Andy Bennett of Scotbet was crowned first among equals when he became Racing Post/SIS Betting Shop Manager of the Year at a glittering ceremony in London yesterday.

Bennett, who runs the firm’s Selkirk shop, beamed broadly as he received his award at the finals lunch at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower among an audience of his peers. Bennett, 33, was one of eight regional champions to be celebrated before the big announcement handed him the retail industry’s ultimate prize.

After receiving his award from former world snooker champion John Parrott and racing pundit Gary Wiltshire, Bennett said: “It could have been any one of the eight of us. This has been an incredible process and it’s amazing to win it.”

Bennett gets a VIP trip to the Dubai World Cup staying in the Shangri-La Hotel, while his shop team were also celebrating as they receive an executive day-out to Ascot races as guests in the SIS hospitality box.

All eight finalists had been through a gruelling process which began with nominations back in the Spring. From a starting field of 72, they have had to come through interviews, visits and assessments from mystery customers, written papers and a day with the judges, to reach the awards lunch.

All eight received a Racing Post framed commemorative front page as regional champions before Bennett was announced as the winner of the 24th annual contest to find the UK and Ireland’s top LBO manager. The panel of judges said it had been a very close call and praised the quality of the final eight.

Bennett, who had been planning to return to work in Scotland today but took an extra day to enjoy his success, added: “The punters make it for me. It’s a family community with them and the staff. I only took a job in a shop originally as a stop-gap but now I can’t imagine doing anything different. Scotbet have been very good to work for.”

The eight regional champions are:

Scotland - Andy Bennett, Scotbet, Selkirk.

South-west/Channel Islands - Emma Jane Bailey, Creedbet, Bath.

North-east - Andrea Harrison, Stan James, Newton Aycliffe.

Midlands/Wales - Gary Forbes, Ladbrokes, Newark.

Greater London - Helen Edwards, William Hill, Chase Side.

Ireland - Elaine Feeney, Boylesports, Longford.

North-west/Isle of Man - Amanda Duckworth, Paddy Power, Rochdale.

Anglia and South-east - Kevin Seymour, Coral, Brighton.