Talk of the town: Scrum to gather early at city pub

IT may be screened at 11am on a Wednesday, but one city pub is expecting a scrum of thirsty rugby fans through the doors for one of the highlights of the sporting calendar Down Under.

The Mercat Bar in the West End is showing 'the State of the Origin' - a notorious Australian rugby league showdown - at the somewhat genteel hour to appease the hundreds of Aussies living in the Capital.

The match between Queensland and New South Wales kicks off at 11am and free bacon rolls will be available.

Owner of Mercat Bar Graham Blaikie said: "I've been into rugby all my life and we attract a great crowd."

Thanks to comedian for tweeted Pleasance riposte

RICHARD Bacon was broadcasting from Edinburgh yesterday on BBC Radio 5 Live, with a debate on Scottish independence among the items on the schedule.

Touching on less weighty matters, he tweeted his followers a photograph of the outside of the Pleasance student union in its normal role as a quiet, shady car park, asking them: "Edinburgh Festival goers, the Pleasance Courtyard not in August. Is there a sadder sight in the whole world?"

Thanks to comic Wendy Wason, who replied: "You should see it first week in Sept with flyers strewn across the ground and posters hanging off the walls." Too true.

Currying political favour

IN congratulating Alex Salmond on his re-election as First Minister, Labour's Iain Gray quoted remarks which Mr Salmond made back in 1999 when he congratulated Donald Dewar on becoming Scotland's first First Minister.

Alluding to Mr Dewar's reputation for a big appetite, the SNP leader had said he expected him to "eat for Scotland". "Far be it from me to suggest Alex Salmond will live up to that," said Mr Gray.

The curry-loving Mr Salmond admitted: "Commenting on Donald Dewar's eating habits was perhaps not my wisest remark."

Not that David Cameron

PARENTS, pupils, staff and VIP guests invited to attend a school prize-giving ceremony may have had to do a double take when they discovered the identity of this year's special guest speaker.

According to the invitation for the annual Drummond Community High event, none other than David Cameron will be giving a speech at the school on June 14.

However, an accompanying letter points out that it is in fact David Cameron the educationalist and not the Prime Minister himself.