International Women’s Hockey – Scotland v South Africa

After a well fought 3-2 victory on Friday, Scotland slumped to a 4-1 defeat on Saturday against the South African women. So how would they fair on Sunday?

Not so well, as it turned out…

Both sides had (very) early chances but it was the visitors who struck first after only four minutes of play with a goal from open play by Kelly Madsen, to take a 1-0 lead. More pressure from the South Africans saw a couple of good saves from Scotland’s goalie, Amy Gibson, but they couldn’t be kept out for long. A 14th minute penalty corner from Pietie Coetzee found the net for their second. An almost continuous onslaught on the Scottish goal was relieved on a couple of occasions when some fine Scottish attacking play was denied any reward by Sanani Mangisa in the South African goal. Meantime, at the other end, Gibson pulled out another couple of miracle saves to keep the score at 2-0.

Another goal from a penalty corner, this time by a low shot from Tarryn Bright, took the South Africa into a 3-0 lead on the 24 minute mark and that gave the visitors an all but unassailable lead. In the final minute of play, Coetzee scored with another ‘penalty-corner-drag-flick’ combination to take, what they thought was, a 4-0 lead into the break, but, in the dying seconds, the Scots won a penalty corner of their own. As they were setting up, the half time hooter went, which, in hockey, means that the play must be completed, but the attacking side can flood the opponents area with the whole team. This Scotland did, but they weren’t needed as Nikki Kidd scored with a drag-flick through the defence and into the South African net. 4-1 the half time score.

The second half started strongly for the visitors, with Gibson again performing heroics in the Scotland goal. However, whatever it was team coach, Gordon Shepherd, had said at the break then kicked in and the rest of the half was much more evenly balanced. Both sides had chances, with Mangisa in the South African goal having to match Gibson on a couple of occasions, but it was Scotland who converted first. A penalty corner award was fired out to Vikki Bunce who feinted with her drag-flick and turned the ball back to Holly Cram just inside the baseline. Cram, who must have just been able to see both posts from where she was, hammered the ball past Mangisa to score the Scot’s second goal of the game. 4-2 with just under 15 minutes left.

The visitors then turned up the heat and, with Scotland only managing to sneak over halfway a couple of times, it fell to Bright to score her second to take the final score to 5-2 to South Africa.

A much improved second half performance from Scotland had them take on the South Africans on a much more even footing, but the first half had ‘done for them’ and there was no way back from the three goal deficit they had managed to accrue. 2-1 to South Africa in the series, with the final match on Tuesday evening, can Scotland draw level?

(Report compiled from match day notes by Keri Preece – Thank you to her!)
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International Men’s Hockey – Scotland v Wales

 

 

After defeating Wales 2-1 on the Saturday, Scotland eased past their Welsh counterparts on Sunday, taking a dominant victory four goals to one.

Following a presentation to Welshman, Lewis Prosser, for his 50th cap and another to Scotland’s Kenny Bain for his 100th, the ‘hostilities’ began. In the first few minutes of the game, it looked like the Welsh were going to make a game of it and put the Scots defence under a bit of pressure, but having weathered this, the home side went on the offensive.

Breaking upfield, firstly it was Kenny Bain who went in on the ‘keeper, only to have the ball taken away and then four minutes later, a reverse stick cross put the ball in at head height, which Gavin Byers got a stick on to deflect into the net.

Five minutes later the Welsh struck back, converting a penalty corner to bring the sides even and it looked like a fight back was on

However, that seemed to fire up the Scots and they piled on the pressure, having a penalty corner strike deflected over the bar and losing out on a goal area skirmish. The pressure eventually told and a ball slipped past the Welsh keeper by Paul Martin was seen over the line by Byers. Scotland were now 2-1 ahead and went into the break that solitary goal ahead.

The visitors started off the second half very much like the first, putting the Scots defence under a bit of stress, but again, like in the first half, it wasn’t sustained for long and the Scots were back on top.

Goals from Derek Salmond (no relation?) and Ian Moodie in the 44th and 53rd minutes, bracketed two fine saves by Williams in the Welsh goal, cemented the Scots’ dominance of the match and, in spite of a couple of last minute scares in the goal area, which gave Scots’ ‘keeper Gavin Forrester a chance to shine, they went on to see the game out 4-1.

 

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The Edinburgh Reporter’s Weekly Sports Roundup

Photograph by John Preece

Once again, the big talking point is the future of Hearts, with speculation rife that the club will enter administration in the near future.

Congratulations go to Hutchison Vale who beat a strong Celtic / Rangers Select 6-5 in a tremendous game at Saughton Enclosure, and to Edinburgh Scotwaste Monarchs for a fantastic away win over Somerset Rebels.

We also look forward to Brodies Champions of Tennis which will take place in Stockbridge this week.

Rugby by John Preece

After a humiliating defeat to Samoa last weekend – humiliating because they were terrible, not because it was Samoa – Scotland faced South Africa in the four-way Summer Tournament and put in a performance that they can be rightly proud of. Ahead 14-6 after two tries from Matt Scott and Alex Dunbar and the boot of Laidlaw, it fell apart a bit when Jim Hamilton was yellow carded for ‘pushing’ one of the South Africans – admitedly, in the face. The Springboks went into a maul from the lineout and were awarded a penalty try for it being pulled down. A few minutes later they were over again for a more conventional try and thus taking the score to 20-17. They followed up this with a Steyn penalty and another try to run out 30-17 winners.

Overall though a vastly improved performance from Scotland. The ran hard, tackled hard and generally played hard, to the point where South Africa appeared to have no answer. But for that yellow card…

The Under-20s had a torrid time in their World Cup in France. Defeats to Argentina and Wales and a three point win against Samoa – their first – left them in the 9th-12th play-offs against the USA, to be played on the 18th June.

Finally, Edinburgh made their third big signing of the pre-season. Big, in that Jack Cuthbert is 6ft 5in and 15st 11lbs, but also big in that he has been playing regular first team Rugby at Bath in the English Premiership, keeping England wing Nick Abendanon on the bench, and has a Scotland Senior cap to his name to add to his several age-group awards.

SPL Football

The future of Hearts remains unclear after they were unable to pay HMRC £100,000 due for unpaid PAYE tax money.

On Friday the troubled club were also banned from registering new players after a number of the employees of the club were not paid on time.

The SPL said in a statement: “The Scottish Premier League has been informed by Heart of Midlothian FC that the club has failed to pay a number of its players on time today. This is a Remuneration Default in terms of the SPL Rules and the Club is therefore subject to an automatic transfer embargo while that Remuneration Default continues.

“The actions also indicate a potential breach of SPL rule A6.21 and a disciplinary hearing will be convened in due course.”

The club owned up to the extent of their financial problems just 24 hours after the administrator of Ukio Bankas, who are owed £15million by the Tynecastle club, said he has “no reason or desire to harm Hearts” after a court in Lithuania upheld a decision to liquidate the bank.

Media reports suggest that the club are likely to go into administration on 24 June when non playing staff are due to be paid.

On Friday night, a meeting organised by the Foundation of Hearts was held at Tynecastle to discuss a possible bid to buy the club.

Across the city, Hibs’ midfielder Gary Deegan has confirmed that he will be leaving the club in search of first team football whilst former Manchester United and Rangers player Jimmy Nicholl has been appointed as assistant manager. The 56 year old won 73 caps with Northern Ireland and has managed Raith Rovers to a League Cup win as well as Millwall and Cowdenbeath. He was no2 to Kenny Shiels at Kilmarnock last year when they won the League Cup.

Manager Pat Fenlon told the club website: “I am delighted to have such an experienced coach as my assistant. Jimmy has a deep knowledge of the game and Scottish football in particular and he will be a great asset to the club. He is particularly good in the development of young players and this is an important factor for the club.”

Nichol said: “When Pat spoke of his plans for the club, it was an easy decision for me. I am delighted to be his assistant and hope to contribute to the on-going development and success of one of Scotland’s leading clubs.”

The squad return to pre-season training this week and a friendly match has been arranged against a Gibraltar XI on 3 July kick off 8pm. The match will take place at the 5000 capacity Victoria Park stadium.  A second game has been arranged for Saturday 6 July at the Vila Real de Santo Antonio just over the Portuguese border on the east side of the Algarve.

Women’s Football

Scotland lost 3-0 to a strong Germany side in Esson, in front of 9237 spectators. Hibs’ full back Frankie Brown started the game, whilst team-mates Caroline Weir and Joelle Murray came on from the bench.

Wolfsburg’s Champions League winning midfielder Lena Goessling opened the scoring in the 34th minute, and it  looked as if Germany would go in at the break with that narrow lead, until Bad Neuenahr striker Celia Okoyino Da Mbabi struck twice in a minute to stretch the lead.

Germany made four changes at the break, while Scotland introduced Eilish McSorley and Emily Thomson.

The Germans put Scotland under real pressure in the second period, but Anna Signeul’s side held on to keep the score-line respectable.

Weir was unlucky not to pull one back near the end, but her deflected close range effort was well saved by the keeper.

Scotland: Fay (Cpt), Lauder (Murray, 85), Beattie, Brown, L Ross (McSorley, 46), Love (Weir, 73), Sneddon, Crichton (Thomson, 46), Evans (Mitchell, 64), Little, J Ross (Malone, 89)

Charity Football

Former Hibs and Hearts stars took part in the Festival of Football at the Ross Bandstand at Princes Street Gardens on Sunday.

Gordon Hunter, Mickey Weir and Keith Wright, who all appeared in the 1991 Skol League Cup winning team, represented Hibs, whilst Henry Smith, Scott Crabbe and Jimmy Sandison represented Hearts in a ‘Select’ side who played three games, against Sykes, Network Rail and a Dad’s side.

Before the game, former Hibs legend Gordon Hunter told the Edinburgh Reporter: “We played yesterday against Leith Athletic, (winning 5-3) although Keith (Wright) didn’t last long due to a hamstring problem, but he is here today. We usually play about seven charity games during the summer which is a great chance to catch up with my old team-mates as we never seem to see each other apart from these games. Keith and Mickey (Weir) are my best pals so it’s great to be playing alongside them again. Today, the money raised goes to the Homeless World Cup which is a great cause, and yesterday was for CLASP, but every little helps. Actually the charities are doing us a favour as it lets us get out there keeping fit.”

On Sunday, Hutchison Vale beat a Celtic/Rangers select team 6-5 to win the Craig Gowans’ Memorial Trophy at Saughton Enclosure.

Speedway

The Scotwaste Monarchs pulled off one of their best-ever away victories on Tuesday, beating Somerset Rebels 46-4, coming from 8 points down to win in a last heat decider, another amazing win by Craig Cook.

On Friday however, the Monarchs were disappointed to lose the first leg of their KO Cup quarter final to Newcastle by 44-45.

A number of players suffered injuries including Jozsef Tabaka who hit a fence in heat 14. He was badly shaken and unlikely to ride for the remainder of the weekend (he was due in Hungary on Saturday).

Theo Pijper was struggling with the pain from his broken ribs, and Max Fricke was in some pain after a fall.

Hockey

Scotland’s women had six International matches lined up against Ireland and South Africa in the lead up to the European Championships later this year. First up were two matches against Ireland at the beginning of the week. The first match was a fairly even affair, although Scotland were probably the better team in the second half, and with the scoreline at 2-1 in favour of the home side with a couple of minutes to play, Ireland broke down the left to score the equaliser and steal the draw.

Match two, which was arranged at the last minute due to South Africa having visa problems, was dominated by the Scots. 2-1 ahead at half time, the Scottish women were pulled level by an equaliser from the Irish, but two quick goals saw the home side past the post 4-2 for a well deserved win.

Friday saw the first of four matches against the South Africans, which went against all expectations. Leading the World’s 11th best team 2-0 at half time, a goal exchange saw the score 3-1 before a late equaliser following a period of sustained pressure left the visitors trailing by a single goal at the final hooter.

A first half hat-trick from South African super-woman, Pietie Coetzee, left the Scots with a mountain to climb in Saturday’s match. 3-1 down at half time, Scotland upped the pressure with some fine attacking play but couldn’t convert, leaving the visitors to net another to take the match 4-1.

Meanwhile, the men’s team played Wales in a double-header and came away with a 2-1 win. With all the goals coming in the first half, the second was relegated to mere end-to-end action, with both sides coming close – Wales having four successive penalty corners -  but failing in their quest for further goals.

Sunday’s matches again saw mixed fortunes for the teams. The men were first up and, having weathered a bit of an onslaught in the first few minutes took over the match, and dominated play. Leading 2-1 at the break, the second half was all Scotland, with Wales barely able to get out of their half and a further two goals gave the win to Scotland 4 goals to 1.

The women, on the other hand, had a torrid time as South Africa got into their stride. Another inspired performance by Amy Gibson in goal ‘restricted’ the visitors to a 4-1 lead at half time, Scotland’s goal coming from Nikki Kidd. South Africa continued to pile on the pressure in the second half, pulling out another series of fine saves from Gibson, but it was Scotland who scored first. Vikki Bunce cleverly disguised her drag flick at a penalty corner, passing the ball to Holly Cram out wide, who cracked the shot into the back of the net. At 4-2, Scotland had the opportunity to come back into the match, but South Africa got back on script and finished the match off with a second goal from Tarryn Bright. 5-2 to South Africa, and 2-1 up in the series, it’s, almost, all to play for in the final match on Tuesday night at Peffermill

Tennis

Brodies Champions of Tennis tournament will take place at the home of Edinburgh Accies in Portgower Place, Stockbridge between Thursday and Sunday.

The ATP Champions Tour event brings together many of the greatest tennis players in history for nostalgic, competitive and entertaining tournaments in cities all around the world. To be eligible to compete on the ATP Champions Tour, players must have been either a World No. 1 during their competitive playing careers, a Grand Slam singles finalist, or a singles player in a victorious Davis Cup team; and they should have retired from the ATP circuit.

The timetable is as follows although all times are approximate.

Thursday Afternoon (First match 1400) Rusedski v Philippoussis and Ferreira v Pernfors

Evening (First Match 1900) Henman v Ivanisevic and  Rusedski/Moya v Enqvist/Pernfors

Friday 21 June (First match 1400) Henman v Enqvist and  Ferreira/Philippoussis v Ivanisevic/Pernfors

1900 Rusedski v Moya and  McEnroe/Henman v Ferreira/Philippoussis

Saturday 22 June (1400) McEnroe v Pernfors,  Moya v Philippoussis.  Enqvist v Ivanisevic

Sunday 23 June 3 v 4 (1030)

McEnroe v Ferreira (1300)

Brodies Champions of Tennis Final (1430)

Hutchie Vale win Craig Gowans’ Memorial Trophy

Hutchison Vale won this year’s Craig Gowans’ Memorial Trophy beating a strong Celtic / Rangers select 6-5 in a hard fought and entertaining game in front of a large crowd at Saughton Enclosure on Sunday.

The day started with an under 10s six a side round robin tournament which was won by Currie Star, before the main event kicked off at 2pm. Spectators were treated to the unusual sight of three sets of strips on the pitch, as the former old firm players wore either Rangers or Celtic  strips, depending on who they played for.

The Select were managed by former Celt Darren Jackson, who also played for both Edinburgh teams in a long and eventful career. His team included John ‘Yogi’ Hughes, Jackie MacNamara, the current Dundee United manager, Bobby Petta, and Mark Burchill from Celtic and Dave McPherson, Scott Nisbet, Alex Rae, Ronnie Yule and John Macdonald from Rangers.

Hutchie Vale also included former MSP Tommy Sheridan who played for Ducla Pumpherston in the tournament three years ago.

Alex Rae opened the scoring, before Hutchie Vale fought back and equalised before half time. Hutchie Vale made two popular substitutions after the break, with Craig’s brothers Dean and Darren making an appearance in the famous black and gold strip their brother wore with such distinction. Both however admitted that they were nervous as they are more at home on the rugby field, but despite their apprehension both performed well.

Hutchie then took a deserved lead, and  Mark Burchill equalised, before three second half goals in the space of five minutes, including a spectacular 25 yard effort from John McNally looked to have sealed the victory, however, the Old Firm ‘never say die’ attitude saw them pull three back to level the score.

With time running out, it looked as though a penalty shoot-out was on the cards, but a last minute Hutchie Vale goal saw the game end 6-5 in their favour.

The result however was not the most important aspect of the day, and once again, a large turnout ensured a significant sum raised for the worthy cause.

The Edinburgh Reporter caught up with former Hibs captain and manager John Hughes who was the Falkirk boss when Craig was killed during a training ground accident.

John is a great supporter of the Memorial Fund set upon Craig’s name and was keen to speak of his memories of the teenager who still inspired him to this day. The interview can be heard here.

Also in attendance was Andrew Dickson, who last year cycled across Australia raising money for the fund, and Hibs star Leigh Griffiths along with former Hearts defender Darren Barr who was a team mate of Craig’s at Falkirk. Unfortunately, Celtic skipper Scott Brown and Grant Stott had to call off at the last minute.

Lord Provost Donald Wilson also made an appearance along with Maureen Harrison, the Chief Executive of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation who said:-“Although I never had the privilege of meeting Craig, I always feel like I knew him, as so many people have told me so much about him. It is clear that he was a wonderful young man indeed and I am sure he would have been very proud to know that the gifts made in his memory are helping children in the Lothians.

On behalf of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, I would like to thank the clubs, the celebrities, the sponsors and players, referees and everyone who made this event possible and such good fun! We can never thank Sheila, John, Dean, Darren and Lyndsay enough for their incredible inspiration which leads to the involvement of so many generous people.”

After the game, a number of donated items were raffled for the fund, including a signed Falkirk strip and ball, a £50 bouquet of flowers, a golf putter, a night at the Minto Hotel, a camping kit, two gym memberships at Edinburgh Leisure, a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label whisky, Go-Car racing and many more.

The Fund was established in April 2007, the motivation at the heart of this venture was to ensure that the memory of Craig would be used as a driving force for good.

To launch the fund, seven of Craig’s closest friends ran the Edinburgh marathon. Following the success of that venture, a 5-a-side tournament was held with 32 teams from across Scotland competing.

Many other charity events have been organised in support of the fund, including a sportsman’s brunch, a Disney themed fancy dress 10k run, and a gruelling cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

In addition, four charity football matches have taken place. In 2009, Hutchison Vale played Tynecastle, in 2010, they played Ducla Pumpherston, in 2011 they played a Scotland Select and last year they played a Hibs/Hearts select.

The fund to date has raised in excess of £44,000 and has funded projects through the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, Children 1stm CHAS and various others. More specifically, money has helped toward new community projects which aim to offer help and support for children from deprived areas of Edinburgh and the Lothians out with hospital settings. The fund has also contributed toward state of the art educational facilities and two minibuses for disabled children, which were parked behind the goals as a reminder to everyone of the fantastic work done by the fund.

Craig Gowans Memorial Football Match on Sunday

The annual Craig Gowans Memorial football match will take place this Sunday between Hutchison Vale FC and a Celtic/Rangers Select, kick off 2:00pm.

The Memorial Fund was set up in the memory Craig, the young Falkirk footballer who was died on 8 July 2005, when a net catcher he was instructed to move during a training session struck an overhead cable. The seventeen year old was only two weeks into his professional contract with the Bairns when the tragedy occurred.

As well as being a talented footballer, Craig was a straight A pupil and talented artist at Stewart’s Melville College, where he won the School’s Athletic Championship.  He also had an unconditional offer to study Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art, but chose a career in football.

This is the fifth such game, with all money raised going to the fund in Craig’s name, which to date has raised thousands of pounds for good causes.

Former Celtic stars, Darren Jackson, Simon Donnelley, David Elliot, Jackie McNamara, John Hughes and Mark Burchill will team up with former rivals from Rangers, Ronnie Yule, Scott Nisbet, Bob Malcolm, Charlie Miller, Dougie Bell, and John MacDonald. Former Hibs defender Steven Tweed and midfielder David Farrell will make up the numbers.

Gordon Parks Daily Record Sports Journalist, Mark Martin Forth One Presenter, Ian Maxwell General Manager Partick Thistle, David Bailey Forth One Presenter, will also make an appearance, along with Craig’s brothers Dean and Darren who will play for Craig’s old team Hutchison Vale.

Last year’s game, which involved a Hibs / Hearts select, along with runners in the Edinburgh marathon raised £6317.77 for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation.

Last November, The Edinburgh Reporter highlighted the generosity of the charity when members of Craig’s family handed over the keys to a specially adapted minibus to be used by the children of Calareidh, a community-based house situated in Bingham which provides long term care and respite breaks to children and young people with complex disabilities across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Craig’s father John told The Edinburgh Reporter: “The day starts with a kids tournament about 10-10.30am which finishes about 1pm. The Stewarts Melville Pipe Band will then make an appearance, and Chaplin’s Disco Bus will also be there. This is the fifth year and we are hoping for a big turn-out. We are always a bit apprehensive in advance but hopefully the weather will be fine. All money raised will go to the Friends of the Sick Kids Foundation and last year we helped buy a minibus for Calareidh. It keeps Craig’s name to the fore, and he is always at the front of our thoughts.”

Anyone wishing to donate can do so at http://www.justgiving.com/The-Craig-Gowans-Memorial-Fund or http://www.edinburghsickkids.org/press-and-news/gallery/craig-gowans-memorial.html

 

International Women’s Hockey – Scotland v South Africa

Scotland stun visiting South Africans

With the South African women’s hockey team some eight places above Scotland in the World’ Ranking, it looked again as if they would be playing catch-up to the visitors. The match did not go by the script, however, and the home side took the first of four encounters at Peffermill three goals to two.

They had to be on the ball from the start as the visitors went on the offensive from the off, and some desperate defending by the Scots in the first 10 minutes of the match. However, the first proper chance of the match fell to Scotland, but the break away upfield left Nikki Lloyd surrounded by defenders and unable to get her shot on target. Another period of attacking from the South African’s had a bouncing ball, from a shot by (World Record holder in almost every hockey statistic) Pietie Coetzee, cleared off the line.

Five minutes later and another break from Scotland, this time up the left, saw an inside ball from Heather Elder find Ali Howie on the 25 and she took the ball up into the ‘D’ where her deflected shot spun up past the goalkeeper and into the net. 1-0 to the Scots girls.

The rest of the half – or nearly so – was dominated by the visitors, getting into the shooting area on four or five occasions and only some inspired saves by ‘keeper Amy Gibson kept them at bay.

With less than two minutes to go in the half, following a fluffed penalty corner attempt by Coetzee, Scotland were off again, this time up the right hand side. Nikki Lloyd took the ball half the length of the pitch and into the ‘D’ where she found a gap in the defence to strike. The ‘keeper half saved, but Morag McLellan was on hand to tap the ball into the goal to leave the home side 2-0 ahead at the hooter.

Again, from the off, South Africa went on the offensive and took the game to the home side, but the Scots weren’t long in taking it back. Four minutes in and a penalty corner, awarded when Vikki Bunce was tripped in the area, had the  strike from Kidd blocked. The game flowed to-and-fro with both sides having chances but failing to convert, before the visitors were awarded a penalty corner for obstruction 13 minutes in. This time there was no mistake and the shot from Coetzee was blasted past the flailing stick of Emily Maguire and into the bottom corner of the goal. 2-1 to Scotland.

The next ten minutes were all South Africa – apart from a brief foray by the Scots - as the tried to pull level, Gibson pulling another two fine saves out of the bag to keep them in second place.
Then it looked as if the home side had another goal on the board, but the cross-goal shot by Kidd rattled off the post with the ‘keeper rooted to the spot.

It only took another two minutes for Kidd to finally get on the scoresheet with a fine reverse stick shot which had the South African ‘keeper well beaten. 3-1 up against the team who were 10th in the 2012 Olympics was a tremendous boost to the the Scots girls who, only this year, went full time for a trial period. Was it working? It seemed to be up to now…

For the last ten minutes, South Africa piled on the pressure, with Scotland barely seeing the ball. And it was to be Coetzee who scored again. Another penalty corner award saw the South African drag flick the ball past the ‘keeper to notch up her gazillionth goal on the World scene and her second in this match. 3-2 with minutes to go… The last few minutes were a bit frantic with Scotland trying to hold the ball and Soth Africa trying to prevent them, so it was a tremendous relief all round when the final hooter went to give the Scots a historic win against their Southern Hemisphere opponents.

With the first of a four match series in the bag, the Scotland team can now look forward to the other three games with a high level of confidence, but, the cynics might be tempted to say the South Africa were not long off the grueling flight, so maybe weren’t quite in the groove just yet. We’ll see…

Photos – John Preece
Web - www.photoboxgallery.com/jlp-photography

Street Football Festival on this weekend in Princes Street Gardens

Fans who like their football fast and furious should check out the Street Football Festival which is currently underway at the Ross Bandstand. So far the lowest scoring game only had 12 goals and the weather is perfect for both spectators and players alike.

The Edinburgh Reporter caught up with one of the players, 22 year-old former student from Zambia, Kelvin Sinyemu who was taking a well-deserved break on the side-lines as his team, Street Football 2 prepared for the top of the table clash with rivals Street Football 1.

Kelvin said:- “I am really enjoying the experience, plus it’s good exercise. To be honest, I’ve been average and could have done better although I have scored three goals so far. I joined the Street Football last year and so far have completed my coaching certificate with them. I would definitely encourage others to get involved.”

The festival is on until Sunday, with the competitions taking place as follows:

10am – 2pm EDINBURGH YOUTH CUP

5 Edinburgh Youth Projects compete in the group stages with the top 4 progressing to the semi-finals on Sunday.

3pm – 7pm EDINBURGH CORPORATE CUP

6 Edinburgh Businesses compete in the group stages with the top 4 progressing to the semi-finals on Sunday.

DAY 2 – SATURDAY 15TH JUNE

10am – 2pm EDINBURGH PRIMARY SCHOOLS CUP

8 Edinburgh Primary Schools compete in two groups of four with the top 2 from each group progressing to the semi-finals on Sunday.

3pm – 6pm EDINBURGH U13 GIRLS CUP

5 Edinburgh Girls’ U13 teams compete in the groups stages with the top 4 progressing to the semi-finals on Sunday.

DAY 3 – SUNDAY 16TH JUNE SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS DAY

10am – 11.30am EDINBURGH YOUTH CUP SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS

12pm – 1.30pm EDINBURGH CORPORATE CUP SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS

1.30pm – 2.30pm HIBS/HEARTS LEGENDS SELECT

2.30pm – 4.00 pm EDINBURGH PRIMARY SCHOOLS CUP SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS 4.00pm to 5.30pm EDINBURGH U13 GIRLS CUP SEMI FINALS AND FINALS.

And they’re off to Ladies Day at Musselburgh!

There will be a lot of activity across the city’s hairdressers this morning with all the ladies getting ready for the off at the racing today.

With more suntans and stilettos on parade than on a TOWIE film set, Musselburgh plays host today   to the Stobo Castle Ladies Day.

 

The East Lothian track has recorded its ninth consecutive Ladies Day sell out and has even caught the eye of Grand National winning jockey Ryan Mania, who will help judge the day’s Best Dressed Lady in the £3000 Queen of Style event.

 

Racing highlight at Musselburgh’s most glamorous meeting of the summer is the £20,000 Stobo Castle Ladies Day Cup (4.00) and the weights are headed by the classy Mutual Regard, a welcome raider from the Newmarket stable of Sir Mark Prescott and a promising second to Johnnie Delta on his recent reappearance at Ayr.

Long distance traveller Street Entertainer is the likely favourite and David Pipe’s versatile dual purpose stayer was an effortless winner back on the turf at Nottingham last Sunday and will make a bold bid to defy his 6lb penalty .

Street Entertainer though could be hard pressed by northern rivals Platinum from the in-form yard of Philip Kirby and the Jim Goldie trained Merchant Of Dubai. When the pair met at Musselburgh recently Platinum prevailed by one and three quarter lengths but he has to give away an extra 7lbs to Merchant Of Dubai this time round and Graham Lee’s mount can reverse the placings.

Ladies Day sponsors Stobo Castle also support the Madeleine Cup Handicap (2.20) in which Mark Johnston’s Mushaakis will be well fancied to boost the Middleham trainer’s already healthy strike rate at the East Lothian venue.

A successful performer on the polytrack, Mushaakis returned to the turf to run an encouraging second behind Clock On Tower at Beverley. The going was on the soft side of good on that occasion and Joe Fanning’s mount will be better suited to the faster conditions underfoot at Musselburgh.

M and F Funeral Services return to Musselburgh to sponsor the £8,000 5f sprint handicap at 3.25. Eric Alston’s ultra-consistent Red Baron, runner up on his last four outings, will be fancied to finally go one better but course winner Mercers Row is narrowly preferred.

Trained in North Yorkshire by Karen Tutty and partnered by her daughter Gemma, only recently back riding after injury, Mercers Row regained form at Catterick last time with a creditable second behind the well handicapped Lost In Paris. Karen Tutty has saddled three winners over the past month and Mercers Row has the best draw in the number 11 slot.

As soon as the designer hats and frocks are packed away for another year, Musselburgh gets ready to do it all again tomorrow (Saturday June 15) when it stages its richest meeting of the season, the £155,000 William Hill Scottish Sprint Cup.

 

The feature race, with an increased £70,000 prize, was traditionally part of Ladies Day but Musselburgh boss Bill Farnsworth is banking that a switch to a Saturday slot will create a crowd pleasing fixture which can evolve to be the UK’s richest five furlong sprint.

 

He said: “Ladies Day is fun, fashion and furlongs and it’s a formula which has worked very well for us and created a fixture which has a huge following. With the Scottish Sprint Cup our long term ambition is to develop it in to a £100,000 race which would make it the UK’s premier five furlong event. It will take time but we are used to playing the long game at Musselburgh and I am confident we will succeed.”

 

Stobo Castle Ladies Day is a sell-out but tickets for the William Hill Scottish Sprint Cup are available online at www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk and can be purchased at the gate.

 

Street Football Festival in Princes Street Gardens this weekend

The capital’s football fans, looking for a quick ‘fix’ during the close season, have a feast of football to look forward to from Friday to Sunday.

The Edinburgh Street Football Festival will take place in the shadow of the castle, within the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens from 14-16 June 2013.

Eight Edinburgh primary schools, five U13 girls teams, six Edinburgh businesses and five Edinburgh youth projects will compete in four different tournaments coming together on finals day to play and celebrate together in their city.

Teams can be all male, all female or mixed consisting of a maximum of eight players in total. Maximum of four players per team on the court: Two halves of six minutes each plus one minute interval in between each half.

At least one player must remain in the opposition half of play. A foul will be awarded against a team where the whole team is in its own half and the referee can award a penalty against a team which is persistently time-wasting.

The winning team receives three points. The losing team zero. If a match ends in a draw, it is decided by a sudden-death penalty shoot-out until one team has a one goal advantage after both teams have taken the same number of penalty kicks.

In matches decided by a penalty shoot-out the winning team gets two points and the losing team gets one point.

Organiser Scott Moncrieff told The Edinburgh Reporter:- “This is the first of hopefully many such events throughout the country. Fans are advised to go to the grandstand which holds 230, plus there are blue seats to the side, taking the attendance up to around four hundred.

“We received funding from the Scottish Football Partnership and the National Lottery ‘Young Start’ Programme and our objective is to get youngsters involved in sport and healthier.

“We have received sponsorship from Sykes Global for this event, and receive money from the businesses taking part, with all funds raised going to the Homeless World Cup.

“On Sunday, a Hibs / Hearts select team, featuring Keith Wright, Michael Weir and Gordon Hunter from Hibs, and Henry Smith, Scott Crabbe and Jimmy Sandison from Hearts will play against local teams and hopefully boost the crowds.

DAY 1 FRIDAY 14TH JUNE

10am – 2pm EDINBURGH YOUTH CUP

5 Edinburgh Youth Projects compete in the group stages with the top 4 progressing to the semi-finals on Sunday.

3pm – 7pm EDINBURGH CORPORATE CUP

6 Edinburgh Businesses compete in the group stages with the top 4 progressing to the semi-finals on Sunday.

DAY 2 – SATURDAY 15TH JUNE

10am – 2pm EDINBURGH PRIMARY SCHOOLS CUP

8 Edinburgh Primary Schools compete in two groups of four with the top 2 from each group progressing to the semi-finals on Sunday.

3pm – 6pm EDINBURGH U13 GIRLS CUP

5 Edinburgh Girls’ U13 teams compete in the groups stages with the top 4 progressing to the semi-finals on Sunday.

DAY 3 – SUNDAY 16TH JUNE SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS DAY

10am – 11.30am EDINBURGH YOUTH CUP SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS

12pm – 1.30pm EDINBURGH CORPORATE CUP SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS

1.30pm – 2.30pm HIBS/HEARTS LEGENDS SELECT

2.30pm – 4.00 pm EDINBURGH PRIMARY SCHOOLS CUP SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS 4.00pm to 5.30pm EDINBURGH U13 GIRLS CUP SEMI FINALS AND FINALS.

Football – Spartans girls put one foot forward to raise money

On Sunday 43 girls and a big support of parents and Girls coaches took part in a walk over the Forth Road Bridge to raise funds for the Spartans girls section.

Spartans plan to kit players and coaches with training kit for all age groups. Girls Coordinator Rab Aitchison and Spartans under 13′s coach Grant Cunningham organised and planned the event and wanted to use the funds to supply all the girls with the same training kit so the girls section will all be identifiable.

Rab and Grant told The Edinburgh Reporter:- “The event was magnificent and was a real indication of the unity within the Girls section as they all pulled together to complete this challenge. It’s overwhelming the level of support and interest from the parents and families as the turnout from them on the walk was really incredible.”

Anyone wishing to join the growing Spartans Girls section should contact Rab Aitchison on 07724 162840

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