The Scotsman Bulletin Friday April 12th 2024 #MastersGolf #GrandNational #Rugby #SPFL
Scotsman deputy editor Alan Young speaks to sports editor about a bumper weekend of sport. Including the Masters Golf in Augusta, The Grand National from Aintree, the final game in the SPFL befroe the split, the Melrose Sevens rugby and the women's Six Nations match between Scotland and England at Murrayfield
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00:00 Hello and welcome to the Scotsman's Daily Bulletin for Friday. I'm Alion and I'm Deputy
00:14 Editor of the Scotsman. I'm joined today by our Sport Editor Mark Atkinson to take a look
00:19 ahead to a huge weekend. Hi Mark.
00:22 Hello Al.
00:23 Let's have a look at the front page first off. We lead today on comments from Labour
00:30 leader Sir Keir Starmer around Trident. He's fully committed to the UK's nuclear deterrent
00:38 and Trident on the Clyde. That is going to cause a bit of a stushy given the SNP's
00:43 position on nuclear weapons. The picture on the front there, Jack Nicholls getting the
00:49 Masters in the US underway. Martin Dempster is there for us. Also to mention at the top
00:55 of the page there we have an eight page guide to the Grand National. Can you believe it's
01:01 come around already, Grand National this weekend. That's a good point to hand over to Mark because
01:08 Mark there is a lot of sport happening this weekend.
01:11 Yeah, you're not going to get bored this weekend if you're a sports fan, that's for sure.
01:18 What's your pick? Let's start with the Premiership.
01:22 Okay, yeah, domestic football first. Yeah, normally this weekend, we call it game week
01:29 33 in the Premiership, is a very decisive weekend because it marks when the league splits
01:35 in two. It won't happen this weekend, well it could happen but it's probably unlikely
01:40 because we have an outstanding fixture next week between Dundee and Rangers that needs
01:45 to be fulfilled. There are three teams pushing for the last place in the top six. Dundee
01:51 are a point clear of Hibbs, who in turn are two points clear of Motherwell. If Dundee
01:57 beat Aberdeen today, oh sorry, on Saturday, it doesn't matter what happens, it doesn't
02:02 matter what happens, they're in the top six. That game at Baton Rouge is by no means a
02:07 guaranteed three points for Dundee, they don't have a good record up there. And if they were
02:11 to draw or lose, it would open the door to Hibbs and Motherwell, who meet at Fir Park.
02:17 So yeah, it's a big weekend for those three teams and of course we have a title race,
02:22 a big weekend for Rangers and Celtic. Celtic are up first, at home to St Mirren on Saturday,
02:27 they can go four points clear at the top of the Premiership. Rangers take on Ross County
02:32 on Sunday at noon. So yeah, very busy weekend in the Premiership, we are right at the business
02:37 end of the season. Good stuff. And it is, maybe we're just speaking a little about the difference
02:46 between the top six and the bottom six and what a huge difference that can make financially
02:51 for a club like Hibbs. Yeah, so I think the biggest spotlight is on Hibbs, given that they
02:56 are the team that most people would expect to be in the top six at the start of the season.
03:01 They have underperformed this season and should they miss out, and there's a good chance they
03:05 will miss out, then they will lose out on a home derby against Hearts, which will bring,
03:11 well, three and a half thousand guaranteed away fans. And they would also miss out on a home
03:18 match against one of the old firm teams. Plus the prize money and the kudos of being in the top six.
03:24 And remember, it's still quite tight in the chase for European football. Fifth place is likely to
03:30 get a European spot for next season. And if Hibbs are in the top six, they can't finish fifth. So,
03:36 yeah, it's worth a lot for them. Conversely, Dundee and Motherwell probably didn't budget
03:41 for top six football. So if they get in, then they get a boost to their coffers.
03:45 Perhaps Dundee could spend it on their pitch if they get there.
03:48 Let's move away from that controversial issue, shall we say, and consider the Grand National,
04:00 which is coming up tomorrow. It doesn't seem like a year since Grand National, to be honest,
04:07 but there is Scottish interest once again. There is. Well, we had a Scottish winner last time
04:13 around in Cork Rambler. Now, Cork Rambler, I'm a bit surprised that Cork Rambler is the favourite
04:21 to win again. But I was looking at the odds this morning, and that is the case. Fantastic horse,
04:27 a horse that will stay the trip, always gives its all. Ran at Cheltenham in March and ran pretty
04:36 well, got reasonably close to the winner. So obviously in good shape. A lot of Scots will be
04:43 looking for Cork Rambler to deliver. Again, I know a few people at our office, Alan,
04:47 who backed Cork Rambler last year and got a nice reward from that. But look, it's a very difficult
04:54 race to pick a winner. I could go through a number of horses that have a chance of winning,
04:58 but the reality is that all 40 could win. It's a really difficult race to call, just given the
05:06 fact that there's so many variables. It's an exciting race. And actually, it's one where you
05:10 sit back and enjoy. If you're a big horse racing fan, most punters say that the Grand National
05:16 actually isn't a good race to bet on because it's so imponderable. But it's a look, it's an
05:22 iconic moment in our sporting calendar. I often feel that summer is on the way when the Grand
05:27 National comes over. Looking outside today, maybe I think otherwise. But what a great story it would
05:32 be if Cork Rambler, under Lucinda Russell-Schutelidge, was to win again. I hope so,
05:38 because for nostalgia's sake, if nothing else, I'll be backing Cork Rambler.
05:42 Absolutely. And from Scottish interest in the Grand National, we've got the Masters on at
05:49 the moment, which has no Scottish interest this time around. It's rare for that to happen,
05:55 mainly because Sandy Lyle, a champion, was always invited back. But he's hung up the clubs now. And
06:01 as you say, unfortunately, we don't have a Scot in the field this time around. Doesn't mean the
06:06 Masters isn't worth watching, though. What a tournament. Although it has been blighted by the
06:10 weather conditions over in Augusta. Martin Dempster is there for us. He sent over a gloomy
06:17 video last night from the first day's play. It's going to be a bumper day today, actually, because
06:22 some golfers, including Tiger Woods, have not completed their first round yet. So they've got
06:27 to play more than the usual 18 holes to get through it. Tiger Woods, who is not especially fit at the
06:35 moment, given his injury concerns, that will be a challenge for him. Then we have the Cuts. So,
06:39 yeah, a busy, busy weekend on the Masters front. Scottish chef for the world number one,
06:43 looking very ominous indeed. Great. Look, we're not done yet, because there's also a lot of rugby
06:49 happening this weekend. Yeah, don't forget the rugby. Let's start with a milestone moment in
06:55 Edinburgh on Saturday, that the Hive Stadium will play host to Scotland against England in the
07:01 Women's Six Nations. It's a complete sellout, just under 8,000 people expected there. And that will
07:06 set a record for Scottish attendance for a women's match. That is a big, big moment. A lot of people
07:11 say that there's a seismic moment, actually, for the game in Scotland. Scotland will go in as
07:16 underdogs against the England team, but that's a really big moment for the sport, and Fingers
07:21 Cross Scotland can do well. They've already got one victory on the board from their Six Nations
07:25 campaign. And the Edinburgh Rugby are in European Challenge Cup action this weekend, although their
07:32 European match takes place in Durban. That's Durban, South Africa. They play the Sharks, who
07:38 do compete in this tournament. Difficult match for Edinburgh against a good team, but they go
07:44 there with confidence after winning against the French side, Bayonne, last weekend. And closer to
07:50 home, Melrose Sevens is on this weekend as well. So you're not going to starve if you're up in that.
07:57 Let's put it that way. Fantastic. Great sport to look forward to all weekend, and we'll have it
08:03 all covered at scotsman.com, of course. Thanks very much for running through all that, Mark.
08:08 Please keep an eye on scotsman.com throughout the day, where we'll have all the very latest news
08:12 and sport. And if you can, please do subscribe, and then you will be able to read absolutely
08:19 everything. If you're out and about today, please do pick up a copy of the paper from me and from
08:24 Mark. It's bye for now.