We all know the Borders excels at farming and butchering beef, but now a local restaurant is also staking its fortunes on our sensational local steak.

In a new venture for the Scottish Borders, the Blue Coo Bistrot at The Buccleuch Arms in St Boswells has launched a menu of six steaks, farmed, cut and cooked by local hands.

The beef steaks are sourced from two suppliers: Hardiesmill, who farm “from field to fork” their native Aberdeen Angus herd near Gordon, and butchers J. Gilmour & Co, who buy beef from other Borders cattle farmers at John Swan’s livestock mart in St Boswells.

In a canny business move, the Buccleuch Arms’ owners Billy and Rachael Hamilton, who both come from a farming background, said they understand the importance of working with the region’s very best suppliers, and serving the most flavoursome ingredients.

“We are really excited because we have always been passionate about using only the most local of produce,” Billy said: “Hardiesmill is just a stone’s throw away – and we are 100 per cent behind Scottish agriculture.

“We see on a daily basis that our customers place great importance on provenance and in what we believe will be a popular development to our menus, we are offering the best possible steak experience.”

Explaining their motivation for the menu change, he added: “Steak sales are massive now.

“The six-steak experience offers some rarely tasted cuts for those who want to try something a little different, but we haven’t lost the traditional and most popular ribeye and sirloin options.”

Customers can create their own meal, choosing their favourite steak, and selecting all of their side dishes.

The two traditional ribeye and sirloin cuts of Border beef are butchered by Gilmour, who hang their meat for a minumum of five weeks, while the four more unusual cuts –bullet, flat-iron, thick rib, and feather – are home-reared and finished by Hardiesmill, who feed their pedigree Aberdeen Angus a natural diet of grass and grass silage.

Robin Tuke, who owns Hardiesmill with his wife Alison, boasts their Berwickshire farm offers one of the largest ranges of steaks in Britain, currently selling 14 different cuts – but they continue to research and develop more.

They discovered their latest three steaks – gertjan from the shoulder, and bullet and merlin from the lower buttock – while learning from top butchers in Holland.

“The price of protein is rocketing, mainly because of the bad weather,” Robin explained.

“Nothing’s growing, and not just in Scotland, but in England, Germany, Russia and America.

“With intricate cuts, we’re trying to keep beef affordable, and get the best flavour. So we’re trying to keep the costs down, but the eating experience up.”

The cheaper the cut, the bigger the flavour, but the longer it takes to cook, and every steak, the Tukes say, has a different texture, flavour and tenderness.

Hardiesmill’s 11 other steaks, cut from 11 different muscles, include names most Borderers will never have encountered before, such as bavette, onglet, and the most exclusive oysters and carbonade, which is so prized by chefs and foodies it can sell for £200 a kilo.

The whole picture, from conception to cooking, takes the Hardiesmill farmers three years.

“Any wrong step can ruin three years of work,” Robin said. It’s safe to say the Tukes know good beef and how to rear it, time after time, for their beef has been served on the tables of the Orient Express and No. 10 Downing Street.

“It’s impossible to control nature, but one can at least nudge it along the lines of consistency by studying it hard and reducing the number of variables.

“We’re pretty comfortable with the observation that three things really affect the eating experience of beef: breeding, feeding and handling.”

Every breed tastes different, like the sweeter Highland cattle or tangier Continental.

Robin added: “We only use one pedigree [breed] and no crosses [most Aberdeen Angus is crossed with another breed to meet European aesthetic measurables].”

Feed also affects flavour: “We stick to a diet of grass, and don’t use quantities of high-protein barley or corn, which increase the water content and changes the taste.” The more stressed an animal before slaughter, the tougher the meat (stress creates the gristle in sirloin called “check”), so the Tukes also take great care in keeping stress levels low.

After breeding, feeding and handling, all that’s left now is the cooking – but that’s the Buccleuch Arms’ job.

A village football team chairman has suggested dogs be banned from sports grounds after his club’s pitch was left covered in faeces.

Thomas ‘Tucker’ McCall of Stow AFC says he has discussed the disgusting issue with other sports clubs officials from across the Borders.

He is furious that a previously successful campaign in the village by the Border Amateur League side is being ignored.

He told The Southern: “Several years ago the club posted leaflets through the letterboxes of houses in the surrounding area of Stow Park which asked dog owners to ‘bag it, tie it and bin it’. It also outlined the medical problems that dog dirt can cause as well as the financial penalties for failing to clean up after your dog. “The club put up notices at the entrances of the park again asking the owners to be responsible for their animals.

“The campaign appeared to have worked, however now that the lighter nights and hopefully the better weather are here, the club have returned to train and play on our grass pitch. The park is an absolute disgrace.

“The club have to carry out an inspection before using the pitch to remove a considerable amount of dog dirt. Even in a matter of a few days the menace returns.

“Perhaps it is now time for the local council to consider banning dogs from public parks and sporting areas? Drastic measures I know but as usual, the minority of irresponsible owners have spoilt it for the majority of responsible ones.”

Mr McCall has contacted the council to highlight the issue and has urged anyone who sees someone failing to clean up after their pet to phone 0300 100 1800.

He added: “Hopefully sporting groups can then concentrate on the enjoyable side of their sport instead of having to waste valuable time cleaning up disgusting dog mess.”

An SBC spokesman said there are no plans at present to ban dogs from sports grounds.

Earlier this year, we reported on a rugby match between Peebles and Kelso which was cancelled because of the amount of dog dirt on the pitch.

Ladies from Heiton and Morebattle WRI took home the Crawford Trophy at the annual SWRI national choir awards earlier this month.

The win marks a hat-trick of successes for the local group in the competition, having sung their way to the top in 1986 and 2009.

Lesley Abernethy conducted the choir and Nettie Fleming was the accompanist at the national awards on April 6, held this year in Motherwell.

Having reached the finals without having to sing a note, as no other group in the local federation entered a choir, the ladies found themselves up against five other WRI choirs from around Scotland.

The group’s choir was formed in 1985 and now enjoys a membership of around 20 ladies from 
the WRI, which obviously has a much longer ­history.

The new Braw Lad and Lass both say they feel ready to take on the mantle this year.

A large crowd gathered below the Burgh Chambers balcony in Galashiels at 8pm tonight to hear Braw Lads Gathering president Andrew Johnston announce Daniel Whitehead and Lucy Black as the 2013 representatives.

Daniel, 21, a customer services assistant from the town’s Santander branch said: “Friends and family have been telling me to go for the Braw Lad for the last few years but I only felt ready this year.”

Twenty three year old Lucy, a sporting manager at Braidwood Clays near Selkirk added: “I have thought about it for a long time but have never felt ready.

“This year I just thought ‘go for it’. I have ridden the Gala Day before and live on Lawyer’s Brae right beside the Town Clock so the family always support the festival.”

Alongside Daniel and Lucy was Grand National winner and last year’s Braw Lad, Ryan Mania, who made it back home despite racing at Ayr today and preparing to ride Auroras Encore for the Scottish National tomorrow.

The 23-year-old is Bearer of the Sod, while 2012 Braw Lass Nicola Mackay is Bearer of the Red Roses. Lewis Playfair, 2011 Braw Lad, is Bearer of the Stone, while his Braw Lass Suzanne Henry is Bearer of the White Roses.

Read TheSouthern next week for full story and photos from tonight.

THE shortlist for the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction was announced yesterday.

The winner of one of the UK’s most lucrative literary awards, now in its fourth year, will be revealed at a special event at 7.45pm on Friday, June 14, during the Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival in Melrose.

Tickets are priced £10.

The shortlist for the prize, which will again be generously donated by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, is as follows:

z Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel

z The Daughters Of Mars by Thomas Keneally

z The Garden Of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

z Toby’s Room by Pat Barker

z Merivel by Rose Tremain

z The Streets by Anthony Quinn

Following yesterday’s 
announcement, the judges said: “This year’s shortlist is rich and complex, and contains 
breathtaking writing and 
gloriously-unexpected stories which refresh understandings of history in a way in which Sir Walter Scott would have approved.”

A draft council report highlighting economic, social and environmental issues of “real concern” to the Borders has been compiled.

The “red” list items stretch to 15 points, while an “amber” list of issues also includes 15 areas of concern.

The red list includes the facts that more households are in poverty in the Borders compared with the rest of Scotland, and that there was a 10 per cent increase in theft in the region in the three years to 2012/13, compared with just one per cent nationally.

Other diverse issues included are that the local tourism sector is showing signs that it has been hit by the current economic climate, and that changes in residents’ lifestyles are increasingly contributing to ill health, including heart disease and stroke.

The draft strategic assessment will form the basis of an agreement between the Borders’ Community Planning Partnership and the Scottish Government, on how each will work towards improving the lives of local people.

The partnership includes public, private and third sector organisations, including the council, police and NHS Borders.

Tracey Logan, council chief executive, said: “It has never been more important for the Community Planning Partnership to have a clear understanding of place, as public sector finances shrink and we are being asked to do more with less.

“We must ensure that our priorities are founded on a strong evidence base.”

The report also warns that by 2035 just over half of all Borders residents will be of working age, down from the 2010 figure of 62 per cent.

The area’s strengths in the three key areas are part of an in-depth analysis in the report.

In keeping with the trend for comparing any out-of-the-ordinary event with a similar one back in nineteen-canteen, I have been drawn into the “I mind when” or “its the worst since” frame of mind when it comes to weather.

What happened long ago can only have limited relevance to what is going on now, but it helps to pass the time.

Unless you are a dedicated collector of statistics, recalling any event from the past is almost certain to revert to the good/bad old days scenario.

There is no better example of this than the climate we routinely suffer and only occasionally enjoy when the weather fits neatly with whatever we want to do; a situation complicated by the diverse needs of different people.

This means in effect a bunch of people could be yearning for a fine sunny afternoon to play cricket on the village green while Farmer Giles leans on a gate viewing a crop of barley crying out for rain. You just can’t please everyone.

The vile weather of 2012 was extremely unpleasant but after a certain amount of heid-scartin’ and thought, many of us can recall similar years. At some time during my early teens in Kent, we had a corker of a wet summer and if you think rain in Scotland is bad, try your luck in the southeast with its English Channel-influenced climate.

If I remember correctly, the weather was largely blamed on superpowers letting off nuclear squibs. What price North Korea in those days?

As ever, the farmers bore the brunt of the unseasonal weather; wheat blackened to the point that harvesting the stuff was a waste of time, fields sat under water for weeks, the hop crop really suffered, and the soft fruit harvest was literally a washout.

In those days, my school holidays were largely spent working on a small market garden where summer tasks involved picking whatever produce survived the weather for overnight transport to markets in London town.

In years such as I have described, the market gardener would have a very lean time, his only salvation being the wide range of crops grown on the place, over as much of the year as possible.

We picked everything from strawberries to sprouts. A few porkers helped a lot as they consumed substandard fruit and vegetables, and they seemed to do very well.

One unusual hedge against a poor year was a line of old walnut trees. Some years there were hardly any walnuts, in others the place had a carpet of nuts dislodged by the first autumn gale that had to be gathered before mice and the occasional squirrel nabbed the lot. A day picking up fallen walnuts played hell with my back, so wherever possible I dodged that job.

There were years of abundance when everything seemed to come together perfectly. Often as not there was an element of luck, coupled with a due regard to weather patterns. My boss, Bill, seemed to have a lucky touch with his crops and was always ready to cash in on a glut of anything. Besides, Bill knew an awful lot about the weather and could accurately read the signs to forecast a good or bad summer.

In one lucky season when Victoria plums were hanging from the trees to the point of breaking the branches, The Archers had a bit of a saga about making plum jam and bottling fruit. The cynic in my soul tells me in long-term retrospect that a nationwide glut of plums maybe caused the ministry of something to request a bit of propaganda in The Archers to avoid seeing most of the crop go to waste.

Given that at 6.45pm every weekday, the country stopped what it was doing to listen in, any message reached a very big audience.

This was a stroke of luck as my fellow fruit pickers and I enjoyed an overtime bonus as we spent early mornings and late evenings harvesting plums, often in a haze of wasps; which wasn’t as bad as it would appear as the jaggy bummers had eyes only for a plum feast.

I have always enjoyed eating plums, but for a few weeks that year I couldn`t even bear the smell of them. We all moaned about the extra work although the money was handy, but it could have been a lot worse had the humble damson been the fruit in question. Being a very small fruit, picking a large basket of damsons is not merely time consuming, it is a trespass upon eternity.

So, in the week when I have dodged the showers to plant my early tatties, my optimism is rekindled for another season of weeds, backache, disappointment and, if I am lucky, some nice things to eat.

I suppose there is some form of philosophy to gardening in that gardeners largely attempt the growing miracle every year for the pleasure of doing so. Actually harvesting anything edible is a bonus, given the average flower grower rarely eats anything they grow.

The nearest I can get to green fingers is a couple of impact-blackened fingernails now and then, but as ever, if my gardening methods were good enough for my dad, and his dad before him, they will surely work for me..

Today as I type Margaret Thatcher, a frail old lady who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, is buried. But also today £10million is being spent on that funeral and some 4,000 police are on duty.

There was no debate about the expenditure or indeed how that funeral should be conducted. To equate the death of Margaret Thatcher with that of Winston Churchill does not hold water.

For all his faults and political controversy – and there were some – it is undisputed that his voice, his presence, his leadership united a nation at war and under threat of invasion.

Margaret Thatcher made a virtue out of disunity.

Today voices of criticism are muted while those who applaud her politics and legacy command the airwaves.

But tomorrow, as someone once reputedly said in a movie, is another day.

Caerlee Mill

It was with a great deal of sadness that I watched the almost-inevitable demise of the mill and, of course, the impact on those who have lost work in these hard times.

Skills which have literally taken generations to hone should not be lost and it is my hope that with the help of various agencies who I know are working on the ground, those skills can be used elsewhere.

Sheriff courts

The response to the consultation of Scotland’s sheriff courts is out. Peebles is and was on that “hit list” of closures.

The issue for many of the smaller courts, but not Peebles, is that they are older-style buildings not suitable for today’s court system or have not enough court business to justify their continuation.

That latter position is the Scottish Courts Administration’s view of Peebles. It is the agency responsible for the network of courts and so on. I responded opposing the closure not only as your MSP, but as a former court lawyer myself.

However, while I continue to oppose closure, I am not, as my mother used to say, putting all my eggs in one basket. As you may have read before, I am pursuing as an alternative to Peebles the establishing of a justice centre in Galashiels which will have good connectivity for public transport with the bus terminus and the train station.

There is a role for Scottish Borders Council in assisting with premises and this is actively under way, and I can assure you, until I have that justice centre in the bag, the fight for Peebles goes on.

The body of missing man ­Richard Easton, 39, was found by police at a picnic area at ­Teviothead last Thursday.

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal.

Mr Easton had not been heard from since leaving his Duns home the previous afternoon.

Those behind the links between Selkirk and the German town of Plattling have said the twinning programme, and friendships, continue to grow following the recent successful visit of the ‘Friends’ band from Bavaria.

On April 23 a school group from Plattling will arrive in the town.

Olympic gold medallist Scott Brash took the top honours at Friday night’s Tweeddale Sports Council Awards ceremony.

Sports stars past, present and future gathered at the Eastgate Theatre in Peebles for the annual event which saw the Borders’ top show jumper become the first to take the Sports Personality of the Year Award twice.

He was also honoured by Scottish Borders Council and Borders Sport and Leisure at the event.

Other Award winners on the night were: SALSC Service to Local Sport - Sheila Horsburgh; Junior Sports Personality of the Year – Lucy Grant; Coach of the Year – Lily Stenhouse; Junior Coach of the Year – Calum Murray; Team of the Year – Peebles Curling Club Senior Ladies Rink (Maggie Barry, Jean Hammond, Valerie Mahon, Barbara Watt).

See Thursday’s Southern Reporter for full report.

A Galashiels coach who has previously run the Boston Marathon hopes Monday’s explosions do not ruin this weekend’s London version.

Neil Renton is taking a Scottish Athletics squad of 24 under-15 and under-17 runners to the English capital for Sunday’s Mini Marathon event, which runs alongside the showcase 26-mile race.

And he hopes the team, which includes Thomas Otton from his club Gala Harriers, can still enjoy the occasion, despite a security review in wake of the two blasts near the finish line in Boston, which killed at least three people and injured more than 100.

Mr Renton told us: “There is already a high level of security at London. You can’t get to the finish without a pass, but I am sure the security level will now be heightened.

“We don’t want the young runners worrying about such things. We want them to turn up, enjoy their run and hopefully do well.”

It is not thought any Borderers competed this year in Boston, with Mr Renton taking part in the oldest marathon in the world 10 years ago.

The sports development officer added: “It is a physically-demanding race. Even going downhill is tough and I would say it was the toughest marathon I have taken part in.

“It takes place on Patriots Day, so there is a really good atomsphere.

“The marathon’s finish line is in an area with lots of shops, bars and restaurants, so it would be hard to police.

“There are so many people raising money for good causes at a marathon that you would think it would be sacrosanct, but it appears not. This is a tragic event for sport.”

Gordon wheelchair athlete Samantha Kinghorn will also travel to London to take part in the Mini Marathon, as she progresses towards qualifying for the Commonwealth Games.

KING LEAR will play a leading role in the contribution of the Borders to the Year of Natural Scotland, writes Bob Burgess.

This year’s initiative is fourth in the Scottish Government’s focus years and comes ahead of the second Year of Homecoming in 2014. Holyrood’s aim this year is to showcase Scotland’s natural assets.

And one of the main local events will be promenade productions of the family tragedy King Lear by the Shakespeare at Traquair amateur company.

It will be staged in the grounds of historic Traquair House near Innerleithen from May 29 to June 1, and again from June 5 to June 8.

Mike Cantlay, the chairman of VisitScotland, commented: “The Year of Natural Scotland is all about getting people out and about in our wonderful country. Whether it is experiencing the crystal-clear waters of the Outer Hebrides or walking in the Cheviots, the possibilities are almost limitless. When you factor in the stunning wildlife, it is no wonder that our natural environment is the number one reason why people want to visit here.”

Scotland’s tourism minister Fergus Ewing added: “ The focus years have been a great success. Together we can build on this success in the Year of Natural Scotland and keep the momentum going for the for the second Year of Homecoming.”

Public hall bookings are now being handled by the council centrally.

To book a hall, email venues@scotborders.gov.uk or phone the council on 01835 825231.

I’ve been up and down the A7 from Selkirk to Edinburgh for a variety of reasons of late, and while the bus journey can at times be a wee bit tedious – and sometimes bladder-busting – I have taken heart from the now clearly obvious work that is being undertaken to restore a rail line between the capital and the central Borders – a line that we were robbed of in 1969 as one of the last routes to go under the Beeching axe.

I know it will start and finish only at Tweedbank and I can understand the angst of those in Hawick who feel cheated because of that, and I can understand my fellow Borderers in the east who say they are helping to pay for it and yet will derive no benefit from it.

I can understand – but I’m not going to weep buckets of tears. Those in the east have a station, albeit in England, at Berwick, and I do believe that in time if the railway is not extended southwards, then there will be improvements to the A7, providing a bypass around Selkirk and giving the Teries an easier journey to jump on the train at Gala (although they’ll probably opt for Tweedbank).

The battle to bring a rail link back to the Borders has been a long, hard, arduous and at times seemingly-impossible journey. A bit like the X95 bus when it, instead of going straight from the Borders to the capital, deteriorates into a city service.

I’m going to digress here for a moment and mention pies. Hot pies. Very good pies in fact. I was returning from Auld Reekie not so long ago and spent a happy hour in the extremely-hospitable Royal Oak on Infirmary Street.

It’s handy: I just turn the corner and board the X95 on South Bridge. And the bus stop is next to the Piemaker where their wares are truly out of this world. Out of this world until I tried to take a half-eaten steaming steak variety on board my bus. “Is that a pie?” I was asked by the driver. I thought he was envious and I replied that it was and a damn good one too. That’s when I was politely but firmly told that hot pies weren’t welcome on board.

I looked stunned, he kindly relented and I shuffled up the bus as far I could, guiltily avoiding the faces of the other passengers, and slumped down two seats from the back. The pie that tasted great in the open air of South Bridge now faded into a tasteless belly-filler at the rear of the X95.

But that’s not the reason I welcome with open arms the work on the old Waverley Line. I stood at the railway station in Galashiels on a chilly January night in 1969 when the last passenger train headed for London from Edinburgh. The entire writing staff of the Border Telegraph was there – John McMurtrie my editor and Adam Grant our senior reporter. We watched as it departed and the signals went out, unaware of the drama to come at Newcastleton where the polis arrested the local minister for leading a protest.

The trains are coming back. The debate is over. Let the critics whinge – but if the cash isn’t spent on trains, it sure as hell won’t be spent on the A7.

And I’ll find a fine pie shop near Waverley Station.

The tribunal hearing the council’s appeal against a £250,000 Information Commission fine will continue on July 17 and 18.

It was postponed following a two-day hearing in March to gain expert evidence.

An exhibition about writer James Hogg i s moving closer to home , finding a location at a closed-down school at the head of the Ettrick Valley.

The display on the Ettrick Shepherd is leaving Bowhill House near Selkirk and will open at Ettrick School next month.

Writer Judy Steel, who researched Hogg’s life and created the exhibition orginally at Aikwood Tower, said in a report, co-written with former Ettrick school secretary Daphne Jackson: “There has always been a strong local feeling that the head of Ettrick was the most appropriate place for this. Although the obelisk at Hogg’s birthplace at Ettrickhall and his grave in Ettrick Kirkyard are nearby, there is no explanation as to why he is one of Scotland’s major literary figures and this focus of interest will inform residents and visitors.

“The professional design and execution of the exhibition will make the head of Ettrick a good destination for visitors to Bowhill, Abbotsford and Traquair, as well as those staying in the Valley.”

They continued: “As well as creating a tourism destination in this remote location, it has solved the problem of how to utilise the school building without prejudicing the use of the nearby hall.”

Lochcarron of Scotland in Selkirk has given support worth more than £2,000, donating and making up fabric for the exhibition.

It’s hoped to include a mock-up of Hogg’s study in the display.

The school will also be home to a creative residency: “It will allow artists to have a base from which to operate; the first artist in residence in Ettrick will be based at the exhibition. It is hoped that this will be the first of many residences,” said the organisers.

PEOPLE on the autistic spectrum often need the constant attention of their loved ones.

This can be extremely demanding on both the individual and their family, and often a few days respite – with a bit of sea air thrown in – can be incredibly valuable.

Borders Asperger and Autism Group Support (BAAGS) have, through charitable donations, been able to purchase an eight-berth caravan – known as the “carer-van” – at the Berwick Holiday Park, for the use of families in just that situation.

BAAGS chairman Derek Purvis told TheSouthern: “It is a fantastic facility, one which we have been able to upgrade recently.

“It allows a very inclusive holiday, where the person with autism spectrum disorder can enjoy a few days away with their family, and the caravan is big enough to allow more people, such as the person’s carer, to go as well.

“We have had a lot of interest from other parts of the country, such as Newcastle and Edinburgh, but we’d like to see more Borderers use the facility.”

The cost of a short stay at the caravan is a lot lower than it would normally be.

Mr Purvis said: “We are not doing this to raise money, any money we charge is just to cover the costs.”

To find out more, check availabity, or to book a place, visit www.baags.co.uk/caravan.html

Local company QubeGB bagged a top honour at the recent Global Business Excellence Awards in the outstanding fast-growth business category.

Chairman of the judges, Andrew Areoff, said: “QubeGB has overcome the economic downturn to outperform its competitors and establish itself in a few short years as one of the top five engineering operators in the highly-competitive telecoms industry.”

QubeGB has its headquarters and call centre in Galashiels.

Chief executive Darren Bunker said: “We are delighted to have been given this prestigious award.”

Coldstream took a giant step towards the Premier Division today with a 3-1 win at First Division title rivals Leith Athletic.

Playing at Meadowbank’s new 3G pitch, the Streamers took the lead through Martyn Tait before the hosts equalised.

Jonny Simpson put Coldstream back in front before Lawrie Cannon made it 3-1 before the break.

Berwickshire rivals Eyemouth United saw their promotion chances slip with a 3-3 home draw with Kelso United, albeit they fought back from 3-1 down to claim a point.

Berwick Rangers Reserves’ slim chances of going up remain following a 4-1 home win over struggling Hawick Royal Albert.

Duns were hammered 7-1 at home to Craigroyston, and lowly Selkirk drew 1-1 with Burntisland Shipyard, who scored through a Brendan Napier penalty.

Peebles Rovers home clash with Gala Fairydean was postponed due to a waterlogged corner of the pitch at Whitestone Park.

In the Premier Division, depleted Vale of Leithen, who had to start coach Fraser Ogilvie , lost 3-0 to Edinburgh City at Victoria Park.

Full reports in this week’s Southern Reporter.