Duns rally driver Garry Pearson named as Berwickshire’s sports personality of year

​The 32-year-old claimed five podium places, including his first-ever British championship victory, in his new Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 over the course of the season, delivering a second-place finish overall.

Pearson, 2021’s Scottish Rally Championship winner, was delighted to pick up that plaudit, saying: “It’s really nice to be recognised from outwith the sport.

“It’s almost a given that if you get a good result in motorsport, you’ll be written about in motorsport columns and specialist press, but for this I was up against so many other talented sportsmen and women across the local area, so for ClubSport Berwickshire to acknowledge my runner-up result in the British Rally Championship is a special feeling.

“Previous winners of this award have done fantastic things in Berwickshire, and it was very inspiring to hear some of the stories from other award-winners, so it’s certainly one that means plenty to me.

“For a panel of judges to have chosen me out of all the sports and all the achievements in the area is definitely humbling.

“Winning this award does my motivation no harm for next year.”

Looking ahead to 2024, he added: “Finishing runner-up in the British Rally Championship was never part of the agenda for 2023, so it’s great to have done it, but that means we’ve now got unfinished business.

“We would certainly like to be back in the British championship next year.”

Pearson was one of ten award-winners presented with their prizes at this year’s handout ceremony at Duns Rugby Club, with one other winner, Duns weightlifter Maddie Rosher, announced as junior sports personality of the year in her absence.

Border Amateur Football Association C division champions Eyemouth United Amateurs notched up a winning double as they were named as team of the year, with brothers John and Lee Crawford sharing the award for coach of the year.

Hockey coach Sarah Turnbull picked up the junior version of the Crawfords’ accolade.

Honours for service to local sport went to Eyemouth 5k twilight race organiser David Dempster and Duns Tennis Club’s Suzanne Lampert, one for disability sport to Chirnside’s Dawson Hunter, special achievement awards to Grantshouse Taekwondo Club and Eyemouth and District Rehab Group’s Jock Shiels and a lifetime membership award to Kenneth Ovens.