HibeeJibee

Tuesday 27th February R5: Dunbar United 1-1 University of Stirling (aet, FT 1-1, 10-9p) Gala Fairydean Rovers 2-3 Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts Tranent 0-1 Broxburn Athletic After disappointments in other cups, a proud night as all 3 sides lanced LL opposition - 2 in their own dens. Not necessarily - when it last happened finalists qualified for 2x QFs > 2x SFs > Final.

'Lessons learned' as Ferguson ferry costs rise again - BBC News 'Lessons learned' as Ferguson ferry costs rise again The boss of the nationalised Ferguson shipyard has said lessons have been learned, as further costs and delays to two new Calmac ferries were confirmed. MV Glen Sannox is now due for handover in late May or June, six years late, and cost have risen by up to £7m. The second ship MV Glen Rosa is now due in September next year but Ferguson chief executive David Tydeman said he hoped it would be three months earlier. He told MSPs: "We have learned all the lessons from Glen Sannox." If all goes well with the commissioning of the LNG systems on Glen Sannox, he said he hoped it would be delivered by late May or early June. West coast ferry operator CalMac will then need to conduct its own sea trials so the ship, destined for the Arran route, is unlikely to be carrying passengers until August or September. Mr Tydeman told MSPs on the net zero and transport committee that the LNG technology was well-established but had taken up a "disproportionate" amount of the effort to complete the ships. He said the latest delays were because the engine manufacturer was unable to supply essential LNG pipework when required, and the yard had been forced to engage alternative suppliers. A resulting two-month delay in the handover of Glen Sannox meant the cost to complete the ship will be up to £149.1m, he earlier confirmed in a letter. The cost to complete Glen Rosa could be up to "maximum" of £150m but Mr Tydeman hopes to shave £10m off that figure by "capturing" learning from the first ship. The latest cost figures do not include money spent on the ships prior to nationalisation, which take the total cost of the ships to around £400m if written-off government loans are included. The contract price was £97m. Despite the problems with Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, Mr Tydeman said the world shipbuilding market was buoyant and there were potential opportunities for the Inverclyde shipyard. He listed areas such as offshore wind support ships or crew transport vessels, as well as sub-contracting on military orders. In the short term, the yard is hoping to secure a contract for seven smaller all-electric vessels for CalMac which would provide a steady flow of work in the coming years. A request for £25m of Scottish government funding for new equipment, which would make the shipyard more productive, was turned down last year, but Ferguson Marine executives said they would present a revised request shortly. Mr Tydeman said at the moment there would be a "small premium" in buying the small ferries from a Scottish shipyard compared with cheaper yards in Europe.

IMO: Btw: Police have launched a murder investigation 10 days after a 65-year-old man was shot dead as he walked his dog near Aberfeldy. Officers said Brian Low was shot in Pitilie on the outskirts of the Perthshire town at about 08:30 on Saturday 17 February. Emergency services attended but Mr Low, from Aberfeldy, was pronounced dead at the scene. Following a post mortem examination, Mr Low's death is now being treated as murder. Det Ch Insp Martin Macdougall, of Police Scotland's major investigation team, said the force was trying to get Mr Low's family answers. He said extensive inquiries were being carried out and detectives were trying to establish the full circumstances of the shooting.

Maybe the institution can't really have it's cake and eat it here though? Casement Park: New GAA president against more funding - BBC News GAA's new chairman has today doubled down on not going beyond £15m... so Westminster will now have to find north of £100m (or £130m if revived Exec don't agree to give Casement whole remaining sub-regional stadia pot of £62m not just its current £36m share: DUP has said it won't OK increasing the pot... there are presumably other projects outside Belfast - in other sports and in some cases catering for the other community - also due a share of that pot and whose costs will also have inflated too).

Some interesting - if generally rather alarming - latest polls from our friends in the former Anschluss ahead of their upcoming elections : German general election (by 2025) 28% Conservatives (CDU-CSU) 19% Far right (AfD) 14% Labour (SPD) 12% Greens 8% Populists (BSW) 5% Liberals (FDP) 2% Far left (DL) 2% Centrists (FW) Saxony state election (Sep 1st) 35% Far right 30% Conservatives 8% Populists 7% Greens 7% Labour 4% Far left 0% Liberals Thuringia state election (Sep 1st) 31% Far right 20% Conservatives 17% Populists 15% Far left 6% Labour 5% Greens 3% Liberals Brandenburg state election (Sep 22nd) 28% Far right 18% Conservatives 17% Labour 13% Populists 8% Greens 6% Far left 4% Centrists 3% Liberals European Parliament election in Germany (Jun 9th) 27% Conservatives 22% Far right 16% Labour 10% Greens 5% Populists 4% Far left 3% Liberals Austrian general election (by autumn) 26% Far right (FPO) 23% Labour (SPD) 20% Conservatives (OVP) 10% Liberals (NEOS) 10% Greens 7% Populists (BIER) 3% Far left Styria state election (by autumn) 26% Far right 24% Labour 20% Conservatives 14% Far left 8% Greens 7% Liberals Vorarlberg state election (by autumn) 29% Conservatives 20% Far right 14% Greens 13% Labour 12% Liberals European Parliament election in Austria (Jun 9th) 27% Far right 24% Conservatives 23% Labour 12% Liberals 11% Greens 2% Far left

They have April 13th + 20th free, but 4 league games without dates... H v East Craigie A v Downfield / Dundee NE / Forfar Utd ... East Craigie could be midweek by floodlight (does either Dundee club have lights?), or it'll be light enough regardless from early April.

Celtic / Rangers averages around "9 in a row" were: 1962-63 24,643 / 30,685 1963-64 19,800 / 30,659 1964-65 18,284 / 29,089 1965-66 24,102 / 24,441 1966-67 31,082 / 28,573 1967-68 31,373 / 34,980 1968-69 34,740 / 33,747 1969-70 33,188 / 33,634 1970-71 29,647 / 29,471 1971-72 31,241 / 26,199 1972-73 26,606 / 27,469 1973-74 24,762 / 22,356 1974-75 22,275 / 32,855 1975-76 28,066 / 30,648 1976-77 28,063 / 21,692 Hearts/Hibs/Aberdeen were generally 10,000-15,000 so over half... whereas in recent times they've frequently been under quarter. EDIT: of course Celtic usually weren't in top 2 for crowds from early 1920s to early 1960s, and on a few occasions Hearts led ahead of Rangers. 1924-25 astonishes 100yrs on: Division One 17,500 Hearts 17,263 Rangers 13,842 Hibs 12,684 Aberdeen 12,132 Dundee 12,105 Partick 11,000 Celtic 9,895 St Johnstone 9,632 Queen's Park 9,211 Cowdenbeath 8,572 Third Lanark 8,552 Airdrieonians 8,211 Falkirk 7,289 Hamilton 7,263 St Mirren 6,974 Raith 6,632 Kilmarnock 5,816 Ayr Utd 4,897 Motherwell 4,794 Morton Division Two 5,289 Dundee Utd 3,474 Clydebank 2,921 Clyde 2,889 Dunfermline 2,842 Alloa 2,747 East Fife 2,554 King's Park 2,488 Arbroath 2,316 Bo'ness 2,305 East Stirlingshire 2,158 Albion Rovers 2,132 Dumbarton 1,974 St Bernards 1,947 Bathgate 1,895 Arthurlie 1,895 Stenhousemuir 1,868 Armadale 1,684 Forfar 1,632 Broxburn 1,184 Johnstone

€40m went 'supporting preparation' of inter-county teams in 2023 ...

Dunfermline haven't placed higher than 16th in our system for well over a decade including 2 stints in tier 3. Falkirk have been in tier 3 for half a decade.

"Winter is over" for league. Broxburn are on course for the championship unless Jeanfield can produce a sensation. Luncarty and Kinnoull are gasping while Glenrothes and Crossgates scrap for 13th - they've still to meet at Warout - unless can reel-in Inverkeithing.

"Winter is over" for league. Really exciting at top with Dunipace now in driving seat for title while Whitburn and St Andrews look to chase down promotion. Oakley are desperately hoping an upturn in form can close with pack, but Vale look doomed again.

"Winter is over" for league. Bo'ness Athletic look good for title... faltering Armadale must beware charges from Thornton and Edinburgh South. Quartet of Tweedmouth, Edinburgh Utd - who had a good win at Newburgh, and Ormiston likely battling for 4th bottom.

"Winter is over" for league. Bathgate and West Calder look likely to duel for the title... all 3 head-to-heads are still awaited. Hawick's form has evaporated since Christmas with a revival needed to chase down Harthill and Pumpherston. Lochgelly have come roaring up table recently.

Wednesday 6th March (R2) Burntisland v Stoneyburn Armadale v West Calder Newtongrange v Fauldhouse Saturday 9th March (R2) Kirkcaldy & Dysart v Bo'ness Athletic (R2) Leith v Thornton (R2) Ormiston v Vale of Leithen (R2) Pumpherston v Newburgh Heriot-Watt Uni v Lochore Tuesday 19th March Camelon v Pumpherston/Newburgh Wednesday 20th March Whitehill v Burntisland/Stoneyburn date tbc Ormiston/Vale of Leithen v St Andrews Leith/Thornton v Arniston

I think rural and island authorities get some extra councillors due to distance/etc. Hawick is split along river... old parish of Wilton + new parish of Burnfoot on north bank are apart from rest within "Hawick & Denholm".

Officially it's Jedburgh & District: It's electorate is actually slightly larger than both Hawick wards... 10 regular wards = 3 seats each and electorates of 7,000-9,100; while Galashiels has 4 seats (11,600). Certainly slightly odd Jedburgh + both Hawick wards = 9 seats for 21,000 electors while both Berwickshire wards = 6 seats for 18,000 (or that both Berwickshire + Leaderdale have 9 seats but for 27,000).

Such a scenario has happened 3 times before - 1991-92 (Berwick EOS withdrew just as league games were about to start); 2004-05 (Threave returned to SOSL); 2009-10 (Dalbeattie returned to SOSL late in close season); every time got resolved by having 1 fewer relegation. Too far back to represent any hard-&-fast precedent though. Interestingly in context of leaving this season's Second Division alone, only once in EOSL history has anybody been reprieved relegation or handed promotion other than when a promoted club withdrew or an emergency situation arose: 2008 closed season Annan elected to SFL = Selkirk (due to be relegated from Premier Division) reprieved relegation (this caused considerable controversy but as Gretna 2008 were admitted at same time it also meant divisions of 12 & 12 not 11 & 13) end of 2013-14 5x Premier Division clubs joined Lowland League = Edinburgh Uni + Tynecastle reprieved relegation; Leith granted promotion; this meant divisions of 10 & 10 not 7 & 13 2015 closed season Hibernian EOS (due to be promoted from First Division) withdrew = Civil Service Strollers (due to be relegated from Premier Division) reprieved relegation end of 2019-20 season abandoned and declared on PPG = Blackburn + Whitehill + Newtongrange reprieved relegation (Inverkeithing granted promotion on PPG as playoff v Leith could not be held)

Sat 24 Feb Oakley (A) Sat 02 Mar Heriot-Watt Uni (A) Wed 06 Mar Lochore (H) Sat 09 Mar Arniston (A) Sat 16 Mar Camelon (H) Tue 19 Mar Blackburn (A) Sat 23 Mar Sat 30 Mar (LC R2) Sat 06 Apr Newtongrange (A) Sat 13 Apr Kirkcaldy & Dysart (H) Sat 20 Apr (LC R3) Sat 27 Apr Sat 04 May Vale of Leithen (A) Sat 11 May Arniston (H) Sat 18 May Lochore (A) no date yet Blackburn (H) no date yet Whitburn (H) no date yet (KC R3) Ormiston/Vale of Leithen (A)

Logically have to be that; or 1 more promotion from Third - albeit less orthodox especially having fewer clubs. Slightly unexpected outcome IMO, but at least avoids a barney over picking either now, with majority games played. (Plus occurs to me this now means no scenario where Third could end up with fewer than 10 clubs next season - i.e. even if Broxburn go up but Gretna down).

Conservatives complete Jedburgh council ward clean sweep - BBC News Following a by-election yesterday all 3 seats in Jedburgh ward (Scottish Borders) are now held by Conservative & Unionist councillors; this appears to be unique situation in Scotland. Lib Dems did win 3 of 4 seats in Almonds (Edinburgh) and SNP win 3 of 4 in Cumbernauld East (North Lanarkshire) at last election... Lib Dems have held 3 of 4 in Corstorphine & Murrayfield (Edinburgh); Labour held 3 of 4 in Bellshill (NL); and Conservatives held 3 of 4 seats in Mid Galloway & Wigtown West (Dumfries & Galloway) since subsequent by-elections.

Tbf it was "making it up as he goes along" that gave birth to the policy in the first place. Still: how come it was a 'final offer' with 'no more funds'... then suddenly after some break ranks precisely 30% more appears?

Brora moved their game v Lossiemouth to Golspie on Wednesday at 7.5hrs notice. Sad to see once proud clubs reduced to the footballing equivalent of a travelling circus.

EOS website now says: Hadn't occurred to me but in bad news for Innerleithenites the tech thinks a club literally on course to stop existing is still having a mathematically better campaign than them currently ... (Obviously the idea is it ends-up looking like last season's Second Division):

North Caledonian League (22 games) Midland Juniors (38 games) North Juniors (30 games)

Let lying dogs sleep IMO.