Published: Monday, 5th January, 2009 11:36am

BT Sport Review of 2008

January

GALASHIELS schoolboy Craig Robertson became the 139th winner of the New Year sprint at Musselburgh Racecourse.

The 16 year-old, who was making his senior sprinting debut, blasted up the Musselburgh racecourse track to break the tape inches in front of favourite Davie Rae.

Meanwhile, former Borders Reivers coach Steve Bates hit out at the closure of the region"s pro team as a "drastic and unnecessary move."

Bates, now at Newcastle Falcons, told the Scotsman newspaper: 'To have worked so hard to try and make it as successful as possible within the limits we had, financially and otherwise, and then for it all to be scrapped was such a waste.'

February

FORMER Open Champion Sandy Lyle arrived in the Borders to help tee off the 2008 Scottish Challenge, which returned to the Cardrona course in the summer.

Tweedbank youngster Demi Yorke ran her fastest ever race to win the Scottish Championships. The then 12-year old Gala Harrier clocked an impressive 8.43 seconds to break the tape just inches ahead of Blackpool"s Tawana Gardiner.

And an hour later she produced a PB long jump to claim silver in the sand pit.

March

OVER 100 members of Galashiels Golf Club teed off to say farewell to the 18 holes at Ladhope, before work began to halve the number of holes on the course.

Part of the course was then handed back to Scottish Borders Council in a bid to cut costs following a drop in numbers and growing financial implications.

Meanwhile, Gala girls won the SWRU under-15 cup at the National Midi Rugby Finals at Murrayfield. The team beat Murrayfield Wonderers in the final.

April

Scottish Thistles beat off strong opposition to be crowned champions of the 125th Melrose Sevens. The team fought off Leicester in a final played in front of a crowd of 12,000 spectators.

Local team Melrose made it the furthest of the local sides, losing out to the Leicester Tigers in the semi-final.

A BIRD fancier from Galashiels caused a flap in the world of pigeon

Racing.

Eleven-year-old Kieran Jamieson-McDermott, of Magdala Terrace, was believed to be one of the youngest ever to try his hand at the sport in Scotland.

The Glendinning Primary school pupil launched his first season at a meet in North Yorkshire. He overtook his 51 year-old dad, Eggy, as the youngest member of the Galashiels and District Homing Club.

May

MELROSE stormed to victory in the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup final at Murrayfield.

The Borders team met Edinburgh side Heriots on an exciting day for Scottish club rugby in the capital, coming away with a 31-24 win.

Coach Craig Chalmers said: 'This is a massive result for the club. We haven"t won anything of real value since 1997 back here. But we have today come here and got a result. Everyone has worked so hard over the past four months.'

Meanwhile, Kevin Thomson became the first footballer from the Borders to have ever played in a European Cup Final.

The 23 year-old from Peebles started in the UEFA Cup Final for Rangers against Zenit St Petersburg.

June

GALA Academy athletes were crowned the best in the Borders as they won the Scottish Borders School Championships in Tweedbank.

13 year-old Demi Yorke claimed three individual wins in the 100 metres, 200 metres and long jump.

Scottish schools champion Kris Mein joined Demi to accept the Borders trophy from organiser Scott Renwick.

The Borders Cricket Academy for the development squad was launched at Galashiels Cricket Club.

The squad were given general coaching and training by Cricket Development Manager Neil Cameron and Mark Williamson, and specialist training was also incorporated into the sessions.

July

Selkirk Rugby Club vice president Donald Macleod got on his bike and cycled 405 kilometres across Scotland, raising over £1,000 for the club.

Donald set off from Aberdeen, arriving a week later at Ardnamurchan. The coast-to-coast route involved punishing climbs up to a height of 8,000 metres.

A rower from Clovenfords tasted success after her team qualified to become one of only eight female crews to compete at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta.

Susie Logan, who was brought up in Clovenfords, started rowing four years ago with Wallingford Rowing Club.

Earlier in the year, Susie and her teammates beat top teams from all around the world to qualify for the annual regatta at Henley.

August

PLANS to develop a 50m sports development at a rural Borders golf club were unveiled.

Developers of the proposed multi million pound hotel at Rutherford Castle Club near West Linton hoped the new venue could create up to 300 jobs for the area.

It is believed the new five star hotel will include shops, a conference centre, leisure facilities and swimming pool.

LADIES" hockey in the Borders was shaken up and stirred as local clubs came together to form an all-inclusive, brand new regional squad.

Borders Fjordus is the name of the new-look club, created when local squads Melrose, Selkirk, Hawick and Heriot Watt University joined forces.

Hockey Development Officer and former internationalist and Olympian Janet Jack said: 'This is an exciting time for hockey in the Borders, and we hope the new club will offer opportunities to play hockey at every level.'

September

AROUND 750 riders braved wind and rain to join the annual Hizzy Run, the 250 mile ride in memory of Scottish motorbike star Steve Hislop.

Poor weather followed the hundreds of bikes from pick-up points near Paisley and Dundee to the final stretch in Hawick, the town of Steve"s childhood.

But it could not dampen the spirits of the riders who had travelled from far and wide to celebrate the life of the motorcycle legend, who died in a helicopter crash in 2003.

Friend and Hizzy Run organiser Allan Duffus told the Border Telegraph: 'We"ve had a really good response from people. One rider told me it was a great day, a great ride and a fitting way to remember a great man.'

A Galashiels girl returned home to the Borders after a high-flying trip to Switzerland for the Icelandic Horse World Youth Cup.

Fourteen-year-old Fiona Cruickshank was the youngest competitor at the championships and made it through to the final for the loose reign event.

Unfortunately an injury to her horse meant Fiona was unable to compete for the title, but she was soon back in the saddle to steal two trophies in the under-18 section of the British Championships in Cumbria.

October

MELROSE coach Craig Chalmers, along with fellow-former Scottish internationalist and British Lion, Tom Smith, was revealed as part of the management team for the Scotland under-20 side.

The 60-times capped stand joined the squad whose season will culminate with a World Cup in Japan.

Chalmers said: 'I"m delighted to get this chance to be involved coaching some of the country"s best young players at national level.'

Gattonside gaming guru Ron Bell returned home after leading a British Go team to the first ever World Mind Games, held in Beijing.

The team, made up of the best Go players all over the UK, enjoyed a great Games, playing against some of the world"s strongest players.

Ron, president of the British Go Association, now plans to set up a new Go club in the Borders.

November

SWIMMING pools across the Borders witness a huge upturn in the number of children attending swimming lessons over the year.

With schools struggling to meet swimming demands of previous year due to increasing costs, the Borders Sport and Leisure Trust (BSLT) launched a programme designed specifically to encourage more children into lessons and ensure the number of youngsters who could not swim decreased in the region.

The "SwimBorders" Learn to Swim scheme has since witnessed an increase of 61 per cent in the number of children attending swimming tuition in the past year.

Meanwhile, Melrose RFC joined the elite of world rugby when the club was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame.

At a glittering ceremony in London, the founder of the famous sevens, Ned Haig, and the club stood alongside the greatest names in the game at the "Rugby Oscars".

The ceremony was attended by club president Colin Ruthven and Director of Rugby Mike Dalgetty, along with Andrew and Alan Haig - Ned Haig"s great-great-great-nephews.

December

EX-HAWICK coach Jim Hay said he was "relieved" after being sacked as the squad"s coach.

Earlier in the year, Hay was banned from the touchline for 90 days by the club committee following remarks he had made about referee Colin Brett"s performance when Hawick lost a last-minute try to Watsonians.

Hawick were facing relegation after having won only two matches that season, against Selkirk and Glasgow Hawks at home.

Hay said: 'I love the club and I have given everything to it. Maybe I should have stood down at the end of last season, but you know how it is…you want to go on.'

Cash-strapped council chiefs unveiled plans to build a new all-weather sports pitch in Tweedbank.

And Scottish Borders Council leader David Parker announced a decision on whether they can afford to go ahead with the £200,000 project will be made early in the New Year.

Councillor Parker said: 'I think we recognise that we need to do something with Tweedbank because it"s the oldest pitch of its kind in the Borders and certainly now it"s getting to the stage where, as I understand it, it needs to be replaced.'