Diversions are in place on the A68 following a serious accident between the Ravenswood roundabout and Earlston.
Police were called to the accident, half a mile north of the Ravenswood roundabout, at around 4.15pm.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Two vehicles were involved in the road traffic collision.
“The Scottish Ambulance Service is in attendance.”
Drivers are being warned to expect delays.
Kingsmuir House in Peebles has been named as the best bed-and-breakfast or guesthouse in in the country at the 25th Scottish Thistle Awards’ national final.
The Springhill Road B&B was the Borders’ only winner at last Thursday’s ceremony, held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
It took home the prize for most hospitable B&B or guesthouse, sponsored by Bruce Stevenson Insurance Brokers, a firm based in the capital but with other offices in Galashiels and Glasgow.
The awards’ judges commended Kingsmuir House on its collaborations with other local businesses and use of seasonal and local produce.
They were particularly impressed by the B&B’s digital presence “aimed at improving the customer journey and delivering the best possible experience to all guests”, they said.
Welcoming that announcement, Kingsmuir House co-proprietor Malcolm Mullarkey said: “I am absolutely delighted to win this award.
“This is what makes my passion and momentum to strive for perfection each time a guests makes a booking and subsequent visit.
“It’s a great honour to be a part of these celebrations alongside the other inspiring ambassadors for the tourism industry endorsing our passion and motivation to ensure our guest’s journey is one to remember and cherish for all the right reasons.”
Paula Ward, regional leadership director at VisitScotland, one of the event’s organisers, added: “I would like to say a massive congratulations to Kingsmuir House on being crowned the best in Scottish tourism.
“These awards recognise the drive and passion the industry has for creating an unforgettable experience for visitors, and I’m delighted that Malcolm and Karen’s passion and commitment to ensuring their guests enjoy the warmest of welcomes has been recognised.
“Their attention to detail at every stage of their guests’ stay is truly deserving of this accolade.”
Still Game and River City star Sanjeev Kohli co-hosted the evening with STV presenter and former Miss Scotland Jennifer Reoch.
This year marked the awards’ silver anniversary and saw a record-breaking 750 entries to the competition.
Rebecca Brooks, chairperson of the awards’ industry panel and VisitScotland Board member, said: “The Scottish Thistle Awards are Scotland’s premier awards for the tourism industry, and for 25 wonderful years they have been shining a spotlight on success, innovation and excellence.
“Congratulations go to all of our national winners.
“We are delighted to celebrate with them during this milestone year.
“They represent the best of Scottish tourism and epitomise the strength and depth of the sector which continues to innovate and excel in giving visitors a high-quality experience.
“Tourism is more than a holiday experience. It creates jobs and sustains communities.
“The Scottish Thistle Awards lets us recognise the unsung heroes of our industry who show real dedication and enthusiasm for Scotland’s tourism industry.”
Police searching for missing Duns student Duncan Sim have released a CCTV image of him, taken on the night he disappeared.
Nineteen-year-old Duncan was last seen at around 11.15pm on Wednesday, March 14, outside Madras Rugby Club on Old Station Road in St Andrews.
Since this time a number of specialist local and national resources have been used in the search, including; the Coastguard, search and rescue dogs and the police’s air support unit, with specially-trained officers assisting a large number of public volunteers.
Officers have conducted door-to-door enquiries in St Andrews and have also reviewed CCTV in a bid to establish Duncan’s last-known movements.
Duncan is described as a white man, 6ft tall, and of medium build. He has brown hair, green eyes and was last seen wearing a grey-coloured suit jacket, white shirt and a blue and white tie.
Chief Inspector Steven Hamilton of Fife’s Police Division said: “Duncan has now been missing for a significant amount of time and we are very concerned for his welfare.
“The response from the public and our partner agencies has been fantastic and we are thankful for their support as we continue in our efforts to trace Duncan.
“I would appeal specifically to anyone who may have seen Duncan, or a man matching his description, outside Madras Rugby Club at around 11.15pm on Wednesday night.
“We have released an image of Duncan from earlier in the evening showing the clothing he was wearing when last seen.
“I would ask the public to view this image and come forward if they saw Duncan after 11.15pm on Wednesday evening.
“I would also ask local residents in the St Andrews area to check their gardens, outbuilding and cars, as Duncan may have entered to seek shelter and which can help us establish his current whereabouts.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact St Andrew’s Police Station, quoting incident number 2987 of March 15.
Police are appealing for witnesses following a road traffic collision on the A68 where a 54-year-old man sadly died.
The collision happened between Earlston and the Ravenswood Roundabout at around 4.10pm on Monday, March 19.
It involved a silver Kia travelling northbound and a black Fiat travelling southbound.
The man who was driving the Fiat was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, however he died a short time later.
A woman in her 40’s who was driving the Kia was also taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.
The road was closed for about seven hours in both directions while investigations were conducted at the scene.
Officers are now keen to hear from anyone who witnessed the collision and who may have information that can assist them with their ongoing inquiries.
Sergeant John Easton of the Road Policing Unit said: “Sadly a man has died in this collision and we are keen to hear from anyone who can assist us with our ongoing inquiries.
“Anyone who has not yet spoken with us who witnessed the collision or who has information that can assist, is asked to call 101 quoting incident number 2431 of 19th March.”
Hawick 38, Melrose 3
Hawick complete the great escape, avoiding relegation from the BT Premiership with a dominating performance over Melrose at Mansfield Park Saturday.
After weeks of talk on what Hawick needed to do to avoid automatic relegation, and a second consecutive trip to the relegation playoffs, the Greens grasped hold of their Premiership lives in blizzard-like conditions on Saturday and put in a performance worthy of a place in Mansfield Park lore.
“A big relief. Once we got that fourth bonus point, we knew we were safe and started to enjoy ourselves,” a delighted Hawick club captain, Bruce McNeil said post-match.
If the early portion of Hawick’s 2018 Premiership season is seen as a complete catastrophe, illustrating all that was wrong with the club, their reinvention under head coach George Graham is one of perfection.
The Robbie Dyes managed to turn around a 10-game winless run with a cup-style of play – while Melrose registered 10 straight bonus-poitn victories – conjuring up one-off performances of the calibre that made people wonder why they could not do this more often.
In the season finale Saturday, Hawick hosted a Melrose side depleted by the club XV international and players on Six Nations duty with Scotland under 20s, but head coach Rob Chrystie still managed to field an experienced squad. Melrsoe lost their opeing two games in the second half of the season, at the turn of 2018, but had recently recpatured the sort of consistent winning form that had shot them to the league summit.
There was little surprise neither side managed to sustain much in the way of attacking rugby during the opening half. Neither mastered the wind nor the intermittent snowfall.
Jason Baggott did eventually infuse the game with some points, converting a penalty to hand Melrose 3-0 lead after 10 minutes.
Falling behind early seemed to be the spark that ignited the Greens into action. Knowing a bonus-point victory would guarantee Premiership safety, Hawick scored the next 38-points to put to rest any thoughts of possible relegation into BT National Division One.
Edinburgh professional Allan Dell started the six-try scoring run four minutes before the half time interval, handing Hawick a 5-3 midway advantage.
Tries from Greg Cottrell, Nickly Little, a second from Dell, McNeil and ex-Kelso captain Dom Buckley, with Lee Armstrong adding three conversions and retiring Matt Landles with another, completed the rout after the break, ensuring the Borders would have two representatives in the Premiership next season.
“There was a lot of celebrating post-match – not that we should be celebrating avoiding relegation, as we should be annoyed we were in this position in the first place,” continued McNeil.
““Where we were before Christmas, there wasn’t much hope for us. So to get to where we are now, it’s impressive and says just so much about how hard the coaches, the club and the players have worked.
“We knew Melrose were coming with a bit of a short-handed squad, given they lost so many players to the Club XX international and Scotland U20s. But they were still Melrose and had plenty of guys more than capable of stepping up.”
Melrose are now focusing on a crucial home semi-final in their quest to sew up the BT Premiership title, having toppeed the table for the whole season.
Watsonians are the visitors to the Greenyards this Saturday, while Currie Chieftains play Ayr in the other semi.
Hawick: D. Graham; G. Munro, K. Davies, D. Buckley, R. Combe; L. Armstrong, G. Cottrell; A. Dell,M. Carryer, N. Little, C. Hamilton, D. Redpath, R. Gibson, S. Graham, B. McNeil. Substitutes: F. Renwick, M. Landels, S. Muir, S. Fairbairn, A. Weir.
Melrose: A. Lockington; T. Klein, P. Anderson, G. Wood, R. McCann; J. Baggott, B. Colvine; D. Elkington, R. Ferguson, R. McLeod, A. Welsh, A. Runciman, A. Grieve, R. Knott, R. Campbell. Substitutes: B. McLean, J. Dobbie, T. Brown, S. Hutchison, A. Hall.
Scorers – Hawick: Tries: Dell (2), McNeil, Little, Cottrell, Buckley. Cons: Armstrong (3), Landels.
Melrose: Pen: Baggott.
Youngsters have been rewarded for putting themselves on the right path for healthier futures by shunning their parents’ cars for their school runs in favour of bikes, scooters or their feet.
Shields have been presented to the 10 schools in the region with the highest percentages of pupils getting there walking, cycling or using scooters as part of this year’s Scottish Borders Council Active School Travel Awards.
One primary was chosen as a winner from each of the region’s nine clusters, and the overall secondary school winner was Hawick High School for the seventh year in a row.
They were picked using information from a nationwide survey collated by Sustrans and published by the Scottish Government.
The winning primaries were those at Coldstream, Eyemouth, Walkerburn and St Boswells, along with Langlee Primary at Galashiels, Burnfoot Community School in Hawick, Parkside Primary at Jedburgh, Broomlands Primary at Kelso cluster and Knowepark Primary in Selkirk.
The council’s executive member for roads and infrastructure, Selkirkshire councillor Gordon Edgar, said: “It is fantastic to see so many pupils, school staff and parents making significant efforts to take part in and encourage active travel to schools right across the Borders.
“As a council, we are encouraging people to be more energy-efficient, and these awards should instil in our young people the importance of reducing your carbon footprint, as well as getting some exercise through actively travelling to school.
“Congratulations to all the schools who took part.
“I look forward to another year of active travel by our schools throughout the Borders.”
Pupils from all but two of the winning schools, Parkside and Eyemouth primaries, attended an award presentation at the council’s Newtown headquarters.
Police in Kelso have launched an investigation after the public toilets at Shedden Park were vandalised.
The officers have raised a social media appeal for witnesses to the event, which occurred between Friday, March 16 and Monday, March 19.
A number of windows were smashed and some damage was caused within the toilet block.
A similar attack happened in 2014, when the toilets had to be closed until they could be repaired, leaving no public toilet provision in the town centre.
The enquiry is ongoing, and anyone with information is requested to contact Police on 101, quoting incident number 1054 of 19/03/2018, or contact Kelso Police station.
An astounding donation of £100,000 from Border Caring Services has helped the charity behind the appeal to extend and refurbish the Macmillan centre at the Borders General Hospital soar past its target.
The former care at home provider, which ceased trading in September last year, is distributing their remaining funds for the benefit of local community causes ahead of their closure.
Sadly, one of the long-term directors of BCS, Colin McNab, who had retired to Dunoon, recently passed away in Beatson Cancer Hospital in Glasgow.
However, while in hospital, he was able to discuss the matter and gave his full support to the direction of the funds to the project.
It now falls to current chair Val McNab and co-directors Jim Thomson, Gordon Edgar and finance administrator Wendy McMillan to oversee the closure of the company in the weeks ahead.
Mrs McNab told us; “Border Caring Services is delighted to contribute to this development.
“We hope that this is a fitting tribute to all those who have worked for and been supported by BCS over our 22 years.
“It is also a great opportunity to acknowledge the good relationships built up over the years with those in the public and health sectors, with whom we have worked, professionally and in partnership.”
“We thank everyone who has touched Border Caring Services and helped us on our way through the years, including our national advisory bodies, particularly Scottish Care and the United Kingdom Care at Home Association.
“We hope that in some small way our support for this project represents part of the legacy which BCS wishes to leave to the Borders.”
The Difference – the charity behind the ‘Give Us A Hand: Help Us Expand’ appeal – has reached its fundraising target much sooner than expected, thanks to the gift.
Fundraising manager for The Difference, Karen Wilson, said; “We had been really delighted with the progress of our appeal, having recently passed the halfway point in our fundraising, real testament to how, yet again, the people of the Borders have rallied behind a great cause.
“To then receive a donation like this that smashes our target in one fell swoop is something we never could have thought possible.
“We are so grateful to Border Caring Services for choosing to help our cancer patients in this way as well as to all our donors, fundraisers and supporters who have helped us get to this point.”
The project aims to transform the existing cancer centre in the Borders General Hospital, reconfiguring the treatment area to accommodate more patients and improve patient flow, as well as refurbish the overall look and feel of the centre itself.
It is costing approximately £829,000 and Macmillan Cancer Support committed more than £400,000 with the remainder to come from The Difference.
With approximately £200,000 available in existing funds, The Difference has raised more than £230,000 by the way of applications to trusts and grants as well as the public appeal it launched in November.
There are still fundraising events and initiatives to take place across the region in support of the appeal so it is hoped that additional money raised will fund further enhancements to the Borders Macmillan Centre.
Preliminary work on the Borders Macmillan Centre has started, with the refurbished centre expected to be completed towards the end of this year.
The A7 has reopened to traffic after an accident between the Selirk and the Kingsnowe roundabout for its closure for over three hours this afternoon.
Police Scotland say the incident, which happened around 12.20pm, involved a motorcyclist who has since been taken to the Borders General Hospital.
The road remained closed for more than three hours after police asked drivers to avoid the area while they carried out their investigations.
It reopened around 3.50pm.
A sex attacker has been warned he faces being sent to prison after admitting indecently assaulting a woman and girl he thought were asleep at the time.
David Blair, 51, admitted indecently assaulting a woman, aged 24 at the time, while she was staying over at his then home in Newtown after a night out with his wife in 1998.
She recalled waking up to find Blair standing over her naked and touching her breasts and body under her clothing.
He also pleaded guilty to a similar offence involving an 11-year-old girl three years later.
Blair, now living in Jedburgh, admitted a charge of lewd and libidinous practices towards the girl by touching her breasts while she was sleeping in January 2001.
He originally denied both offences but later owned up.
Jedburgh Sheriff Court heard the girl had “gone off the rails” after the incident but it was only last year that she felt strong enough to report it to police.
Defence lawyer Mat Patrick asked that a psychiatric assessment be carried out on his client, already on the sex offenders’ register.
That request was accepted, and sentencing was deferred until Tuesday, April 17.
However, sheriff Derrick McIntyre warned Blair he faces being put behind bars, saying: “You should be under no illusions – you are probably facing a prison sentence.”
Embattled retailer Carpetright has put jobs under threat as it draws up sweeping restructuring plans which will close poorly-performing stores and see it tap investors for up to £60 million.
The group, which has a number of stores throughout Scotland, said it was “exploring” a company voluntary arrangement to help shore up its financial position, a move which would allow it to close loss-making shops and secure deep discounts on rental costs.
It is not known yet which, if any, of the Scottish stores will be among those to close.
If the CVA goes ahead, Carpetright would push through an equity issue of between £40 million and £60 million to fund plans to reboot the business and drive down debt.
The group, which has 409 UK shops, also agreed a £12.5 million unsecured loan from major shareholder Meditor to help with “short-term working capital requirements”.
It marked another dark day for Britain’s beleaguered high street, with Mothercare confirming that it had reached an agreement with lenders to defer the testing of its financial covenants as it “engaged in preliminary discussions” on securing additional financing.
Carpetright chief executive Wilf Walsh said it would be “business as usual” for the flooring firm’s stores during Easter and it would remain in “close contact” with staff over its restructuring plans.
He said: “I am pleased that we have secured this additional support from one of our major shareholders as we continue to explore the feasibility of a CVA and a conditional equity issue.
“These further cash resources will enable us to make the necessary decisions free from short-term funding pressure.
“The aggressive store opening strategy pursued by the company’s previous leadership has left Carpetright burdened with an oversized property estate consisting of too many poorly located stores on rents which are simply unsustainable.
Mr Walsh added: “While the board is confident that its brand investment and store refurbishment strategies have been, and will continue to be, successful in enabling Carpetright to respond to increased competition, it believes additional measures are necessary to directly address this legacy property issue.
“The board is therefore exploring the feasibility of a CVA in order to expedite the rationalisation of its property portfolio, with the clear objective of establishing a right-sized estate of contemporary stores, on economic rents, complemented with a compelling online offer.
“The conditional equity issue, which is intended to follow a successful CVA, would recapitalise the group and we believe provide the necessary funds to accelerate its turnaround and address the competitive threat from a position of financial strength.”
He said it would be “business as usual” for stores during Easter trading and it would remain in “close contact” with staff over its restructuring plans.
Flying the flag for Selkirk’s Colonial Society on this year’s common riding day is Alisdair Lindsay Piercy, who lives in Toronto, Canada.
The 39-year-old was appointed unanimously by Colonial Society members at the recent annual general meeting.
Following his appointment, Alisdair informed the society that his wife, Sarah, will buss his flag.
Alisdair is the 39-year- old son of Drew Piercy and Barbara Hood (Smail) and lives with Sarah and their two children, six-year-old son Cameron and daughter Mackinley, who is three.
Based in Toronto, he said: “We stay in an area that reminds me of Selkirk in so many ways, making him feel I am living in a small town within a large city.”
Alisdair emigrated 12 years ago, and became a Canadian citizen last year.
He works for Richardson GMP, the largest private wealth fund management company in North America, as a senior software development manager.
But his heart still lies in Selkirk.
He said: “Being accepted as Colonial Society Standard Bearer means so much to me, especially being able to bring my family home to see where I grew up and to share in such an amazing tradition.”
Having grown up in Selkirk and enjoying Common Ridings every year, Alisdair said he was “filled with a great sense of pride and honour to be following in the footsteps of my grandpa Archie (Smail) and dad Drew who themselves were Standard Bearers for the Weavers and Hammermen”.
The society would be pleased to learn of any returning “exiles” or their descendants, or any visitors from overseas, who are attending this year’s common riding.
If you, yourself, are coming back to Selkirk for the big day, or if you know of someone else who is, please contact the chairman, Ian Clapperton or secretary, Andy Moyes.
The tight community of West Linton were introduced to their main man on Friday, as Adrian Jackson was named as the village’s Whipman Elect.
Adrian, who is 42, will be supported by his Lass, wife Fiona, who is 41.
He is gamekeeper for the Southern Pentlands Shooting club, while Fiona trains gun dogs and works for a pest control business in Dalkeith.
Adrian told The Southern: “It’s certainly going to be an interesting year.
“For a start, I’m booked in for my first horseriding lesson in 25 years this week.”
Adrian, who is originally from Nottinghamshire, and Fiona, who hails from Aberdeenshire, moved to West Linton nine years ago.
Fiona said: “Not being from the area, we did wonder what all this was about when we first came here.
“But it is a fantastic honour to be made a part of the community in this way.
“It’s rather overwhelming.”
The couple were introduced to the villagers following the annual Whipman Play in the Graham Institute.
As always, it was a fabulous evening of entertainment, hosted by Ian Reid, which included lots of talented young dancers from Dance Studio 21, singing from the primary five class at West Linton Primary School and other local folk singers, a fun sketch from the West Linton Amateur Dramatic Club and hilarious performances from The Ex Whipman and Lasses.
The hall was full of excitement and anticipation when the president, Raymond Nicol with chairman, Hamish Dykes and secretary, Sheila Forsyth came on stage to introduce the principals for 2018.
The Barony Herald is Junior Bureqele, who is 12 years old and lives in West Linton with his family.
Junior said he was really honoured to be chosen as he loves Whipman.
The Flower Girl is four-year-old Lily Dow, who attends Newlands and Kirkurd Nursery.
The Presenting Lady is Dr Patsy Campbell from Carlops, where she has lived for more than 50 years and where she is very active in the community.
The biggest cheer was kept for Adrian and Fiona when they came on to the stage.
Community projects across the Borders have benefited from the first tranche of payments from Scottish Borders Council’s £500,000 Localities Bid Fund.
More than £200,000 was available during this first phase, with 62 applications making it to the voting stage.
Almost 16,000 Borderers either voted online or in paper ballots across the five different areas – Berwickshire, Cheviot, Eildon, Teviot and Liddesdale and Tweeddale.
The group which attracted most funding was the Borders Search and Rescue Unit in the Cheviot area. It gained the full amount requested, £35,000, which will part-fund the building of a proper base for the team, so they can move from the garage they currently use.
A spokesman for the unit said: “The new base will house all team vehicles and equipment in one place and will give team volunteers much-needed space for training and during call-outs.
“We would like to say a huge thank you to all who took the time to vote for us.”
Councillor Sandy Aitchison, executive member for neighbourhoods and locality services, said: “This is the first time we’ve allocated funding like this and it was heartening to see so many people take part in the public vote.
“Local communities embraced the concept and I think they appreciated the opportunity to directly influence where public money is being spent.
“Running a funding scheme in this way presented us with a huge task.
“While I believe it has been very successful, we will be looking at how everything has worked and take on board any feedback before fine-tuning the process for the next round of funding.”
Details of the second phase of funding will be announced soon. The projects that were not awarded grants this time will be offered further funding advice and guidance from the council to help them take their ideas and plans forward.
Tweeddale East councillor Stuart Bell said: “It is to the credit of Councillor Aitchison and council officers that they have taken this challenge up with gusto ... this is a fabulous example of participative democracy in action.
“Some of the results might be a surprise, but ultimately it is the public who have decided the winners.”
Successful projects
Berwickshire
● Friends of Duns Primary School – £29,000
● Duns Amateur Swimming Club – £650
● Connect Berwickshire Youth Project – £6,000
● Duns & District Men’s Shed – £7,300
Cheviot
● Borders Search & Rescue Unit – £35,000
Eildon
● Stow Parent Council – £5,000
● Rowland’s Selkirk (Food for Thought) – £6,809
● Stow Community Learning Hub – £15,000
● Earlston High School Parent Council – £24,000
● Rowland’s (Swap Shop) – £7,000
Teviot and Liddesdale:
● Newcastleton Polysport/Copshaw Cutters – £5,000
● Artbeat Studios – £3,500
● Escape Youth Services – £8,000
● Hawick Community Pump Track – £15,000
● Hawick Men’s Shed – £6,500
Tweeddale
● Clovenfords Digital Ninja Community Project – £25,000
● Julie’s Kitchen Garden, Clovenfords – £4,600
● Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team – £400
Hawick’s new community resilience group is gearing up for its first training exercise next month, in the form of a simulated missing persons search.
Aided by Police Scotland and the Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team, volunteers meeting at the Salvation Army hall in Croft Road at 9.45am on Saturday, April 7, can register before being sent out on a mock search scheduled to conclude with coffee and a debrief by 12.30pm.
Resilience co-ordinator Gordon Short is urging anyone fit and able to go along. “This group of volunteers make themselves available to be called upon by the police in the event of an incident to assist them in times of need or emergency,” he said.
Anyone interested in joining can contact Gordon on 07496485222 or at over50s@tiscali.co.uk
A historic part of Galashiels town centre will be knocked down this spring now planners have given the go-ahead the demolition of the former Abbotsford Arms Hotel in Stirling Street.
The building, once a thriving 19th century-style coaching inn with 15 bedrooms and a 50-seat restaurant and a function room, has lain empty since it closed its doors almost three years ago.
The successful demolition bid, submitted by Galashiels-based agent Aitken Turnbull Architects, means owner Graham Frost, of Atria One, can now begin the £25,000 demolition project.
The Borders Schools Cross-Country Championships, organised by the Scottish Borders Athletics Development Group, in conjunction with Live Borders, took place recently at Netherdale, Galashiels.
Well over 500 runners from schools all across the Scottish Borders took part, from P6 up to S6.
Although the soft going underfoot was not conducive to ultra-fast times, the primary school races in the morning were run in reasonable, if chilly, conditions.
But the late morning drizzle gave way to more persistent rain, making for more challenging conditions for the secondary school races in the afternoon.
The P6 Boys 2km race started the day’s proceedings and Earlston was the first school on the medal board, with a strong second lap by Ross Christie moving him to the front and an eventual six-second margin at the line, in 8 minutes 18 seconds.
The Kingsland duo of Shaun Pyman and Kieran Fulton had led the pack through halfway and they held on well for the silver and bronze in times of 8.24 and 8.26 respectively.
With team-mate Gregor Wells home in 12th, that comfortably secured the P6 team race for the Peebles school, ahead of Priorsford and Duns.
More medals were soon heading Kingsland’s way when Izzy Molyneux showed a clean pair of heels to her 85 rivals in the P6 girls’ 2km race and crossed the line for gold in 8.52, an excellent time which was bettered by just one girl in the older P7 race and only the three medallists in the S1 race. Izzy had a 16-second winning margin from West Linton’s Kelsey Brain, with Erin Gray, from Glendinning, picking up the bronze in 9.15.
Good back-up from Kingsland’s Rosie McLean in fourth and Elena Lee in sixth saw Kingsland win their second team gold by 20 points from Priorsford and West Linton.
The P7 boys’ 2km race saw last year’s P6 winner, Ross Wolfenden, from West Linton, again taking the gold medal in a time of 7.51, seven seconds clear of Ben Allan and Thomas Hilton from Priorsford.
With the third Priorsford counter, Danny Lancaster, home in ninth to secure the team gold by 10 points from Kingsland and Broomlands, that saw the team contest between the two Peebles schools really hotting up.
The P7 girls’ race concluded the morning’s proceedings and there was another repeat champion from 2017. Burgh’s Isla Paterson came out on top again to take the gold medal by an impressive 31-second margin in 8.34.
Howdenburn’s Amylia Temple took the silver in 9.05, with Priorsford’s Sophie Logan home a clear third for the bronze in 9.11. The team gold again went to Priorsford, with Kirsten Duncan in ninth and Jess Colledge in 12th adding to Sophie’s points for a 22-point winning margin from Kingsland and Earlston.
So, with two team golds and two team silvers for each of Kingsland and Priorsford, it was nip and tuck for the overall championship trophy, with team points accrued across all four races.
Calculators were deployed and after several checks, the announcement was made that, by one single point, the 2018 Primary School Champions were Kingsland.
Ewan Christie from Earlston HS had won the P6 and P7 championships the preceding two years and he duly made it a hat-trick of titles with victory in the S1 race, racing clear impressively from the off and finishing the 2km course unchallenged in 7.35. That was 18 seconds ahead of team-mate Cameron Rankine, who was home in 7.53 for silver, and James Clare took the bronze for Peebles in 7.59.
Elliot Hedley’s fourth place saw team gold head Earlston’s way, seven points ahead of Peebles, with Berwickshire third on 27 points.
The secondary boys and girls races were run concurrently and Emily Carrick-Anderson from Peebles was another to secure a hat-trick of girls’ titles after her primary race wins in 2016 and 2017.
She crossed the line in 8.24, nine seconds to the good of Anna Fairclough of Earlston. Esme Minto from Peebles was home third in 8.50 and, with their third counter, Christina McGorum, just two seconds behind in fourth , Peebles took the team win. Earlston were second and Berwickshire third again.
It was up to three laps and 3km for the S2 races, which saw Gregor Collins from Gala take the boys’ title in 11.30, ahead of Earlston duo Blake Hedley (12.07) and Dylan Perry (12.16). Far from put off by the extra distance, that was the fourth consecutive Borders Schools title for Gregor.
Galashiels also took the team trophy, courtesy of Collins, Evan McConnell (fifth ) and Iain Houston (seventh ). Earlston were second with 17 points and Peebles third on 35 points.
Hawick got on the medal table with a resounding win for Maisie Ballantyne in the girls’ S2 3km race. She crossed the line for gold in 13.27 with Madeline Collins from Peebles taking silver in 13.40. Earlston’s Orla Folan was third home in 13.50 to take bronze.
The team contest was tight, with Earlston prevailing by four points from Peebles, and Jedburgh third.
In the S3 boys’ 3km race, Jay Coltman from Peebles stretched into a clear lead early on and, despite his lead diminishing over the final lap of three, he held on well for gold in 12.20. Gala’s Casey Bunker narrowed the gap to four seconds come the line and Earlston’s Andrew Berlanski took the bronze in 12.40.
Team gold went to the Peebles line-up of Coltman, Maxwell Drummond in sixth and Euan Maciver in seventh . Earlston took second and Kelso third.
Not to be outdone by the boys, the Peebles S3 girls also swept to team gold but it was Earlston’s Ruth Farnsworth who was very impressive in taking the individual honours, crossing the line for gold well clear in 13.17.
She was followed home by the three Peebles counters, Charlotte Morrison (13.32), Hannah Little (13.40) and Eilidh Mooney.
Earslton were second team and Kelso took third.
The Open races concluded the day with Peebles and Earlston again doing battle in the girls’ open 3k race. Katie Rourke from Earlston pulled away in the closing stages to take the title in a time of 12.20, with Ailsa Innes of Peebles second in 12.23.
Beth Hobbs from Peebles took the bronze in 12.33 and a fourth-place finish for the third Peebles counter, Charlotte Clare, saw them secure the team title from Earlston and Selkirk.
So to the final race, the boys’ open. They raced over 4km in what by now were pretty dreich conditions.
Earlston’s Callum Tharme was an impressive winner in 15.14, with younger brother Lewistaking the bronze in 15.56. The Tharme brothers were split by Hawick’s Fraser Clyne, who took silver in 15.26.
Back-up from William Taylor saw Earlston comfortably secure the team title from Gala and Peebles.
The overall team championship for secondary schools does not include the Open races and is decided from the S1, S2 and S3 races only.
It proved to be another case of getting the calculators out and double-checking the scores accrued across the six separate boys’ and girls’ races, with little to choose between Earlston and Peebles. This time, there was a five-point winning margin, with Earlston declared overall secondary school champions for 2018 with 92 points to Peebles on 97 points.
Scottish Borders Athletics Development Group representative Gregor Nicholson said: “The championships saw medals being won by a good range of schools and we’ve seen more evidence at these championships of the strength of cross-country running in the Borders, not just in terms of impressive running talent but also great commitment and determination from every single one of the 521 finishers.”
“Pleasingly, we had 43 primary schools in attendance and all nine secondary schools. Some might say we have also seen the ‘natural order’ successfully challenged, with Peebles being toppled for the first time since 2012, as overall secondary school champions, by Earlston.
Gregor added: “It’s an event which is made possible only with the support of many, including Live Borders, the Year 2 HND Sports and Exercise students from Borders College, Gala RFC, Scottish Borders Council and our fantastic team of volunteer helpers and marshals. We are very grateful to them all.”
The clampdown on anti-social campers around the St Mary’s Loch area begins this weekend.
Ettrick and Yarrow Community Council has commissioned the new warden service as a response to so-called wild campers acting in an anti-social manner.
The new post, in partnership with Scottish Borders Council and Police Scotland, has been filled by Chris Amy, a self-employed country ranger from Tushielaw, Upper Ettrick.
The 52-year-old, who moved here from North Yorkshire two years ago, said: “At the moment, I think it’s really a case of just getting down there and talking to people, finding out what’s happening and taking it from there.”
Chris’s appointment, out of more than half a dozen applicants for the job, follows complaints that the behaviour of some visitors had become intolerable, with some chopping down fences for firewood and leaving piles of rubbish dumped at the roadside.
Gordon Harrison, chairman of the community council, said: “Chris is a highly qualified guy.
“He is a very calm and professional, the perfect person, we thought, to look after the area.
“He is not the sort of chap that is going to upset people and has a very non-confrontational attitude, which makes him perfect for the job as we’re not going out to be confrontational.”
“We had a lot of interest. There were several applicants, and we interviewed a couple of people and got the right person.” A project launch event, coinciding with Chris’s first night on duty, takes place tomorrow, between 6pm and 8pm, in Cappercleuch Hall, and there will be a meet-and-greet session with locals.
The trial post will operate mainly on Friday and Saturday evenings until September.
Almost £4,000 has been set aside to pay for Chris’s services during that time, using grant money from the Langhope Rig Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund.
More than 30,000 Scots invaded the Eternal City at the weekend as Scotland took on Italy in the final fixture of this year’s Six Nations tournament.
And in that number was a huge contingent of Borderers providing support both on and off the pitch at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.
While Jedburgh rugby legend Greig Laidlaw kicked the team safely to victory, it was fitting too that it was the Jedburgh Pipe Band who welcomed that team onto the pitch 80 minutes earlier to lead the Scots supporters in the national anthem.
A total of 18 band members enjoyed a four-day visit to Rome, joining in with the City of Rome and Heart of Italy pipe bands for functions around the city and for Saturday’s all-important Flower of Scotland performance.
Pipe Major Tosh MacDonald said: “The band was honoured to return to Rome for the second time and represent the town and the Borders at the Six Nations.
“The atmosphere on the pitch was outstanding, and it was a real experience for all the band members.
“We joined pipers and drummers from across Italy to form the massed bands and were made extremely welcome by our hosts and organisers, the City of Rome Pipe Band.
“Another highlight was playing for Doddie Weir and John Jeffries in the Piazza Navona the day before the game to show our support for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and its Doddie Gump campaign.
“It was great to see so many Borderers far from home uniting for a good cause.
“A video by Borders journalist Jill Douglas, who was also there, shared our performance with thousands of her twitter followers, while the Doddie Gump Facebook page’s live video was shared 150 times and viewed 12,000 times, so it was brilliant that most of Jedburgh got to see it from afar too.”
The band provided their impromptu performance for the rugby legend, in town for the finale of the Doddie Gump campaign, which saw thousands of headband-sporting Scottish supporters march through the city to the match in aid of the My Name’5 Doddie foundation.
The former Scotland internationalist, of Blainslie, is suffering from motor neurone disease and launched his fundraising foundation last June.
Rugby fans in Rome were asked to wear a headband, Doddie’s trademark on the pitch, and walk the two-and-a-half-mile route together from the Piazza de Popalo to the Stadio Olympico.
A Doddie Gump spokesman said: “The band were brilliant in the Piazza de Navona.
“The live stream caused a frenzy, and the performance also proved a very good focal point for distributing headbands.
“A hearty thank you from all at the Doddie Gump team.”
Two Galashiels pipers and a drummer helped lead 5,000 Scottish rugby supporters two and a half miles through Rome to its Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.
The so-called march of 1,000 headbands to the Italy v Scotland Six Nations match served as the finale of the Doddie Gump campaign after seeing a combined 50,000 miles walked in aid the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
Part of a group of 12 Galashiels and Kelso supporters, the Galashiels Ex-Servicemen’s Pipe Band members, not only took part in the 2.5mile walk from the Piazza del Popolo, but ended up forming the very front row.
Piper Elizabeth Easson, who led the massed band alongside husband Billy said: “Leading the Doddie Gump was amazing. It was so emotional as some of us know Doddie and his family personally.
“We posted on Facebook that we’d be bringing our pipes to the march and others did the same, coming together to form a band at the front.
“We were joined by pipers from around Scotland including Dundee, Glasgow and Aberdeen so there was a brilliant atmosphere and great camaraderie.”
“The amount raised was fantastic and to think it will fund much needed research and support makes it all so worthwhile.
“Scotland’s win was the icing on the cake.”