EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy (men): Inverleith 5, HC Bohemians Prague 4 (in Sveti Ivan Zelina, Croatia).

EDINBURGH side Inverleith maintained n Scotland’s position in the EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy but it was tight.

The former Scottish champions raced to a 5-1 lead after 18 minutes in their final game in Sveti Ivan Zelina, Croatia, but then the opposition scored three unanswered, second-half goals to make the final two minutes nerve-wracking.

Inverleith started badly with Bohemians netting after two minutes through Filip Kucera but skipper Derek Salmond steadied the ship with a leveller a minute later.

Former Olympian Stephen Dick edged the Scots ahead three minutes later and Fabian Wolski scored from a penalty corner in 15 minutes to make it 3-1.
Salmon’s second two minutes after that increased the Scots advantage and his hat-trick goal arrived 60 seconds later for 5-1.

Coach Stuart Neave’s men produced some exceptional hockey during the first 20 minutes with Dick the driving force and inspiration.

Bohemians had no alternative but to chase the game in the second-half and they came close to earning a draw which would have kept them up.

It took them until the 27th minute to break through. Ales Perinka netted and Kucera added a third with three minutes left to raise pulses.

Kucera’s hat-trick goal for No 4 arrived with two minutes remaining but the Edinburgh side, who were dethroned as Scottish champions recently by Dundee-based Grove Menzieshill, held out.

Looking for some ideas on where to go and what to do to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Here are some ideas for you

WHERE TO HAVE A DAY OUT WITH YOUR VALENTINE

The otters at Edinburgh Zoo were sharing some love in anticipation of Valentine’s Day this week. They were given some red heart-shaped ice treats by their keepers.

And RZSS Edinburgh Zoo has a range of Valentine’s activities planned for the February mid-term break this weekend.  The Zoo provides a perfect location for a fun-filled date, with romantic film screenings of Lady and the Tramp taking place from 11 to 14 February.

More details of the film screenings here.

Couples are encouraged to get out of town using the Borders Railway route to enjoy an alternative Valentine’s Day this year.

It is now easier than ever before for people to travel the 31-miles from Edinburgh Waverley to Tweedbank and enjoy the many activities and attractions on offer along the route in the Scottish Borders and Midlothian.

So if you are looking for something different to do this Valentine’s Day, there are plenty of alternatives to red roses, hearts and teddies in the heart of the Scottish Borders and Midlothian, and just a short trip from the Borders Railway:

The Chocolate & Pastry School, Cocoa Black, Peebles

UK World Chocolate Master Ruth Hinks and her team offer a wide range of courses in chocolate and pastry making. So instead of buying a box of chocolates for your loved one this year, couples could spend a lazy afternoon immersed in chocolate and learning all about how to make their own chocolate truffles or chocolate caramels.

For more information, visit: http://www.cocoablack.com/

Borders Abbeys Way

Discover some of Scotland’s ancient abbeys in the Scottish Borders on this scenic walk linking Jedburgh, Dryburgh, Kelso and Melrose Abbeys. Visitors to Tweedbank Rail Station can join the Way at Lowood Bridge and spend the day taking in the beauty of Melrose Abbey, famed as the burial place of Robert the Bruce’s heart, and Abbotsford House, the home of Sir Walter Scott.

http://bordersabbeysway.com/

Dalkeith Country Park

As well as great walks and cycle paths at Dalkeith Country Park, Restoration Yard offers a relaxing shopping and dining experience in the newly-converted stable yard. After a walk or cycle around the grounds of Dalkeith Palace, visitors can sit back, relax and enjoy a coffee and a slice of cake before taking a relaxing walk around the shops to pick up a Valentine’s gift for their loved one.

Dalhousie Castle, Bonnyrigg

For the more adventurous at heart, the stunning surroundings of Dalhousie Castle in Midlothian provide the perfect backdrop for getting up close to the amazing birds of prey in the falconry experience. Other activities include owl encounters, hawk walks and archery.

For more information, www.dalhousiecastle.co.uk/falconry

WHERE TO EAT

Couples can have their Valentine’s Day captured forever by an on-site caricaturist, or profess their love via pebbles like the penguins do, by painting a pebble for their significant other. There will also be a flamingo-themed selfie opportunity, Valentine’s themed food and special animal talks for visitors to enjoy.

42% of Scots think that Italians are more romantic but actually almost half of us are happy to show affection in public nowadays. Notably though about a quarter of women would like their partner to be more romantic……

So now Prezzo want you to get along to enjoy their romantic candlelit atmosphere.

At Prezzo you can snap a selfie of you and your partner sharing a kiss. Tag it with @love_prezzo #LovePrezzo and you might also capture your photos in one of their Kiss-Cam frames available at the restaurant.

HOW TO FIND YOUR NEW LOVE

A new dating app could be the answer. Soda has been developed by University of Edinburgh graduate, Blair Waller and he hopes it will help to connect people face to face rather than through their phones.

When you check in to one of 50 venues in Edinburgh you can also view the profiles of anyone else who has used the app – then you can use it to meet up.

Blair came up with the idea following his own trials with dating apps, and he believes Soda offers singletons a more organic solution to making real connections with people.

He said: “My experiences with dating apps involved investing a huge amount of time in building up an online relationship to an actual date, only to realise that the spark just wasn’t there.

“Soda helps people discover other singles easily by integrating handpicked, safe venues into the app to allow users to connect socially at the best venues in Edinburgh and avoid wasting time with online connections.

“I studied in Edinburgh and absolutely loved the social scene in the city because of the number of unique and beautiful venues on offer, there really is something for everybody.

“The city is very cosmopolitan with a great mix of people who have moved there for work or studies. If they don’t have a network of people in the area, Soda can really help them become more social, discover new venues, take advantage of exclusive deals and hopefully make real connections with people.”

Blair launched his app on Friday in the capital. You can find it on the App Store and on Google Play.

IF MONEY IS NO OBJECT…..

The iconic five-star Royal Yacht Britannia has teamed up with Scotland’s luxury jewellery house and Royal Warrant Holder, Hamilton & Inches, to offer the most luxurious Valentine’s experience that money can buy, worth £250,000.

Her Majesty The Queen’s former floating palace is one of the most exclusive evening events venues in the UK and is offering the Ultimate Luxury Valentine’s Experience for one couple who are looking for a romantic experience of a lifetime.

The evening begins with a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce, courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Edinburgh, leaving from The Balmoral Hotel where a night in a luxurious suite awaits, for a private quayside arrival at Britannia. The couple will be piped aboard via the Royal Brow, an entrance previously reserved for The Queen and members of The Royal Family.

Britannia’s Ultimate Luxury Valentine’s Experience includes private jet transfers with Jet Logic from any airport in the UK and is available for one couple to experience the most romantic evening of a lifetime.

Andrew Thomson, Head of Hospitality & Events at Britannia said: “We’re honoured to be collaborating with so many prestigious brands who share our desire to offer one of the most luxurious romantic experiences for someone looking for a very unique Valentine’s gift.  

“Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh spent over 44 years of their marriage sailing around the globe aboard Britannia.  Today, guests are treated to the same unrivalled high standards as when Britannia was in Royal service to create the perfect evening following in the footsteps of Royalty.”

Interested? Details here.

Whatever you do we hope you have a ‘lovely’ time!

Spain win by a goal and march on to Final

Two penalty stroke awards gave Spain the two goals that put them through to today’s (12^th) Final against Poland. Although Scotland took off their keeper with about 10 minutes to go, and scored from a penalty corner, but it was too late in the game and the Scots now play in the 3^rd/4^th place play-off.

The match was once again preceded by a 50^th Cap Award, this time Gordon Shepherd presenting Amy Brodie with flowers to recognise her milestone achievement.

The match started at 100mph with both sides gaining and losing ground in, more or less, equal measure.

The first real opportunity to score came Scotland’s way a couple of minutes into the second quarter when a penalty corner, lead immediately to a second, but the Spanish defence were up to the job second time around and got the ball away.

Then, just two minutes later, “Disaster for Scotland!” as the Spanish side were awarded a disputed penalty stroke. Despite the pleas of the Scots’ Captain, Kaz Cuthbert, the decision stood and No. 23, Georgina Oliva stepped up. Nikki Cochrane in the Scottish goal anticipated the correct side, but even she wasn’t quick enough to stop the ball hitting the back of the net. 1-0 to Spain.

As the quarter progressed, both sides had chance and both defences held firm and cleared.

Penalty corner awards for both sides were also on the menu, with Scotland’s Fiona Burnet seeing her shot evade the advancing runners, only to slide past the outside of the post.

Spain had a PC scrambled clear by the Scots’ defence early in the second half, but, after weathering another Scottish attack, Spain had their second penalty stroke awarded, this one being, unfortunately, beyond dispute.

Once again, it was Oliva who faced Cochrane and, once again, the ball hit the net – in almost exactly the same place as the other end – with Cochrane only just unable to move fast enough to get anything on the ball. So, five minutes in to the second half, it was 2-0 to Spain.

As the match progressed, the Scots probably had the upper hand and although both sides had PC’s awarded and saved – Spain had a gaol disallowed from one as the shot at goal was deemed to be dangerous – Scotland had the better open play chances with, at least, three forays along the baseline causing mayhem in the opposition defence.

Then with around 10 minutes to go, Scotland took of their keeper and put on an extra outfield player, Robyn Collins being ‘awarded’ the dubious task of kicking back – effectively an outfield player with the ‘in area’ privileges of a keeper and protected, in this case, by an orange bib!!

This gave Scotland the power to really turn up the heat on the Spanish, but, despite their best efforts, they could only persuade the ball into the back of the goal that once when Amy Costello fired the ball into the goal form a late PC.

Unfortunately, the undoing of Scotland’s road to the final was the really 0.3 seconds from time, controversial, PC in the Ukrainian match, but Shepherd’s target was a semi-final place with his young squad and they oh, so nearly exceeded that.

Scotland now have to excise the Ukraine result from their minds for the 3^rd/4^th place play-off, as they will they face Ukraine. again….

And, if there was any doubt, hockey is indeed a dangerous game as, earlier during the Russia v Ghana match, both of Ghana’s keeper ended up in hospital (parents look away now!) – one with a broken jaw and the other with a dislocated shoulder.

Images from the match will appear here over the next few days as there is a 3^rd/4^th play-off to settle and a flight home to catch.

Following one post on Facebook, an East Lothian bride has found her wedding dress which was handed down from her great great grandmother.

Tess Newall told The Edinburgh Reporter that she had lost her much loved wedding dress which she wore at her East Lothian wedding in June 2016.

She explained : “I had a wedding dress which was very old and taken to Kleen Kleaners to be cleaned. They used to be the best but have gone into liquidation.

“Now they have lost my dress and my search seems to have gone viral on Facebook.”

Her father heard back from Wylie & Bisset the firm who are acting in the sequestration of the previous owner of the long-established dry cleaners in a letter received just yesterday morning.

The letter explained that Wylie & Bisset had tried to contact as many customers as possible where they had receipts. Any wedding dresses left for cleaning within the three months before the shop closed but which had not been collected were handed over to Johnson’s Dry Cleaners, but sadly Mrs Newall’s heirloom dress was not among them.

The royal warrant holders closed their doors in October 2016 after the owner became bankrupt.

The original post on Facebook was shared over 300,000 times and liked over 40,000 times.

Happily the landlord of the shop on St Mary’s Street caught up with the story on social media and had another look inside the shop.

Tess explained : “He found a crumpled heap of antique lace on the floor. My mum and dad have just been let in to the shop and to their amazement and joy it is our dress! (still with our ticket, despite Wylie & Bisset stating in a letter this morning that it was not there and must have been ‘disposed of’.

“Frustratingly – a representative of Wylie & Bisset who showed up after weeks of ignoring our pleas insisted that for “procedural reasons” he must take it back to his office in Glasgow, but assure us it will be delivered safely back to us on Monday…
“My family can’t thank you all enough for creating this frenzy which allowed us into the shop before it was too late, and are over the moon to be *almost* reunited with Dora’s dress.”

Tess attended Cargilfield School in Barnton before going up to Oxford where she won The James Currey Dissertation Prize. She and her husband Alfred live in London, where he is a Director and cabinet maker at The London Workshop, and she works as a freelance set designer. They were married in East Lothian last summer followed by a reception at her parents’ house. Patrick Gammell who is Tess’s father is Vice-Lord Lieutenant for East Lothian and her mother Sally Oyler is a noted artist.

Have you lost any items left with Kleen Kleaners? If you have do let us know! editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk

Club captain David Gray has revealed that there has been an edge to training this week as every member of the squad has been trying to impress Head Coach Neil Lennon and get a starting place in the team for today’s Edinburgh derby against Hearts.

After last week’s draw against Ayr United, Gray believes the prospect of a cup tie in front of a full house at Tynecastle has inspired his team mates to put in extra effort this week.

He also praised the supporters, many of whom queued overnight to obtain tickets for the game.

Hibs of course go into the fixture as Scottish cup holders having knocked out Hearts en route to the final after being 2-0 down at Tynecastle.

The result still haunts the Hearts’ fans and many never forgave manager Robbie Neilson for that result.

Late goals from Jason Cummings and Paul Hanlon secured a replay and Neilson joked afterwards that Hearts would benefit from a share of the gate receipts at Easter Road.

An early Cummings strike proved decisive and the rest is history.

Hearts looked to be in difficulty a few weeks ago following Ian Cathro’s appointment however recent victories against Rangers and Motherwell means that the hosts go into the game as favourites.

Gray told Hibs TV:: “These games take care of themselves. There’s been a real edge to training this week and the manager is going to have a tough decision to make because everybody wants to play in these games and everybody is looking forward to it.

“You come in on a Monday after a bad result and it helps that you have a carrot at the end of the week to prepare for and the training’s been really good.

“When the draw was made we still had two or three important games to play  so it was a case of putting the Hearts game to the back of our minds.

“Everyone knows that Hearts v Hibs is a massive derby and going to Tynecastle there is always a really good atmosphere.

“There is always an edge to these games and they are not always spectacular in terms of the football being played as it’s always a battle and whoever wins the battle wins the game.

“Fans have been sleeping rough to  try and get tickets for the game which shows what it means to both sets of supporters.

“It’s been the same all season. The fans have been fantastic turning up in their numbers home and away.

“What we can take from last year’s game is that we know that we’re capable of going there and getting a result. We go into the game as underdogs, but that’s fine, we know what we’re capable of.

“If we apply ourselves and turn up on the day, we’re more than a match for anybody.

“We are fully aware of the expectations of this club and we expect to go there and get a good result.”

The Edinburgh and Lothians Coarse Angling Club ( ELCAC ) are coming to the end of their Winter League and there are two matches remaining, February 19 and March 12. Remember, the best four bags count.

The club have also confirmed their fixtures for 2017 and tell us that they currently have 27 male and female members. No juniors are currently on board but Geoffrey Lowe said membership is open to all who want to join and fees are £10 per year.

They can be contacted on the club website which is elcac.freeforums.org or via their Facebook page which is Edinburgh and Lothians Coarse Angling Club or direct to Geoffrey on 0131 539 1852.

He said: “We fish mostly competitions, both Summer and Winter Leagues, though we always find time for a few pleasure outings and there is always someone on the bank to give advice.

“Coaching for anglers new to the sport can be done via Heather (Lauriston) who is a club member and a qualified angling coach.”

Most of the club’s fishing is done at either Magiscroft Fishery near Cumbernauld or Orchill Coarse Fishery near Braco, Perthshire which made up of three separate waters, Midton Pond , Alex’s Pond and The Snake Lake.

Midton Pond is mainly a pleasure water and holds large carp up to 15lbs, Alex’s Pond is a both a pleasure and match venue containing carp and can accommodate 30 anglers.

The Snake Lake is mostly a match venue holding up to 70 anglers and contains carp, tench and silver fish.

Edinburgh Capitals failed to earn any points on their trip to Glasgow increasing pressure on the club in the race for a play-off spot.

Braehead Clan emerged 7-5 winners on the night despite going behind with 45 seconds of the first period remaining.

Mike Hammond claimed a treble with Scott Pitt chipping in with two goals with Corey Cowick and Craig Peacock completing the scoring for the home side.

Garrett Milan claimed two for Capitals with Jacob Johnston, Ian Schultz and Jared Staal scoring the others.

Capitals were outshot 24-18 on the night but Johnston fired them ahead after 19min 15sec.

Pitt levelled 36 seconds later and Cowick scored in 25 minutes. Peacock converted a power play effort four minutes after that.

Hammond’s first came after 30 minutes before Milan cut the deficit in the 37th minute.

Schultz pulled another goal back after 43 minutes only for Pitt in 46 minutes and Hammond three minutes later to improve on that.

Milan netted his second a minute later but Hammond’s third came in 51 minutes before Staal’s power play effort arrived after 57 minutes.

Hibs received a massive boost ahead of tomorrow’s Edinburgh derby when Falkirk beat second placed Dundee United 3-0 this afternoon.

John Baird opened the scoring with an early header before Aaron Muirhead added a second with a penalty, which followed a foul by goalkeeper Luis Zwick on Nathan Austin.James Craigen wrapped up the three points for the Bairns on the hour mark.

That result meant that Hibs remain six points clear at the top of the Championship but now have a game in hand over United.

Hibs travel to Kirkcaldy next Saturday to face Raith Rovers who yesterday appointed John ‘Yogi’ Hughes as their new manager following the sacking of Gary Locke and Darren Jackson.

“That performance was not nearly good enough, it was unacceptable and I can only apologise to our fans. I really felt for the fans as that was the most inept we have been all season, particularly after we did well last week.

“The two goals we lost in the second half were comical, especially the third where we had three people in the box who failed to clear the ball. It was just not good enough.”

Women’s British Basketball League Trophy: Caledonia Pride 71, Team Northumbria 77 (after overtime)

Caledonia Pride’s hopes of a first win were dashed when they were edged in overtime by Team Northumbria at The Oriam, Riccarton.

The Scots were tied at 65-65 after regular time but lost the extra period 12-6 a major disappointment for the team and their fans.

Pride were 13-9 behind after the first session but won the second 23-10. The third quarter went the way of the visitors 26-19 and Pride lost the final period 16-14.

Sarah Thomson top scored for the home side with 23 and she and Tricia Oakes both recorded 15 rebounds while Natalie Bastian was next best with 19 points.

Alison Gorrell scored 28 for the visitors with Kara Bonnenberger next best on 25.

Encouraging young people into fishing was the theme of the opening day of the salmon fishing season on The Clyde.

The initiative was summed up in one short sentence by international angler and broadcaster, Hywell Morgan, who said: “We must encourage youngsters to swap the X-Box for a fly box.”

The Welsh-born VIP, speaking to an audience of around 200 at the event, which was also the 130th anniversary of the United Clyde Angling Protective Association (UCAPA), said it was imperative that the next generation is given a chance to try out angling as a pastime.

He indicated that once they are hooked, then they become the future of fishing.

Mr Morgan has two daughters who have been fishing since a young age, and the key was simply taking them to the water.

Supervision was vital and, he said that in Scotland, the opportunity for young people to experience the thrill of catching their first fish was vast.

The celebrity added: “Clubs are encouraging young people to fish all over Britain and in North Wales they can fish 16 miles of river for £5 for a whole season.

“They can learn so much. There is the technical side, the discipline, the entomology and just getting out into the fresh air.”

He showed his own commitment in conducting a casting class in snow and biting winds in the grounds of event co-sponsors, The Popinjay Hotel at Rosebank.

And locally-based Daiwa Sports, for whom Mr Morgan is a consultant, offered prizes to the young people who took part today.

Event organisers UCAPA also emphasised the need to capture the imagination of youth.

Munro Reid, one of the UCAPA board, spoke about their association with a project, sponsored by Diawa, to support a club at Dalziel High School in Motherwell. Jim Mathew, the Youth Development Officer for UCAPA and a Level 2 coach, is involved.

Mr Reid said: “Young people coming into the sport is our future. We are trying, though our work locally in schools, to do that but fishermen need to plant the seed.

“Hopefully, by encouraging young people they will get hooked for life and, if they do, then we may be around for another 130 years.

Among other guests were the Semperfli Fly Tying Pro Team of Jim Lees, Peter McCallum and Sandy Dickson. Actor, TV presenter and angling legend, Edinburgh-born Paul Young, was also there. He has travelled the world fishing for different species after being encouraged as a youngster.

They all made the walk along the twisty Clyde Valley road to the atmospheric Mauldslie Bridge to toast the river and open the 2017 salmon season.

George Thomson, the club’s oldest director, cast the first fly this year along with Mr Morgan. Mr Thomson has served the association for at least 60 years.

In 2002,  the Pigeon Detectives led by Matt Bowman broke onto the British music scene with their first record Wait for Me, a young and exuberant sound to match their youthful outlook on life.

They remained a mainstay on the British festival scene as they toured promoting their previous four albums. Now The Pigeon Detectives return to Edinburgh on their newest tour, promoting their latest studio album Broken Glances to be launched on February 24th.

As with previous albums, the Pigeon Detectives will be promoting their latest work as they hit the road again playing across the UK, with a stop here in Edinburgh on 4 March 2017 at Electric Circus

The new album is described by lead singer Matt Bowman as a much more personal and grown-up album which documents where they have been. While their earlier collections focused on pleasing the audience by giving them lyrics that they could scream along to, the new work explores emotions both high and low as the band take you on a rollercoaster ride.

The Pigeon Detectives tour begins in Dublin on 2 March and ends with a homecoming gig in Leeds at the end of April.

Tickets for Electric Circus are available here. The album Broken Glances is available online and at all good music stores from 24 February 2017.

Elite League: Belfast Giants 6, Dundee Stars 3

DUNDEE Stars bid to make the play-offs suffered a blow when they went down 6-3 at Elite League title-chasing Belfast Giants despite two goals from Justin Faryna.

The victory knocks long-time league-leaders, Cardiff Devils, off the top of the ten-strong table but leaves Dundee four points adrift of a play-off place.

Dundee, who are ninth in the ten-strong table, have 29 points from 39 games while Edinburgh Capitals prop up the division with 27 points from 37 fixtures.

In Belfast, Derrick Walser opened the scoring with Glaswegian Colin Shields assisting after ten minutes.

Faryna opened his and Dundee’s account less than two minutes later but Blair Riley’s power play goal one second from the end of the session edged Belfast ahead.

Cale Tanaka levelled after 29 minutes only for former Edinburgh Capitals hit-man David Rutherford to claim Giants’ third 1min 5sec after that.

Faryna netted five minutes later to make it 3-3 but three, third-period strikes from Michael Quesnele after 48 minutes, Jim Vandermeer six minutes later and Alex Foster’s empty net goal with less than three minutes left sealed it.

Photo courtesy of Ian Coyle

An investigation is underway after police were called to a flat in Hutchison Road around 10.25am this morning following concern for a woman.

The Scottish Ambulance Service also attended and the 21-year-old was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

Her death is being treated as suspicious and a man is presently detained by detectives in connection with this.

Detective Chief Inspector Alwyn Bell of Edinburgh’s CID said: “Our thoughts are with the young woman’s family at this incredibly difficult time and officers continue to offer them support.

“The investigation into the full circumstances surrounding her death continues, however we’re not currently looking for anyone else in connection with this.

“Anyone with information who has not yet spoken to officers is urged to contact us via 101 or report this anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Police have arrested and charged a 21-year-old man in connection with an incident in the Buckstone area around lunchtime yesterday.

Officers received several reports of a man seen distressed and unclothed around 12.15pm.

The 26-year-old was traced at the scene and taken to hospital as a precaution.

Detectives continue to work to trace three other men who they believe may be relevant to the investigation.

These men are described as being black or Asian in appearance, aged in their twenties, and wearing casual clothing.

They may have been travelling in a black BMW car beforehand, which was abandoned at the scene.

Detective Inspector Alan O’Brien of Gayfield CID said: “This was a serious incident which we’re currently treating as an abduction and we continue to follow a number of possible lines of enquiry.

“I’d urge anyone who may have seen the men described, or has any information which may be relevant, to come forward as soon as possible.”

Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or report this anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The 21-year-old man is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday 13 February.

First Team Coach Grant Murray believes that the Hibs’ players will have to approach tomorrow’s game with the right mental attitude if they are to progress to the quarter finals of the William Hill Scottish Cup.

Hibs travel to Tynecastle for the second time in this year’s competition having seen off Bonnyrigg Rose 8-1 a few week ago however Murray knows they will face a much tougher task against Hearts.

Ian Cathro’s men have had two great results in recent weeks, hammering both Rangers and Motherwell and they go into the game as favourites despite the fact that Hibs have not lost any of their previous five derbies.

Murray believes that the experience of Neil Lennon, who has played and coached in many Old Firm derbies, could be a deciding factor in determining who has the bragging rights come 2.20pm tomorrow.

Speaking to Hibs TV, Murray said: “Everyone is looking forward to it, it’s a massive tie and with it being a cup tie against your city rivals, it adds to the importance.

“It’s a big occasion, an Edinburgh derby and there will be a great atmosphere. We have to adapt to the crowd and adapt to the pitch.

“You need the right mental approach to a derby. They can be physical games, but there comes a time when you need to get your foot on the ball as well. Mentally you have to be strong and approach the game in the right manner.

“The manager has been involved in some massive derbies as a player and a coach and he will know how to approach the game and how to control the players on the day. It’s about keeping them calm and controlled for the occasion

“We’ve been preparing properly as if it’s any other game although it’s been moved to a Sunday.

“It’s right that we focus on the opponents and we’ve made sure everyone is right and ready for Sunday’s game.

“The core of the team were involved last season and they know what it takes to go and win a derby and what it takes to go and lift a trophy and to get that elusive cup win off our backs but it’s a case of taking one game at a time.”

Fish with fly or spinner for salmon, sea trout and brown trout on approximately eight miles of the River Almond between Cramond and Kirkliston.

That’s the offer from Cramond Angling Club who issue permits on a catch and release basis in keeping with their ethos of conservation and sustainable fishing.

An adult season is £35 and it costs £25 for anglers over 60 and full-time students and it is £10 for a junior member (under 15). Apply to treasurer@fishalmond.com

A day permit for an adult is £10, day tickets for those over 60 and full-time students are £5 and a junior £2. Permits are non-transferable.

Day permit agencies are

Barnton Post Office, 109 Whitehouse Road, Barnton, Edinburgh EH4 6BU t: 0131 339 1236;

Cramond Falls Café, 10 School Brae, Cramond, Edinburgh EH4 6JN t:0131 312 8408;

Scotmid Kirkliston, 1-7 Station Road, Kirkliston, West Lothian EH29 9BE t: 0131 551 1224

For further information, including beat maps and club rules please visit www.fishalmond.com

Permits are also available for an eight-mile stretch upstream from Clifton Hall near the M8 at Newbridge to Kirkton Weir at Livingston by applying online to West Lothian Angling Association. The cost is £15 and junior members aged between nine and 16 are free as part of an adult membership.

This year will see the Edinburgh Festivals celebrate our 70th anniversary, a remarkable achievement in a world where cultural trends seem to have an increasingly short shelf life. What has sustained the Festivals is an entrepreneurial spirit that sees them re-invented each year with a vast array of premieres, commissions and performances that are the envy of cities around the globe.

So looking ahead to 2050 – which will come three years after our 100th anniversary – what would we hope to see in our festival city of the future?

Public Realm Revolution: the digital world will continue its rapid evolution but with it will come an increasing desire for communal live events and Edinburgh’s public realm needs to become flexible ‘plug and play’ digital spaces capable of inspiring audiences with cutting edge work.

Architectural Legacy: previous generations have left us with a rich architectural landscape and it is surely our duty to leave such a legacy for future generations through the development of an iconic landscape of new cultural venues that reflect the international ambition of the city.

Owned by Everyone: the Edinburgh Household Survey shows the Festivals are people’s number one cultural activity, but we also know that some don’t feel the festivals are for them – and by 2050 we want this to change so that everyone feels part of festivals family and are touched by them in a meaningful way.

Part of everyday school life: building on our existing education programmes, it is our ambition that by 2050 the Festivals are recognised as a key educational asset in the city and fully integrated in to the academic year adding to children’s creativity, knowledge and confidence.

Seamless Tourism: as technology develops so will tourist expectations for a seamless journey from arrival to departure encompassing all facets of the city, meaning that a citywide SMART Tourism programme that evolves from current university and IT sector expertise will be crucial to the world class visitor experience

A Large Festivals Collider: using the example of the Large Hadron Collider as the largest experimental facility ever built, we want Edinburgh to be seen the centre of collisions between culture and technology and the Festivals Collider as the default laboratory for international experiments.

A Green Festival City: the festivals will lead the drive to develop Edinburgh as the Green Festival City through deep rooted change in core practices and environmental-related programming, building on our spin-off company Creative Carbon Scotland.

Location of Choice: through a prioritisation of culture and creativity across all aspects of city development, it is our hope that by 2050 Edinburgh will be seen as the destination of choice for people and businesses that want the quality of life to take precedence over the quantity of work.

Edinburgh is a small city but its festivals put it onto the world stage. The journey to 2050 is about capitalising on that reputation and advantage. Some of this requires investment, some of it is about enhanced ambition but mostly it is about attitudinal shifts. To do this we must step up and look outwards, confident and bold in the ambition to take our city forward by putting culture at the heart of our success.

Photo Rob McDougall 
t 07856222103
info@robmcdougall.com

This, the first in a series by well-known small rivers fisherman and coach, Paul Buchanan, is written at a level that could benefit both beginners and more experienced improvers with hopefully the odd nugget for the experienced anglers:

You’ll often hear anglers say “every day is a school day” and that you learn something new every time you go out fishing.

While I totally agree with that, and the fact you never stop learning on fishing trips, this also means that you are accepting that you learn stuff by accident.

It also means you have no control over the speed of that learning curve so improving your catches is never going to happen very quickly.

If however, you can be brutally honest with yourself, you can identify loads of areas where you could be much better at fly fishing – and any improvement(s) made will only make you enjoy your fishing so much more.

At the end of each season, I look at my whole year in great detail and jot down notes about the times I had really good catches (so I can remember what I did right/flies used etc.) and the times I scared a fish with a bad cast or just the times I never cracked the code and went home empty handed.

I think about the items of tackle that might have made a difference and the methods I should have fished but didn’t.

As soon as I have that list I act upon it. My prep for March 15 – the start of the trout season on the River Almond, where I fish a lot – 2017 started the day after the 2016 season finished.

If you want to catch more fish in 2017 than you did in 2016, then hopefully some of what follows will help you achieve that.

NOTE: In the next edition of this series, Paul will touch on some of the more common issues he comes across, and provides some advice on how to address them.

With Valentine’s Day on Tuesday – and the 14^th February also being the occasion of our second wedding anniversary – I took the delightful Mrs Smith out for a meal on Friday evening. True, this was four days before the big occasion but I reckoned it might be a bit more intimate (not to say a good deal cheaper) than some of the ‘special offers’ doing the rounds for next week.

We headed to Browns Brasserie & Bar in the heart of Edinburgh in the capital city’s George Street. The bar’s website says it is a lively venue offering seasonal Scottish dishes, European cuisine and a variety of colourful cocktails. It wasn’t quite lively when we arrived at 6.00pm but my immediate impression when I entered the restaurant was this seemed a classy establishment. Traditional décor, friendly staff and an intimate atmosphere.

The service was excellent. An attentive young girl took our order with a warmth that can be sadly lacking at other eateries. My prawn cocktail starter (very 1970s) was decent although Browns clearly haven’t heard the news story this week about a shortage of lettuces….

I opted for the Browns classic burger with Irish cheddar and smoked bacon and fries (and plenty of lettuce…) whilst Mrs Smith chose the half roast chicken with lemon, garlic & thyme and a bordelaise sauce. She was pleased with her meal although I thought the burger was a tad on the greasy side for my liking and the fries – chips, as I prefer to call them – were a little hard as if they had been cooked a wee bit too long.

The dessert though, was splendid. The delightful young waitress had recommended the apple, cherry & walnut crumble but, tempted though I was, my salted caramel profiteroles went down a treat and Mrs Smith certainly enjoyed her banoffee pie.

Drink wise, Browns bar offers a wide range of wines from around the world, an array of spirits and what has become known as ‘mocktails’ (it might be my age but I can’t quite grasp the concept of non-alcoholic cocktails) However, being a chap renowned for moderation (is this right? – Ed) I opted for a pint of Edinburgh’s very own Innis & Gunn. Mrs Smith was even more moderate – she chose a warming pot of loose leaf tea.

For families, Browns also has a children’s menu with a variety of tempting treats for the little blighters darlings.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience at Browns Brasserie & Bar. The service was excellent and that means a lot to someone like me who prefers to be waited on with a bit of charm. This certainly oozed from the young girl who served us. Perhaps the food on offer is a work in progress but it’s certainly somewhere I’d be happy to return to.

And if you’re looking for somewhere with a bit of style and ambience to take your loved one this Valentine’s Day then you could do worse than head to Browns Brasserie & Bar.

Edinburgh Reporter rating ****

There was a time when all government was local government.  Your town council organised most of public life, schools, colleges, hospitals, social and welfare services, waste collection, water and drains, trams and buses, police and fire brigades. Now, in Scotland at least, they are just a shadow of what they once were.  And, in my view, that’s a great pity.

This week’s council tax decisions illustrate the point. Council tax makes up only 15 per cent of a council’s funding, the rest comes from central government, either from Holyrood or Westminster. And councils, stripped of their funding, have also been stripped of their responsibilities.  Now they are only in charge of schools, social services, transport, parks and libraries and emptying the bins. And they have to operate within tight central guidelines. Even their planning decisions can be overturned by central government.

And there’s more. For the last 10 years, the SNP government has frozen council tax. Only this year have councils been allowed to increase their local tax, and even then, there’s a top limit of 3 per cent.  As I write, most councils are going for a 3 per cent rise…..Edinburgh, the Borders, Midlothian, East Renfrewshire, the Western Isles. A few are keeping it frozen – South Lanarkshire and  Inverclyde.

In Aberdeenshire, councillors have opted for a thrifty 2.5 per cent increase and Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and Fife are likely to follow suit.

All in all, the increase will only mean £1 more a week in the typical household bill of £1,200 a year.  However, those in the grandest houses will pay much more this year, as the tax rate has been increased on the upper bands of house-value.  Annual bills will range from £800 a year to £2,900.

Business premises also pay local tax, of course, since they too are using local services. This is set centrally and this year there’s been squeals of pain at the increase because of a revaluation of rental values after seven years of slippage.  Currently, if your business premises have a rental value of, say, £35,000 a year, you will be paying half that in business tax, but if your rental value is less than £15,000, you will be paying nothing at all.

As in all tax matters, the system is fiendishly complicated and selectively  political. Suffice it to say that no one believes in paying for the public services they demand and the politicians are left squaring this irresponsible circle.

Last week, the Scottish Parliament made its contribution to the debate by agreeing the SNP’s £30bn budget. Only a third of this total is going to the 32 local authorities. That’s left the councils complaining that they are being forced to make £200m of cuts in services.  But while that row is continuing, the parliament moved on this week to pick another row with Westminster by voting overwhelmingly against Brexit (only the Conservatives and a few Labour rebels voted in favour).  This was no surprise, since 62 per cent of Scots voted to remain in the EU in last summer’s referendum.

On Thursday, the official report was published into last winter’s school building crisis in Edinburgh.  A wall fell down at one of the city’s new schools during a January storm. Luckily it happened just before the school day began. An immediate inspection of the workmanship prompted the closure of 16 similar schools and nearly 8,000 pupils had to be bussed to other accommodation while urgent repairs were carried out.

The report has found that insufficient wall-ties were in place (and they were the wrong type anyway) and much of the bricklaying was slapdash.  The fault, the report concludes, was in the inspection regime – not the private finance model involved – and it suggests that everyone in the construction industry needs to learn lessons from Edinburgh’s lucky escape.

The other big issue of the week has been the decommissioning of oil platforms in the North Sea.  Around 100 structures will need to be removed in the next eight years as the oil and gas fields are exhausted.  It’s a huge industrial project in its own right, costing an estimated £17bn.  Shell has started the ball rolling with a plan to remove three of its platforms from the Brent field.

But controversially, the legs and some of the concrete foundations are to be left on the sea bed.  That’s breaking the oil company’s “legal and moral obligation to clean-up their mess” as the environmentalists are putting it. And most of the decommissioning costs are to be borne by the tax payer in tax relief. On the other hand we have had the use of the oil and gas, and £20bn in tax revenues, from Brent over the last 40 years.

The perils of the North Sea were once again in the news this week when a major search was launched for a kayaker who went missing off the Moray coast.   He set out from Portsoy on Sunday and his kayak was found abandoned 50 miles north at Lybster on the Caithness coast on Monday evening.  Aircraft and lifeboats and volunteers on foot searched the coastline in dreadful weather conditions for three days, until finally on Thursday afternoon his body was found, not far from the kayak.

Last weekend the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) annual garden bird-watch took place when citizen scientists are asked to report the birds seen in their gardens during one-hour of the weekend.  I’m not proud to say that I got the lowest score in the whole of Scotland: two magpies. No doubt it will form part of another dismal report on the decline of our wildlife.

But all is not lost, because the RSPB this week reported that it had raised £275,000 in less than a month to buy a crucial 112 hectares of land extending its bird reserve at Mersehead on the Solway Firth.  So at least some people are trying to save our wildlife before it all disappears.

The P2 pupils from Dalry Primary School were very excited on Friday morning. Not only was it about to be holiday time, but also they were getting out of the classroom to go and pick up rubbish.

After only about half an hour it was amazing how much rubbish they had managed to snap up with their litter pickers and dropped in the plastic bags they were equipped with.

Councillor Lesley Hinds the Environment Convener was on hand as this was the official launch of the second phase of Our Edinburgh. The initiative is designed to encourage people to be a bit prouder of their area of the city and help pick up rubbish on the streets.

A cold morning but P2 pupils from @DalryPrimary were warm after collecting so much rubbish in a nearby park! pic.twitter.com/vP6kDbN38L

— Edinburgh Reporter (@EdinReporter) February 10, 2017

The campaign will run for four weeks in Gorgie and Dalry which the council knows is an area where fly-tipping and dog-fouling are problematic.

The council will promote responsible waste disposal amongst residents and businesses via a range of channels, including door-to-door visits, bin stickers, media and social media promotion and cigarette ballot bins.

For those romantics among you who plan to get married at one of Edinburgh’s registrars’ offices the cost has gone up by 4.44%.

Following the setting of the council budget on Thursday the council has raised some charges by varying amounts.

The charge for a ceremony between Monday and Friday is currently £225 and from 1 April 2017 it will go up to £235.

On Saturday the charge will rise from £330 to £345 and on Sundays and public holidays.

Scotland have selected a 20-strong squad for Test matches against France in Le Touquet, from 12 to 17 February as they prepare for World League 2 from 11 to 19 March in Belfast.

There the Scots will face France, Poland and Wales in Pool B and Derek Forsyth, Scotland men’s head coach, said: “The games against France will be a good test ahead of World League 2 in Belfast.

“The camp in France follows a good camp in Spain and selection will be made following these two solid sets of test matches.”

Scotland: Wei Adams (Canterbury), Russell Anderson (Cannock), Tim Atkins (Reading), Michael Bremner (Klipper THC), Gavin Byers, Ben Cosgrove (Grove Menzieshill), Patrick Christie (Durham University), Dan Coultas, David Forrester, Jamie Wong (Edinburgh University), Callum Duke (Hillhead), Alan Forsyth, Willie Marshall, Nick Parkes (Surbiton), Cammy Fraser, Duncan Riddell (Grange), Ed Greaves (Nurnberger), Sean Hadfield (Bowden), Hamish Imrie (Schaerweijde), Lee Morton (Kelburne).

The ScottishPower Foundation is calling on undergraduates keen to progress their careers in the energy and environment industry to apply for its Masters Scholarships programme as it announces 28 new grants will be awarded for the 2017/18 academic year.

Scholarship places are open to degree holders and graduates. Those who are awarded will receive grants to cover enrolment costs for the Masters as well as a generous living allowance. Students from a range of disciplines will be considered for the sought-after positions, including those looking to study renewable and sustainable energy systems, clean combustion technologies, electric vehicles, and smart distribution networks.

This year, in recognition of an increase in demand for new technology roles within the industry, the programme will also incorporate degrees such as information & communication technology (ICT), cybersecurity and big data management.

Scholarship will be available at seven of the UK’s most prestigious institutions including, University of Cambridge, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde, University of Liverpool, University of East Anglia and Imperial College London. Two places will be available to students wishing to study at selected Spanish universities.

Since it was launched in 2010, the ScottishPower Foundation has invested more than £850,000 in the programme but 2017 is set to be the biggest funding year yet with approximately £700,000 being invested.

Applications for the programme are open now and close on Friday, 7 April at 1pm.

Michael Bush, an alumnus of the programme, said: “From start to finish, the ScottishPower Foundation Scholarships programme was a truly brilliant experience. If I had gone straight into the working world, I doubt I would have had the same valuable lessons and advice so early on in my career. Having the financial support from the ScottishPower Foundation meant I was able to focus on the task in hand and I would encourage anyone thinking about a future in the energy sector to apply.”

Keith Anderson, Trustee of ScottishPower Foundation, commented: “There is no doubt that the future of the energy industry lies in the hands of our bright young people and the ScottishPower Foundation is committed to supporting the advancement of their education. We’re delighted to be bringing back the Scholarships programme on a bigger scale than ever before, it presents a huge opportunity for graduates and we’re really excited to see where it takes them in their careers.”

­Further details on the ScottishPower Foundation Scholarship programme can be found at: LINK

Craig Reilly returned to full-strength City of Edinburgh Kings who faced St Mirren Saints on a revenge mission this evening.

The skipper made his comeback today after a two-game ban while coach Craig Nicol is unavailable.

Former coach Doug Reilly, who coaches on the women’s side of the club, stepped in for this crucial Scottish Basketball Championship clash.

The Capital combine lost 69-60 to the West of Scotland club earlier this season but need a win at Portobello High School (tip-off 19.50) to keep in touch with league pace-setters Falkirk Fury.

Paddy Campbell, a Scotland cap and Kings guard, said: “When we lost to St Mirren earlier this season we were still developing as a team.

“We’re a much better unit now and it is great to have Craig (Reilly) back in the line-up. It gives us more depth at the guard position and he’s one of the best shooters in the league.”
He added: “We know we face a tough fight to win the league but we are taking each game as it comes, trying to win every single one from now to the end of the season.”

Meanwhile, Kings under-18 men also have a potential league decider on Saturday (top-off 17.00, Portobello High School) against Saints who are undefeated.

Kings have lost once and will be looking to Ryan Armour, who top scored for the men’s team recently with 28 points, to lead them to victory.

The club need to win by 13 points or more which would give them the head-to-head advantage over their West Coast counterparts as the league enters its final weeks.

FIXTURES: Friday 10 February: 19:50, City of Edinburgh Kings Senior Men D1 v St Mirren at Portobello High School; 20:00, City of Edinburgh Kings Senior Men D2 v Heriot Watt University at Holy Rood High School
Saturday 11 February: 11:00, City of Edinburgh Kings U16 Men D2 v St Mirren at Portobello High School; 13:00, City of Edinburgh Kings U18 Men D2 v Glasgow Rocks; 15:00, City of Edinburgh Kings U16 Men D1 v St Mirren at Portobello High School; 17:00, City of Edinburgh Kings U18 Men D1 v St Mirren at Portobello High School
Sunday 12 February: 13:00, City of Edinburgh Kool Kats U16 Women v St Mirren at Holy Rood High School; 15:00, City of Edinburgh Kool Kats U18 Women v St Mirren at Holy Rood High School

BERWICK Bandits long-serving captain Kevin Doolan has been granted a Testimonial.

Sean Courtney, one of the club’s co-owners, said: “Not everyone has the right to call themselves a Bandits Legend but Kev Doolan most certainly does.”

The event is on 5 August 2017.

Courtney continued : “Kev became a Bandit in 2002 and arrived on these shores with talent, commitment and charisma in abundance.

“Since then he has established himself as one of the most popular Bandits of all-time.

“Last year’s Premier League Riders’ Championship at Sheffield showed the mark of the man, choosing to celebrate a heat victory mixing with the traveling Bandits’ fans in the crowd on the terraces.”

Día 11. Y sigue contando…

Yesterday, Scotland qualified for the World League 2 Semi-finals out here in sunny-ish, but colder today, Valencia, by beating the overly physical Russians. The next opponent in their way to the Final is Spain, who they play tomorrow at 4:30, the final match of four on the day. Conditions should suit Scotland as it’s not going to be too warm, and might even be a bit chilly. What won’t suit them is our record against the hosts. With one draw and three defeats in the January tour and a last minute goal defeat in the warm-up match a few days ago, Scotland are definitely the underdogs. Where have we heard that before…?

But underdogs with a bit of bite. When other teams arrive at the stadium, it’s all personal music or shuffling off the bus, chatting amongst themselves. When Scotland arrives, it’s to whatever music has been chosen for that day, blasting out on somebody’s i-Pad-Phone-WiFi-Speaker-thingy and then these girls own the road down to the pitch. The others know they’re coming! No flying under the radar for this particular Scotland squad!

Now all they have to do is beat a team 7 places above them in the World rankings and they have exceeded Head-coach, Gordon Shepherd’s target. Can they do it? Absolutely. Abso-£#$*&^-lutely!!

In other news…. Once this is diary entry is done, I’m up to date with all Scottish matters from Valencia. And then it all starts again tomorrow (11^th). When’s it all going to end? Sunday……

So now the dust on it’s way to settling, how’s it been?

Busy, with hardly time to think. What with training days, team photos, matches, more training, walks to the beach, training, more matches and approximately 7,000 images to go through, sift and edit and being at the sharp-ish end of an Elite International sports team, seeing how most of it works. All-in-all it’s been a great experience, if a trifle awkward at times being the new boy in school. And being in the room furthest down the corridor……

I’ve also eaten about a months worth of food in 10 days, but that’s a different story and one I won’t elaborate on as I may be heavier than when I arrived……

Anyway, we’re not done yet and there are only two more sleeps to the title. Or third place. Whichever happens, it will in no small way be down to the preparation and back-up from Shep and his team to have put 18 young women in prime position to qualify for the next World League round in Belgium or South Africa. And those 18 young women have probably got their own small part to play……

The Cole Report was published yesterday. It is a report commissioned by the Chief Executive of The City of Edinburgh Council following school closures last year brought about by discovery of serious building defects. 

A wall collapsed at Oxgangs Primary School last year after a storm. Nine tonnes of the outer skin of a relatively new building tumbled down into the school playground when the school was not yet open. Subsequently it was discovered that the header ties on the wall had not been fixed properly.

Following a substantial period of closure of 17 school buildings across the city and decanting 8,000 pupils to other schools, the affected schools were all reopened in August 2016.

All 17 schools were either built or substantially refurbished using the PPP1 financial model (Public Private Partnership).

When the pupils were back at school, the inquiry began into the rationale for the council entering into such contracts at the time these schools were built, and also to establish what had happened to cause the wall to collapse.

The inquiry chair was asked to offer recommendations and lessons to be learned.

Professor Cole said in his report : “The fact that no injury or fatality occurred in the Oxgangs situation was a matter of timing and luck.”

The report found that the council was following a model used widely across the UK at the time and that the council had a ‘sound rationale’ for their decision to adopt it. They simply did not have the capital to build new schools and this was a way round it.

In answer the report states : “It is the view of this Inquiry that the financing method per se did not have such a direct relationship with the presence of defective aspects of the construction in the Edinburgh schools. There is no reason why properly managed privately financed public sector buildings, using best practice approaches, should not be capable of delivering buildings constructed to a very high standard.

Here is the report from John Cole CBE following the independent inquiry into Edinburgh school buildings pic.twitter.com/osrNExnU22

— Edinburgh Reporter (@EdinReporter) February 9, 2017

The report by architect and construction expert, Professor John Cole CBE, which was presented to The City of Edinburgh Council yesterday afternoon was more damning of the lack of supervision in building contracts of this type, both in the written terms of the contracts and in reality. The professor commented during the Q & A session with councillors after his presentation that clerks of works are a useful inclusion in all building schemes.

He said : “I firmly believe that clients need to have in place appropriate independent scrutiny. A contractor telling you that he has done everything right is not just enough. I think  the report has wider ramifications than for Edinburgh Council.

“The primary cause of the wall collapse was poor quality construction by a bricklayer and failure by that bricklayer’s boss to see what he was doing, and failure by the contractor employing that subcontractor to see what they were doing.

“The reasons for the defects? There were omissions.

“There is a tendency when bricklayers are anxious to get as much money that day as possible, that they will lay the bricks, but not necessarily do all the fiddly bits that are going to reduce the number of bricks they lay.

“So unless they are properly supervised, and remembering that these bricklayers would go on to a different job in a few days time there is not the same loyalty to a particular building.”

But there are other problems in the buildings which are still the subject of some investigation. It appears that the buildings may not have been fireproofed properly. One councillor we spoke to after yesterday’s debate suggested that has a far wider implication for the council in regard to any buildings provided in the recent past, and indeed for other councils across the UK.

CLERKS OF WORKS

Specifically Professor Cole’s report recommends independent scrutiny and appointment of clerks of works : “The Inquiry was advised by two senior Clerks of Works, permanently employed by a large public sector organisation in Scotland, that the quality of bricklaying was still today a constant problem for them, requiring their on-going inspection. They both were of the view that the common means of remunerating bricklayers, as described above (payment is on the basis of the number of bricks laid or square metres of wall completed in a day), was one of the contributory factors in bringing about this situation.”

In addition the report commented on the lack of ‘shared understanding’ by those commissioning and those providing independent certification in the PPP1 contracts, and has suggested that the terms of these require to be reviewed.

Professor Cole further proposes that the Independent Certifier takes on the provision of Clerks of Works services.

FUNDING MODEL

In answer to a question from Deputy council leader Frank Ross, and reflecting the terms of the report itself, he confirmed that the funding model (the PPP1 or Public Private Partnership model) was not in itself to blame for the defects in buildings.  He said : “The way in which the construction industry is managed now as a reflection within the PPP system I feel has led to a point where there are less assurances for clients as to the quality of the project produced.

“However as to the financing issue, you might be using the same contractors and sub-contractors, so you would be in exactly the same position unless the funding for the project was inadequate.

“Generally contractors are well-paid within PPP projects rather than other more competitive processes and open tendering in a traditionally funded scheme. There was certainly a desire to build these projects quickly because of the potential loss of revenue if the building did not open on time. Building quickly can often lead to shortcuts.”

You can watch the Professor’s presentation to the council and the Q & A session afterwards on the council webcast here.

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The PPP1 process was a funding model promoted by both Westminster and The Scottish Executive at the time. The Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP) was set up as a consortium of builders and financiers, to build and then maintain the schools in return for an annual fee paid by the council for 30 years. While ESP as an entity continues to exist the companies who actually delivered the building have changed by sales and amalgamations over the intervening period.

It is to ESP that the council has turned for recompense of any expenses incurred as a result of the schools closure.

The defects came to light after the outer skin of a gable wall at Oxgangs Primary School fell to the ground in a storm early last year.

The report runs to 270 pages. It is reproduced for you below:

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EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy: Pool B: Inverleith 1, HC Rotweiss Wettingen (Switzerland) 6; Inverleith 5, Slagelse HC (Denmark)7; HC Rottweiss Wettingen 3, Atletico Clube de Portugal 2; Atletico Clube de Portugal 3, Slagelse HC 5 (all in Sveta Ivan Zelina, Croatia)

INVERLEITH lost both their Pool B games on the first day of the EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy in Croatia.

They are bottom of the four-strong group with one point and are scheduled to face Atletico Clube de Portugal on Saturday in their final Pool B fixture before promotion and relegation games.

The Portugese side have two points but HC Rottweiss Wettingen (Switzerland) head the group on ten points, the same as Danish side Slagelse HC but they have an inferior goal difference.

Commonwealth Games player Derek Salmond, Inverleith’s captain, netted Inverleith’s opener in the second minute against Slagelse but it was all downhill after that.

The Danes hit four unanswered goals in 11 nightmare minutes with Inverleith pinching one back through Fabian Wolski after 17 minutes.

Slagelse netted twice before the break for 6-2 and made it 7-2 six minutes into the second period before Inverleith scored three unanswered in 12 minutes from Stuart Hatton, Stephen Dick and Aedan McCrossan.

In the second game, the Edinburgh side were 3-0 behind after 17 minutes but Salmond pulled one back a minute later.

The Swiss side then rattled in another three in 13, second-half minutes to end the contest and leave the Scots with everything to do.

Police were called to Buckstone Terrace around midday today following reports of “concern for a man.”

Officers attended the scene and one man was taken to hospital whilst another was detained.

The street was cordoned off and a black BMW car was being closely guarded by officers.

A forensic examination is being carried out and enquiries into the circumstances are continuing.

A police spokeswoman said: “Police in Edinburgh were called to the Buckstone area about 12.15pm following a report of concern for a man, who was traced by officers and taken to hospital.

“Another man is currently detained in connection with this and enquiries are continuing.”