I’m just back from a week on Arran and I’m pleased to report that the snow has gone and the power is back on.

However, the weather was just as dismal as it has been here, with one gloriously sunny day, three unremittingly wet ones and the rest were cold and windy.

Undeterred, I did get out to do some “wildlifing”.

I was trying to beat my bird tally of 56 from my previous visit at the same time last year, but failed by five.

I blamed the weather, but I did manage a couple of good ones which I missed out on before, namely whinchat and tree pipit, both of which I got on the same walk near my base at Lochranza.

Every morning I was awakened by the call of a cuckoo from the hill behind the cottage and they seemed to be pretty well established in most of the island’s glens.

Last week I asked for readers to e-mail me with details of any cuckoos heard here in the Borders, to try and establish their distribution, after many years of decline. Early results look promising, with some readers having heard calling birds from areas where they have recently been absent. Keep your records coming in of the location and date of any birds heard calling to corbie@homecall.co.uk

Meanwhile back on Arran, I saw four of Scotland’s “big six” animals and one in particular left me less than impressed and really quite angry. Seals I find quite boring to watch and ticked them off easily in the bay in front of the cottage, and cute as they are, the local red squirrels came in droves to feed on peanuts in the cottage garden, so they proved to be not much of a challenge.

Also in the bay near the cottage, I watched an otter for about half an hour as it sat on a rock, surrounded by a heaving mass of floating seaweed, devouring some sort of flatfish.

At the start of the week, the local red deer population had me more fired up, as the hinds paraded nightly through the village and the stags seemed to appear from behind every gorse bush as I explored the surrounding hills. I took loads of pictures and was thoroughly enthralled by them until my last evening. It was dusk and I was taking our aged arthritic collie “Tibbie” out for her final comfort stop of the day, when it happened.

There was a group of hinds by the roadside leading to the castle and as Tib skirted round them, I noticed two of them approach her.

“Photo opportunity,” I thought. I just raised my camera when suddenly the two of them launched into attackmode. In a split second the dog was upended and the deer were pummelling her with their hooves. A nearby tourist, alerted by her frantic yelps came running to help as I chased off the attackers.

Thanks to her thick coat she was relatively unharmed, but absolutely terrified. Not only had they given her a good going over, but they also must have urinated on her, as for the rest of the night she had a bestial stink which was almost unbearable.

The hinds had no calves, so their behaviour was a complete mystery. Even the locals had not heard of such an attack before. Thankfully, she suffered no lasting damage, but in future I will see Bambi in a different light.

2011 Estevez Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenere Reserva – Aldi – £4.99

Cabernet provides the usual minty blackcurrant flavours, but also brings acidity and background vanilla influences to the party while the carmenere is responsible for the wine’s plummy, chocolate richness.

Nowadays, carmenere is Chile’s signature red but, when blended with one of the international varieties, it can often create – as it does here – well made, tasty, everyday red at a great price.

2012 Maclear’s Beacon Chardonnay Semillon – Tesco – £5, instead of £5.99, until Wednesday

This South African white opens with soft but textured peach and pineapple flavours and then develops attractive lemon-centred acidity to keep everything fresh and lively.

This blend actually works rather well creating a nice contrast between the relative richness – typical of riper versions of chardonnay – with the texture of the Semillon and the citrus freshness it can deliver in the hands of skilled winemakers.

2011 Pasico Old Vine Monastrell – Sainsbury’s – £5.99

A full and juicy Spanish red with fresh acidity and soft tannins to underpin its neat cherry and plum fruit. There is also a twist of liquorice at the end that adds an element of complexity.

It is quite rare to find the monastrell grape (mouvedre) on its own rather than as part of a blend, but the older vines used here balance its trademark substance and depth with some very attractive (and lively) fruit.

Brian ­Elliott is wine correspondent of Scotland on Sunday and lives at Auchencrow in the Borders.

Crabmeat specialists Burgon in Eyemouth have netted £246,208 from the European Fisheries Fund for crab processing facilities and equipment.

The money creates 12 new jobs at the Burgon family’s 100 year old, third generation company.

‘Breadshare’ in Lamancha has become Scotland’s first all-organic communitysupported bakery.

The 18-month old, not-for-profit company, whose volunteers bake and distribute ‘Border Country breads’, aims ‘to make real, nutritious bread available to everyone in the community’.

It is always advisable, before you decide to dive in head first, to check there is actually water in a swimming pool – or in this case, a hydrotherapy pool.

NHS Borders chairman John Raine would be well advised to heed this aquatic advice in future after he emerged from the organisation’s most recent monthly board meeting to issue a statement proudly trumpeting that local hydrotherapy service users would be much better off with alternatives being planned to compensate for the closure of Borders General Hospital’s hydro pool.

An improvement for patients may well prove true – although many would dispute this – but what has turned out to be most definitely not rooted in fact is the claim a hydrotherapy pool was planned by the local leisure facilities trust in Jedburgh and that the organisation he chairs would be investing in this.

It then transpired that Jedburgh pool bosses have yet to decide on whether a hydrotherapy pool will play any part in their future plans, much less them actually having applied for and being granted outline planning consent.

In fairness, NHS Borders chief executive Calum Campbell did quickly hold up his hands this week and admit duff information had been mistakenly given to the board.

However, the Borders public has been misled, albeit inadvertently, to believe there was almost a ‘shovel-ready’ scheme available to quickly make up for the looming loss of the BGH pool.

The health authority seems so anxious to find a sop that will placate the thousands of Borderers outraged over the BGH pool closure that it appears to have skipped even the most basic of fact-checking procedures in this instance.

A drunken man apologised to his victim on social networking site Facebook after biting him on the face in a Kelso nightclub.

Twenty-two-year-old Marc Swan, of Grovehill, Kelso, admitted assaulting the man by biting him on the face to his injury at Gemini 1 on July 21 last year.

At a previous hearing, prosecutor Kate McGarvey told how the complainer and the accused shook hands before the man pulled Swan towards him and the accused bit him on the side of the face.

“There was an obvious mark just in front of his ear, which was more of a graze and wasn’t bleeding,” said Ms McGarvey.

The victim told police he hadn’t provoked any trouble.

Ms McGarvey said the man confirmed there had been a conversation between him and the accused on Facebook.

“He said he had accepted his apology and didn’t want any further trouble,” added the prosecutor.

Rory Bannerman, defending, said his client had apologised to the victim very quickly after the incident.

The solicitor went on: “It would appear that the complainer accepted that apology. The complainer grabbed his arm and, when he wouldn’t let go, he bit him beside his ear, which left a graze that had healed about a day later.”

Mr Bannerman added: “I am not blaming the complainer for what happened, and my client appreciates this is not acceptable behaviour. He is said to be disgusted with himself and says he was an idiot, and has learned his lesson.

“There was no planning involved, and he is shocked by what he did.”

At Jedburgh on Friday, Sheriff Derrick McIntyre sentenced Swan to a 12-month community payback order, with a condition he pays the victim £500 compensation.

He was also ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work.

The sheriff told him: “This is your third conviction for assault and I would have been thinking about jailing you, but instead am imposing a robust community disposal.

“If you don’t co-operate, you can expect to go to prison.”

Swan was also fined £100 after pleading guilty to failing to appear at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on November 29.

A teenager who claimed police brutality after his arrest was found guilty of struggling violently with two officers, who were both injured during the “unsavoury incident”.

Joshua Watson, 19, of Haymount Farm Cottages, Kelso, denied shouting and swearing at police, struggling violently with them, and attempting to punch and bite them at East Bowmont Street, Kelso, on November 9, but was found guilty after trial.

Watson was arrested by police shortly after midnight over an allegation of vandalism.

Considering the evidence, Sheriff Derrick McIntyre commented: “There is no suggestion they were not entitled to arrest him, but that they were heavy-handed, amounting to police assault, according to the accused, so he was entitled to resist.

“The police felt they would have been justified using their batons and CS gas to subdue him, but they didn’t, and both police officers were injured.”

The sheriff added: “The accused admitted he had drunk a bottle of vodka before the police arrived.”

Sheriff McIntyre said some of Watson’s injuries could have been a result of him throwing himself around the police van and trying to break free from his handcuffs, although conceded injuries to his back were a “mystery”.

Watson claimed they were caused by one of the police officers.

But the sheriff stated: “I am satisfied that the accused was very aggressive and if he sustained injuries as a consequence, then it is a risk he takes. The injuries were not consistent with baton injuries, as suggested.”

He went on: “I found the police evidence completely credible and reliable, and didn’t find the evidence of the accused or another witness, who had also drunk a bottle of vodka, credible, and accordingly find him guilty.”

Defence solicitor Rory Bannerman said his client planned to start a new life in Australia.

“He tells me he does not have a drink or drug problem, although drink was taken to excess on this occasion,” added Mr Bannerman, who described the offence as “a violent, unsavoury incident”.

Sentence was deferred until June 13 for reports.

Dog was malnourished

A dog’s condition was described as an absolute disgrace after the animal was left malnourished by the woman looking after it.

Thirty-nine-year-old Amanda Hartness was supposed to take care of the Rottweiller-type dog while her partner was in prison.

Hartness, of Croft Road, Hawick, denied failing to provide the dog with adequate nutrition at her home on August 28, but was found guilty after trial.

“She has not had animals before, and this was her partner’s dog,” explained her lawyer, Rory Bannerman.

“He received a lengthy custodial sentence and left the dog with her. She thought he fed it one bowl of food a day and, when it lost significant weight, she put it down to the dog pining for its owner,” added Mr Bannerman.

Sheriff Derrick McIntyre previously ordered reports and Hartness will be sentenced on May 17.

Referring to photographs of the dog, he commented: “I have never seen a Rottweiller in this condition. It is an absolute disgrace.”

An order was made for the dog to be rehomed.

Boozed-up row couple fined

A GALASHIELS couple who subjected neighbours to listening to their four-hour drunken argument were fined a total of £600 at Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday.

Lee Bellamy, 30, and 21-year-old Jessica Fox pleaded guilty to a charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner, shouting and swearing, playing music to an excessive volume, and struggling and fighting with each other at their home in Magdala Terrace on April 26.

Tessa Bradley, prosecuting, described how the incident started at 12.30am at the couple’s one-bedroom flat. The complainers had a three-year-old child and a baby living upstairs.

She said Bellamy and Fox had a volatile relationship and both had been drinking and were drunk.

Ms Bradley explained: “The witness was feeding her baby at 12.30am and she could hear music coming from the locus and doors slamming. She finishing feeding the child, but was unable to get back to sleep because of the noise.

“At 3.30am there was more door slamming and shouting. At 4am her husband was woken by the shouting and swearing at each other, and apparently having a fight and doors being slammed.”

The prosecutor went on: “He called the police. At this point the music was turned up even louder.”

She said officers arrived at 4.30am and could hear the music from outside. When they entered the flat there were signs of a disturbance and both accused were covered in blood.

Ms Bradley said both were detained and admitted to the officers that they had had a shouting match.

Fox’s lawyer, Kathleen More, said her client had moved to her mother’s home in St Boswells after the disturbance, but the couple were keen to get back together.

She said Fox was a student at Borders College studying social care and was also a support worker for the elderly six evenings a week.

Ms More said: “She wishes to apologise to the complainers if she could.”

Ross Dow, for Bellamy, said his client was self-employed and wished to reconcile with Fox.

Sheriff Kevin Drummond pointed out both had previous convictions for breach of the peace.

He said: “This started at 12.30am and was still going on at 4am. Have some consideration for the people living around you.”

He fined Bellamy and Fox £360 and £240 respectively.

Lead assault allegation

A GALASHIELS woman has been accused of striking her partner on the head with a dog lead to his injury.

Hannah Beaton, 23, of High Tweed Mill, is also charged with threatening and abusive behaviour, and shouting and swearing. Both offences are said to have taken place at her home on March 17.

Her partner, Dean McCallum, 21, who is currently serving a prison sentence, also denied an allegation of struggling violently with his partner, and threatening and abusive behaviour.

A trial was fixed for June 4.

Charged with Hawick attack

A HAWICK man appeared from custody and denied attacking a male in the town last Thursday.

Sean Goodfellow, 22, of Myreslaw Green, pleaded not guilty to assaulting Darren Fisher in Rosebank Road.

The Crown opposed bail due to his record and that he still had an unexpired prison sentence to serve.

But defence lawyer Rhona McLeod said her client had a full-time job in removals which he would lose if he was remanded in cusotdy.

Goodfellow was released on bail on the condition that he does not contact the alleged victim and a trial date was fixed for September 5 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

Heroin possession

BEING found in possession of £50 worth of heroin cost Callum Smith a £300 fine.

The 26-year-old, of Balmoral Avenue, Galashiels, pleaded guilty to the offence which happened in nearby Scott Street on February 5.

Case is continued

A 44-year-old man has maintained his not guilty plea to assaulting a woman to her severe injury and permanent disfigurement in a Galashiels nightclub.

Robert Walker, of Murderdean Road, Newtongrange, denies throwing a glass bottle and its contents which struck a woman on her head and face.

The case was continued to May 21.

Insurance fraud trial

A MAN will face a trial accused of carrying out a £32,000 Berwickshire hotel insurance fraud.

Samuel McKeen, 57, is alleged to have falsely claimed to police officers that a theft by housebreaking had taken place at The Dolphin Hotel in Eyemouth between December 2010 and February 2011.

McKeen is also accused of lodging a false insurance claim with CP Adjusting Ltd and Chatis Insurance Ltd by saying items such as televisions, satellite TV recivers, alcohol and household items to the value of £32,848 had been stolen.

The trial by jury was arranged for July 15. There will be an intermediate hearing on June 10.

Accused denies drink-driving

A MOTORIST will stand trial on a drink-driving charge at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

Michael Grey is accused of having a blood/alcohol count of 112 milligrammes – the legal limit being 80. The offence is alleged to have taken place on the A7 near Galashiels on November 4.

The 29-year-old, of Haltwhistle in Northumberland, adhered to his not-guilty plea and the trial will go ahead on June 5.

A 20-year-old man has been remanded in custody after admitting stealing metal from the roof of Hawick Town Hall and two nearby buildings.

Joshua Chalmers, of Croft Road, Hawick, appeared from custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to the town hall metal theft on May 3. He also admitted stealing lead from the roofs of Hawick Conservative Club in Croft Road between May 2 and 4, and from another property in North Bridge Street last Friday.

Chalmers was also on bail from Edinburgh Sheriff Court at the time of the offences.

An application for bail was refused by Sheriff Kevin Drummond and he was remanded in custody until June 7 for the preparation of background reports.

His co-accused – Nicole Kane, 18, also of Croft Road – had a not guilty plea to stealing metal from the North Bridge Street property accepted by the Crown. But she admitted a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice by pretending to police officers that she was another named female with a different date of birth while on bail.

Sentence was deferred on Kane for good behaviour until August 23.

Lauder Common Riding is something of a family affair for the Cornet and Cornet’s Lass, with connections stretching back 60 years.

Elected on Friday night, Cornet Cameron McNeill’s father Crawford carried the burgh flag in 1984.

For this year’s Cornet’s Lass, Helen Middlemiss, the Common Riding runs in the blood of the family.

Her grandfather, father, brother and cousin have all been Cornet, while her grandmother, sister and another cousin have been Cornet’s Lass.

Both Cameron and Helen said there would be no shortage of advice on their year in the town’s spotlight.

“It is excellent to be following in my father’s footsteps,” said Cameron. “There will be a few things he can give me help with along the way.”

The 23-year-old landscape gardener has taken part in the Common Riding since he was 13. Cameron added: “I can’t wait for Common Riding week, it will be the best week of my life.”

Helen and Cameron have been close friends for a number of years, and the 26-year-old Earlston Primary School teacher told us that she would be proud to follow Cameron round the Lauder marches.

She said: “I’m obviously delighted to be Cornet’s Lass, and he is a great choice. It is going to be excellent.

“This will be the 20th year I’ll have ridden, but I’m sure it will be the best. I’m delighted, it is a dream come true.”

Ian Fallas, chairman of Lauder Common Riding Committee, added: “Cameron is another member of the 2010 club to have come through, so we’ve got a good Cornet this year and I’m sure he’ll do the town proud.

“The club was set up by the young lads interested in being Cornet and they’ve had suitable encouragement and have followed the respective Cornets since 2010, so they all have a good knowledge of how things run.”

He explained: “It is a feeder system that is working well just now.”

As ever the picking night in Lauder was well supported by the town and visiting principals.

Ian added: “It all went to plan and we have got a good, popular Cornet and Cornet’s Lass, so it looks like another fine year.”

Employment in the Borders fell by more than five per cent between 2008 and 2012, a report by Scotland’s chief statistician has revealed.

The annual report on the local area labour market was published last week.

It also showed that in the same period there has been a six per cent fall in the number of people working in full time jobs in the region.

However, the report did have some good news, with the area having the fourth lowest level of economic inactivity in Scotland, despite the fourth largest increase between 2008 and last year.

The Borders also had the eighth largest increase in people employed with a degree qualification, which rose from 19 per cent in 2004 to 30 per cent in 2012.

Of those employed in the region, 26.5 per cent work in the public sector.

Rugby greats Jim Renwick, Rob Wainwright, Jim and Finlay Calder and others join Kelso’s Eric Paxton to walk Mosspaul rideout from Hawick for charity next Saturday.

To support visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/trampers3.

Yarrow Feus residents have criticised their local community council for not representing their views on a speed-limit proposal.

The issue arose after Ettrick and Yarrow Community Council objected to the implementation of a 40mph limit in the village, proposed by Scottish Borders Council (SBC) and the police.

However, two residents have said villagers want the speed limit and are amazed at the community council’s stance.

Gillian Rotherham said: “We can’t understand why the community council objected.”

She added that there was a “desperate need” for a speed limit due to the proximity of 20 houses to the road.

Villager Lindsay Shouesmith added: “The vast majority of locals think the speed limit is a good idea, and it is something the school board have pressed for some time.

“Local people attending community council meetings have also pressed for it for years, since the road-speed review looked at a 50mph limit from Selkirk to Moffat.”

Both suspect community councillors have taken rejection of that scheme by local referendum several years ago as a reason to oppose a limit in Yarrow Feus.

They added that the community council did not canvas residents about the latest proposal.

The community council initially told SBC it welcomed speed calming in the village, but did not support the length of the restriction, instead suggesting it could cover the school to the village hall. They also said it would not be enforceable.

However, at a meeting of SBC’s Eildon area forum a community councillor said nobody wanted the limit at all.

Mr Shouesmith responded: “It is ridiculous to say it could not be enforced. You could say that about every speed limit in the country. It just depends on individual drivers, and the vast majority of motorists take notice of speed limits.”

He added: “What the community council said, in my opinion, is not representative of what local people think.”

Jan Watson, community council chairperson, said the council’s role was to gather the views and opinions of locals.

She added: “This was duly verbally done, as SBC had originally conducted a survey on the proposal for a 50mph speed limit on the A708.

“Both had an overwhelmingly negative response as such a restriction affects the majority of the community, other than those who have chosen to live beside the road.”

A 40mph limit will be put in place in the village for one year and then reviewed.

Mrs Watson said: “It seems quite academic that the views of the community are canvassed and then totally ignored.”

Forensic analysis of human remains found near Gordon almost a month ago continues.

A Police Scotland spokesman said experts are hoping to be able to make an identification once the analysis is complete.

A GALASHIELS woman is to stand trial on fraud charges involving more than £25,000.

Forty-year-old Mhairi Dobson, of Broom Drive, is alleged to have received £20,985.30 in housing benefit and £3,065.41 in council tax benefit to which she was not entitled. She is also charged with obtaining £2,460.45 in income support from the Department of Work and Pensions, but not notifying it that her circumstances had changed in that she was married and living with her husband.

The alleged offences date back to November 2010.

Dobson pleaded not guilty to the charges and a trial was fixed for August 20, with an intermediate hearing on July 22.

£300 fine for bully

A TEXTILE firm worker who kicked his partner on the leg during a heated argument was fined £300.

Craig McGarry, 25, appeared from custody and pleaded guilty to the offence which happened at a house in March Street, Peebles, on Sunday evening.

The court was told that his partner felt he was controlling her and he responded angrily when she didn’t answer his calls and text messages while out walking with friends during Sunday.

When she returned to the house the pair had an argument and McGarry assaulted her, causing bruising to her knee.

Prosecutor Tessa Bradley said the victim declined medical attention.

Defending, Robert More said his client accepted the relationship was now over and was ashamed at what he had done.

Sheriff Kevin Drummond described the offence as “simply bullying”.

Offender admonished

A SELKIRK woman who received £2,206 in benefits to which she was not entitled by failing to declare she was working in a call centre has been admonished.

The court was told that that Fiona Oliver, 43, of Roberts Avenue, was repaying the sum to the Department of Work and Pensions.

The offence happened between October 2010 and June 2011.

Trio face assault trial

THREE men have been accused of assaulting a man in the Wilderhaugh area of Galashiels.

Thomas Fleming, 29, and 22-year-old Steven Fleming, both of Tweedholm Avenue East, Walkerburn, and Arran Brunton, of St Ronan’s Road, Innerleithen, pleaded not guilty to punching and kicking the man on the body to his injury on April 7.

A trial was fixed for August 20, with an intermediate hearing on July 22.

Teenager’s not guilty pleas

A SELKIRK teenager has denied assaulting a male and a female in the town.

Jordan Lunt, 18, of Sentryknowe, pleaded not guilty to assaulting a man at Angus O’Malley’s public house and The Valley on March 9 by repeatedly punching, kicking and stamping on his head and body to his injury. He has lodged a special defence of self-defence to that charge.

Lunt also denies assaulting a woman at The Valley on the same day. A trial was fixed for June 4.

Mum and daughter row

A WOMAN who stabbed herself after a vodka-drinking session when she found out her partner had a previous relationship with her daughter was fined £135.

Iwona Tomaszkiewicz, 53, snapped during the row with her daughter when they talked about her partner’s status as a registered sex offender.

The daughter’s two children were also in the one-bedroom flat in Gala Park Court, Galashiels, as the argument flared on a Saturday evening in March with the affair coming to light.

The accused admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner, shouting and swearing, brandishing a knife, striking a television with the weapon and stabbing herself in the stomach.

Prosecutor Tessa Bradley said Tomaszkiewicz’s daughter had come to Galashiels to stay for the weekend with her children and the plan was to stay over, with all three adults drinking vodka in the living room.

She explained the situation deteriorated when the two women started taking about the man’s status as a registered sex offender.

Sheriff Kevin Drummond took into account she was a first offender and planned to return to Poland.

Woman must repay £9,237

A GALASHIELS woman who obtained more than £9,000 in benefits she was not entitled to over a three-year period has been ordered to repay the money.

Karen Hendrie had denied receiving £25,703.65 in severe disablement allowance while failing to mention to Job Centre Plus officials that she was working in the Bon Marche retail clothing store in Channel Street, Galashiels.

But the 49-year-old, of Forest Gardens, pleaded guilty to obtaining the reduced sum of £9,237 in benefits to which she was not entitled to.

Sheriff Kevin Drummond deferred sentence until September 23 to allow Hendrie to repay the outstanding sum.

Tweedmouth Colts1

Peebles Amateurs2

(After extra time)

Peebles won through to the semi-finals of the Forsyth Cup after a hard fought encounter against Tweedmouth.

Lack of clear-cut chances meant a no-scoring first half, but after the restart Peebles started to create problems for the hosts and broke the deadlock when Thomson slotted home.

Colts replied through Palma, ensuring a spell of extra time and with only two minutes remaining Sykes slotted the winner.

Coldstream Ams1

Hawick Legion2

Legion took the lead near the quarter-hour mark through a well-taken goal from Jody Easdon after Jory Robertson did the spade work.

After squandering several chances, Legion went further ahead in the second period. Unavailability of a goal keeper saw Legion manager Clinton Sharkey pull on the gloves and his long clearance saw Callum Hope race in and score.

Sharkey showed his mettle again with three great saves before the Streamers reduced the leeway.

Gala Fairydean0

Leith Athletic5

GALA were under the cosh from the start of this match with the referee awarding a penalty to Leith in the first minute.

Elliot Turnbull saved Craig Hume’s spot kick and blocked the follow-up shot, but the ball deflected onto the inrushing Craig McBride for an own goal.

Midway through the half Jason Stevens extended the visitors’ lead and notched Leith’s third before half-time when he rounded Turnbull and stroked the ball in.

Gala were reduced to 10 men early in the second half when Grant Gass picked up a second yellow card and on the hour, Stevens completed his hat-trick.

Late in the game Lewis Cairns tucked away another penalty to move Leith up to second spot.

Gala Fairydean: E. Turnbull, S. Davidson, A. Brown, G. Lothian, C. McBride, B. Miller, C. Gass, G. Gass, G. Rossi, S. Nightingale (R. Hewitson 58), M. Berry (F. Hointza 75).

Hawick Royal Albert1

Burntisland Shipyard1

IT WAS Hawick Royal Albert’s final home game of the season as well as their last opportunity to record their first league win of the term at Albert Park.

However, it was a chance that they were unable to take in a game that had little or nothing going for it.

Hawick coach Davie Aitkin told The Southern: “Both sides just appeared to be going through the motions, we should have won as our build-up moves were better, but our finishing was not clinical enough.”

The opening quarter-hour conjured up absolutely nothing. In the 17th minute, however, Burntisland soared into the lead when Gavin Bridges broke forward to skip round Hawick keeper, Steven West, to score.

West in turn pulled off a fine save from Kevin Masson, while Shipyard keeper Mikey Coles did not see his first piece of action until after the half-hour mark when clutching a Declan Hogg free kick from just under the bar.

In the 39th minute, Albert equalised when Peter Keenan flicked the ball in the air before driving a shot high into the net from close range.

Things failed to pick up after the break with goalmouth incidents few and far between. Six minutes fromtime, Hawick should have taken the lead when Hogg was upended in the box, but Keenan’s spot kick was saved.

Hawick Royal Albert: S. West, K. Fettes, S. Russell (M King), S. Loughlin, G. Johnston (S. Burrell), R. Fleming (D. Strathdee), I. Zenati, D. Heaver, P. Keenan, D. Hogg, A. Swailes.

Hawick rider Hilary Mactaggart made a victorious start to the 2013 show season by winning the ridden hunter championship at Sunday’s inaugural City of Edinburgh show.

The event hosted 32 showing classes, held in three indoor rings.

Hilary, who lives at Greendale, near Whitehaugh, rode her 16.2hh gelding Windsor Wood to head the ridden lightweight hunter class at the Scottish National Equestrian Centre at Oatridge, near Broxburn. The pair then qualified for the prestigious evening performance, performed to music in the floodlit indoor arena, with commentary from Forth One’s Arlene Stuart.

Hilary and Windsor Wood took championship honours, receiving their trophy from the Lord Provost of Edinburgh.

Unex Canaletto defied his 25-1 odds to land the novices’ handicap hurdle race at Kelso last week for Langholm trainer James Ewart.

Relishing the better ground, the gelding was always handy, and cruised up the run-in for a four-length success.

Winning jockey Brian Hughes went on to complete a double when landing the concluding open National Hunt flat race aboard Secrete Stream.

Ewart was deprived of a double when De Boitron held Beneficial Reform to take the feature handicap chase (for the Haddington Jubilee Cup), scoring the first of two wins for trainer Ferdy Murphy. Full report and results, plus a look ahead to Ladies Day (Sunday, May 26) at www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk