McEnroe proves he can be serious about Edinburgh

Law firm Brodies is taking the title sponsorship of the Edinburgh event which promises to give the greatest players in the history of the sport a chance to play “nostalgic, competitive and entertaining” tournaments in cities around the world.

But the question remains: will it give Grant Campbell, international strategy partner at Brodies, a chance to play one of his heroes? Sources suggest Campbell is “a keen tennis player – 1984 Carnoustie boys singles champion!” Meanwhile, fellow law firm Blackadders hosted Legus, an international network of corporate and commercial lawyers, at the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews last week.

Attendees came from as far afield as Mexico, Nigeria and the Philippines. Blackadders said festivities included an “out of season” Burns Supper at Mains Castle in Dundee. They didn’t mention if anyone had a chance to play some golf.

Grossart’s animal magic

Sir Angus Grossart used the latest Noble Grossart accounts to bring a menagerie of cryptic animal metaphors to the sometimes fishy world of merchant banking.

His chairman’s statement took a swipe at the wild world of highly leveraged balance sheets that led to the financial crisis.

Referring to the practice of “marking to market” that allowed unrealised profits to find their way into accounts, he said: “It did not take long before opportunistic cats began to enter that particular fish shop.”

Grossart also pointed out that voices of experience from previous downturns were “unheard until the wolf did arrive at the door”. For the financial crisis itself he aptly alluded to the man-made disaster of the Titanic – but was careful to point out his own operation had navigated by different beacons.

Chivas bags Barbados deal

Bagpipe maker Hamish Moore and PR guru Carol Anderson are toasting the success of their Celtic Festival Barbados after Chivas Brothers, Scotland’s second-largest whisky distiller, and Mount Gay rum were signed up again as sponsors.

The festival – which takes place on the Caribbean island on 23-29 May – celebrates Barbados’ connections with Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Taking the stage at this year’s festival is Seudan, a quartet of pipers playing in the old pre-military step dance style.

Edinburgh-based chef Paul Wedgwood is also returning to the island for a third year to add Caribbean ingredients to his traditional Scottish fayre.

And who can blame them? Our sources tell us that Barbados has as many rum shops – 1,600 of them – as it does churches. Now where do we book those flights...?