Final 48 revealed for this year's Betting Shop Manager of the Year

The 48 managers through to the next round of this year's Racing Post/SIS Betting Shop Manager of the Year competition were revealed on Monday.

The managers who made it through to the latest stage had to complete a test paper before a final decision was made by the judging panel.

These 48 will each to subjected to a mystery shopper visit to select the best three candidates from each of the eight regions in Britain and Ireland. They will then be invited to a day at the races at Doncaster on October 26 to meet the judges for the first time.

Betting Shop Manager of the Year Ron Hearn with his wife Julie in Singapore in July

Also in attendance at Doncaster will be Ron Hearn, who won last year's title and has recently returned from a VIP trip to Singapore.

"The whole trip was amazing," said the JenningsBet manager from Charlton. "I had my picture taken with Alan Munro, who has always been one of my favourite jockeys – I've followed him since the days of Generous. The Singapore Turf Club were fantastic hosts.

"Our box at Kranji was right on the winning line. We also went to a couple of shows, Marina Bay and the Botanic Gardens. We were there for only five days, but to see everything you would probably need about two weeks."

Hearn summed up his experience so far, saying: "If whoever wins this competition does not have the best time of their lives they are in the wrong game. It has gone beyond my wildest dreams."

THE FINAL 48

Greater London
Jamie Crooks, Commercial Road, JenningsBet; Sam Hardy, Blackheath, JenningsBet; Jason Hoaren, Colindale, JenningsBet; Atma Singh, Barking, Betfred; Amran Ul-Haque, Canary Wharf, Coral; Jasminder Walia, Chiswick, Ladbrokes.

Anglia and south-east
Louise Bennett, Gosport, Ladbrokes; Luke Catchpole, Biggleswade, Paddy Power; Blaise Cook, Crawley, Coral; Gareth Hammonds, Fenny Stratford, Milton Keynes, William Hill; David Monk, Ipswich, Betfred; Chris Paine, Deal, JenningsBet.

South-west and Channel Islands
Kellie Harrington-Page, Frome, Ladbrokes; Mark Newman, Cheltenham, Ladbrokes; Nicholas Savage, Bristol, Betfred; Ben Shaldon, Exeter, William Hill; Andrew Tamblyn, Newquay, Coral.

Midlands and Wales
Ainsley Bowstead, Loughbrough, Paddy Power; Zoe Hayes, Worcester, William Hill; Jennifer O'Brien, Rugby, Coral; Deb Sheehan, Northampton, Ladbrokes; Lee Skeldon, Harborne, Birmingham, Coral; Hannah Wright, Wrexham, CorbettSports.

North-west and Isle of Man
Kevin Gray, Chorley, BetSid; Stephen Douthart, Kirkby, Paddy Power; Sharon Halsall, Liverpool, William Hill; Neil Nelson, Wigan, Betfred; Adam Tantram, Congleton, Coral; Leanne Tarkwell, Mold, CorbettSports.

North-east
Sascha Drape, Jesmond, Coral; Kerrie McStae, Chester-le-Street, William Hill; Samantha Park, Washington, Ladbrokes; Siobhan Thomson, Huddersfield, Coral; Samuel Walch, Sheffield, Betfred; Jayne Wilson, Goole, Megabet.

Scotland
Hazel Gibson, Ayr, William Hill; Alan Gray, Glasgow, Ladbrokes; Sandra Hughes, Glasgow, Betfred; Margaret Kenneth, Glasgow, William Hill; Tom Murphy, Greenock, Paddy Power; Michael Strain, Glasgow, Ladbrokes.

Ireland
Lorranine Archibald, Newtownards, Ladbrokes; Stephen Callanan, Clondalkin, Dublin, BoyleSports; Paul Connolly, Toomebridge, County Antrim, Toals Bookmakers; Darren Corcoran, Bishopstown, Cork, Ladbrokes; Natasha Devlin, Cookstown, County Tyrone, William Hill; John Fearon, Newry, County Down, Paddy Power; Tara Noonan, Kilmallock, County Limerick, BoyleSports.

If you are interested in this, you should read:

How to become a bookie: preparing for the perils of life in the betting jungle

JenningsBet's Hearn crowned Betting Shop Manager of the Year

Upbeat Jenningsbet boss urges betting industry to 'go back to its roots'