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Edinburgh Reporter
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
Thirteen match points saved – a record?
Scott Duncan and James MacKinlay head into the annual inter-county tennis championships with the East of Scotland men's team next week on the back of a remarkable never-say-die success to lift the Nottingham Challenger doubles title. The Edinburgh pair fought back from 2-9 (first to 10) adrift against Charles Broom and Mark Whitehouse to win the decider 20-18 with THIRTEEN match points saved. 'I don't know if the number of match points saved was a record but it was certainly the subject of an Italian tennis podcast' recalled Scott, adding: 'It was complete madness.' The final victory was the third of Scott's career in the second tier Challenger ranks and a first for James. Scott added: 'At 2-8in the decjding tie-break I said to James 'imagine if we could pull this one off' not really thinking it could happen. 'But gradually we chipped away until we got right back into the match and it was our turn to feel nervous. 'Eventually I read our opponents serve at 19-18 – by this time I had an idea about where serves were going – and clocked a backhand to force a volleying error. 'It was an unbelievable feeling.' Since returning from four months out with a back injury – his world ranking slipped from 167 to 268 – Scott has made a habit of winning key tie-breaks as he makes up for lost time. 'Tie breaks didn't always go for me last year so maybe things are evening out now' he said while preparing to play a quarter final with James at the ATP Challenger in Pozoblanco, Spain, which unfortunately the Capital pair lost in three sets. As for the LTA's annual summer county cup at Eastbourne next week the East men have finished Division One runners up in each of the past two seasons. Retaining a place in the top tier this year would be a realistic challenge with US based pro's Jake Fearnley and Matt Rankin unavailable as is long serving captain Alan Macdonald fresh from an extensive stretch coaching Jamie Murray on the pro tour. Euan McIntosh takes over the captaincy from Macdonald with the rest of the squad comprising anglo debutant Reece Watters, Lance Nisbet, Jamie Hunter and Sam Macneill. Thistle's Hunter makes a return to county week after several years absence. Among the group one opponents will be North of Scotland prompting suggestions that former world No 1 doubles player Jamie Murray could turn out. 'Jamie faced us when we were in division two or three a few years ago so it could happen' says Scott, relishing that possible challenge. James, left, and Scott are pictured after their Nottingham triumph Like this: Like Related
The Courier
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Courier
We look back at the best Tayside and Fife properties from Scotland's Home of the Year
The latest series of Scotland's Home of the Year has finished for another year. Despite making the final, Broughty Ferry's Tree House missed out to Hilltop House in Aberdeenshire. The BBC has commissioned an 8th season of the property show and will begin filming in June 2025. We've taken a look back through SHOTY's history to find the best Tayside and Fife homes to have featured in the show. The first season of SHOTY saw two Tayside and Fife homes reach the final. Little Blair House in Dalgety Bay won the East of Scotland episode. Its owners transformed it from a simple 1970s bungalow into a stunning and vivid family home. Textile designer Rachel Henderson bought the much-loved seaside home from her grandmother. On a miniscule budget she managed to transform it into a rainbow-hued, sun-drenched and happy place to live. SHOTY's first season also featured the Humpty House at Loch of Lintrathen, north of Kirriemuir. Designed by its owners, Ben Scrimgeour and his wife Rosemary, the home also houses their architectural practice. Rosemary said at the time: 'It is a contemporary Scottish building which is half family home and half office. 'Humpty House is a 21st century interpretation of a traditional rural agricultural structure. 'The interior is open with long wide oak floor boards, exposed agricultural style steel, enormous shutters and pendant lights. 'We designed many of the building components from our steel roof structure to our staircase, furniture and even the kitchen drawer pulls.' The sophomore season of SHOTY saw two Tayside homes make the final. A home near Brechin and a cottage in Strathtay came out on top in the Grampian and Perthshire episodes of the show. The Glebe is a former manse in the hamlet of Farnell, around five miles from Brechin. Its owners Jane and Ruaraidh Adams shared it with their three children and their dog. Interior designer Jane remodelled the house, knocking down a wall to create an open plan kitchen/living area. Another home to feature in the second season is Mouse Cottage in Highland Perthshire. The house sits on the edge of Strathtay Golf Course. The two bedroom cottage is owned by artist Penny Kennedy, who lived there for three years before commencing an 18-month overhaul of the house. Beside the house is Penny's studio, which faces south and gets lots of natural light. She also bought a patch of land from the golf course to expand her garden. Penny used a female builder from Aberfeldy, Jo Penfold, to spearhead the renovation works. She also had mains water installed after getting fed up of carrying buckets up the garden to clear silted-up water tanks. A stunning new build in St Andrews featured on Scotland's Home of the Year in 2021. The Garden House is a beautiful modernist home with a feature pond and decking. The house is owned by Helen and Ben Gray, who live there with their son Zach and three-year old spaniel Soda. The Hepburn Gardens site originally belonged to a house on the opposite side of the street. One of the challenges of building the Garden House was designing a home that didn't overlook neighbouring properties. The house looks over its own Japanese style garden complete with pond and decking. Iron Mill Bay also featured in the third season. It's a unique home overlooking the River Forth. It was built by Lisa Malube and her husband Martin for the couple and their three children. They used East Neuk based Fife Architects to come up with a unique design that put a circular stone tower as its focal point. The five-bedroom, two-storey home has a T-shaped floor plan with a large open plan living/kitchen/dining area that has a double height ceiling and gallery above. The reception room and most of the bedrooms are located to take advantage of the sweeping views across the river. Eco features were a priority and the house has an air source heat pump, solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system. A Mid Century Funhouse in Dunblane also cropped up in season three. Its lively interior is a tribute to the 1960s, inspired in part by the hit TV show Mad Men. It's full of yellows and greens, along with vintage fixtures and furnishings. The house was an eight-year labour of love for owners Nick and Fiona Grant, who live there with their son Eddie. An abandoned concrete water tank in Fife was converted into a stunning home that reached the 2022 SHOTY final. The Old Waterworks is a remarkable property near Crail that's been made from an abandoned concrete water storage tank. It was built by Sam and Ewan Robertson, who bought the Old Waterworks when they were just 18 years old. The abandoned building sat in a quiet corner of the farm owned by Ewan's family. The Old Waterworks is an extraordinary three-bedroom home. The vaulted concrete structure has a living roof covered in grass. Inside, the main living area is open plan and the beautiful barrel concrete ceiling forms a remarkable feature. There is a double-height living area and a beautiful sunroom that is accessed from the decking outside. The fourth season of the show also featured Easter Cottage in Charlestown, on the Forth Coast. Dorothy and Ricky Steedman bought the house in 2020 and set about transforming it. One of the main changes was converting an upstairs bedroom into a yoga studio. A few miles along the Fife coastline in Dalgety Bay is the Scottish Vybe, another home to feature in SHOTY's fourth season. It was given a dramatic overhaul by Angela and Paul Young. Built in the late 1950s the Scottish Vybe was originally owned by a Norwegian sea captain. He took the unusual-for-the-time step of making the property an upside down house, with the living room upstairs and the bedrooms on the ground floor. Also in season four was Our Adapted Home, a semi-detached house in Dundee that was cleverly modified for the needs of a disabled child. It was bought by Katie and Daniel Radke, who extensively transformed it to accommodate their daughter Jessica. It has runners and hoists in the ceiling, an accessible wetroom, a profiling bed, and other equipment designed to make life easier. At the same time it is a bright and colourful modern family home. The season-opener in 2023 featured two Fife properties. Alexandra Apartment is a double-upper flat in Kirkcaldy that's home to Gary Gourlay and his flatmate Sammy. The flat has a lovely semi open-plan layout, with the living room flowing into the kitchen and windows to both front and rear. Upstairs, the master bedroom has a bay window and rooftop views to the sea. In nearby Markinch, Mount Frost is a detached 1990s house. Emma and Scott Gillespie extensively overhauled the property. The house is spread over four levels, with the ground floor featuring a shower room and an office. On the first floor is a fantastic open plan kitchen, dining area and snug. Up another level is the formal living room, while the bedrooms are on the top floor. Meanwhile, the Old Manse in Auchterarder was one of the six properties to make the final in 2023. The handsome house was the winner of the fifth season's third episode, which focused on the Central Belt. Kelly and Michel Hillard upgraded the building. They knocked through a wall to create a wonderful open plan kitchen/diner that takes full advantage of views over the enormous walled garden. Judge Banjo Beale said of the Old Manse: 'If I could change one thing it would be replacing the owners with myself.' A striking new build house near St Cyrus in Aberdeenshire also reached the final six. Snowdrop House is a stunning contemporary home clad in stone and timber built by property developer Ross and his partner Emily. Originally Ross planned to build three homes on the plot and sell them for a profit. However he and Emily fell in love with the site and decided to build their own dream home instead. A fantastic mill conversion near Dunblane featured in the sixth season of SHOTY. The Old Mill lies on the banks of the Allan Water. Fields and woodland surround the building. Built 200 years ago, its occupants abandoned it for more than 25 years. But Lee and Dawn Collins bought the derelict building. 'It was in quite a state when we got it and had been derelict for at least 25 years,' Lee said. 'But it was too good an opportunity to pass up. You had this great mill building on a site with a river running through it.' He split the Old Mill into a three-bedroom main house with a home office, and a two-bedroom townhouse annex. The 2024 season of SHOTY also featured the Pink House, in the village of Crossford, near Dunfermline. Built in the 1940s, the Pink House has mock-Tudor styling, exposed brickwork, and bay windows. Its owners Heather and Brian Craig transformed it with a palette of bold colours – most notably pink. So far no house in Tayside or Fife has won Scotland's home of the year…or has it? It's true that the main SHOTY show has yet to see a winner from this area. However, each December the show returns for a one-off Christmas special episode. The judges crowned a Perthshire cottage Scotland's Christmas Home of the Year in 2022. You can find Easter Shian in beautiful Glen Quaich. That's midway between Crieff, Dunkeld and Aberfeldy. Debbie Halls-Evans and her husband Dave bought the house in August 2020. The farmhouse dates from 1705. Each year they put up four huge Christmas trees and light a roaring fire to enjoy total Christmas seclusion in their remote glen.
Edinburgh Reporter
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
East Open tennis starts this weekend
The East of Scotland tennis Open gets underway this weekend at Craiglockhart and George Watson's College courts with a lot to live up to. Only a few weeks ago the event was named 'competition of the year' in the Tennis Scotland annual awards and a bumper entry confirms it is as popular as ever. Events range from under-8's upwards and also incorporated will be a wheelchair tennis tournament as well as padel. Top seeds in the main singles are Katie Gater (women) and Ewan Moore (men). Much local interest will centre on Fraser Swan (Thistle) who is seeded sixth among the men while Hanna Augustynska, playing out of Craiglockhart Tennis Centre, and Aadya Iyer Chadalawada (David Lloyd, Newhaven) are highly promising teenagers seeded sixth and fourth respectively. Earlier this year the girls teamed up to reach the semi-final of the Lexus British under-16 doubles. Another to keep an eye out for the in under-14s is Watson's College pupil Jack Fair playing out of Grange. Shrewd judges are tipping him for an exceptional career. Main seedings – Men – 1. Ewan Moore; 2, David Killean; 3. Fraser Watters; 4. Liam O'Brien; 5. Adam Clunie; 6. Fraser Swan; 7. Callum McGinn; 8. Findlay Pratt. Women – Katie Gater. 2. Heather Barlow; 3. Zoe Moffat; 4. Aadya Iyer Chadalawada; 5.. Kirsty Robertson; 6. Hanna Augustsynska; 7. Anna McKnight; 8. Anna McBride. The event carries £700 prize money in both men's and women's events with £350 earmarked for runners-up. Finals day on Sunday May 25 will be live streamed via the following links: Centre Court – Court 1 – Jacob Fearnley, British No 2 male from Edinburgh, is back in action on the pro tour next week contesting the Geneva Open. Jacob's rapidly improving ranking – world No 58 – has gained him direct entry to the main draw along the likes of Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz and recent Madrid Open winner Caspar Ruud without having to qualify. Like this: Like Related
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Scottish footballer tragically dies at 35 after cardiac arrest as tributes flood in
The footballer suffered a cardiac arrest last week and tragically died on Wednesday morning, the club has now sent their condolences to his wife, Zoe, and daughter, Poppy Tributes have flooded in for a footballer who has tragically died after suffering a cardiac arrest at the age of just 35. Last week, Brian Morgan was rushed to hospital for treatment, however, despite best efforts from medical teams he sadly passed away on Wednesday morning. The Sauchie Juniors midfielder scored the winner in a cup final for the club in May last year before hanging up his boots in the process and coming out of retirement a few months later to assist the team this season. The East of Scotland club sent their condolences to his wife, Zoe, and daughter, Poppy and shared a heartwarming tribute to their much-loved player on social media. A statement on their official Facebook page read: "Sauchie Juniors were saddened to learn of the passing of midfielder Brian Morgan, aged 35. Brian passed away on Wednesday morning, following being admitted to hospital after a cardiac arrest. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his wife Zoe and daughter Poppy, as well as his close family, friends and all who knew him. "Being a local boy to Sauchie, Brian's affiliation with the club started when he watched the team as a youngster before he signed for the club in 2010 as a 20-year-old under former manager and his brother-in-law, Fraser Duncan. He contributed a fair share to the club's success and lifting of silverware, including scoring two free kicks to ensure promotion to the East Superleague in 2012. After an initial spell of eight and a half years at the club, he moved on to a new challenge at Bo'ness United. "A notable moment in Brian's second spell came in the final of the East of Scotland League Cup against Haddington Athletic. This game in particular was set to be his final game for the club, announcing he would retire following the game's conclusion. "Looking to sign off in style, he would score the winner in extra time with a leaping header to ensure victory. Brian would take his seat in the stand for the start of the 2024/25 season, but the itch of playing would become too much. "And he pulled the boots back on last November. It wasn't long before he reaffirmed himself as a regular in the starting eleven and scoring goals. His last game for the club would come on 12th April in a 3-2 home victory over Glenrothes, scoring our first goal to help us on our way to three points. Rest in Peace, Morgy. One of our own, reports Daily Record. Over 250 people commented on the post sharing their memories and condolences. One wrote: "Struggling to understand or believe that Brian has passed. An amazing player I had the privilege of coaching, what a character, a winner with an unbelievable will to win mixed with fantastic ability. Devastating for Zoe, Poppy and all his family and friends. Rest easy Morgy" Just days earlier on April 17 the club notified supporters of what had happened to Brian. It read: "The thoughts and support of everyone at Sauchie Juniors are with Brian Morgan, who is currently in intensive care following suffering a cardiac arrest on Tuesday evening. We are sending our heartfelt wishes to Brian and his family, wishing them strength at this challenging time." Numerous clubs from across Scotland have come forward to pay their respects to Morgan. League Two side Stirling Albion said: "Everyone at Stirling Albion sends our deepest condolences to everyone at Sauchie along with Brian's family and friends." West of Scotland Premier Division's Clydebank posted: "Desperately sad news, our thoughts are with you all." East of Scotland Premier Division rivals Penicuik Athletic added: "Everyone at Penicuik Athletic offers our sincerest condolences to everyone at Sauchie, his family and friends following this tragic news." Dunbar United said: "Absolutely heartbreaking to read this, all our thoughts go out to Brian's family and friends and everyone one at Sauchie. RIP Brian." Chris Donnelly posted a photo of his teammate and him, which was accompanied with the caption: "This was taken at training on the Tuesday night, we both scored at the weekend and in usual Morgy style he was trying to say his goal was better from our win, an absolutely amazing player and even better off the park, boy was a legend, devastated, thoughts with his family." Scott Taylor-MacKenzie, who played against Morgan as a midfielder for Berwick Rangers, said: "We had some battles on the pitch but always a laugh and a hand shake after. Anytime playing Sauchie you knew you have to work hard and if Morgy was up against you then you knew you where in for a f hard day. What a player. Love to Brian's family and to you all at Sauchie."
