Scotland halted their losing streak with a tied match against Ireland in a T20 Tri Series clash in Holland.

Both teams scored 185 runs, Scotland for four wickets with Ireland losing six men in the process.

And two runs from Ireland’s Stuart Thompson off the final ball were crucial.

Scotland, who lost to Ireland by 46 runs in their first clash in Holland, now face a double-header against The Netherlands with the first game on Tuesday and th second on Wednesday.

Against Ireland, captain Kyle Coetzer won the toss and elected to bat.

The Aberdeen-born skipper top scored with 54 from 41 balls runs, a knock which included seven fours.

Opening partner George Munsey, who shared a stand of 100, and Calum MacLeod, who was unbeaten, both collected 46 runs.

Munsey scored his from only 25 balls while MacLeod amassed his score from 39 deliveries.

Paul Stirling was best for Ireland with 81 runs from 41 balls with Safyaan Sharif and Stuart Whittingham both collecting two wickets each.

The Hibs’ first team squad return to pre-season training at East Mains this morning as preparations begin for the 2018/19 season.

Most of the squad will turn up for testing and fitness work, with all eyes geared towards the upcoming Europa League campaign and the first league match of the season.

The draw for the first and second qualifying rounds of the Europa League takes place at noon (UK time) on Wednesday in Nyon Switzerland.

Hibs will be seeded in the opening round and should they progress they could face top sides such as Sevilla or Besiktas.

Neil Lennon has already targeted reaching the group stages which would be a money spinner for the club.

A number of the group were on international duty at the end of the season and have been given an extended break as a result, while goalkeeper Ofir Marciano is receiving treatment for an injury back home in Israel.

New signing Flo Kamberi will also join up with the squad later this week.

Some clever joined-up thinking might temptingly lead to some West Highland first-class eating, drinking and panoramic feasting courtesy of Caledonian Sleeper’s latest announcement.

Scenic connoisseurs, island-hoppers and railway buffs can be well chuff-chuffed as they travel to the northern isles looking to experience the tranquillity and beauty of Scotland’s islands and the West Highlands. This summer’s experience is now enhanced with a new travel connection to Oban.

Caledonian Sleeper, the overnight train which transports guests between central London and Scotland, has launched a dedicated coach service which lets adventurers reach the coast and beyond.

Inspiration enough for Sir Walter Scott’s poem, The Lord Of The Isles, Oban, affectionately and quite appropriately, known as the gateway to the isles, offers ferry services to many islands off the West Coast of Scotland including the stunning Inner and Outer Hebrides and the Western Isles. Taking guests directly between the train station at Crianlarich and the coastal town of Oban, the service will unlock the gateway to the isles, including Mull, Islay, Lewis and Harris.

Ryan Flaherty, Serco’s Managing Director at Caledonian Sleeper, said: “The islands off Scotland’s west coast are among the most beautiful destinations in the UK and there are few places better for a peaceful summer break.

“And with Caledonian Sleeper, there is no easier way to get there. After enjoying a relaxing and refreshing journey of a night time, guests will immediately be taken by coach directly to Oban – where they can explore the town or set off to the islands with the help of CalMac Ferries.”

Peter Griffith, Senior Marketing Manager, CalMac Ferries Ltd, said: “CalMac Ferries Ltd is delighted to be working with Caledonian Sleeper and West Coast Motors to help people discover Scotland’s Hebridean Islands. From Oban our ferries sail through Scotland’s most spectacular scenery.

“Apart from enjoying the experience of travelling by ferry, visitors can also take part in one of our ‘CalMac Adventures’ – a programme of day trips to some of the islands’ most memorable attractions and destinations.”

The Oban bus service, operated by West Coast Motors and funded by Transport Scotland, operates Monday to Saturday mornings from Crianlarich railway station to Oban reflecting the Caledonian Sleeper timetable. A return service from Oban will run at 19:40 on Sundays and at 20:30 Monday to Friday. Guests looking to use the bus service should confirm so when boarding Caledonian Sleeper in London Euston.

The Caledonian Sleeper service is an overnight rail journey between Scotland and London which is operated by Serco on behalf of Transport Scotland. Every night, apart from Saturday, guests are transported both north and south between Inverness, Aberdeen, Fort William, Glasgow, Edinburgh and London Euston.

www.sleeper.scot

w.calmac.co.uk

The Staggs Bar Monarchs suffered another defeat, this time at Newcastle Diamonds after suffering the loss of in-form captain Erik Riss in his first ride, writes Mike Hunter.

The Heat Four accident was a big blow but an eventual scoreline of 53-37 was not a bad performance considering they were 20 points down at Heat Eight.

John Campbell said “It was a battling performance against the odds after losing Erik.

“Ricky Wells was simply magnificent and it was only because he was slightly baulked in his first ride that he missed his maximum.

“Josh Pickering gave an exciting performance and by the end Joel Andersson was going quite well too.”

When you are riding as something of a two-man team, and one of these two is ruled out, it is obviously going to be difficult.

However there were some positive signs with Max Ruml winning Heat Two and a fightback from Heat Nine led by some brilliant riding from Wells who won his last five heats and exciting stuff from Josh Pickering who does seem to thrive on this track.

Ricky won Heat Nine as a tactical sub with Joel Andersson, an injury rider replacement for Erik Riss in third.

Then Josh Pickering pulled off a great pass on Stuart Robson to win Heat ten from the Diamonds’ formidable opening pair and Ricky and Joel went one better to take a 5-1 from Heat 11.

Pickering was at it again in Heat 12, passing Matej Kus twice during the race for his second victory.

Wells made it five heat winners in a row by taking Heat 13 and Monarchs finished with a flourish as Wells and Pickering both took points from the back in the final heat.

Monarchs had six of the last seven race winners, a great effort, but obviously 12 last place finishes is far too many.

The council’s £6.7 million restoration project at Saughton Park is coming along nicely, but it will not open to the public till August with some parts only due to be completed at the end of the year.

The Edinburgh Reporter visited the park recently with Councillor Karen Doran Vice-Convener of Transport and Environment and local councillor Cathy Fullerton.

We were at the ceremony last year when the project began (although perhaps the garden looked a little prettier then than it does at the moment!)

The plan is to refurbish the Winter Garden, build a new café, replant some of the floral beds, provide new garden furniture and also to renovate the fabulous bandstand. Now thousands of roses and shrubs have been planted and when we visited work was progressing on the 110 year-old bandstand.

The work in the park will continue for at least another six months providing buildings and areas for use by community groups. The former stable block is the base for that part of the scheme which is being partnered by The Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society.

Michael Scanlan, Director, Clark Contracts, said: “It is fantastic to be working on this exciting regeneration project at Saughton Park. We are looking forward to seeing the park being enjoyed again by local community.”

Councillor Karen Doran told us how pleased she was to see the work progressing. She said : “What a great resource this will be, and yes even these days we still really need bandstands. There is over £7 million being spent on this project with grants and funding support from a variety of organisations and in my view it is well worth every penny.

“There is going to be an Italian garden, a café and a community area, and various groups are working in Saughton at the moment helping to develop the place for the community.”

The work at Saughton Park is progressing. The £6.7million project will restore the gardens and provide buildings for community use. We spoke to @KarenDoran3 about the progress pic.twitter.com/umDpFV8NUX

— Edinburgh Reporter (@EdinReporter) June 17, 2018

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Pete McDougall is the Council’s Project Development Officer at Saughton Park. He is in charge of the day to day and enjoys this ‘hugely’. He told The Edinburgh Reporter : “I have worked here for four years. I was employed to help deliver the project and I think I have the best job in the world. I love it.

“This is an exciting phase at the moment. We are now well through the construction phase and there are lots of changes happening which, until now, only existed in two dimensions on paper. What really excites me about this is what the park will do for people. It will bring people into the park where we have an exciting range of activities planned.

“There is a really active Friends of Saughton Park group who run garden parties. There is a Scottish physic garden which will be used for learning and teaching. There are nine really big raised beds there, each one used for growing medicinal plants which pertain to a set of ailments or a part of the body. This is yet another way of getting people interested in growing things.

“We have six beehives coming and we will run beekeeping courses. The Caley will be based here and they will do so much to promote horticulture and teach people about how to grow things.

“The Friends have a community orchard where there are over 100 fruit trees. They have apples, pears, plums and quinces which they will be using to make jams.

“Although the landscaping here will finish in August when the bulk of the park will reopen, the buildings work will not be complete till November or December. We hope they will be finished in time for the Friends of Saughton Park Christmas event.”

The funding for the park restoration is partly provided by Heritage Lottery who awarded £3.8 million and also £99,000 provided by WREN’s FCC Scottish Action Fund. (WREN is a company limited by guarantee and a non-profit company registered to fund projects which are eligible under the Landfill Communities Fund and Scottish Landfill Communities Fund.)

An additional £50,000 was provided by SUEZ Communities Trust who support community and environmental improvement projects. This is the maximum funding they provide for any individual project.

HISTORY

First established in the 17^th century on the grounds of Saughtonhall House, which later became an asylum, the gardens were purchased by the Council in the early 1900s for recreational use by the people of Gorgie and Saughton.

In 1908, Saughton Park was redesigned to accommodate the Scottish National Exhibition, when more than 3.5m visitors flocked to enjoy the attractions. It is hoped that the park’s restoration will recapture the spirit of the time, refreshing some of the key features installed for the Exhibition, including the bandstand, botanic garden and winter garden.

MASTERPLAN

The Saughton Park masterplan includes:

• Restoration of the walled garden and winter garden;
• Reinstatement of the bandstand
• Restoration of the stables as a new community venue and base for the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society
• Construction of a new cafe and public toilet facilities;
• Conserving all trees, woodlands and hedges and improving biodiversity across the site
• Repairing and/or installing furniture, lighting, paths and signage
• Improving car parks, entrances and developing circuit routes for walking, running and health activities
• Putting management and maintenance regimes in place to ensure park achieves Green Flag status
• Developing a full programme of events and activities which meets the needs and interests of a wide range of park users and offers volunteer and learning opportunities for all to enjoy
• Separate to the Heritage Lottery Fund project, it is also planned to improve the children’s playground, and to install a new micro-hydro scheme and ground source heating system.

The curtain came down on another hugely enjoyable Leith Festival with the Community Tattoo at Malmaison Plaza by The Shore on Sunday evening.

Despite the weather being somewhat overcast this didn’t stop a sizeable crowd turning up to enjoy excellent performances from the Penicuik and Musselburgh BB Pipe Band, the Siamsoir and the Irish Dance Academy, Cheekyrrikis Flamenco Power and the Mary Phelan School of Dance with accordionist Shane Brogan bringing the evening to a close with songs from the Great War. Pulse of the Place also took part with all their drum groups playing as one.

The tattoo was formally closed with the Last Post and a minute’s silence to remember those no longer with us.

Trout fisherman Chris Melville went from a low to a high in the space of 24 hours.

The 44-year-old chef phoned his partner on Saturday night only to be told that he was working.

But the Fife Council worker decided to go solo in the Scierra Pairs which carries the biggest prize fund in Britain fly fishing.

And the brave decision was rewarded when the fly fisherman from Colinsburgh in East Fife qualified for the Grand Final in England in August.

And he was the fastest to land eight fish at Glencorse Reservoir near Edinburgh in one of the Scottish heats. Chris cast off at 9.30am with the rest of the fleet of ten boats.

And he was back onshore with a bag of eight fish weighing over 21lbs by 10.47am. Chris also lost three fish during his short time on the water.

He was the second qualifier at the much-photographed Midlothian-based reservoir in the Pentland Hills.

And Chris said: “It’s my first time fishing Glencorse this year and my third time in all.

“I didn’t qualify last year and I phoned my partner on Saturday to arrange a pick-up time and he said he was working.

“I decided to go it alone and glad I did. The bonus was that I could go where I wanted on the reservoir.”

He obviously picked the best spot in overcast, tricky conditions with a chill west wind just behind the island at the bottom end of the extensive water and he earned a number of bonus points for his quick finish.

His father Robert, aged 70, from Pittenweem and his 60-year-old brother Allan from Anstruther also competed and they landed a bag of 23lbs 4oz.

The heat-winning pair were Alloa-based dentist Paul Boyle and his partner, award-winning pie maker Davie Stewart from Port of Menteith.

The were back in the harbour by 1.30pm with eight fish totalling 27lbs and they also landed the biggest fish of the day, a hard-fighting eight-pounder.

Second boat home featured Scottish international anglers Andy Dunn from Kilmarnock and Willie Leach from Falkirk.

They totalled 20lbs and 4oz with their haul of eight hard-fighting fish and they docked at 11.32. They were third overall.

Organiser Phil Dixon said it was the first time in his knowledge that a single angler had taken part in the event.

And he said that the average fish caught was among the highest in the rive-year history of the competition.

RESULTS: Paul Boyle and Davie Stewart, eight fish for 27lbs; Alan Melville and Robert Melville, eight fish for 23lbs 4oz; Shug Shaw and Stevie Cowan, eight fish for 23lbs 3oz; Chris Melville, eight fish for 21lbs; Kenny Hope and James Hope eight fish for 21lbs 2oz; Graham Steele and Kenny Dickins, eight fish for 20lbs 7oz; Andy Dunn and Willie Leach, eight fish for 20lbs 4oz; Allan McLachlan and Murray Hunter, eight fish for 19lbs 2oz; Gil Farid and Gary Blane, four fish for 11lbs 4oz; Eck Moffat and Stevie Whitehead 0

The theme for Architecture Fringe 2018 is Common Senses. The Fringe aims to encourage wider public participation in architecture including international engagement.

It runs until 24 June 2018 with a variety of events being held across Scotland.

Civic Soup, an Edinburgh based group have created a trail around Leith, transporting you to 3 different world cities and inviting you to share what you think about public spaces.

Based at Settlement Projects, Haddington Place, EH7 4AE Drop in between 12 til 5 at Settlement Projects and Leith walk Police Box, Croall Place EH7 4LT between 3 and 5 Sunday 17th June. Free.

The Staggs Bar Monarchs put up their worst performance of the season so far going down 53-37 against Berwick in the Championship Shield on Saturday night, writes Mike Hunter
.
The majority of the visitors did not have an answer to a solid home outfit with only Ricky Wells and Erik Riss coming out of the meeting with any credit.

Six heat wins and 11 last places tells the story of the match and Monarchs will need to improve massively when they head back to Shielfield in a fortnight in the cup.

It has to be said that it was remarkable the match was on at all as heavy rain fell all around the stadium, but a massive well done must go to the Bandits team of volunteers who were at the stadium as early as 7am to lay track covers.

The down side to the covers being down was that this led to slick and dusty conditions with gating at an absolute premium.

Monarchs did make a reasonable start and were only two points down after five races and, with Ricky Wells and Erik Riss both unbeaten to this point, there was hope that a challenge could be mounted.

Wells and Riss were both excellent value, particularly an under-the-weather Wells who was lightning from the gate all night romping to 14 points. The American was backed by the younger Riss brother with paid 13.

Unfortunately, time and again in the heats that neither of the Monarchs top two appeared, a Bandits heat advantage was the outcome, particularly in the middle spell of the match where the Borders men padded their lead to 12.

A last throw of the dice tactical move was nullified in heat 11 when Erik Riss was disqualified for bringing down home man Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen meaning no advantage could be gained.

Further maximum heat advantages in heats 12 and 14 for the home men boosted the score even further with only a last heat 5-1 of the Monarchs own adding any respectability to the score.

This was a night where several of the Monarchs team will need to look hard at their performances and know that better is required in the cup match to come.

Berwick KLS Bandits: Aaron Summers 3, Kevin Doolan 10+1, Jye Etheridge 7+1, David Howe 6+2, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 8+1, Matthew Wethers 7+2, Dany Gappmaier 12+1

Edinburgh Staggs Bar Monarchs: Ricky Wells 14, Joel Andersson 1, Josh Pickering 2, Mark Riss 5+1, Erik Riss 11+2, Coty Garcia 3, Max Ruml 1

As part of the Edinburgh Art Festival 2018 which begins properly at the end of July there is an exhibition of work by Victoria Crowe at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. A renowned artist this exhibition is restricted to her portraits of figures from the worlds of art and science.

This is the first time that an exhibition has focused solely on her portraits and there are 54 of them including Professor Sir Peter Higgs, psychiatrist RD Laing, and composer Thea Musgrave.

Victoria Crowe has often spoken about the ‘privilege’ of painting a portrait and the relationship that develops between artist and sitter and cites her experience of painting the physicist Sir Peter Higgs as particularly rewarding. In the course the sittings the artist was captivated by the way the Noble laureate, in spite of his worldwide fame and the fact that his research has changed the way we perceive the world, remains resolutely modest and shy. Crowe painted him resting in an iconic Wassily chair designed by the modernist architect Marcel Breuer, with the famous Higgs equation jotted on a wall nearby; a depiction of the explosion that confirmed the existence of the Higgs Boson, the subatomic particle that bears his name, hangs above Higgs like a lampshade.

A long time lecturer at Edinburgh College of Art, Crowe said : “It is good to have the opportunity of putting all of these paintings back together. Some of them I have not seen for about thirty years. They are all different strands of my life which add up to a meaningful whole so it is great to see them all again.

“I never think of myself as a portrait painter at all. Of all the paintings in this exhibition the time line is about 40 -odd years. I maybe do one or two a year but I paint a lot of landscape and the intensity of light on the landscape, natural form, natural world, art history, all of these things. Some of the portraits contain elements of all of the things I am interested in.”

But it was the painting of Crowe’s son that we spoke to her about most. Sadly just a few years after painting him, Ben Walton died of cancer. It is called Heroes and Villains : Ben Walton and shows the 19 year old with some other details around him.

Victoria told us : “Heroes and Villains is a quote from a Beach Boys song. My son was obsessed with the Beach Boys. He was very, very musical and studied psychology at Aberdeen University. This painting is about him when he was 19 and standing on the threshold of life, moving away from home. It was his last summer at home with us. What’s happening through the window is an event that happened the previous year when the first Gulf War was starting and they were practising parachute dropping n the Borders. So it was quite a strange and scary event, juxtaposed with Ben because one of his schoolfriends was out in the Gulf and I was thinking about the fragility of young guys of that age.  I am very glad I painted it because three years later Ben had died from cancer when he was at university. So it is very much about holding onto that image of him as this youth stepping forward.”

Christopher Baker, Director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, added: “Victoria Crowe is a painter of great accomplishment who allows us an intimate view of her fascinating sitters, the relationship she builds with them and their complex interior lives. She is also a wonderfully subtle colourist who creates layered works of remarkable beauty. It has been a privilege for the National Galleries of Scotland to work with her on selecting this exhibition, which will we are confident will prove immensely popular during Edinburgh’s Festival season.”

We met one of her subjects standing next to his portrait.

Duncan Macmillan already knows a lot about the artist as he wrote a book about her in 2012. He is Emeritus Professor of History of Art at the University of Edinburgh,  an art critic and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Society of Arts as well as an honorary Scottish Academician. He pointed out first that this exhibition is of course only her portraits, and that while she paints on commission Crowe prefers to paint portraits of people who interest her.

He told us how it came about that she painted him. He said : “I wrote the catalogue for this show and Vicky had been talking for a long time about painting my portrait mainly as a result of writing a book about her some years ago.

“So she thought this would be the occasion to fulfil that promise and paint my portrait. This painting was finished in February I think so it is quite recent.”

I asked how it was to sit for his portrait and Professor Macmillan replied :”It was very pleasant! I suppose it is a slightly odd experience as you have somebody sitting there examining your detail, but Vicky of course is very charming and put me completely at my ease.

“You talk about things, so I suppose it is a bit like sitting on a psychiatrist’s couch I think. The focus is so much on you you tend to talk not about yourself necessarily but ideas that you share and we talked about painting and portraiture too.

“I have done this once or twice, and I think the outcome reflects the ease of the situation.

And the all-important question : Does he like the portrait? Professor Macmillan said : “Oh yes, very much. My granddaughter thinks it is quite cool!”

Some of the portraits reflect her wider art which is about states of mind and memory and the way in which our memory of things overlays in our head. He explained : “When she is painting portraits Victoria brings in other things to enlarge the subject, rather than having the subject just described by a face. There are all sorts of peripheral stuff which builds up a sense of the person, who they are or what they are doing. My portrait is quite simple but on one side there is a page of a book, an early copy of a book the first History of Art which is on my bookshelves. This associative kind of thing makes her paintings so interesting.”

Victoria Crowe explained to me that the details in the painting are meant to link you the viewer with the sitter in a more meaningful way, so that you know something about what they work at or are interested in.

VICTORIA CROWE:
BEYOND LIKENESS
12 May – 18 November 2018
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
1 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JD
0131 624 6200 | Admission FREE
#VictoriaCrowe

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival 2018

Deidre celebrates 200^th birthday of maritime charity 

The MP for Edinburgh North and Leith which has such a rich maritime past joined the international maritime charity Sailors’ Society at a reception to mark its 200 year anniversary.

The charity supports seafarers and their families around the world – including in Leith.

Deidre said:- “90 per cent of everything we use on a daily basis comes by sea, and the seafarers who transport it often face tough conditions and make great personal sacrifices.

“It was great to hear about the care and support Sailors’ Society has provided to seafarers in need over the past 200 years, including helping to look after their mental health during the long contracts at sea and supporting their families back at home in times of crisis.”

“The charity has a long history of links with the port of Leith and some fascinating stories to tell. It’s good to see the connections still continue, with the charity still having a chaplain here and a presence within the maritime community.”

The maritime sector is an important part of the Scottish economy, supporting around 39,300 jobs and producing nearly £3.9 billion turnover annually. But most people will not be aware of the hundreds of thousands of seafarers who come into these ports every year.

Stuart Rivers, Sailors’ Society CEO, said: “MPs have a long history of supporting the charity’s work – very appropriately, our first Chairman was Bernard Shaw MP – and we are grateful to Deidre for helping us celebrate our bicentenary. However, being 200 years old doesn’t mean we can sit back on our laurels, and we continue to change and adapt in order to better support the men and women who play such an important role in transporting our goods at sea.”

Scotland face Ireland again on Sunday and revenge must be on their mind.

They skidded to their third straight defeat when they were beaten by 46 runs by Ireland in a Tri Nations event in Holland on Saturday.

Andrew Balbirnie top scored with 74 for the Irish with Gary Wilson collecting 58 runs.

Alasdair Evans was Scotland’s top bowler with two wickets for the loss of 51 runs as Ireland finished on 205 for five in 20 overs.

Scotland could only make 159 for five despite getting off to a great start.

George Munsey scored 41 and skipper Kyle Coetzer 33 with Richie Berrington coming in at No 3 and collecting 29 runs.

Calum MacLeod, who scored 140 in the sensational win over England at The Grange last Sunday, was out for 12 and Michael Leask for five.

Dylan Budge was not out 23 and Matthew Cross unbeaten on seven when the Scots completed their 20 overs.

SGB Championship Shield: Berwick Bandits 53, Edinburgh Monarchs 37

Berwick: Aaron Summers 3, Kevin Doolan 10, Jye Ethridge 7, David Howe 6, Nikolaj Busk Jacobsen 8, Matthew Wethers 7, Dany Gappmaier 12

Edinburgh: Ricky Wells 14, Joel Andersson 1, Josh Pickering 1, Mark Riss 6, Eric Riss 11, Coty Garcia 3, Max Ruml 1

Dany Gappmaier top scored with 12 points as high-flying Berwick Bandits mugged near neighbours Edinburgh Monarchs.

Bandits skipper Kevin Doolan added ten points in the comfortable SGB Championship Shield win.

Ricky Wells with 14 points and skipper Erik Riss with 11 accounted for 25 of Monarchs points in a 53-37 defeat.

The rest of their team-mates failed to perform with Mark Riss next best on six points.

And the defeat could have been worse had Wells not won the final race with Erik Riss second for a 5-1 score.

What exactly the council plan to do with the schools in west and south west Edinburgh is not entirely clear, and will only be a little clearer when the Education Committee meets this week.

The report before them will help them decide what to do – perhaps. This is the council officers’ recommendation :

A decision was supposed to be made at the last meeting, but the council decided to delay. It looks to us as though they are deciding to backtrack or do very little right now. This is a complete U-turn is it not on the grand plans from the autumn of building new schools and amalgamating others in the south west and west of the city. They said then that it would be a more effective use of money to build new. But then they came up against the force of parents who don’t want to lose the school nearest to them.

There was a very vocal demonstration at the City Chambers yesterday. Here is what some of those who attended had to say :

Very loud demonstration at @Edinburgh_CC this afternoon by #SaveOurSchools who don’t want new schools in West and southwest Edinburgh pic.twitter.com/elpjRTRTLA

— Edinburgh Reporter (@EdinReporter) June 15, 2018

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The Staggs Bar Monarchs scraped home in an exciting finish against Newcastle but it was at Reserve that the home team struggled the most, writes Mike Hunter.

Going in to the last heat, the sides were level at 42-42 but Erik Riss work the head with Ricky Wells third for a match-winning and 4-2 after Stuart Robson had been excluded.

Monarchs were briefly six points ahead in mid-match but for much of the night it was very close, and absolutely level after heats four, five, 12 and 14. The final four heats finished 1-5, 5-1, 1-5, 4-2.

Monarchs’ top two of Erik Riss and Ricky Wells gained the positive results in Heats 13 and 15 but they admitted it wasn’t easy.

Captain Erik said “The track was easy to ride but that made the job of myself, Ricky and Mark harder.”

In fact Erik did miss the start in both runnings of the vital Heat 15 but superb first corners followed by powerful drives up the straight took him to the front both times.

At the first time of asking Stuart Robson came off and was excluded and, with Kus at the rear, this could well have meant that he should start 15 metres back in the rerun.

However, this new rule wasn’t invoked so Riss had to once again pull off a surging overtake on the first lap to ensure victory.

Riss led the way with 14 and Ricky Wells was also in double figures.

His only dropped point came in Heat 11 when he broke the tapes, coming off 15 metres in the re-run and pipping Lindgren for second on the line.

Both Joel Andersson (two wins) and Josh Pickering (one win) scored sevem and both can be happy with these returns.

Mark Riss fell in heat 14 while coming past Ashley Morris and finished on just five points, after winning his opening ride.

Coty Garcia failed to score on a machine that looked very slow and Max Ruml is still well short of his early season form. The American appears to be short of confidence.

For Newcastle, Stuart Robson and Matej Kus won two heats each but perhaps the most notable performance came from Matthew Wethers.

He used all his vast knowledge of the track where he rode for ten seasons and made picking up points against the Monarchs’ tail look easy.

Glasgow Tigers moved up to third in the Championship with a 50-40 win over weakened Workington at Ashfield.

Tigers had to work hard despite the Comets being without Ty Proctor (injured) and Dan Bewley (under-21 duty), and brigning in junior rider Dale Lamb to guest.

Nicolai Klindt racked up 18 points from seven rides to keep the visitors in touch, with Mason Campton scoring 11.

But the hosts did prevail with double-figure scores from Richie Worrall 11 points and Chris Harris ten.

Worrall said: “I like being first at everything I do.

“The other riders are looking at you for that first race result and they’re all over asking about the track. I enjoy being in that position.”

Fort Kinnaird’s recruitment and skills centre has helped 3,200 people into work over the past five years.

It was formed in five years ago with the support of parent company British Land in partnership with Capital City Partnership, City of Edinburgh Council (including Business Gateway), Department for Work and Pensions (Jobcentre Plus), East Lothian Council, East Lothian Works, Midlothian Council and Skills Development Scotland.

Participating employers have included Marks & Spencer, JD Sports, Primark, Odeon and Fat Face.

Liam Smith, centre director said: “Thousands of people visit Fort Kinnaird every day, but few realise the huge contribution the centre makes to local families, the surrounding neighbourhood and the wider Scottish economy.

“Our investment in the community is creating a significant positive impact.

“We’re particularly proud to have worked with our partners to help more than 3,000 people back into work through the local Recruitment and Skills Centre at Fort Kinnaird, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year.”

Scotland secure series 2-1 with penalty shoot-out win

With ‘The Italian Series’ standing at one match each, Scotland’s women kept their supporters on the edge of their seats as they took the third match – and the series – with a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

Going into the final encounter of the three-match series honours even, both sides had a hand on the trophy making the third, and final, match a ‘winner-takes-all’.

The game flowed back and forth from the push-back, with both sides sharing possession, but it was Italy who had the first shot on goal, – Valentina Braconi’s reverse shot flying across the front of Nikki Cochrane’s goal – but it was Scotland that scored the first goal from an Amy Costello penalty corner strike into the bottom corner for 1-0.

At the end of the first quarter, the Scots had to work hard to prevent the equaliser as a succession of penalty corner’s for Italy went unrewarded.

As the second quarter progressed, Italy began to dominate proceedings, pulling a couple of fine saves from Watsonian, Lucy Camlin – the Scots keepers were on for alternate quarters – but pressure eventually told as they equalised in the 27^th minute from another penalty corner, the final shot on goal squeezing under Costello’s stick and being finished off by Maria Garraffo as the ball trickled towards the net.

They then repeated the feat on the stroke of half time when another penalty corner melee ended with Lara Oviedo diving in to finish off for the lead.

The Italians started the second half as they had finished the first with pressure on the Scotland defence making Cochrane – back in goal – work hard on the floor to keep the ball out, but it was the home side that scored to draw the match level. Depending on breaks up field to gain ground, the Scots took advantage of Italy’s defence lying high and Charlotte Watson broke clear and got her pass away to Sarah Jamieson prowling in the opposition D. She collected the ball on her reverse and turning the defence, slammed a reverse strike past Martina Chirico for the equaliser.

The final quarter was another end-to-end affair, with Italy almost snatching the match at the death, but Valentina Braconi’s shot went high.

So, penalty shoot-out it was. With each team nominating a keeper and five strikers, Scotland were first up – and first on the score sheet as Jamieson rounded the keeper for her goal. Unfortunately for Italy, all their penalties were saved or missed and it was down to Heather Howie and Lexi Sabatelli to beat the keeper, giving the Scots a 3-0 penalty shoot-out win and a 5-2 match win, Series win and the Trophy.

After the match, Scotland women’s Interim Head Coach, Neil Menzies said, “Given the lack of the experience in the squad I was generally happy with the overall performances over the series. There were obviously periods where things were not so good but there were some periods that were extremely encouraging, particularly because of the relative performances by the younger and less experienced members of the squad.

“Winning the penalty shoot-out and getting a series win was the icing on the cake.”

Images from the match will appear here over the next few days.

Did you know that we publish a monthly newspaper? This month it had 24 pages of local news, views and what’s on. 6,000 copies were distributed across the city libraries, hotels and businesses in the city centre.

Our copy and advertising deadline for the July issue is 22 June, so do get any stories or adverts to us by then.

In case you haven’t read it yet here is the digital version (although it looks great in print….)

Championship: Edinburgh Monarchs 46, Newcastle Diamonds 44

Captain Erik Riss kept his cool to guide Edinburgh Monarchs to a narrow win over Newcastle Diamonds in the Championship.

A 5-1 in the second-last heat saw the visitors drew level at 42-42.

But German-born Riss won Heat 15 and Ricky Wells was third for a match-winning 4-2.

Riss top scored with 14 points and Wells was next best on ten points.

Former Monarchs skipper Matthew Wethers was top scorer for Newcastle with 11 points with Matej Kus on ten points.

Championship: Glasgow Tigers 50, Workington Comets 40

Richie Worrall top scored with 11 points as Glasgow Tigers shot down Workington Comets 50-40 in the West of Scotland.

The home side collected all three points despite Nicolai Klindt scoring 18 points for the visitors.

Championship: Lakeside Hammers 56, Berwick Bandits 34

Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen was best with 12 points but Berwick Bandits skidded to a heavy defeat at Lakeside Hammers.

The Borders outfit had nobody else in double-figures in the 56-34 reverse in Essex with Aaron Summers and David Howe next best on seven points each.

Nick Morris top scored for the home side with 14 points with Adam Ellis on 12 points and Ben Morley claimed 11.

The clock is ticking for WBC-rated super lightweights Josh Taylor and former world champion Viktor Postol who square-up at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow in a final eliminator.

The bill on Saturday, June 23 also features Scottish talent including Congolese-born heavyweight Martin Bakole who defends his IBO Continental heavyweight belt against England’s D L Jones.

Former amateur star Lee McGregor from Edinburgh bids for his first title when he takes on Tanzania’s dangerous Goodluck Mrema for the vacant IBF youth bantamweight crown.

McGregor’s stablemate Chantelle Cameron defends her IBO world lightweight title against Malawi’s hard-punching Ruth Chisale.

Barrhead’s undefeated super bantamweight prospect Gary Rae returns to action when he takes on Nicaragua’s Johnson Tellez over six-rounds.

And Edinburgh’s undefeated Celtic super middleweight champion Tommy Philbin returns to action in a six-round contest.

Limited tickets are still available.

The SPFL today announced the fixtures for the 2018/19 season. Hearts will begin their Ladbrokes Premiership campaign with a trip to Hamilton Academical on Saturday 4th August before entertaining league champions Celtic the following weekend.

The first Edinburgh derby of the season comes on a Wednesday when Hearts take on Hibernian at Tynecastle on Halloween. This will come as a disappointment for some younger fans who may not be able to attend one of the biggest games of the season on a school night, as well as those Hearts and Hibs supporters living outside the capital who won’t be able to make the trip.

Edinburgh City will begin their Ladbrokes League Two campaign with a home game against relegated Albion Rovers before travelling north to Elgin a week later.

Hearts fixtures for the season are below (source: www.heartsfc.co.uk) although several fixtures are liable to change due to live television coverage.

Date Opponent Time
4/8/18 Hamilton Academical (A) 3pm
11/8/18 Celtic (H) 3pm
25/8/18 Kilmarnock (A) 3pm
1/9/18 St Mirren (H) 3pm
15/9/18 Motherwell (A) 3pm
22/9/18 Livingston (H) 3pm
29/9/18 St Johnstone (H) 3pm
6/10/18 Rangers (A) 3pm
20/10/18 Aberdeen (H) 3pm
27/10/18 Dundee (A) 3pm
31/10/18 Hibernian (H) 7.45pm
3/11/18 Celtic (A) 3pm
10/11/18 Kilmarnock (H) 3pm
24/11/18 St Mirren (A) 3pm
1/12/18 Rangers (H) 3pm
5/12/18 St Johnstone (A) 7.45pm
8/12/18 Motherwell (H) 3pm
15/12/18 Livingston (A) 3pm
22/12/18 Aberdeen (A) 3pm
26/12/18 Hamilton Academical (H) 3pm
29/12/18 Hibernian (A) 3pm
23/1/19 Dundee (H) 7.45pm
26/1/18 St Johnstone (H) 3pm
2/2/19 Kilmarnock (A) 3pm
6/2/19 Livingston (H) 7.45pm
16/2/19 Motherwell (A) 3pm
23/2/19 St Mirren (H) 3pm
27/2/19 Celtic (H) 7.45pm
9/3/19 Dundee (A) 3pm
16/3/19 Hamilton Academical (A) 3pm
30/3/19 Aberdeen (H) 3pm
3/4/19 Rangers (A) 7.45pm
6/4/19 Hibernian (H) 3pm

Post-split fixtures:
Game 34 – 20/4/19
Game 35 – 27/4/19
Game 36 – 4/5/19
Game 37 – 11/5/19
Game 38 – 18/5/19

The Beating Retreat and Waterloo Dinner was held tonight at The Royal Scots Club.

As part of that 1SCOTS Pipes and Drums led the Beating Retreat along Abercromby Place.

The Battle of Waterloo was a significant event in the distinguished history of the Royal Scots, and tonight’s dinner was held to mark the anniversary.

The guest speaker, Major General Bob Bruce CBE DSO described the strategic significance of the battle.

He also explained the role that the Royal Scots and the other Scottish regiments played in the battle.

Major General Bruce was commissioned into the Royal Scots in 1987. His early service was spent in Germany and Scotland and on operations in Northern Ireland and the Gulf. He was the last Commanding Officer of the Royal Scots, having taken over on operations in Iraq. He led the merger of 1RS and 1KOSB to form 1SCOTS in 2006 and then commanded the new battalion on operations in Iraq in 2007/8.

For his leadership on operations, he was awarded the DSO in 2013 and was made CBE in 2016.

In June 2017 Major General Bruce assumed the posts of Military Secretary and General Officer Scotland.

The evening began with a drinks reception, followed by a Beating Retreat. After the Beating Retreat guests returned to the Club for dinner.



Police Scotland has relaunched an awareness-raising initiative aimed at preventing young people from falling into a life of crime.

Working in partnership with the Scottish Government, police have devised an educational pack for young people that shows the devastating effects of Serious Organised Crime.

The Slide is a specially-created film that details a young man’s downward spiral into criminality from his teenage years into early adult life.

David, the star of the film, is 13-years-old when he tries drugs for the first time. This is the beginning of a series of negative life choices, which results in him committing various offences and becoming a member of a Serious Organised Crime Group.

After completing a prison sentence David becomes trapped in the crime group and is threatened by other members when he tries to leave. He subsequently becomes the victim of a serious attack by a rival crime group.

The official relaunch took place at Edinburgh’s Broughton High School on Wednesday 13th June, where the film was shown to S2 pupils. After watching each film scene, attendees participated in a range of discussions to promote positive lifestyle choices and discuss the consequences of becoming involved in crime.

Following the re-launch in Edinburgh, S2 pupils from schools across the country can take part in this awareness raising initiative.

Chief Inspector Alison Higgins from the Safer Communities Division said, “The vast majority of Scotland’s youths will never commit a criminal offence, or have any negative engagement with the criminal justice system. However, it is essential that we work closely with our partners to deter young people from making bad decisions, which can seriously impact upon their future.

“The Slide might be a fictional film, but the scenario that develops is one we have seen many times before and we want to demonstrate to those attending the seminars that there is nothing glamorous about a life of crime.

“This educational pack has been made in close collaboration with a range of partners and demonstrates a joint commitment to keeping our children safe from harm and ensuring they have all the information they require to make positive lifestyle choices.”

Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson said, “I am pleased to see the relaunch of “the Slide” which highlights the grim reality of becoming involved in serious organised crime. It is important that young people in particular can see the reality and potential consequences of making the wrong the choices and the impact these can have on not only themselves but their wider circle of family and friends.

“Those engaged in organised crime are only interested in their bottom line and it is crucial that we all work together to ensure they are no longer able to exploit young people for their own benefit.

“This relaunch follows the recent research report into Community Experiences of Serious Organised Crime which challenges the myths surrounding serious organised crime and stresses the importance of communicating the real consequences of being drawn into organised crime. The Slide will make a valuable contribution to that effort.”

Lothian the company who run our bus services here in Edinburgh won the big prize at the Scottish Transport Awards. They were named Scotland’s public transport operator of the year.

The company has created 100 new jobs during the year and continues to modernise its fleet, always trying to make it more environmentally friendly.

They have also begun the new East Coast Buses and Lothian Country to take over where Stagecoach left off. South Queensferry now has a bus service again thanks to Lothian.

Richard Hall, Lothian’s Managing Director said: “Across our business at Lothian we employ over 2500 people and this award is for every one of them. Every day our teams go above and beyond, to deliver excellence in customer service and operational delivery.

“We invest heavily in our fleet, services and people and we’re delighted that this award further underlines our reputation as one of the most innovative and dynamic bus operators in the UK.  I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers for continuing to choose Lothian to travel in and around Scotland’s capital”

Transport Convener and Chair of Transport for Edinburgh, Councillor Lesley Macinnes, said: “This is a fantastic win for Lothian – congratulations to all those involved in making this service such a success. With passenger numbers continuing to rise and consistently high customer satisfaction, it’s easy to see why Lothian is so valuable to our city – well done!”

Now in its 16th year, the prestigious awards ceremony brings together the transport community to recognise and celebrate industry achievements across Scotland.

Supported by the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland, this year’s event was held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. It was hosted by comedian and radio presenter Fred MacAulay and featured a key note address from Keith Brown MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work at the Scottish Government.

Hibs will kick-off the 2018/19 league season with a home fixture against Motherwell on Saturday 4 August. (3pm kick off)

Neil Lennon’s men then travel to Perth to face St Johnstone one week later before a home match against Aberdeen on Saturday 25 August.

October will be a hectic month as Hibs meet Celtic in Glasgow on the 20th then face Rangers at Easter Road on the 27th before the first Edinburgh derby which takes place four days later on Wednesday 31st at Tynecastle.

Hearts visit to Easter Road is scheduled for Saturday 29 December.

The final fixture before the split is at Tynecastle on Saturday 6 April.

The full fixture list can be found here:

Please note fixtures are subject to change.

Green councillor Alex Staniforth says more needs to be done to give people a say over the new Meadowbank sports centre.

The proposals around the reconstruction of Meadowbank Stadium have been occupying me a lot in the past couple of months – I have been attending public meetings of the Save Meadowbank group, asked a question about the consultation in full council and have had plenty of meetings with the SNP/Labour members who lead on it.

All of this has seen some movement. The planning application for the housing beside the stadium originally stipulated buildings of a height many in the community found unacceptable. It will now only say that housing should be there and height, density etc. will only be decided after, what we are promised will be, extensive further public consultation.

I also hold out hope that both the spectator numbers can be increased and more of the current trees can be protected.

However, what cannot be denied is that consultation over the plans was not good enough. A packed room of 200-300 people in April was a clear enough signal of that. Equally, letting the current sport facilities fall into neglect and then selling land to build replacements is an unsustainable way for the council to approach sport in the future.

When it comes to communication and to the council’s support of the excellent work of Edinburgh Leisure the report card still reads ‘must try harder’.

Alex Staniforth is Green councillor for Craigentinny/Duddingston and Edinburgh Greens Spokesperson for Culture, Communities and Sport

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has announced the appointment of Gillian MacDonald, Angie McLaren and Alan Speirs as Assistant Chief Constables (ACC) within Police Scotland’s leadership team.

Susan Deacon, Chair of the SPA said:”Supporting and strengthening the leadership of policing in Scotland is a top priority for the SPA. That is why I am delighted to announce the appointment of Gillian MacDonald, Angie McLaren and Alan Speirs as Assistant Chief Constables within Police Scotland. These individuals are accomplished police leaders in Scotland and will, I am sure, make a significant contribution to shaping and developing Police Scotland in the period to come.

“These appointments are a further step forward in building stability, direction and confidence in our police service as it continues to rapidly adapt and change.”

Gillian MacDonald is currently Police Scotland’s Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Crime and Protection. This includes Public Protection, Local Crime & Forensics, Major Crime and Safer Communities.

Gillian has been an officer for over 28 years having joined Strathclyde Police in 1990. She spent her early career in uniform roles in Glasgow before moving into Divisional CID in proactive and reactive roles. She then moved on to the position of DCI at SCDEA with responsibility for Cyber, International Liaison, Witness Liaison, Covert Authorities Bureau, Forensics and Assisting Offenders.

She was appointed Area Commander at Gorbals where she set up the Govanhill Hub, a local collaborative neighbourhood team which deals with local issues based in the heart of the community. Gillian also served as Divisional Commander in Ayrshire where she introduced a successful Prevention First partnership initiative which was responsible for driving down violent crime across Ayrshire.

Angie McLaren is currently Chief Superintendent with responsibility for Organisational Development and Corporate Governance at Police Scotland. Prior to this, Angie played a significant role in the development, consultation and publication of the Policing 2026 Strategy laid in Parliament last year.

She has been an officer for almost 22-years having joined Fife Constabulary in 1996. She was promoted to Superintendent and posted to Police Scotland Tayside Division in 2014. She was promoted to Chief Superintendent in 2015 where she was appointed Divisional Commander for Fife Division. Angie has experience as a strategic Firearms and Events Commander covering large scale events such as T in the Park.

Alan Speirs is currently Temporary Assistant Chief Constable for Professionalism and Assurance in Police Scotland. This includes Professional Standards, Legal Services and the Governance, Audit & Assurance Department.

He has been an officer for almost 30 years having joined Strathclyde Police in the summer of 1988. In 2009 he was promoted to Superintendent and appointed Head of Force Communications. In 2011, he was promoted to Chief Superintendent within Operational Support Division before taking up post as Local Police Commander for K Division and then as Commander of Contact, Command and Control.

During his service he has spent four years on external secondment firstly with Glasgow City Council before taking up appointment as Assistant Chief Executive with an Economic Development and Regeneration Company. In 2016, he became the Head of Professional Standards at Police Scotland with responsibility for complaints, conduct, corruption and policy.

National Trust for Scotland announces its new garden apprentice scheme

By offering apprenticeships in its gardens the charity says it is investing in the future of Scotland’s heritage gardens.

They have identified a shortage of people with the right skills and experience to look after its gardens

So the National Trust for Scotland decided the best way would be to pilot its own apprenticeship scheme.

They will initially look for five apprentice gardeners, who will be based on the Modern Apprenticeship in Horticulture at SVQ Level 2 and will start in early September 2018.

Trainees will be part of the charity’s gardening teams at Brodick, Crathes, Culzean, Greenbank, Hill of Tarvit and Kellie Castle for the next two years.

The group will come together regularly throughout the two-year programme for formal training at Oatridge College in West Lothian.

Ann Steele, head of heritage gardening at the National Trust for Scotland is the brains behind the idea. She said: “Skills shortage is an issue affecting the whole of the horticulture industry, but it’s particularly important for us to address because we love and care for so many of Scotland’s most significant and important heritage gardens.

“I originally entered the world of professional gardening by volunteering at Inverewe Garden in Wester Ross but to gain a professional qualification I had to go south of the border. This is a brilliant opportunity for budding horticulturalists to be trained by some of the best in the industry and a chance I would’ve jumped at when I was first starting out.”

The National Trust for Scotland has 70 gardeners at present and has a history of developing gardening talent through its School of Heritage Gardening at Threave, which has been operational for the past 50 years.

But demand is outstripping supply and extra measures are now being put in place to safeguard the future of Scotland’s heritage gardens.

Simon Skinner, chief executive of National Trust for Scotland said: “We’re growing the next generation of gardeners, as part of our new five year strategy, so that our gorgeous gardens can flourish. This is just one of the ways the National Trust for Scotland is protecting Scotland’s national and natural and built heritage and conserving it for generations to come, all for the love of Scotland.”

You can find out more about the National Trust for Scotland’s new gardening apprentice scheme at https://www.nts.org.uk/charity/Vacancies/