Sixty-year-old Frank Bristow had waited almost 50 years to get his hands on the prestigious King's Cup, and his dream was fulfilled when Kezie returned to the loft just seconds ahead of the runner-up bird from Louth.

The four-year-old blue chequer widowhood cock raced home the 502 miles 1,355 yards in 13 hours 24 minutes and 14 seconds - recording a velocity of 1,100yd per minute - to win by a matter of yards.

The entry of 1,699 birds, sent by 300 fanciers, faced a strong head wind on their return from Scotland.

Frank said: "The big race is Lerwick. My one dream was to win it, although I had won my section before, as well as at club level.

"Kezie rolled up next morning in last year's race, so he was not a favourite to win."

Frank acquired Kezie via the Midlands and Lancashire Social Circles' bird exchange scheme. He was named after Frank's grandfather who was killed in the First World War.

But despite Kezie's victory, which netted his owner a £500 first prize, the bird will now enjoy an early retirement.

Frank said: "I will keep him to look at every day."

Frank took a fancy to pigeons at an early age, acquiring his first birds at the age of six and beginning racing five years later in 1959.

He said: "Our next door neighbour had pigeons, but my parents didn't want me to have them.

"I started with two from Victoria Street in Grantham.

"Both turned out to be hens. They laid eggs but never hatched. I was so naive and too young, I think, to be taught the facts of life."

He won his second race at Heckington and then had to wait 10 years for another success.

Since then, pigeon racing has taken over his life, with training and races from both northerly and southerly directions throughout the summer months.

Frank is at a loss to know exactly how many birds he has in his loft, but some are kept purely as breeders and never take part in races.

In a sport where birds can exchange hands for many thousands of pounds, every pigeon fancier's ambition is to breed what is known as a 'super pigeon'.

Frank said: "Every pigeon man is a bit like Hitler, trying for a super race. Everyone is looking for that super pigeon.

"Good pigeons can breed bad pigeons, but bad pigeons will never breed good pigeons."

Although not a regular practice amongst many fanciers, Frank preferes to have certain pigeons alotted to fly from particular destinations, but there is still the chance birds will not return to the loft.

Frank said: "Some get lost or just run out of puff. Like any athlete, they get a build-up of lactic acid and then they can become disorientated."

And he has had problems with birds acquired from elsewhere not settling in at Horbling, including one he got from Belgium which would just spend the day peeping through the wire at the sky.

Frank said: "His heart and mind was still in Belgium, but he has settled down now and made England his home."

Despite pigeon racing becoming a multi-million pound industry, with breeders using artificial insemination to produce large batches of birds in a short time, Frank sees it as a true sport for all people.

He said: "The cloth cap and whippet image is all wrong. A cross-section of the community now take part.

"Kids with a couple of pigeons can beat millionaires. It's a great leveller."