 1053; 4, N. and G. Wordsworth 742; 6, R. McAvoy and son 642.

CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (18 sent 36): 1, J. Devlin 1179; 2, 6, J. Walsh and son 1132, 864; 3, Varty, son and grandson 1114; 4, Harker and Berwick 912; 5, Blacklock and sons 902.

FLIMBY HS (6 sent 32): 1, 4, 6, Varty, son and grandson 1117, 877, 754; 2, Nelson and Crellin 1040; 3, A. Bromley and co 888; 5, C. and A. Ostle and McNichol 773.

NEHERTON HS (4 sent 20): 1, Todhunter and Ismay 675.

DEARHAM UTD: 1, 4, M. Ward and son 1108, 625; 2, 3, Harker and Berwick 925, 721.

WORKINGTON VICTORIA (7 sent 31): 1, 4, J. Walsh and son 1132, 864; 2, Mr and Mrs Walters nd son 912; 3, Blacklock and sons 903; 5, 6, McLuckie bros 716, 692.

WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (3 sent 8): 1, 5, Mr and Mrs Walters and son 911, 519; 2, 3, McLuckie bros 539, 536; 4, 6, G. Best 531, 501.

SEATON RBL (3 sent 9): 1, Mr and Mrs Dustin; 2, Dobie and Palmer.

FLIMBY WEST COAST (2 sent 6): 1, 2, 3, Hunter bros 829, 520, 452.

ELLENBOROUGH (2 sent 9): 1, 2, Barker, Charlton and Brown.