A scoping application for a 30-turbine wind farm has been submitted at Cockburnspath.

Chesire-based Community Windpower Ltd are behind the bid, which will be decided by the council by the end of June.

Tenders are being sought by Scottish Borders Council to administer its pension fund which has a shortfall of almost £173million.

A Prior Information Notice has been issued for the provision of an IT system, with the contract valued up to £310,000 over five years.

An SBC spokesman said the new tender has no relation to the shortfall in the pension pot which has a total of 9,000 members as of March last year, including 4,230 contributing staff and 2,611 pensioners.

The spokesman added: “This Prior Information Notice is not about privatising administration, this will continue to be carried out in-house on a new or upgraded platform and has no relationship to the Accounting Pension Liability in the accounts.”

The latest annual report reveals the fund was worth £393million, but with obligations of over £565million.

The fund value rose by £20million over 2011/12, mainly through realised gains achieved on the sale of investments and higher levels of investment income. The performance of the fund on a three-year rolling average basis was reported to be 17.5 per cent, above the benchmark of 15.9 per cent.

During the year employers contributed £14.5million to the pension fund, with employees adding a further £4.6million.

Over 1,000 primary school aged children from across the Borders participated in the 10th Borders Sport and Leisure Festival of Football yesterday.

The annual event is one of biggest participation events in the region and the largest event of its kind in Scotland.

A record 114 teams took part at Netherdale with games taking place on a round robin basis. The event also featured the cup finals of the SBJFA for U13s, U14s, U15s, and U17s on the 3G Arena Netherdale pitch.

The event is organised by Borders Sport & Leisure in conjunction with the SBJFA and honours the memory of Selkirk teenager, Cameron Gunn, who died whilst playing football aged 19 in 1991.

Ewan Jackson, chief executive of Borders Sport and Leisure, said: “This was a fantastic day and it is brilliant to see this event go from strength to strength.

About 2,500 people attended the festival between competitors and supporters, the largest number to date. This festival plays a key role in encouraging Primary School pupils to play football and it was really rewarding to see so many young people enjoying competitive sport.”

Drew Kelly, Scottish FA development officer, said: “This year’s festival was a huge success with all the children playing the game in great spirit and showing some impressive skills. The event is supported by the teams and officials involved in the SBJFA league and represents the pinnacle of their season. We are really grateful for all the help and support they provided on the day.”

Full match reports and photos from each final will be in TheSouthern this Thursday.

SBJFA cup final results:

Under 13s – Jack Gilchrist Cup, Gala 2-1 Hawick (after extra time); Under 14s – Bruce Scott Cup, Gala 2-5 Eyemouth (after extra time); Under 15s - Cameron Gunn Cup, Gala Fairydean 6-1 Selkirk; Under 17s Chris Doyle Cup, Duns 3-1 Hawick.

Gala’s Chris Auld and Russell Anderson feature in Scotland’s starting XV for the Under 20 Junior World Championships opener against Argentina tomorrow night.

Langholm lad Anderson and Auld, originally from Dumfries, will be hoping to impress at the Stade Pascal Laporte in Nantes, France, to ensure they start the remaining pool games against Wales and Samoa.

Anderson and Auld are the only players from Borders clubs in the 23-man squad for tomorrow’s match, which kicks off at 8pm local time.

Coach Sean Lineen said: “Training has been good. The boys have been working exceptionally hard and they needed to because tomorrow’s game will be a massive challenge.

“Argentina are immensely physical, have a quality set-piece and run hard, which we’ll need to be ready for and combat.

“You look at the players and can see that it’s a very exciting group so it’s up to us to provide an environment for them to flourish and develop.

“But it’s not a tour, this is World Cup. It’s great to be here for three weeks, and it’s great for the players and their development, but we’re here to win games. That’s what this is about.

“Their work ethic has been outstanding, I couldn’t have asked for more from anyone on that front. It is now about our accuracy and decision-making under pressure.”

Scotland U20s: R. Young (Edinburgh Accies), J. Farndale (Edinburgh Accies/Edinburgh Rugby), C. Auld (Edinburgh Rugby/Gala), M. Bennett (Glasgow Warriors/Stirling County), R. Hughes (Scotland 7s/Stirling County), T. Allan (Perpignan), S. Steele (Leicester Tigers); J. Bhatti (Stirling County), R. Anderson (Gala), D. Rae (Ayr), A. Sinclair (Perpignan), J. Gray (Glasgow Warriors/Currie), T. Spinks (London Scottish), W. Bordill (Sale Sharks), A. Ashe (Glasgow Warriors/Stirling County).

Subs: R. Kennedy (Stirling County), R. Wilson (Boroughmuir), P. Cringle (Edinburgh Rugby/Stewart’s Melville FP), R. Leishman (Stirling County), E. Masterson (Leinster), A. Price (Bedford Blues), R. Fergusson (Ayr), D. Hoyland (Boroughmuir).

Former Selkirk centre Alex Dunbar will earn his first Scotland cap on Saturday against Samoa in Durban, South Africa.

The 23-year-old Glasgow Warrior is one of three new caps, alongside 24-year-old Edinburgh Rugby full-back Greig Tonks and Pat MacArthur, 26, also a Warrior.

Kelly Brown of Saracens and Greig Laidlaw of Edinburgh are the only Borderers in the starting line up, with Geoff Cross of Edinburgh on the bench.

In addition there are a further three uncapped players on the bench, Stevie Lawrie, Peter Horne and Duncan Taylor.

All in, there are five changes of personnel and one positional switch from Scotland’s last game – the defeat away to France, which rounded-off the RBS 6 Nations Championship in March.

Scotland head coach Scott Johnson said: “We want to broaden the base and it (selection) gives us the perfect opportunity to see how these guys stand up in Test footy.

“They have all the artillery coming for our game and we’re going out to compete on all fronts.

“We have 25 test matches available to us prior to the World Cup. I’ve said regularly that we’re not going to give test jerseys away but we cannot be exposed to injury issues and the best way to prevent that is to give players opportunities.”

The match kicks off at 1.15pm UK time.

Scotland: G. Tonks (Edinburgh), S. Lamont, A. Dunbar (both Glasgow Warriors), M. Scott, T. Visser (both Edinburgh), T. Heathcote (Bath), G. Laidlaw (Edinburgh); R. Grant, P. MacArthur (both Glasgow), E. Murray (Worcester Warriors), G. Gilchrist (Edinburgh), A. Kellock (Glasgow), A. Strokosch (Perpignan), K. Brown (Saracens), J. Beattie (Montpellier).

Subs: S. Lawrie (Edinburgh), A. Dickinson (Sale Sharks), G. Cross (Edinburgh), J. Hamilton (Gloucester), R. Wilson, H. Pyrgos, P. Horne (all Glasgow), D. Taylor (Saracens).

Derek Wood has been appointed the new coach of Hawick YM.

The former Redskins player takes over from Jammy McFarlane, who led the Mansfield Haugh side to back-to-back promotions to Championship B last season.

The club then consolidated their position in the third tier of Scottish club rugby, finishing a respectable fifth. McFarlane has left after taking on a development officer role at Kelso at the start of the year.

Hawick YM will face relegated Jed-Forest next season, as well as promoted Livingston.

TweedLove 2013 will be remembered for two reasons - the unprecedented wall to wall sunshine and for the international cycling stars that made their way to the Tweed Valley.

Cyclists flew in from Chile, New Zealand, the USA and Canada to pit themselves against the Tweed Valley’s best known names.

The action kicked off on May 24 with a non-competitive mountain bike ride out for teenagers, followed by the launch of the annual photo competition and some skills sessions especially for women.

It was all about enduro on Saturday and Sunday, as nearly 500 mountain bikers made their way to Tweed Green in Peebles for the POC King and Queen of the Hill race. The gruelling five hour stage race saw local talent shine, with Gary Forest of Eshiels and Emma Guy of Innerleithen take the top spots on the podium.

Monday saw the only adverse weather of the week, but a hardy procession of riders still made their way out to take part in the Natural Tweed ride in the hills.

The sun was back in time for the Peebles sprint and Family Ride on Tuesday. Nearly 500 families took to the streets of Peebles to make the most of the closed road circuit that had been laid out for some of the country’s fastest road racers.

The family ride was followed by the ladies sprint, and it was Louise Borthwick of Edinburgh Road Club who was victorious, whilst in the men’s it was junior rider Mark Stewart – who didn’t even pop his winner’s champagne as he’d promised to save it for his mum.

Peebles Cycling Club hosted a Dirt Crit for under 16s on Wednesday night – with over 150 youngsters taking part at Glentress. TweedLove Organiser Neil Dalgleish said the event was one of the festival highlights for him.

“To see so many children on bikes was just amazing,” said Neil.

The action moved inside on Thursday, as the Eastgate Theatre hosted a film night. As well as a showing of the latest Red Bull offering Where the Trail Ends the film and photo competition results were also announced.

In the film category it was From Russia with TweedLove that took top honours, whilst in the photo category it was Chris Ball’s picture of famous cycling photographer Sven Martin that was awarded first place.

There was an old school flavour to Friday night as Glentress Lodges opened up their grounds for the TweedLove Dual Slalom.

The course saw two competitors race head to head down a tight, steep course with a knockout style of racing. There were audible gasps from both the competitors and crowds when none other than rider Steve Peat turned up to throw his hat in the ring.

The Santa Cruz rider is the most successful downhill mountain biker in the history of the sport, with over 50 world cup podiums to his name along with a world champion title. But Peat was saving himself for the downhill race at Innerleithen on Sunday and didn’t push it, with Chris Ball of Dirtschool eventually taking the win.

Another glorious day of sunshine awaited the 600 competitors at the Glentress Seven last Saturday.

The seven hour cross country race was a tough event – even the nine Santa Cruz racers who flew in especially from California were surprised by how tough the course was.

However, the tough race conditions certainly didn’t put Santa Cruz off as they chose TweedLove for the global launch of their new bike, the Solo.

The MacFarlane Hall was the setting for the event, with 150 of the great and good of international cycling packed in to watch the solo launch film, shot in the Highlands of Scotland last month and featuring Steve Peat.

The film was followed by a question and answer session, along with lashings of a rare whisky specially donated by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Tweed Green was the venue for the family day on Sunday, with kids as young as two taking to a specially prepared race course on their balance bikes. There were no winners as such – but every entrant wen home with an ice cream and rosette.

Meanwhile, down in Innerleithen there was a very different style of racing underway, as some of the biggest names in mountain biking turned out for the British Downhill Series race. An international field made their way to the famous trails in preparation for the opening round of the World Cup series at Fort William this weekend. However, it was British talent on the podium with Adam Brayton and Rachel Atherton taking the gold.

Neil Dalgleish thinks this year’s festival was by far the best yet.

He added: “TweedLove 2013 has been outstanding. Not only has the sun shone all week, but we have also welcomed visitors from all over the world and shown them just how special the people and the riding in the Tweed Valley are.

“From the army of volunteers who have given up their time to help, to the competitors and spectators, everyone has commented on what an incredible atmosphere there is here. Our international visitors especially have been bowled over by the warmth and generosity they have been shown by the local people.

“TweedLove is the only cycling festival I can think of that attracts world class athletes as well as young children and families, and that actually reflects the riding community we have here in the Borders. I couldn’t be happier with the way this year has gone or be more grateful for all the support we have received.”

For full results from all the events visit www.tweedlove.com

Scotland’s record rugby cap holder Chris Paterson, hockey Olympian Janet Jack and motor racing star David Wagner attended this year’s Champions in Schools Showcase, the highlight of the Borders Champions in Schools Programme.

Over 100 people gathered at the Volunteer Hall in Galashiels to hear the athletes outline their personal involvement with the project and to see pupils present their views on the scheme.

Organised by Borders Sport and Leisure’s Active Schools team, the Champions in Schools programme was developed by the Winning Scotland Foundation and involves Scottish sporting heroes visiting classrooms to inspire children in goal setting, healthy lifestyles and adopting a winning attitude in life.

Ten sports personalities participated in this year’s event and visited schools across the region. They included Paralympic silver medallist Libby Clegg, ocean rower Leven Brown, rugby stars Ross Ford and Greig Laidlaw, hockey player Derek Salmond and judo expert Sarah Adlington.

Paterson said: “It’s fantastic to have been able to play an active role in Champions in Schools for the last four years in the Borders.

“The enthusiasm shown by the pupils as they set and achieve personal ambitions, pursue a healthy lifestyle, and appreciate the value of hard work in order to achieve success has been great to see.

“The showcase event has been a really good way to bring everybody together to celebrate the programme and most importantly, hear from young people as they share their experiences.”

Ewan Jackson, chief executive of BSLT said: “We have been working with the Winning Scotland Foundation for four years to deliver the Champions in Schools Programme and 43 schools have participated to date. It is a truly inspiring initiative that has a major impact on the young people involved and helps them to expand their horizons and look towards achieving their dreams.”

Rick Orr, Winning Scotland Foundation added: “Sportsmen and women are so valuable to society, because they can pass on crucial life messages to young people – such as the importance of working hard, setting targets, overcoming obstacles and of course, looking after yourself physically.

“We are extremely grateful to have Borders Sport & Leisure on board as partners – their messages and priorities mirror our own, and together we are committed to helping young people make the right lifestyle choices.”

The 12 schools that were visited by a sporting hero as part of the initiative this year were: Kingsland Primary School (Peebles), Clovenfords Primary School, Lilliesleaf Primary School, Drumlanrig Primary School, Morebattle Primary School, Lauder Primary School, Duns Primary School, Howdenburn Primary School (Jedburgh), Coldingham Primary School, Hawick High School, Jedburgh Grammar School and Eyemouth High School.

Gala Rovers 3 Greenlaw 0

Waddell Cup final

Gala Rovers completed a hat-trick of trophies for the season with an at times bad-tempered victory in the Waddell Cup final at Greenlaw’s Happer Park last night.

The match hinged on incidents in the 55th and 56th minutes when firstly referee Raymond Hume sent off Greenlaw player/manager Lawrie Dunn for a penalty box foul on Des Sutherland, with the subsequent spot kick converted by Andy Hardie.

Just a minute later, the home support were incensed as whistler Hume failed to award a spot kick at the other end for a foul on Jake Galbraith, with Greenlaw also claiming that Rovers defender Shane Greene should have been sent off following a confrontation with William Smillie.

But the tie was finished on the hour when Des Sutherland fired home to make it 2-0 to Gala.

Greenlaw continued to push to get back into the game and Dean Carruthers should have scored from six yards out, only to knee over Sean Spoor’s inviting free kick.

Four minutes from time, Sutherland grabbed his 73rd goal of an incredible season with a fine strike high into the net, despite the best efforts of Greenlaw stopper Dave Catlin.

Gala coach Steven Noble said: “To score 73 goals is a phenomenal achievement, considering he was in intensive care at the start of the season (Sutherland fell off a ladder).

“I am proud of the players for all they have achieved this year,” added Noble, with Rovers having won Division A, Beveridge Cup and now Waddell Cup.

Home manager Dunn was less pleased: “That was never a penalty in a month of Sundays and then we are denied one at the other end. Gala should also have had a man sent off when Bob Noble fouled one of our guys when on a yellow card.

“It was a very even match and we had created the best chances up until my sending off.

“However, I am very proud of the players. We managed to win eight of our last ten league games to stay in Division A, and have reached our first Waddell Cup final in 40 years.”

Read more in tomorrow’s Southern.

Gala Rovers: M. Fenton (S. King 43), G. Nicol (K. Martin 89), K. Matheson, P. Hossack, S. Greene, A. Nicol, C. Jardine (Stuart Noble 75), K. Collins, D. Sutherland, A. Hardie, B. Noble (D. Bond 82).

Greenlaw: D. Catlin, S. Burns (A. Redpath 80), M. Long, L. Dunn, T. Culham, R. Smillie, A. Smith, S. Spoor, W. Smillie, D. Carruthers, J. Galbraith.

A Duns scrap metal business has been fined a total of £53,000 for a series of offences relating to waste.

At Duns Sheriff Court today, David Cochrane Ltd were punished for illegally keeping and treating waste for 14 years and for failing to remove a quantity of mixed waste metals, liquid waste, tyres and batteries after being required to do so by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

As well as one of the most significant fines for such offending, the case also resulted in the first confiscation order to be made under Proceeds of Crime legislation for an environmental offence.

A Confiscation Order for £41,131 in terms of the Proceeds of Crime (Scotland) Act 1995 was made against the company on May 8.

The offences took place at Cheeklaw Works, Station Road, Duns where the company dealt in the recovery and treatment of scrap metal as well as other waste such as tyres and batteries.

SEPA had continually advised the company that an impermeable pavement with sealed drainage was required at the site for their business but nothing was ever put in place.

Impermeable surfaces are required for the storage and sorting of scrap, liquid waste and batteries to avoid the risk of any liquids from the waste soaking into the soil and groundwater and contaminating the water environment.

When SEPA required the removal of the waste through an enforcement notice in November 2011, this was not complied with by the deadline given of June 30 last year. The waste was eventually all removed by October 2012.

The financial history of the company was carefully assessed by financial investigators and accountants in the Serious and Organised Crime Division of the Crown Office which led to the Confiscation Order being made on May 8. The Confiscation Order represents the full benefit that the company made from failing to comply with the legislation and fees they avoided by failing to obtain a full waste management licence.

Craig Harris, Procurator Fiscal, Wildlife and Environment said: “This company was operating on a site that they had refused to make fit for purpose at the expense of the local environment.

“This investigation and prosecution was a result of excellent partnership working between SEPA, Police Scotland and specialist prosecutors from both the Wildlife and Environmental Crime Unit and the Serious and Organised Crime Division.

“The Confiscation Order made in this case represents a highly significant step forward in the fight against environmental crime.

“Both the Order and the sentence imposed send a clear message to those who do not comply with our environmental laws. They will not profit from failing in their duty to Scotland’s heritage.”

Bruce Dick, Ewan McQuillin and Chris Auld have all been included in Edinburgh Rugby’s elite development programme for next season.

Melrose stand-off Dick makes the switch across from Glasgow Warriors, while McQuillin and Auld step up from Gala.

However, Melrose full back Fraser Thomson has left Glasgow Warriors elite development programme.

Edinburgh EDP coach Bryan Easson, said: “The players coming in have shown undoubted potential having been highlighted throughout the season by regional academy coaches and in age-grade international rugby.

“They now have an excellent opportunity to live as a professional rugby player.

“It’s not just about coming in and training, it’s about technical and tactical rugby, mental and physical preparation; rest, recovery and nutrition.

“It’s a great chance to work daily with seasoned international players as well as recent graduates like Matt [Scott] and Grant [Gilchrist]. It’s fantastic to think that they were EDPs this time two years ago.

“That’s how quick it can happen but it takes a lot of hard work and commitment to become world class, and that should be the aim of every player on this programme.”

AFTER introducing more than 500 people to the art of shooting longbows the previous week at Traquair, Ettrick Forest Archers were busy competing in their own home event.

On a hot and sunny Saturday, the club held its open target competition.

Alan Beatty took the silver medal for the gents, while Ettrick Forest’s Alan Lindsay and Richard Tice took the bronze medals for highest score and most golds.

And the ladies was a clean sweep for the guests, with Highland’s Barbara Campbell taking silver for most hits, and Elizabeth Normand and Christine Beatty taking the other medals.

And junior Kyle Fairbairn took the club silver medal.

There were also two spot prizes, won by host club members Ev Craig and Kev Janiak.

Ettrick Forest results: 2, Alan Lindsay 76, 352, 9; 3, Alex Blake 76, 314, 6; 4, Richard Tice 71, 333, 8; 6, Doug Anderson 69, 295, 4; 8, Jimmy Stillie 66, 268, 3; 10, Elaine Pearson 61, 239, 1; 11, William Good 60, 232, 6; 12, Mike Pearson 59, 247, 3; 13, Colin Cairney 59, 245, 7; 20 Jim Craig 40, 126, 0; 21, Kyle Fairbairn (Jr) 38, 158, 3; 22, Kevin Janiak 38, 148, 2; 23, Ev Craig 38, 138, 2; 24, Michael Liddle 35, 125, 1; 26, Jenna Agate 29, 111, 2; 27, Helen Ogilivie 21, 85, 2; 28, Trevor Austin 14, 36, 2.

And the fine weather not only continued to the Sunday, but got even better, as the club hosted the Celtic Nations Clout.

However, whoever arranged for the sun to come out must have forgotten to switch off the wind, which curtailed the archers’ scores somewwhat.

Campbell continued her domination of the ladies’ event, with Emma Gillies of Kilwinning and Selkirk’s Jenna Agate taking the round medals. Kyle Fairbairn grabbed three clouts on his way to earning another club medal, while Kilwinning’s Scott Notman won the men’s title with Highland’s Bill Campbell taking the first round and Selkirk’s Sam Mackay the second – his first BLBS medal as a senior archer.

Ettrick Forest results: Ladies – 4, Jenna Agate 36 hits, 96 score, 3 clouts; 5, Elaine Pearson 39, 93, 1; 8, Ev Craig 28, 65, 0; 9, Helen Ogilvie 20, 44, 0.

Junior – Kyle Fairbairn 26, 67, 3.

Gents – 3, Adair Anderson 26, 58, 0; 4, Jim Craig 24, 56, 0; 5, Jimmy Stillie 30, 55, 0; 6, Kevin Janiak 22, 55, 0; 7, Alex Blake 22, 51, 1; 8, Sam Mackay 21, 51, 1; 11, William Good 16, 40, 0; 12, Doug Anderson 17, 36, 1; 13, Mike Pearson 19, 35, 0; 14, Frank Brown 21, 34, 0; 15, Colin Cairney 21, 33, 0; 16, Alan Lindsay 17, 33, 0; 19, Richard Tice 4, 9, 0.

In the best ends shoot-off, Bill Campbell of Highland and Emma Gillies of Kilwinning were the winners, while Scotland retained the Celtic Nations trophy.

Kelso swimmer Lucy Hope prepared for her European Junior Championships debut with seven gold medals at the East District Open.

The three-day event at the Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh also incorporated the Scottish Grand Prix, and attracted Olympic swimmers such as Hannah Miley, Robbie Renwick, Liam Tancock and Fran Halsall.

But in the East section, 16-year-old Hope, who was competing in a new £300 racing suit paid for by Borders Sport and Leisure Trust, claimed two senior titles in the 100m back and fly.

And she added a further five wins in the junior section.

Hope heads for Poland next month as part of the Great Britain junior squad following selection back in March.

Borders Elite Swim Team coach Alex Jordan said: “It will be a great experience for her and we are indebted to BSLT for rewarding her GB selection by paying for the new racing suit.”

Fellow Kelso swimmers Kirsty Armstrong and Ryan Brown also impressed last weekend in the Scottish capital.

Fifteen-year-old Brown took gold in the 200m back, medley and fly, as well as the 400m medley in the juniors, while Armstrong was first in the senior 200m fly, despite being only 13, and also won the 100m and 200m fly in the junior section.

Other Borders competitors were Gregor and Kathryn Swinney from Peebles and Kelso pair Robbie Czajka and Lizi Clelland.

bowling

Earlston

The club’s invitation rinks was held on Saturday and a home rink of Graham Rutherford, George Douglas, Norman Kellett and Pat McNally defeated the Duns Park rink of Andrew Ross, Valerie Angus, Gordon Scott and Ian Angus.

After being well down, Earlston managed to secure a win after an extra end was played.

Thanks go to Thomas Brown & Sons, Funeral Directors for its continued support of this tournament.

On Friday the senior rink, pair, triple and rink successfully made it through to the next round of the Scottish qualifications.

Hawick

Last Tuesday saw the senior team travel to their local rivals Wilton. With a slick playing green, Wilton won 61-42. Hawick’s only winning rink was the G. Lyall skipped rink.

The B team travelled to play Gala and came out comfortable 73.25-39.25 winners, both teams having to be partly made up of triple rinks.

The A team made the 40-mile trip to Peebles, and enjoyed a rain-free evening, and managed to come out tops by just the one shot, 77-76.

Langholm New Town

The club held its local triples tournament for the Langholm Dyeing Perpetual Challenge Cup last Saturday, with 16 entries.

The winning triple under the name of the Low Flyers was Rob Barnfather, Rob Davidson and Ian Scott. In a closely-contested final they beat Duncan Ritchie, Jim Little and Mark Railton.

The tournament was sponsored by Paul Mitchell and the cup was presented by New Town president Neil Campbell.

Langholm Old Town

The Old Town entry of Grant Fletcher, Colin Turk and Billy Currie won their own invitation American triples tournament on Sunday.

The beaten finalists were the Eastriggs triple of Lee Nisbett, William Adams and Alan Robertson. There was an entry of 24 and the presentations were made by ladies member Elma Aitken.

clays

Braidwood

Summer arrived at Braidwood last weekend and the Cavers Quaich was keenly fought for with an exciting shoot off to find the winner of the first round.

The top score was 33 ex-40 for the opener and Donald Livingston was the eventual winner, beating Jim Brodie and Dougie Murdie. The second round saw Jim Brodie win on 39 ex-40, beating Dougie Murdie on 35, closely followed by Hawick’s Hugh Sadler on 34. Jim Brodie’s overall score of 71 was enough to win on aggregate.

Curling

Ayton Castle and Chirnside AGMs

At Ayton Castle, Roberta-Ann Forrest’s reign saw them win the Tweedmouth Kettle after a 15-year interval, and a quite strong Border League effort was also a high point. John Reid now presides, no doubt putting a combination of his engineering skills, and his Rotary tour experiences towards his presidency.

David MacAlpine has been chosen as vice president, while Bill Stewart is retained as secretary and treasurer and possibly sole Ayton member/resident.

William Davidson is now the Chirnside president succeeding Garry Beaumont whose generosity, availability, and ever improving skill with the cue, have been much appreciated.

Ingeborg Crabbie has tentatively been nominated as vice-president, while Andrew Morgan is secretary, and Douglas Wright is at the treasury. As a footnote, congratulations to past members George and Sheena Millar on their joint 160th birthday.

cycling

TweedLove

TweedLove 2013 concluded on Sunday after 10 days of sun and action, including an appearance by Steve Peat, the most successful downhill mountain biker in the history of the sport. Read the full report at www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk

FOOTBALL

Any supporters missing their fix of Old Firm football headed down to Elliot Park last Saturday as Jedburgh Celtic supporters took on their Rangers counterparts.

A crowd of around 350 watched as Rangers ran out 5-4 winners in a penalty shoot-out to lift the Susanna Smith Memorial Trophy.

In normal time, Craig Hall put Celtic in the lead, but Gary Hunter levelled thing up for the Gers.

Ian ‘Soapy’ McLean put Jed Rangers 2-1 up at half-time, but the Hoops hit back when Kevin Lee’s thunderous shot hit Kyle Finlayson and flew into the net.

However, Finlayson was to prove the penalty shoot-out hero, netting the winning goal after Hall and Chloe Rollie had missed.

The day raised a total of £500 for the Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) charity.

There was also time for ex-Jed Legion and Ancrum player Kevin Cooper to pick up a special award for services to Borders and Jedburgh football.

General Sport

Champions in Schools

Chris Paterson, Janet Jack and emerging racing star David Wagner all spoke to an audience of 100 last week at the Volunteer Hall, Galashiels, as part of the Champions in Schools Showcase, the highlight of the Borders Champions in Schools Programme.

Full story at www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk

golf

Hawick

Medal/Rosebowl: 1, S. Donaldson 94 (25) 69; 2, P. Leithead 97 (24) 73. Scratch: M. Morrison 87.

Kelso

Roxburghe Cup: 1, H. Robertson 82 (18) 64; 2, G. Crozier 90 (25) 65; 3=,J. Hughes 87 (21) 66, M. Brydon 81 (15) 66; M. Johnston 78 (12) 66.

Clydesdale Bank Competition: 1, S. McElrath 71 (5) 66; 2= W. Mulroy 82 (14) 68/C. Logan 76 (8) 68/D. Scott 76 (8) 68.

Bert Taylor Trophy: 1, E. Wichary 42 points; 2= I. Thomas/I. Edwards/J.A. Anderson/W. Hastie 39.

Lauder

Gents Torwoodlee Pitcher: 1, I. Scott 80 (11) 69; 2, J. Felton 88 (17) 71 bih; 3, A. Anderson 94 (23) 71.

Ladies Bell Cups: 1, L. Gray/L. Hogarth; 2, A. Holton/M. Herkes.

Ladies Stableford: 1, A. Holton 33 points; 2, L. Gray 32.

Lilliardsedge

Seniors Open: 1, A. Scott (Minto) nett 69 (countback); 2, I. MacDonald (Melrose) 69 (countback); 3, J. Drover (Melrose). Scratch: W. Ritchie (Hawick) 80. Age 55-62: P. Forsyth (Woll). Scratch: C, Levell (Jedburgh). Age 63-70: 1, B. Robertson (Lilliardsedge); 2, M. McKay (Lilliardsedge). Scratch: P. Richardson (Jedburgh). Age 70+: 1, J. Lumsden (Gala). Scratch: J. Temple (Torwoodlee).

Melrose

Coronation Foursomes: 1, V. Hogg/Linda Wallace 35 points; 2, J. Shirra-Gibb/J. Whiteford 32.

Sponsors Scramble: 1, Belhaven; 2, Spar (Melrose).

Captains Prizes: 1, P. Wardell 45 pts; 2, A. Cockburn 43; 3, I. Ramsey 42. Best past captain- D. Grant 36.

Minto

Gents/Seniors Stableford: 1, D. Willison 38 (after countback); 2, T. Mulvee 38; 3= J. Graham/I. Douglas 37.

Ladies Salver: Silver Division – 1, L. Moore 69 nett; Scratch – M. Glendinning 94. Bronze Division – 1, L. Bruce 75 nett; Scratch – L. Geatons 100.

Juniors Mitchell Trophy: 1, F. Lothian 63; Scratch – R. Latta 74.

Gents/Seniors June Medal: Division 1 – D. Jardine 67; Division 2 – P. Cranston 84; Division 3 – J. Rae 86.

Ladies Charity Stableford: 1, M. Towers 35; 2, L. Geatons 29.

Roxburghe

A Kelso golfer has received a limited-edition BOSS watch after scoring a hole-in-one during a recent competition.

Arthur Patterson, 63, scored his ace on the 188-yard, par three fourth, at his club, and the eight-handicapper was rewarded with membership of the exclusive BOSS Watches H1 Club and a specially-commissioned, commemorative timepiece.

St Boswells

Ladies Championship Qualifier: 1, J. Knox 85 (20) 65; 2, R. Macdonald 99 (31) 68; 3, M. Allen 90 (22) 68. Scratch: G. Oliver 75.

Eildon Trophy (2): 1, D. Murdoch 80 (18) 62; 2, K. Swinton 77 (14) 63; 3, L. Douglas 78 (15) 63.

Torwoodlee

Willie Moffat Competition: 1, M. O’Rourke 74 (8) 66; 2, I. Thomson 77 (19) 67; 3, D. Bowden 79 (11) 68 bih.

Tuesday Stroke: 1, D. Gillie 67 (1) 66; 2, C. Forsyth 82 (13) 69 BIH; 3, S. Carruthers 75 (6) 69.

homing

Earlston & District

Members sent 138 birds to Peterborough, liberated into a north west wind. Results: 1, 2, 3, W. Gray & Son 1034.25; 4, A. Bain 938.24; 5, A. Simpson 926.43; 6, 7, 8, I. Gray 900.37; 9, S. Martin 786.16.

Galashiels

Ten members sent 156 birds to Peterborough, a distance of 237 miles. Results: 1, 2, 8, J. Wyper 1013.074; 3, 4, 7, 9, Douglas & Spearman 901.425; 5, B. Dixon 878.313; 6, 10, K. Jamieson-McDermott 867.057.

Jedburgh

Five members sent 88 birds to Peterborough, a distance of 224 miles. Results: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, A. Agnew & Son 1012.113; 2, I. Oliver 966.814; 7, 8, T. Wilson 814.930.

Langholm

Members liberated 89 birds from Cheltenham over 228 miles in a light north-west wind last Saturday. Results: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, R.V. Graham 1238.847; 3, A. Henderson 1198.403; 4, D, Nordon 1197.526; 5, A, Henderson 1197.146.

rugby

Club awards

James Hemara of Peebles was named Championship B player of the season, while Melrose’s Gillian Inglis picked up the Women’s Premier One player of the year title.

Hawick YM

Derek Wood has been appointed the new coach of Hawick YM. The former Redskins player takes over from Jammy McFarlane, who led the Mansfield Haugh side to back-to-back promotions up to Championship B.

Langholm enjoyed a successful weekend, posting their highest ever Eden Valley League score of 289 for 8 at Penrith last Saturday, writes John Smith.

Skipper Duncan Elliott, Gregor Park and Graham Park hit half centuries while Penrith were dismissed for 124 in reply.

On Sunday, in the Junior League Cup at the Castleholm, Langholm defeated Wigton 3rds by 83 runs. The Muckle Toon men scored 99 for 4 and 84 for 7, while Wigton scored 71 all out and 29 all out.

Ben Maxwell (35) and Andrew Bell (31) impressed with the bat, while Jack Pool picked up 4 for 6.

Gala beat Largo by 104 runs

EAST LEAGUE DIVISION TWO

Gala hosted previously undefeated table toppers Largo, but it was the Meigle Park men who came out on top with an emphatic 104-run victory.

Stevie Halls and David Boland got the home side off to a great start of 68 in only 14 overs before Rintoul removed Boland for 22.

Halls went on to record his third half century of the season, going on to score 65, before being dismissed going down the wicket to off spinner Brown.

The home side lost some momentum in the middle of the innings, but useful contributions from Duncan Millar (24), Neil Crooks (37) and Graeme Ormiston (30 not out) saw Gala take their total to 215 for 8 after 50 overs.

Stand-in opening bowlers Dinesh Tharanga and Dean Moir were on great form to reduce the visitors to 52 for 5 with Tharanga picking up 3 for 28 and Moir 2 for 20. Crooks (3 for 24) and Rory Hancock (2 for 10) helped finish Largo off for 111.

St Boswells lost their final five wickets for no runs as they slumped to a 204-run loss to Grange 2nds in East Division One.

Grange made 275 for 8 with Elliot Hunter claiming 3 for 50, but the Villagers crumbled from 70 for 4 to 71 all out.

Kelso suffered a 22-run loss at Livingston in Division Three. The home side scored 146 all out, Callum Davidson taking 3 for 34, but Kelso could only manage 124, including 40 from Stevie Patterson.

In Division Seven, Melrose thrashed Broomhall 2nds by 182 runs. Barry Scott (60) and Ross McLennan (67) took the Huntlyburn men to 249, with Broomhall bundled out for 67.

Hawick beat RHC 3rds by 60 runs

EAST LEAGUE DIVISION SEVEN

Captain Allan Moffat hit 77 to help Hawick record their fourth consecutive victory against RHC in Edinburgh, writes Ronan Alexander.

Openers Gary Alexander and Declan Solley got the Teries off to a steady start before the latter was bowled for nine. That brought his brother Pierce to the crease, who made 10, which included a huge six that went out of the ground and could not be retrieved.

Moffat looked to continue his good vein of form, as Alexander departed after being stumped for a solid 32.

This then sparked a batting collapse as Bruce and Phil Mactaggart and Euan Hair fell cheaply.

Moffat batted through all of this with a flurry of fours, and was eventually run out for a superb knock of 77 as the visitors reached 177 for nine from their allotted overs.

Hawick started off brightly, with opening bowlers Neil Storey (1 for 9) and Lee Stewart (2 for 9) bowling extremely well in their opening spells, making runs hard to come by for the opposition. The Buccleuch Park men had their opponents effectively five down, with two batsmen retiring hurt, before RHC’s star man Pieter Fourie came to the crease.

However, he struggled to find a batting partner, with Hawick taking wickets at the other end, including two for Stuart Hair.

Ronan Alexander came on and removed the main man Fourie for 42 with the first delivery he bowled at him and went on to claim three for 14 as RHC finished on 117 in the 40th over.

Selkirk beat Musselburgh 2nds by eight wickets

EAST LEAGUE DIVISION FIVE

A week after a shoddy performance, Selkirk returned to winning ways thanks to a thumping victory, writes Alex Massie.

Visitors Musselburgh won the toss and opted to bat first, a decision which suited Rory Banks since the stand-in skipper, deputising for the absent John Everitt, would most probably have bowled first anyway on what looked a sporting Philiphaugh track.

So it proved. On a pitch offering ample assistance to seamers and plagued by some inconsistent bounces to boot, the visiting batsmen struggled to impose themselves on a Selkirk attack that bowled with admirable discipline, accuracy and patience. In all of these areas, the performance was quite unlike that produced in the previous week’s loss to Edinburgh South.

On this occasion, it was Kenny Paterson who garnered the lion’s share of the spoils. Though Jordan Reid struck to remove the dangerous James Allen thanks to a fine catch from Kyle Murray, it was the veteran Paterson who crippled Musselburgh’s innings with three wickets, the last of them being a perfect off-cutter that removed John Robertson.

After 12 overs, Musselburgh had limped to 14 for 4. A dozen overs later they had crawled to 27-6, Greg Fenton claiming a brace of scalps.

There then followed a period of quite soporific cricket as Musselburgh’s batsmen batted in a fashion that made Chris Tavare or Geoffrey Boycott seem like Chris Gayle or Virender Sehwag by comparison.

Rod MacKenzie, for instance, faced 74 balls before he was stumped off the bowling of Banks. Even more remarkably, Chris Turnbull took 44 deliveries to amass his final total of three. There was doggedness aplenty, but precious little effort except in trying to discomfort the Selkirk bowlers.

Malcolm Ford and Banks, however, found that conditions were ideally-suited to slow-medium wibbly-wobblers and between them broke the Musselburgh resistance, leaving the visitors on a total of 51 all out.

Barring disaster, that did not look like a threatening or intimidating total. And so it proved. Though Greg Fenton was bowled for a duck in the first over, Paterson and Darren Fenton took command of matters and made sure Selkirk would register a victory every bit as comprehensive as the scoreboard suggests.

Fenton was caught for 25, but by then Selkirk were within 10 runs of victory and all but home and dry.

Recently at a meeting of the Scottish Parliament justice committee, I asked the chief executive of the Scottish Court Service about the impact of setting up a justice centre in Galashiels.

The idea was mooted as an alternative by some in the SNP after they decided to close half of the courts in the region.

However, the Scottish Court Service said that any new justice centre could lead to the closure of even more local courts. This would leave us with just one court serving our whole region, and would only further the problems already being caused by closing Duns and Peebles courts.

It is time for those in the SNP who support the justice centre idea to explain why they think it is beneficial.

CHILD OBESITY

Figures published recently showed that 13.7 per cent of children entering Primary 1 in the Borders are overweight, with 5.3 per cent considered obese.

Both of these figures are higher than the previous year’s. The early years of a child’s life can have a huge impact on their future development and it is important that we try to give them the best start in life as possible.

This is clearly not the case for these children at the moment and we have a duty to offer advice to parents on how best to provide their children with a balanced diet and be more active.

WIND FARMS

As the SNP continues to try and have as many wind turbines sited as possible in a drive to hit its overly-ambitious energy targets, research by Scottish Natural Heritage shows that they are now visible from 35.6 per cent of Scotland.

This is nearly a 16 per cent increase and while wind energy does have a role to play in our electricity generation, it cannot be allowed to continue to spread at its current rate. The Borders is renowned for having some of the most beautiful countryside in Scotland and we must protect it from being spoilt.

REFERENDUM COVERAGE

Concerns have been raised over whether TV viewers in the Borders would receive enough information regarding the independence referendum in the lead-up to the vote.

I was therefore pleased to read that ITV has pledged to offer full and extensive coverage of the debate during the coming months.

The referendum on whether or not we should split from the rest of the United Kingdom will be one of the most important decisions that Scots have made in 300 years. It is vital that it is an informed debate and that we give voters all the facts before they make their decision – and I am confident that the argument in favour of staying in the UK is far stronger than that of separation.