Talk of the Town: Burns' phone misses ringing endorsement

TENSION may have hovered over the Edinburgh count as candidates awaited the results in the early hours of Friday, but with nothing to do but wait, even the loftiest of politicians was reduced to comparing boys' toys to pass the time.

Alistair Darling impressed his colleagues by whipping out his iPhone for regular updates on the electoral picture. As he pocketed the shiny phone proudly, campaign manager Councillor Andrew Burns, with a blush and a laugh, was forced to reveal his own, less impressive piece of kit – an ancient blue plastic Nokia that looked as if it might have been bought to chat about the Labour landslide of 1997.

It wouldn't have been a surprise to see him pull out an abacus to double-check the final result.

News reporter hit for six as cricketer smashes window

MOST leading sportsmen welcome a bit of media attention, but was Fraser Watts, with 162 cricket caps for Scotland, taking matters a bit too far on his Carlton club's home ground of Grange Loan the other evening?

During a practice session, Fraser attempted a pull shot which top-edged and flew over the boundary – straight through the window of a house belonging to Evening News cricket reporter, Bill Lothian.

"With the season just about to get under way, talk about getting your retaliation in first," said Bill, predicting that every lbw call on Fraser might just be described as "plumb".

Fraser and the Carlton club immediately "owned up" and by the time the Lothians returned from holiday the damage was repaired.

Driven to distraction

A THROWBACK to the old days when it was chairmen who drove flash cars and players often caught the bus is contained in Pat Stanton's excellent Hibs Dream Team book.

The former Hibs skipper says of one of his initial club chairmen, Willie Harrower: "He owned a chain of betting shops and drove a Rolls-Royce. One day he turned up at the ground in a Vanden Plas Princess. It was nice but not in the same class. I asked him why he had got rid of such an impressive car and he replied: 'Have you ever tried to park a Rolls-Royce in Queen Street?'"

Yacht crew draw blood

THE Edinburgh Inspiring Capital yacht crew do not have their troubles to seek. Not only have winds forced the entire fleet to re-route the eighth leg of the race, but most of the crew have been struck down with a strange malady - Twilight fever.

Crew member Jane McDonald says a new victim succumbs to the teenage vampire novels every day, and queues have began to form for the two precious copies on board.

More surprisingly, most of the Twilight victims are men.