Last updated 19:42, Thursday, 12 June 2008

ONE of the best pigeons in the Derwent Valley Federation showed his class again by winning the first channel race from Lessay.

20070613 2007 John Devlin Fed Winner 3

The four-year-old chequer cock of John Devlin (pictured with the bird) had already won a Golden Award in the Cumbria Combine through achieving five tickets.

The Fed winner from Portsmouth last season delivered again in the 382-mile flight from northern France.

He covered the trip in ten hours nine minutes and is almost certainly going to be going to Portsmouth again next weekend.

Devlin, who flies in the Harrington Central, said: “He’s been a terrific racing pigeon. Wherever you send him if he’s on song, he’ll be up there.”

He is a Van de Rhee, out of stock pigeons Devlin bought from Kevin Hurst of Grimsby.

Devlin said: “They have been a gold-mine for me, breeding winners and lots of good pigeons. I was third club, 14th Fed with a blue cock who is off another pair of Van de Rhees from Kevin.”

Devlin flies on the widowhood system and started the season with 19 but in a year of unprecedented losses has only eight left to race.

Last year Devlin had a remarkable season, re-writing the Derwent Valley record books after winning three consecutive inland race from Cheltenham, Marlborough and Portsmouth.

This latest success from Lessay has taken his tally of Fed toppers to seven since going solo in 1980, and he previously enjoyed two triumphs when in partnership with Jimmy Bigrigg.

Derwent Valley Federation (175 birds): 1, J Devlin (Harrington Central) 1104; 2, E. Pape Flimby HS) 1077.89; 3, TL Charters (Dearham) 1077.88; 4, K Harper 1075; 5, Hunter bros 1069; 6, Todhunter and Ismay 1065.

n Club results in next week’s paper.