Last updated 19:40, Thursday, 15 May 2008

SINCE he started taking pigeon racing seriously Graham Best has become a fancier to contend with in the Derwent Valley Federation.

He was top of the sheet for the third time on Saturday and the ninth altogether as he’s previous been in winning loft partnerships.

The latest winning bird for the Salterbeck loft is a yearling chequer cock flying on the widowhood system.

Best said: “He wasn’t among my fancied pigeons. Of the seven widowhood pigeons I sent he was the only one that hadn’t been in the clock.

“Having said that he’s bred through two of my best pigeons - an RPRA award winner and a Gold Award winner.

“Although he had never been clocked before he had never been absent or never been late, and like all my yearling cocks only had two Flookburgh races last year before they were put away for the winter,.”

The winning bird is a mixture of popular leading bloodlines - Marcelis, Van Reet, Wildemeersch and Janssen.

The birds were liberated at 10.45am with no wind and the winner was clocked after the 160-mile flight at 2.05pm.

n Flimby West Coast FC show race will be Marlborough. All fully completed entry forms have to be with the secretary before the birds are liberated.

Derwent Valley Federation (1381 birds): 1, G Best (Workington SL) 1407; 2, Hucknall bros (Workington SL) 1405; 3, Evans and Abraham (Workington Victoria) 1392; 4, Walters and son (Workington Victoria) 1383.3; 5, M and L Cape (Workington Victoria) 1383.2; 6, L Turner (Harrington Central) 1382.

Ellenborough (8 sent 120): 1, J Whitehead 1365. Flimby HS (10 sent 205): 1, Tinnion brothers and Aitken 1376.3. Flimby West Coast (6 sent 93): 1, J and D Hine and grandson 1376.6. Harrington Central (11 sent 140): 1, L Turner 1382.

Workington Victoria (16 sent183): 1, G Best 1413.

Seaton RBL (6 sent 79, sponsored by Metropolitan Racing): 1, Mr and Mrs

Dustin 1391. Maryport (5 sent 46): 1, Todhunter and Ismay 1383. Workington Social Limit (8 sent 91): 1, G Best 1407.

West Cumbria Federation - Workington and District (Woolaston, 8 sent 83): 1, Wood and sons 1365. (Stafford 2, 7 sent 72): 1, K Carr 2166. Great Clifton (Woolaston, 5 sent 76): 1, Wedgewood and Burridge. Frizington (Stafford 2, 6 sent 94): 1, T Scott and sons, and Sim 2114. Distington (Woolaston): 1, R McAvoy and son 1467. (Stafford 2): 1, R McAvoy and son 2201.