John Gibson: It's a gem and a river runs by it

Published on Thursday 12 March 2009 08:47

IT'S tucked away. A hidden gem. And a river runs by it. Talking about the Edinburgh Sports Club and it's a mere ten minutes from the West End, in Belford Place, next to the art galleries.

Amazingly it's been a fact of the Capital's sporting life since 1938. Steven Sproule, the man who sold the World (his Thistle Street pub for ten years), took over in January as the club's bar manager and he is now hard-selling this "gem", this "best kept secret".

"We've so much to offer here . . . six squash courts, the only squash doubles court in the UK (we encourage racquet ball on it), three floodlit tennis courts for any budding Andy Murrays, table tennis facilities and a snooker room.

"Plus . . . a restaurant, private parking for 70 cars and we've got the Water of Leith flowing alongside it all in a picturesque setting."

Sproule, 52, himself winner of an MG Metro in an eponymous all-Britain squash championship 20 years back, could have sold me double glazing and life insurance.

"This club is privately owned by the members and we're actively seeking more. With that in mind we are introducing free live jazz on Thursday nights at eight with the Jimmy Gillan Band plus guests playing trad and swing."

Too good to be true? No sir! Sproule's parting shot: "The riverside walk from here to Murrayfield Stadium takes just 15 minutes."

Wot, no prunes!

I've grown a custard to his face. Much as most of us find Mandelson a total turn-off, even more reprehensible was the camera-hogging brazen hussy who chucked custard in his face and casually strolled away without as much as a word in her ear from Mandy's minders or from the cops.

So it's politically correct to mug – for mugging's what this was – a nationally-known figure, a household name, and get clean away with it. She wouldn't have dared try this on Prescott. Cowardy custard.

Afterwords . .

. . . . In the wake of the demise of Leith's North Fort flats, one wonders how long before the port's "banana flats" meet a similar fate. The good people who live there have to be wondering.