YOUNGSTERS from five different sports clubs in Peebles are set to reap the rewards of a record night of fundraising at the popular Odd Shaped Ball event.

A fantastic total of £8,752 was generated at the Peebles Hydro black tie dinner, with the junior sections of local cricket, football, golf, hockey and rugby being presented with their share of the funds of Sunday.

Now in its fifth year, the Odd Shaped Ball event has raised more £26,000 for junior sport in Peebles, with the money raised going towards new equipment, coaching and other initiatives to support each of the clubs.

A sell-out crowd of 228 attended the Ball, which took place at Peebles Hydro in September, having become one of the most popular social events in the town in recent years.

Money was raised through ticket sales, a raffle and an auction. A fantastic array of prizes was up for grabs, with the latter attracting record bidding from the floor.

Prizes included a signed US Masters flag from Sergio Garcia, a unique dining experience provided by Osso restaurant chef Ally McGrath, tickets to this weekend’s Scotland v Australia test match at BT Murrayfield, a signed England cricket bat and dinner at Tom Kitchin’s highly acclaimed restaurant in Edinburgh.

Event organiser Ross Duncan told the Peeblesshire News: “We set ourselves the challenge of beating last year’s fundraising total and it was great to us smash that on the night thanks to the generosity of the guests.

"What started as a relatively small event has grown in popularity over the five years and it’s brilliant to see us break through the £25,000 barrier from the money we have raised.

“Given it was our fifth year, we wanted to support five different sports and we chose hockey and cricket as our new beneficiaries in recognition of the great work Peebles Hockey and Peebles Cricket clubs are doing in the community and to develop their sports for juniors in the area.

"The football, golf and rugby clubs also do a fantastic job with youngsters and we’re grateful to the volunteers in each of these sports for supporting the Odd Shaped Ball event."

Live entertainment was provided by The Apollos, while host venue Peebles Hydro got the party started with sponsorship of the drinks reception.

Co-host Mark Thomson added: “We’d like to thank all of the companies and organisations, both at local and national level, who have donated such fantastic prizes and this makes a massive difference to our fundraising.

"There were some very generous bids on the night and we’re very grateful to those who were digging so deep to support what is a great cause.

“Peebles has a great reputation for developing junior sport and we’re proud to play our part in helping the clubs and their volunteers improve coaching and the facilities on offer.”

Other companies supporting the event included Peebles Golf Club, Cocoa Black, Scottish Rugby, BT Scotland, Glasgow Rocks, Black & Lizars, Evolution Botlling & Packaging, Belhaven Brewery, PING Europe, Rogerson’s and Howdidido.com.

The sixth Odd Shaped Ball will take place on Saturday, September 15, 2018.

Further details on the event can be found at facebook.com/OddShapedBallPeebles.