Harrington Central fancier Ian Wood picked up a cheque for £6,000 after winning the Gold Ring race at the weekend.

Only two birds made it back to West Cumbria on the day from Portland after the 8.30am liberation on Saturday.

Ian, who flies with wife Denise, clocked a blue hen at 4.54pm after the 284 miles flight. The only other bird on the day homed to the Salterbeck loft of Graham Best at 6.46pm.

Ian, who has enjoyed a tremendous season, is leading the race for the coveted Big Cup in the Derwent Valley Federation ahead of this weekend’s final race from Windrush. His winning bird was bred in the stock loft and prior to the Gold Ring test had six races, only missing Flookburgh 1 and Southport.

Flying to the perch she is a Kees Bosua pigeon, her sire being bred by Paul Fisher Blackpool out of two of his best pigeons named The Joker and Princess Kees responsible for many winners. The dam was bought at Premier Stud Ed Sittner’s (Kees Bosua) sale in Blackpool. She is out of two principle pigeons namely Big Daddy and Blue Belle.

Ian says: “The parents of this hen have bred me several winners, one being my West Cumbria Amalgamation bird of the year in 2015 and 2016. He was also an RPRA Cumbria Region award runner-up last year to a loft mate.

“His nestmate has also scored many times for me in the Club, Fed and Amal.”

Ian collected £3,000 for winning the race, plus another £3,000 as the breeder.

He was also seventh at 8.44am on Sunday morning with a blue white flight hen which earned him £350 and also a further £350 for breeding her. She is also a Kees Bosua pigeon bred in the stock loft from two of Paul Fisher’s birds which were gifted to him.

Ian sent four birds, all bred by him, and clocked two of them while a third was reported after being found on the Wirral.

Twelve birds were clocked on the Sunday with three by Richard Martindale and George ‘Pal’ Lawman; two by John and Liz Walters and two by Joe Fitzsimmons and son.

After the total pay-out the Gold Ring organiser Danny Rodgers will hand nearly £500 to the Henderson Suite at West Cumberland Hospital.

The money winners were: 1 I and D Wood, Harrington Central 994 (£3,000 buyer, £3,000 breeder); 2 G Best, Workington Social Limit 813 (£1,500 buyer, £1,500 to breeder Culbert and Hambling); 3 Martindale and Lawman, Workington Victoria 570 (£1,250 buyer, £1,250 breeder plus £150 nom); 4 Mr and Mrs Walters, Workington Victoria 559 (£1,000 buyer, £1,000 to breeder K Burns); 5 S and E Chambers and daughter, Sandwith 557 (£750 buyer, £750 breeder D Brown); 6 Martindale and Lawman, Workington Victoria 556 (£500 buyer, £500 breeder Leech brothers); 7 I and D Wood, Harrington Central 548 (buyer £350, breeder £350); 8 J Fitzsimmons and son, Cleator Moor 547 (buyer £300, breeder G and C Jayne £300); 9 Mr and Mrs Walters, Workington Victoria 540 (buyer £250, breeder T Gilbertson £250); 10 J Fitzsimmons and son, Cleator Moor £535 (buyer £200, breeder G and C Jayne £200); 11 Mr and Mrs Dustin, Seaton RBL 533 (buyer £200, breeder G and C Jayne £200); 12 Rodgers and Benn, Cleator Moor 524 (buyer £200, breeder Dodd and Chapman £200); 13 Martindale and Lawman, Workington Victoria 526 (buyer £100, breeder P Kirkwood £100); 14 Telford and Pooley, Harrington Central 363 (buyer £100, breeder Osborne and Connery £100).