Berwick Bandits’ team manager Gary Havelock has admitted to being fined for an incident in the pits during the club’s SGB Championship defeat at Edinburgh Monarchs.

The former world champion incurred the undisclosed penalty from referee Christina Turnbull from Cranleigh after an incident in Heat 11.

Havelock said: “Edinburgh need a new pits phone now and I’ve been fined for ungentlemanly conduct. In 47 and a half years I’ve never seen a decision as poor in my opinion as was in Heat 11.

“Mark Riss came round the bend and hit Dimitri Berge’s rear wheel which spun his back wheel round and straightened him up which, in turn, flipped him high up and over the high-side and down onto the track. Then HE got excluded for it.

“So not only were we on a 5-1 he got excluded and it turned the heat into a 4-2 for them in the re-run. Can’t believe it.”

He added: “The situation up there was all wrong and things need to be looked at. That match has left me a very angry manager and things will be said.”

Havelock admitted it was not Berwick’s night and revealed that two of riders left Armadale with ice packs on their injuries.

The team manager said: “Liam (Carr) has a sore shoulder and Dimitri (Berge) has a painful wrist, so we will have to wait on their fitness.

“Liam says he should be ok but that’s no good to us as it’s pointless if he says after one race on Saturday it is too painful.

“Dimitri says his wrist isn’t broken but he’s broken it twice before so we need to be careful of that.”

Berwick host Glasgow Tigers, who topped the table before Edinburgh’s win on Friday over Berwick, at the Borders track on Saturday night (7pm).

Eric Riss powered to a 15-point maximum and impressive American newcomer Ricky Wells claimed 13 points in Edinburgh Monarchs’ comfortable 57-33 win over misfiring Berwick Bandits in the SGB Premiership at Armadale. Skipper Sam Masters earned 11 points.

It is a result which sent the Armadale club to the top of the ten-strong table but the defeat continued Berwick’s poor start to the current campaign.

Berwick’s team manager Gary Havelock urged fans to keep the faith but Monarchs, however, are in fine, early season form with their three top riders performing.

The visitors won only one of the 15 heats when young Monarchs rider Max Clegg went too wide on the final bend in the second-last heat to allow Bandits’ Austrian rider Dany Gappmaier through.

Edinburgh have now won all three of their league matches while struggling Berwick have lost their first four and it does not get any easier.

They entertain former league pace-setters Glasgow Tigers at home on Saturday night (tapes-up 7pm) followed by a trip to Ashfield for the return on Sunday (tapes-up 3pm).

Braehead Clan have welcomed the addition of two clubs into the Elite League and have pledged to remain in Britain’s top ice hockey division.

The move comes only hours after two of the Elite League’s three Scottish-based clubs, Fife Flyers, Dundee Stars confirmed they were considering their options.

Edinburgh Capitals have not made any statement but sources indicate they are also considering their future.

It is understood Fife and Dundee are unhappy that a maximum of 14 import players will be allowed in the league next season.

And the addition of two new teams is another strain on already hard-pressed budgets.

Gareth Chalmers, hockey and operations director at Braehead Clan, said: “It’s very exciting for everyone involved in the EIHL to welcome Guildford and Milton Keynes.

“The EIHL has always had ambitions to expand and, with the additions of these two stable organisations with proven track records, it can only be positive for everyone involved.

“Here in Braehead we’re looking forward to welcoming the Flames and Lightning during the 2017/18 season.

“We believe they’ll be great additions to the league and will give the Purple Army two new teams to see here in Glasgow.”

Berwick Bandits should prepare for a backlash after Glasgow Tigers racer Richard Lawson said he was “absolutely terrible” last weekend despite helping his side to four SGB Championship points.

Lawson claimed 14 personal points against Newcastle and Scunthorpe and wants to see a drastic personal improvement in the double-header against Berwick.

The 31-year-old from Cumbria said: “I’m not happy with my scores from the weekend, they were shocking.

“I don’t want to be repeating that so I’ll look to rectify that immediately and get two good meetings under my belt this weekend.”

Lawson is now at No 3 for Tigers after a switch by team manager Stewart Dickson.

Richie Worrall moves to No 5 and Aaron Summers stays at No 1.

Glasgow are at Berwick on Saturday night at 7pm with a 3pm start at Ashfield on Sunday and Gary Havelock, Bandits’ team manager, is looking for a response from his men after a verbal blast last weekend.

This has been a Royal week in the capital with The Princess Royal visiting Charlie Miller Hairdressing and now Princess Beatrice has agreed to choose the winner  of an Easter Bonnet competition.

The contest is being run to raise funds for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation of which she is patron.

The entrants are young patients at the Sick Kids who will decorate the hats over this weekend and post a photo on the organisation’s Facebook page.

Princess Beatrice will judge the best from there.

Fiona O’Sullivan, Arts Programme Manager at the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, spoke of the benefits of hosting regular fun and interactive activities within the hospital.

Fiona said: “We’re very pleased to be able to contribute the materials to make this activity happen and we’d like to say a huge thank you in advance to Princess Beatrice for judging the bonnet parade for us.

“This is just one of the many activities we provide to ensure children and young people’s lives are less interrupted by illness; they are less scared of hospital and have a more positive experience”.

The Sick Kids Friends Foundation supports the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh and has contributed over £3 million towards its move to a new, purpose-built home at Little France in 2018.

Modest Efe Ambrose has given credit to his Hibs’ team mates for their part in him winning the Championship Player of the Month award.

The Nigerian defender has won three ‘man of the match awards’ since joining from Celtic on an emergency loan deal as well as scoring a vital goal against Falkirk.

His style of play has won approval amongst the Hibs fans who have composed a song in his honour.

Despite the personal accolades, Ambrose insists that his focus is on taking all three points today against Queen of the South which, depending on results elsewhere mean that automatic promotion is secured.

Should Hibs win and Falkirk drop points against on-form St Mirren the title will belong to Hibs and top flight football will return to Easter Road next season.

He told Hibernian TV: “Winning the Championship Player of the Month was a good feeling but it’s not about me at all.

“As you know football is a team effort and not individual so credit to the other players and I appreciate everyone helping me.

“When I came here I just wanted to do my best and help Hibs to get back to the top league.

“This weekend we know that the game could decide the league but we don’t want to think about the other result, we just want to focus on ourselves. What we have to do is to win the game and that is the most important thing.

“We don’t depend on other teams to give us the title, we want to win the title ourselves.

“I don’t want to think about next season as it’s so far away. Securing this season for us is the most important thing right now.

“We also have a semi-final to look forward to but we don’t want to talk about that right now as our focus is on Queen of the South.”

Kilmarnock 0 Heart of Midlothian 0

Ladbrokes Premiership, Friday 14^th April 2017 – Rugby Park

There was something appropriate about Kilmarnock and Hearts playing on the evening of Good Friday. The Christian faith marks this day as the time Jesus suffered by crucifixion. Without wishing to incur accusations of blasphemy, supporters of Hearts and Kilmarnock endured suffering of their own after a tedious affair in Ayrshire.

Hearts Head Coach Ian Cathro opted to go with the same team that defeated Dundee at Tynecastle six days ago.

On a showery, chilly spring evening, a crowd of just over 4,000 were looking for something to warm them up. They didn’t get it in a truly awful first half which could be summed up from a Hearts perspective thus:

Pass, pass, pass, pass, pass (usually sideways), give the ball away. The highlights of that first half are below….

Half-time Kilmarnock 0 Hearts 0

The second half was little better although Hearts finally managed an attempt on target in the 67^th minute when Goncalves had a header saved by Killie keeper Woodman.

The introduction of substitute Choulay initially brought some spark to the visitors and his cross into the penalty box was almost met by Andras Struna but the Slovenian misjudged the flight of the ball and the chance was gone.

Jamie Walker then turned on the edge of the box but, in keeping with the evening, his effort was weak and straight at the Killie keeper.

Isma Goncalves had a great chance to steal the game for Hearts towards the end but his low shot on goal was deflected just inches wide for a corner. The same player then had an opportunity in the six yard box after fine play from Liam Smith but the striker inexplicably let the ball run from him rather than strike for goal.

The home side had a chance to take all three points with three minutes left when Boyd fired in free-kick that went wide.

The travelling Maroon Army made their feelings known at the end of the game. It was another 90 minutes of their lives they won’t get back.

After the game, Ian Cathro told BBC Radio Scotland: “A point isn’t acceptable because it’s not what we wanted.

“We’re disappointed that we’ve not managed to get the win. On reflection, maybe we have to accept it given the way the game panned out towards the end. Initially we controlled the match but didn’t create enough chances.  We didn’t have any threat in the final third.

“Second half we had a couple of chances which I would expect to normally go in and I’m sure the guys involved will say the same. But today they didn’t.

“There’s not tremendous confidence levels there but we’re building those things. A 0-0 away from home we can’t consider a disaster but we are disappointed.”

Disappointed is something of an understatement…

Kilmarnock: Woodman, Hendrie, Dicker, Ajer, Taylor, Smith, Wilson, Roberts, Longstaff, Jones, Boyd

Hearts: Hamilton, Smith, Buaben, Nowak, Struna, Kitchen, Tziolis, Djoum, Cowie, Walker, Goncalves.

Referee: Euan Anderson

Att: 4,110

Top man: The men, women and children – 617 of them – who made up the away support. They probably wished they hadn’t bothered.

Careful

Horse McDonald’s acclaimed biographical play.

There are times in life when you need to be careful…

The Scottish singer-songwriter, Horse McDonald, is taking her award-winning one-woman play, Careful, on the road for a Scottish spring tour.

First performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016, this poignant and compelling story of Horse’s triumph over adversity through music, is collaboratively written with writer and comedian Lynn Ferguson, directed by Maggie Kinloch and produced by The Gilded Balloon.

After each performance, Horse will be joined on stage by director Maggie Kinloch for an intimate, ‘audience with’ Q&A session. For her music fans, Horse will also weave into the second half of the evening a small selection of her favourite songs from her illustrious career, prompted by the evening’s questions.

Horse takes to the stage as an admirably frank and engaging teller of her own touching story of survival, from wearing two-tone velvet loons to becoming one of Scotland’s most celebrated singers; painting a vivid and powerful picture of those times when she had to be… Careful.

Horse is iconic. She has few peers, utterly unique, with breath-taking stagecraft. Her voice is a ‘finely honed instrument’. Since her studio debut in 1989 with single, You Could Be Forgiven, Horse’s power to reinvent and advance her musical style and prowess has been unshakable.

Lynn Ferguson has written for BBC, Pixar and CBS including her own sitcom. A Fringe Festival veteran, she’s won the prestigious Fringe First Award for new writing and the Stage Award for Acting Excellence. In mid-2015, Lynn founded Youtellyours.com, a successful storytelling school in California. She has used these same storytelling techniques to construct this show for Horse, collaborating with both Horse and Maggie Kinloch over Skype throughout the writing and production process.

Touring 19 venues throughout Scotland the production finishes with a two night residence at Glasgow Tron’s ‘Mayfesto’ Saturday 27 May.

http://www.edtheatres.com/horse

Friday 21 April, 7.30pm The Studio, 22 Potterrow

A police investigation is underway after £18,000 worth of damage was caused to Hawthornden and St Mary’s Primary Schools in Bonnyrigg.

At Hawthornden alone, 80 skylights and 42 double-glazed windows were shattered on April 7.

Police Scotland and officials at Midlothian Council have assessed the total repair bill for all the damage as being £18,000.

Inspector John Dryden said: “This is an appalling attack on the primary school and the cost of the repair will ultimately come from Midlothian Council’s budget – money that would be better used for vital services to the community.

“It would have taken a significant period of time for the vandals to smash 122 windows and the noise alone must have attracted attention.

“I would also ask parents and guardians to assist in preventing further incidents by ensuring they know where their children are and what they are doing when out and about.”

A spokesman for Midlothian Council said: “It is not just the financial cost to the council, but the emotional cost to our school community.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101.

Hibs have reminded supporters not to enter the field at any point before, during or after matches, both at Easter Road and away from home as such incursions have significant potential ramifications both for supporters and for the club.

The warning comes in advance of tomorrow’s game against Queen of the South where victory couple with Falkirk dropping points would ensure the Championship title and automatic promotion for the club.

Supporters who enter the field of play risk a football banning order amongst other penalties.

Any investigation will also be detrimental to the club, both in terms of resource wasted and in the cost of any sanction imposed on the club.

Supporters were also reminded that the use of pyrotechnics is strictly forbidden at football matches.

The use of pyrotechnics, including smoke bombs and flares, within football stadiums is extremely dangerous and is a serious offence, with the Club having a zero tolerance approach with regards to the carrying and usage of pyrotechnics at our matches. Recent events have led to two supporters receiving indefinite bans.

A Hibernian spokesperson said: “We are approaching an exciting end to the season with plenty to play for in the league and Scottish Cup.

“We hope supporters can back the team and enjoy the remaining games in a responsible manner.”

A 22-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with seven housebreakings and an assault, which occurred in the West Pilton, Kirkliston, Murrayfield and Drylaw areas.

The assault took place in Crewe Place on Tuesday, April 11. The housebreakings occurred between 8th and 12th April period of time.

The 22-year-old will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Saturday 15th April.

Detective Inspector Graham Grant said:  “We treat violence and housebreaking as a priority in Edinburgh and will act swiftly to apprehend those responsible.

“If you have witnessed or been the victim of crime in your area, you can report this to police via 101, or can do so confidentially through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Edinburgh Comic Con is back and bigger than ever.

On Saturday and Sunday the Edinburgh Comic Con returns with a programme spread over both days. This year’s show will include the Premier of Shooting Clerks the film about the making of the 90s independent movie from local filmmakers as well as U.S. TV Stars from the hit show Comic Book Men.

Along with the chance to pick up some rare comics and collectables, this event should see fans pack the Edinburgh International Conference Centre to battle it out for the highly contested best Cosplay award.

Other guests booked for this year’s show include Scottish-born comic book artist Garry Brown (Marvel’s Iron Patriot, DC’s Catwoman among his own projects) and Emma Beely (DC’s Wonder Woman and Robbie Burns: Witch Hunter) are among the many names from the comic book world in attendance.

The event runs starts at 10 am on Saturday and again at 10 am on Sunday. Tickets will be available on the door for more information check out www.heroconventions.com

Kurt Warner believes it is a matter of time before American Football becomes part of the sporting culture here.

The biggest hurdle the 45-year-old from Iowa believes is making a level playing field when North American teams travel.

The former Super Bowl winning quarterback says there is great passion and knowledge about his sport in Britain.

And he experienced some of that passion during the packed NFL UK Live Tour event which checked into Edinburgh on Thursday night.

Around 500 fans – many wearing the colours of their favourites – crammed into the Edinburgh International Conference Centre to hear Warner and hear about plans to bring more games to Britain.

Also there were Danny Shelton of the Cleveland Browns, former player now pundit Steve Smith Jr and respected American Football journalist Peter King.

They took part in a lively, two-hour forum hosted by Sky Sports presenter Neil Reynolds and it included a lively question and answer session.

It also highlighted the forthcoming series of fixtures in London at Wembley and Twickenham which will feature a number of teams including New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars and St Louis Rams. Tickets go on sale soon.

Some, including panelist King, believe the best way forward would be to have a British-based team not North American teams jetting into this country for a series of games.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-UzRO3Bdfo?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-GB&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=696&h=392]

Warner, who also played for the New York Giants and the Arizona Cardinals currently holds a number of records including being the seventh-highest career passer of all time and his achievements are a far cry from his spell as a supermarket shelf stacker.

He was also a visitor to Murrayfield after joining the Amsterdam Admirals who played against the Scottish Claymores in the NFL Europe League and the rest is sporting history.

If you don’t mind the cool air, this Easter weekend looks like being a cracker. The daffodils are still in their full glory, the whin is turning bright yellow and the birds are singing like naughty choirboys from every hedge.

Just about every visitor attraction is staging special events, from an Easter bonnet competition at Castle of Mey in Caithness to the traditional Easter egg hunt at Traquair House in the Borders.  On Loch Tay, there’s a pancake fry-up at the Crannog, a Neil Gow fiddle festival in Dunkeld and horse racing at Musselburgh where Judy Murray will present the new £100,000 prize, the Queen’s Cup.

Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports are expecting huge numbers of fliers this weekend with the normal tourist traffic coinciding with the return of the school holiday migrants.

You might think this would put us all in a prosperous mood.  And, sure enough, the unemployment figures have taken a surprising turn for the better, dropping to 4.5 per cent of the workforce.

But here’s a thing, there are 27,000 people who have left the jobs market altogether and our economic growth rate in the last quarter was minus 0.2 per cent.  Real wages are falling and, according to the latest survey, 40 per cent of our small businesses are pessimistic about the immediate future.  Add to that the continuing “austerity”  from the UK Treasury and our springtide champagne begins to lose its sparkle.

However, one public spending project which has come good this week is the “missing link” on the M8 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh.  Seven miles of the motorway were left as duel-carriageway when the M8 was built in the 1960s but by the beginning of May, the frustrating bottleneck of road works will be over and journey times between our two main cities will be cut by 20 minutes.

Another infrastructure project which has enjoyed some good news this week is the Borders Railway.  The transport minister Humza Yousaf announced a study into extending the railway from Tweedbank near Melrose to Carlisle.  The re-constructed line opened just a year ago and has attracted 1.2m passenger journeys, that’s well ahead of expectations.

I was one of those passengers this week and it allowed me to enjoy a cycle run from Melrose to Dryburgh Abbey. The River Tweed sparkled in the sun.  The park-and-ride car parks were full, the tea rooms were reporting good business and new houses seemed to be going up everywhere. That’s what a railway line does for the economy.

I’m not saying the motor car age is over but one of its great champions died this week, Sir Arnold Clark.   Back in the 1950s he used his RAF de-mob money to buy an old banger, did it up and sold it.  And from that humble beginning in Glasgow he founded the Arnold Clark car dealership with garages throughout the UK.

Last year he became Britain’s first billionaire car salesman.  He had an interesting collection of vintage cars and at one point owned the racing yacht “Drum”.  In 1988, “Drum” with Arnold Clark at the helm won the famous Tobermory race before being hit by a Royal Navy submarine.

Tobermory was in the news this week when parents at the local school took it into their own hands to find a new head teacher. The post has been vacant for nearly a year. Official adverts for the job have twice failed to find a suitable candidate.

The parents have been using the internet to post photos of the colourful houses around the harbour, famous for being the setting for the children’s TV programme Balamory. And they’ve been getting a huge response.  Let’s hope there are some serious candidates among them.

One woman who has taken her vocation seriously is the Scottish nurse Pauline Cafferkey.  She is now planning to return to Sierra Leone to meet some of the children left orphaned by the Ebola outbreak in 2014.

Pauline went out to West Africa as a volunteer to help in an Ebola clinic run by Save the Children but when she arrived home she fell seriously ill with the virus herself and spent weeks in hospital, at times close to death.  Now she is hoping to take part in a 10k run in Sierra Leone to raise funds for children affected by the outbreak which killed an estimated 11,000 people across West Africa.

“I’ve had a terrible few years,” she told a BBC interviewer, “so it will be good to go back just for things to come full circle for me and to find a little bit of closure.”   Such bravery, followed by resilience, deserves our deepest respect.

Edinburgh Mini Maker Faire is the grand finale of Edinburgh International Science Festival taking place on Sunday 16 April 2017 at Summerhall.

For the fifth consecutive year it gathers fascinating, curious people who enjoy making things and who love sharing what they do.

From engineers to artists, scientists to crafters, the Faire is a chance for these makers to show off their hobbies, experiments and projects, and for visitors to discover new ways to make their own ideas a reality.

It is Scotland’s largest Mini Maker Faire event and has reached 1,500 visitors each year since the inaugural event in 2013.

The images feature Wilson, an interactive 3D projection mapping installation, which aims to encourage togetherness! It is built by a Napier University student Andrew Ferguson and will be available to Mini Maker Faire audiences to play with on Easter Sunday.

Over the past few years Napier University student Andrew Ferguson has picked up a variety of skills, including how to create fun and wacky interactive installations, and so for his final project he decided to create something special. Wilson, is an interactive display that takes things very personally! Created using 3D projection mapping, Wilson will invite you to define his personality based on how you treat him, but more importantly how you treat the people around you.

Andrew said: “I am interested in Cyber-Psychology & User Experience theories and have tailored my honours project to explore how an interactive installation can encourage social cohesion and just basically get people working together, mainly by just having fun!”

“Wilson will react to certain things he senses such as the noise levels around him. The visuals will help show the emotion he is feeling as different inputs affect his mood.”

Photos Chris Scott

Edinburgh Capitals are understood to be considering their future in the Elite League.

The club have so far stayed silent but sources, however, indicate that they are looking at their options along with Dundee and Fife.

Fife Flyers were first to issue a statement through club spokesman Steve McLean which confirmed that the club will be attending the next Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) board meeting later this month and, until then, the club will not release season ticket information.

The statement comes only days after the league confirmed that the maximum bench size for next season will be 19 plus up to three British-trained players to help encourage home-bred talent. The initial 19 skaters can include 14 import players.

And it also follows moves to include Milton Keynes and Guildford in the current ten-strong league.

Fife’s statement said: “As you may be aware, at present the structure and format for the 2017/18 EIHL season has not been finalised.

“We will be attending the April EIHL Board meeting at the end of this month where the format for next season will be discussed and we hope to be able to make plans from there regarding our future.

“We will not be in a position to release season ticket information or look at fixtures and scheduling until after the April board meeting and discussions with all 12 teams have taken place.

“We will release an update. Thank you for your patience and support during this time.”

Dundee Stars then have also put season ticket and schedule information on hold leading to doubts about their participation in the EIHL next season.

A statement from the directors Mike and Stephen Ward said: “Due to the uncertainty of the structure and format of the 2017/18 EIHL season, the Dundee Stars have put season ticket and schedule information on hold.

“We will be attending the April EIHL board meeting where plans will be made on the structure for the forthcoming season.

“Following this we will release a full update on our future position within the league.”

A police investigation is ongoing after a teenage girl who was walking her dog, was punched to the ground and left with bruising and swelling on her face.

The 16-year-old victim was walking on a footpath to the rear of houses at Wester Bankton in Murieston, Livingston  when the suspect approached her around 6.30pm on Tuesday night.

The culprit ran off towards Murieston East Road.

He is described as white and in his late teens, about 5ft 7in and of stocky build. He has freckles across his cheeks and nose, dark blue eyes and ginger hair.

He was wearing a grey Adidas tracksuit with blue stripes down the arms and legs, a dark grey roundneck T-shirt and black Nike canvas trainers.

Inspector Adam Smith, of Livingston Police Station, said: “We are very concerned about this unprovoked assault which has left the young victim extremely shaken and distressed.

“We are committed to finding the person responsible and I would urge anyone who may have witnessed anything or has any information which can help with our enquiries to get in touch.”

Anyone with information has been asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A police investigation is underway after a  group of four youths risked derailing a train by placing a ladder onto a railway line at Livingston North station on Monday 4th April.

The driver of an Edinburgh-bound train spotted the ladder on the tracks at around 9.20pm.

He was unable to stop the train and went straight over the ladder.

Constable Craig Wilson of British Transport Police said: “I am keen to trace the reckless youths who thought it was clever to place this ladder on the tracks.

“It might have seemed like fun but the consequences could have been catastrophic.

“Although only superficial damage was caused to the tracks, the ladder could have easily been propelled onto the platform and struck a member of the public. 

“Not to mention the fact that this train could have been derailed.

“From speaking with witnesses and viewing available CCTV, it appears four youths were seen to tether this ladder to the tracks. They stuck around to witness their handy work and then quickly left.

“If you have any information on who is responsible then I would urge you to get in touch. Text us their names or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Police officers involved in a car chase which ended in the death of Edinburgh nurse Jill Pirrie who was knocked down on her way home from work on Old Dalkeith Road last May will not face charges.

Dylan Jenkin, 18, was given a six-year sentence for killing the 33-year-old mother who suffered fatal chest and head injuries after being struck by a speeding car.

Following the incident, the Crown ordered an investigation into the police’s actions on May 12.

After reviewing a report by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner, prosecutors have decided that no further action will be taken.

A spokesman said: “After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, the procurator fiscal concluded that no further investigation is required. The family have been informed of this decision.”

Hailing from London, indie rock back The Big Moon will visit Edinburgh on 23 April 2017 as part of their UK wide tour. The band, formed in 2014 by Juliette Jackson, includes Soph Nathann, Ceila Archer and Fern Ford and is signed by Fiction Records.

The British indie rock band are touring the UK after the planned release of their debut album Love in the Fourth Dimension on April 7th 2017.

The Big Moon have been on tour with fellow London bands VANT and Inheaven, and have supported larger UK acts such as The Maccabees and The Vaccines.

“We’ve been playing these songs for two years now, and it’s a dream come true to finally immortalize them on record. It’s like having eleven tiny babies all at once, all with their own little faces and voices and personalities, and now we’re ready to throw them out of our nest and into your ears.”

Their debut album will be released on vinyl, digital download and CD and will include a new single release, Sucker. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCMGIiUJgAE]

The Big Moon will be playing at the Mash House on 23 April 2017: Click here for tickets and more information.

Other tour dates:

20^th April – The Haunt, Brighton
21^st April – Clwb lfor Bach, Cardiff
22^nd April – Sub 89, Reading
23^rd April – The Mash House, Edinburgh
25^th April – Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast
26^th April – Dublin Academy 2, Dublin
28^th April – Deaf Institute, Manchester
29^th April – Live at Leeds, Leeds
30^th April – FestEvol, Liverpool
02^nd May – Village Underground, London

Hibs’ defender Efe Ambrose has won the Ladbrokes Championship Player of the Month for March after a string of impressive performances.

The 28 year old joined the at the start of the month on an emergency loan deal from Celtic.

He made his debut in the 2-0 defeat to St Mirren, then delivered three man-of-the-match performances in the matches against Dundee United, Dumbarton and Falkirk.

The Nigerian international opened his account for Hibs in the victory over Falkirk, celebrating with his trademark somersault.

Initially recruited following injuries to Liam Fontaine, Jordon Forster and Paul Hanlon, Ambrose started in central defence then took over from the injured David Gray at right back.

Hibs face Queen of the South at Easter Road on Saturday and could win the title should they take three points and Falkirk fail to beat on-form St Mirren.

Four teenagers have been arrested in connection with a theft and seven break-ins in Newtongrange and Mayfield.

The incidents took place in the early hours on Wednesday 12 April when five sheds/storage units and two garages were broken into.

A wallet was also stolen from a house and was among the items recovered in the area by officers conducting enquiries.

Sgt Stuart Aitchison of Dalkeith Police Station said: “Tackling housebreaking remains a priority for us and all reports of this will be thoroughly investigated.

“I’d urge anyone with concerns about suspicious behaviour to get in touch with us as soon as possible. We’d rather attend a well-intentioned false alarm than have someone become a victim of crime.

“As always, we’d urge people to ensure that their properties are always fully secured and further advice on this is available by calling Police Scotland on 101 or visiting the ‘Keep Safe’ section of our website.”

The 18-year-old man appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday 13 April. Three males, all aged 15, will be reported to the Children’s Reporter

A maximum 14-strong field will contest the inaugural £100,000 totepool Queen’s Cup Handicap at Musselburgh on Saturday (15 April 2017) as the Scottish Flat season gets off to a flier.

The stayers’ handicap over 1m 6f (3.35) has Richard Fahey’s Suegioo as top weight and the Malton trainer will expect a strong performance from a horse which was placed in Group company last season.

An Irish challenge comes from trainer Pat Shanahan who has two runners in the shape of Carbon Dating, whose last win was in Abu Dhabi in December, and The Tartan Spartan, while Kingsclere based Andrew Balding sends up Montaly which ran in a Group 1 in France last year.

Musselburgh Racecourse boss Bill Farnsworth hopes this new contest will find its place alongside other UK major staying handicaps like the Chester Cup, Northumberland Plate and the Ebor, and fittingly Iain Jardine is fielding Shrewd, a two-time hurdle winner at Musselburgh and runner-up in last year’s Ebor Handicap at York.

Three of his fellow Scottish trainers also have their eye on the prize with Jim Goldie putting forward Sir Chauvelin while Keith Dalgleish pairs up with Sindarban and Listed-winning mare Maleficent Queen.

The £50,000 totepoolliveinfo.com Royal Mile Handicap (3.00) boasts another maximum field of 12, and trainers William Haggas, the 2014 winner of this race with Travel Fast, hopes the journey will again be successful with Novoman, which has been placed in good company at Doncaster and Pontefract.

Al Shaqab-owned Mazyoun is entered by fellow Newmarket trainer Hugo Palmer, while Richard Fahey is to the fore with Rashford’s Double, Cullingworth, Society Red and Navarone, while Mailshot, one of five Mark Johnston entries and the highest rated horse in all off a BHA mark of 99, has won twice already this year on the all-weather.

Musselburgh are hoping for a 5000 crowd on their first Easter Saturday meeting which marks the opening of the East Lothian track’s 16-fixture £1.2 million Flat season. Bill Farnsworth said: “It doesn’t get any better than opening your Flat season with a new race, named in honour of Her Majesty, and with £100,000 prize money. This sets the tone for another ambitious season at Musselburgh and we are looking forward to a summer of quality racing, large crowds and first class entertainment.”

It’s worth noting that the original 1.50 and 4.05 races have swapped position so the toteplacepot Easter Saturday Handicap is now the first race.

An added bonus for Musselburgh racegoers will be the opportunity to see the horse of the moment, the Aintree Randox Health Grand National winner One For Arthur. The Lucinda Russell trained hero will be in the parade ring at 1.15pm, followed at 2.15pm by a trophy presentation to One For Arthur’s head groom Jamie Duff and work rider Ailsa McClung.

*An Easter Saturday Early Bird offer of £5 discount on admission price is available until midnight 14 April. For more information and to book tickets visit www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk

NFL stars including Cleveland Browns’ defensive lineman Danny Shelton and NFL legends Steve Smith Sr and Kurt Warner were in Edinburgh today on the last leg of the NFL UK Live Tour which this week visited London, Liverpool, Nottingham and Edinburgh.

Danny Shelton and Steve Smith Sr spent the day absorbing themselves in Scottish culture and were lucky enough to have kilts fitted by kiltmaker and Highland dress outfitter Geoffrey Tailor before taking part in their first ever bagpipe lesson.

They followed their bagpipe lessons by enjoying some classic Scottish cuisine with a meal of haggis, neeps and tatties.

Smith Sr stated “Edinburgh is amazing man. It’s so historic, the buildings are older than anything we’ve got over in the US.  The meal of haggis, neeps and tatties was certainly different than our usual NFL diet but it went down surprisingly well!”.

Cleveland Brown Danny Shelton added “I was surprised they managed to get a kilt to fit a man of my size but Geoffrey managed to do the job! I often wear a lava-lava, a traditional Polynesian skirt, so a kilt wasn’t all that different for me.  The bagpiping, however, definitely was tricky!”.

Fans will join Danny Shelton, Kurt Warner and Steve Smith Sr, as well as Sky Sports NFL presenter Neil Reynolds and renowned Sports Illustrated journalist Peter King tonight at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre for an evening of live Q&A with insider information and game insights plus their chance to interact with other NFL fans.

This will be the first NFL UK Live tour where a decision has been made to charge a small £7 fee with all proceeds (except a £1 booking fee) going to the Youth Sport Trust to help grow American football in the UK.

Speaking on the partnership with Youth Sport Trust, Alistair Kirkwood, Managing Director of NFL UK, added, “we are very pleased to be able to contribute what will total well over £10,000 to Youth Sport Trust to help grow American football in the UK”.

Tickets for the two NFL games at Twickenham go on sale April 27. 

Register your interest in buying tickets by midnight on April 17 at www.ticketmaster.co.uk/nfl

Plain Eric Milligan, as he will be known after 3 May, has been a mainstay at the City Chambers for 43 years.

The long-time councillor has somehow managed to hang on to his palatial office (more living room than office!) on a floor a couple of levels below the High Street, but which nonetheless has superb views to Cockburn Street below and the city beyond. At this year’s elections he will not be a candidate choosing to be an ordinary citizen once more. He will have a job on his hands though as he has had a long career with two stints as Lord Provost among his personal history.

The walls of his office are festooned with many photos of Eric during his long career as councillor and Lord Provost of the city. Here he is photographed with Nelson Mandela, there’s Her Majesty The Queen who is visiting the City Chambers and walking up the red carpet with Eric at her side.

But more than anything else Milligan is a massive fan of America and has been attending the Tartan Week celebrations since they began.

He and wife Janis are established guests in a plush hotel in downtown Manhattan each year, and last Saturday he marched down Sixth Avenue once again.

Sadly we have no photographic evidence of Eric on the march ourselves, as somehow we managed to miss him!

But safe to say that Eric was there, addressing the University of Edinburgh alumni ahead of the march itself, sporting his kilt with a beautiful bow tie, now one of his sartorial trademarks.

Then he marched with the University of Edinburgh Alumni down Sixth Avenue specially cleared of traffic for the occasion.