Mr Cowpe with his cup-winning bird. An ambition has been realised by Mr Alec Cowpe, 77 year-old member of the Burnley Central Homing Society, who has won the Burnley Express Cup for the race from Cheltenham, with a young bird – a mealy hen (sion blood) Mr Cowpe was also first in the federation, which includes Accrington, Chatburn and Rishton. He has three gold medals, one for winning the Nantes race in 1921 and 1938, and another, a National Homing Union award, for the best performance by the same bird in two races. Mr Cowpe last year missed out on the Express Cup by a place, having birds second and third.