Ayr United's Davie snaps up a trip to Euro 2008

Jun 18 2008 By Stuart Wilson, Ayrshire Post

AMATEUR snapper Davie Sargent thought he was dreaming when he won a trip to Euro 2008 – thanks to a total stranger.

But the mystery man from Newcastle helped Ayr United’s photographer bag a seat among screaming Austrians in Vienna.

Davie, who takes the matchday photos for Ayr, won a picture contest through beer giant Carlsberg to attend one of the opening games at this summer’s football festival.

But he admits it’s all down to someone he’s never even met.

Davie laughed: “It was bizarre because I got an email from this guy who’d seen some of my work on the internet and he thought it was really good.

“He told me about the Carlsberg competition which was looking for the best pictures of goal celebrations and he thought I should enter one I’d taken at Raith last season.

“It was called ‘If Carlsberg did goal celebrations...’ I knew at the time it was a good picture but it’s great to actually win something for it.”

Davie’s winning shot of United players celebrating a Ryan Stevenson goal, which appeared in the Ayrshire Post, wowed the judges.

And it paved the way for an all- expenses paid trip for the schoolteacher and son, Ally, to take in Austria vs Croatia.

Davie, 52, revealed: “I’m actually not that fond of lager but you never say no to a free beer!

“They were chucking it at us from the minute we turned up.

“It was an amazing trip and the atmosphere was something special. But I still had to take a camera with me, even if it was a compact one.

“I took 100 pictures at the game itself and 800 from the two-day trip. Ally kept telling me to take a holiday from it but try telling that to any photographer.”

However, Davie admits he loves to keep his camera as a hobby — for now.

He said: “I’ve had a camera in my hand since I was a child and I might go pro if someone offered me a job, but I’m happy to have it as my hobby.”