KEEN golfer James Stewart came off the course to discover he’d won a different type of drive…a new £6,000 car on a bookmaker’s on-line bingo site.

James, 29, had just played a round on Dundee’s popular Caird Park when his ma-in-law Bella Balburnie told him his numbers were up on www.williamhillbingo.com and he’d won a brand new Fiat Panda.

James, who plays off 10, couldn’t believe his ears and certainly had cause to celebrate in the 19th hole with a gleaming new motor to collect a few days later.

Home improvements salesman James, of Stobswell, just off the Arbroath Road, said: ‘I never even knew I was entered in the draw.

‘I was literally just off the golf course when I took the call – it was better than a hole in one.

‘I’ve had a couple of wins, but never anything anywhere near as big as this. It’s got to be the best tenner I’ve ever spent to play that game of bingo.

‘It’s the first stroke of luck we’ve ever had. I still can’t believe it.

‘I currently drive an eight-year-old Ford Focus and was definitely thinking of a new car as I drive all over Scotland in my job.’

But at six feet four inches tall James is considering letting his partner Charlene, also 29, manager at the Guzzling Gourmet in Dundee, have the new car when she passes her test.

When James called William Hill to claim his brand spanking new car, he said: ‘I am over the moon – this has made my day.’

And added rather curiously: ‘Bella is the best mother-in-law ever.’

Later when asked to explain the last bit of his overjoyed outburst James – who clearly has no time for mother-in-law jokes - revealed: ‘It was my mother-in-law Bella who got us playing the William Hill bingo and she was on the site and discovered I’d won.

‘Bella’s a chef and she has really helped cook up this win for us.’

Incredibly, James is the second winner to hail from Dundee – population around 150,000 and the fourth largest city in Scotland – three weeks before his win mother-of-four Joanne McRae, 41, of Dundee, became the first winner from North of the Border to be able to drive when she collected her car.

Coincidentally, Joanne also collected her brand new vehicle from the William Hill shop on Arbroath Road in the city.

William Hill spokesman Tony Kenny said: ‘They did used to say that Dundee was founded on Jute, Jam and Journalism – but if they keep getting winners like this they may have to add Bingo to that list.

‘We’ve had an absolutely amazing run of bingo winners from Scotland in this promotion with eight cars heading into the country and an astonishing two going to Dundee – which is not the biggest city in Scotland by any stretch of the imagination.

‘We did have two winners in Glasgow inside the first week, but Dundee folk are giving the Glaswegians a real run for their money with James scoring just before the end of the contest.

‘That gives Dundee a share of the title in the Scottish Bingo Premier League – they just need the football team to get a spurt on now.

‘We’ve given away 31 Fiats in the past month and they’ve all gone to hard-working people and the odd pensioner – it’s been a great promotion.

‘This week we’re back to giving away jackpots of up to £750,000.’

Picture by STEVE WELSH