Last updated 19:45, Thursday, 03 July 2008

JIMMY Morton had waited 50 years for the moment when he topped a Federation with his winning pigeon.

It finally came on Sunday when he clocked a four year old blue hen to win the Derwent Valley Federation’s third channel race from Messac in France.

The birds had been held until Sunday and then liberated at 6.30am with the winner homing to her Silloth loft at 7.52pm after a 491-mile fly.

Federation winners are rare in Silloth, but for 68-year-old Morton it was his finest moment in the sport.

He said: “It’s always been my ambition to win the Fed so this was a great feeling.”

Morton had started helping Jim Batey in Silloth as a lad before having his own birds.

After National Service intervened he got back into the sport but gave up for a second time when his wife was diagnosed with asthma.

He said: “I got back into them seven or eight years ago and I got some birds from a good friend, Denis Creighton of Beckfoot.

“They are Busschaert pigeons which Denis has had for years and the Fed winner is bred from them.

“She had gone to the channel earlier in the season and won the Silloth club, finishing tenth in the Fed.

“I fly them natural for the water and she was sent sitting 12 days on eggs.”

Morton sent six birds to the race and got five of them, the second arriving at 7.30am on Monday.

Derwent Valley Federation (60 birds): 1, J Morton (Silloth) 1078; 2, E Hodgson and son (Flimby HS) 1058; 3, A Bromley and co (Flimby HS) 1034; 4, J and D Hine and grandson 983 (Flimby WC); 5, Mr and Mrs Proctor (Flimby WC) 812; 6, L Turner (Harrington Central) 796.

Workington Victoria (2 sent 4): 1, K Harper 736; 2, 3, 4, L Blacklock and sons 691, 685, 521.

Flimby West Coast (4 sent 8): 1, J and D Hine and grandson 983; 2, 4, Mr and Mrs Proctor 812, 738; 3, Ellwood and so 786.

Flimby HS (4 sent 15): 1, E Hodgson and son 1058; 2, 4, 5, A Bromley and co 1034, 757, 629; 3, 6, G Weaver 782, 627.

Harrington Central (6 sent 12): 1, L Turner 796; 2, 3, Brash and Semple 679, 636; 4, Carter and sons 622; 5, N and G Wordsworth 582; 6, D White 517.