Latest news with #Greenock
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sione Tuipulotu set to join exclusive Greenock Wanderers club with Lions start
A SCOTLAND rugby player with family ties to Greenock is set to join an exclusive club on Friday. Sione Tuipulotu has been named in the starting line-up for the British and Irish Lions' match against Argentina in Dublin - with the squad looking to say farewell on a high note before boarding the plane for their tour of Australia. Advertisement (Image: Andrew Milligan/ PA Wire) He is the first Greenock Wanderers member to receive a Lions call-up in over 100 years, following in the footsteps of James Reid Kerr, who was chosen for the first-ever 'British Isles' tour to South Africa in 1910. Tuipulotu is one of four Scottish players chosen to face the Pumas for the 'Lions 1888 Cup' on Friday, with Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe also in the starting XV and Tupulotu's Warriors team-mate Scott Cummings on the bench. Tuipulotu was born in Australia but qualifies for Scotland, and therefore for the Lions, through his Greenock-born grandmother, Jacqueline Thomson, who grew up a stone's throw from the Wanderers' Octavia Terrace home before emigrating 'down under' in the 1960s. Both Tuipulotu and his brother Mosese, also a Scotland international, were given honorary Wanderers life membership, along with Jacqueline, last year. Advertisement Though Reid Kerr was selected for that 1910 tour, injury meant he was unable to play - meaning that, barring any last-minute hitches, Friday night will see Tuipulotu become the first Greenock Wanderers member to play for the Lions. The Scotland captain previously revealed how emotional a moment it was to learn he'd made it into Farrell's squad after cruelly missing out on Scotland's Six Nations campaign earlier this year. He said: 'When I got hurt, that's all that came into my mind, is that I wouldn't be able to play for Scotland in the Six Nations when I'd just been named skipper, and it felt like I let the country down a little bit. 'Then you add in the fact that it was a Lions year, and I'll be blatantly honest, I thought it (Lions chance) was over for me. Advertisement 'It was a natural reaction to be so worried when you can't be out there influencing the situation. "Hearing your name, you get the relief and also the reassurance of what you've done already. Now it's just about coming back and proving I'm a better player than when I got hurt.' Kick off in Dublin is 8pm.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Fed-up shop owners try to track down sneaky shoplifter caught red-handed on CCTV
FED-UP craft shop owners in Greenock have taken matters into their own hands in a bid to catch a sneaky shoplifter. Material Things Joyce Pollok and her daughter Luci went public with images of an older woman stealing from their new premises in Crawfurd Street. CCTV pictures clearly shows the woman in the back room of their shop, which was the former MP Ronnie Cowan's offices, stuffing bows and other materials into her bag and on her person. CCTV from the store shows the woman shoplifting (Image: Material Things) The woman was captured on camera stuffing her bag with items (Image: Material Things) The woman was also seen ramming items inside her clothes in a bid to conceal them (Image: Material Things) They are now hoping members of the public can help them track down the mystery shoplifter. They highlighted the crime only days after the police highlighted the successful conviction of a prolific shoplifter and highlighted the cost for retailers. Material Things owner Luci said: "To be honest we had the cameras for security but also so that we can see if people in the next room need help. "No-one seems to know the person but we also wanted this it act as a deterrent. We will see you if you come in to steal." The pair were gobsmacked at the brazen theft in their store around a month ago and alerted the police. Other news Greenock's Clyde Tool Hire answer appeal from BBC show DIY SOS Optometrist with almost 20 years' experience joins Inverclyde stores Popular food truck Jax Snax confirms date for return at new home in Port Glasgow Joyce added: "It was really busy, we saw her come in but thought nothing of it. "Then later I realised that bows were missing, they were just new in. We checked out cameras and there she was. "Some folk wondered if she'd come off the cruise ship. "I contacted the police they asked if I would wait before posting the pictures but that was a month ago now so I just put them on." In recent times there has been concerns raised about the number of shoplifting incidents in stores and the impact it has. (Image: George Munro) Joyce said: "It has never really been much of a problem for us." The mum and daughter moved from Cathcart Street to their new premises after they were flooded out for the fifth time and faced losing all their £140,000 worth of stock. At the time Joyce told the Tele she felt like giving up the business. But they have had a successful move and are now busier than ever. Luci added: "We are so busy, we have all our regulars back while we also get passers by and people coming from out of town. There is more parking here and it is a great location." Joyce opened Material Things in Greenock ten years ago and now has daughter Luci as a business partner. Police Scotland has been contacted.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Royal Regiment of Scotland to receive freedom of Inverclyde
The Royal Regiment of Scotland is to become the first recipient of the freedom of Inverclyde at a special ceremony in Greenock next unanimously approved the decision to bestow the honorary title on the senior and only Scottish line infantry regiment of the British addition to the ceremony, there will also be a parade through Greenock town centre, followed by a reception at the town hall featuring performances by military bands and local local authority said it had already set aside £25,000 in the 2025/26 budget for the event. The soldiers have served in many conflicts and peacekeeping missions worldwide, including operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Graeme Brooks, who is the council's armed forces champion, put forward the motion, which was seconded by provost Drew Brooks said: "The brave men and women of the Royal Regiment of Scotland serve us at home and overseas to protect the freedoms we hold dear so it's only right that we show our appreciation by granting them the freedom of Inverclyde."It's also important that we remember and acknowledge the service of soldiers past and present, as well as their families, and this honour is as much for them as it is for current personnel."Provost McKenzie added that there was a "strong and proud connection" between Inverclyde and the armed forces, in particular the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders that merged with other regiments to form the Royal Regiment in 2006. He said: "Their motto is 'be the standard for others to follow' which I think is very apt as they lead the way in becoming the first recipients of the Freedom of Inverclyde." The regiment has previously been honoured by councils including Stirling and Dumfries. The creation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006 caused controversy at the time, as it meant names of famous regiments - such as the Royal Scots and the Kings Own Scottish Borderers - were dispensed such as the Black Watch and the Royal Highland Fusiliers reformed as one of the battalions in the new regiment.
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
'Sugar boat' shipwreck set to sink from view on the River Clyde
It has been a landmark in the River Clyde for more than 50 now the famous "sugar boat" shipwreck between Helensburgh and Greenock is nearing a watery grave, according to local weather throughout the winter, including Storm Éowyn, has accelerated the vessel's Coles, a tour operator specialising in wrecks and dives, told BBC Scotland News that while he previously believed it would take around 30 years before the ship disappeared, he now estimates it will be gone in half that time - at most. The MV Captayannis was struck by strong winds on 27 January 1974, when moored on the Clyde while waiting to waiting to unload raw east African sugar for the Tate & Lyle refinery in the ship drifted, captain Theodorakis Ionnis hoped to reach Gare Loch and find shelter the ship drifted into the anchor chains of a BP tanker called British Light - an incident which ripped a hole in the hull of the Captayannis below the set out to help, and the Captayannis crew were able to escape onto the MV Rover passenger launch - but in the aftermath the ship itself keeled over, where it has remained since. In the years since the accident the ship has become a popular tourist attraction, letting visitors see a real life shipwreck up close, without having to dive into the has also become a home for sea bids and fish, but when Jason Coles travelled to the boat for the time this year, he found it eerily quiet."Everything had been stripped away," he explains. "It didn't look like the sugar boat- there wasn't a bird to be seen, there wasn't even any fish guts lying on it, and a few of the layers of hull had been stripped away as well, showing signs of fracture."The weather was really harsh [over winter], and it looks like the waves have come over the top of the hull and landed on the wreck. It's made such an indentation, it's incredible – the weight of all that water has buckled the main decks." The sugar boat's damage Mr Coles estimated a a crack in the bottom of the hull has quadrupled, while the majority of the hull's starboard side has collapsed inwards and parts of the boat have been torn open from stormy weather. Mr Coles suspects the added damage will make the boat more vulnerable to future bad weather, creating a cycle that will only end when the Captayannis finally sinks for good. He believes that will be a sad sight, as the boat is a local fixture - to the extent a Helensburgh hotel and restaurant are named after is also a link to the past for the west of Scotland as a Coles, who has run his company Wreckspeditions from Dunoon since 2018, said: "The Clyde and Glasgow were the biggest powerhouses in shipbuilding, and I think the sugar industry stopped only a few years after the sinking so it's almost a reminder of when that industry stopped in the Clyde."She's done well to last 50 years, really – everyone thinks of the Clyde as being very sheltered but we do get rough water here and some strong winds. " While the boat was inevitably going to sink eventually, Mr Coles believes the timeline has been sped up drastically. He said: "The difference in the past several months was quite stark. The storms and the weather are becoming more variable and more extreme."I used to say it'd be there for another 20 or 30 years, but after seeing that there's no chance it'll be that long. You're probably talking half of that time, at most."Ownership of the boat has been disputed since the accident, which is partly why it was never salvaged. Mr Coles believes nothing more can be done for the said: "I don't think anything can be done, you can't really protect her. It's just the nature of the beast, the more she gets hit. "I'd love it to be there forever but she will go down at some point - we just have to keep an eye on her and enjoy her while we can."
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
A short story: we look back at Ray McKinnon's brief spell as Morton manager
We look back at Ray McKinnon's short spell as manager of Morton - and at the fallout from his departure for Falkirk. (Image: Today, we look at 2018/19, a season which, for Morton, was more noted for events off the pitch than action on it. It sparked fury from everyone associated with Greenock Morton and triggered formal intervention from the SPFL - and it was all down to one man... Chapter 1: Before At the end of 2017/18 season, new Morton chairman Crawford Rae parted company with Jim Duffy, manager for four years. Duffy had achieved promotion back to the Championship in 2015 and subsequently took Morton to a League Cup semi-final and the Premiership play -offs. But his last season saw a disappointing seventh place finish. Advertisement A new manager was appointed a month later – former Brechin, Raith and Dundee United boss, Ray McKinnon. McKinnon's most recent management role had been at Tannadice, but that ended in October 2017 after defeat in the Premiership play-offs and a subsequent poor run of results; he joined Morton on May 30, 2018. And there was sadness that summer with the passing of Douglas Rae, who was rightly credited with saving the club in 2002, and chairing it for the following 15 years. Chapter 2: During McKinnon therefore joined a club already undergoing major changes; several of the 'mainstays' of Duffy's team had left too, players like Ricki Lamie, Thomas O'Ware and Gary Harkins choosing to pursue their careers elsewhere. A dozen new recruits replaced them; Jim McAlister and Chris Millar returned, other signings included keeper Ryan Scully, defenders Reghan Tumilty, Gregor Buchanan and Rory McKeown, and midfielder Charlie Telfer. Advertisement Also back at Cappielow were Scott Tiffoney (on loan from Partick) and Denny Johnstone, from Birmingham City. Ray McKinnon spent just a few weeks in the Cappielow hotseat. (Image: The new manager emphasised it would take time for these signings to settle and for the team to blend together, and he was right; two defeats in the opening two matches of the League Cup campaign killed Morton's qualification hopes. The Championship campaign started brightly, however, and Morton were unbeaten with seven points from the opening three games after defeating leaders Ross County at Cappielow on August. 25. Next up were Partick Thistle at Firhill on September 1. Advertisement But the day beforehand, after a team photocall at Cappielow, sensational events unfolded, with the shock news emerging that McKinnon, his assistant Darren Taylor and subsequently, sports scientist Graeme Henderson, had resigned after only eight games in charge, to join Falkirk on three-year contracts. The Tele's take on Ray McKinnon's departure after just three months. (Image: Greenock Telegraph) They were already contracted to Morton. The reaction from the Greenock club and its supporters was one of outright fury. Chapter 3: After Unsurprisingly, Morton fell 1-0 to Partick the following day; the surreal atmosphere at the game being magnified by inept officials who somehow missed a second Thistle goal when Doolan clearly netted. Morton quickly appointed Jonatan Johansson as manager. Perhaps inevitably, there was a decline in the club's results, with Ayr and Ross County netting five goals each in the Finn's early matches. Advertisement October saw the visit of Falkirk to Cappielow, and a vital 1-0 home win, courtesy of Bob McHugh's goal. The atmosphere was electric, and the hostility towards McKinnon's entourage was palpable. Ray McKinnon returned to Cappielow as Falkirk boss just a few weeks after quitting Morton - and amid an electric atmosphere, Bob McHugh's goal earned Ton maximum points. (Image: The result left Falkirk firmly rooted at the bottom of the table, Morton in sixth spot. Meanwhile, the SPFL commenced disciplinary proceedings against Falkirk; their failings on the field now being matched by those in the boardroom. Chair Margaret Lang stated that she didn't know the terms of the relevant rules, but stated that a lot happens in football that is not contained within the rules. Advertisement Falkirk were found guilty of 'three flagrant breaches of the rules for inducing the three former Morton employees', and were fined £60,000 plus expenses, £20,000 suspended for two years. The tribunal noted: 'McKinnon was particularly unimpressive in his evidence and that it was unable to accept that he was a sufficiently credible witness for his evidence to be relied upon." In response, Falkirk claimed that 'they had acted appropriately at all times', and talked of an appeal. The fine was, however, paid to the SPFL Trust, and separately, a compensation payment was agreed with Morton. This episode may have cost Falkirk as much as £100,000 in total. And for what? A place in League One. Advertisement Greg Kiltie's strike helped secure Morton's Championship safety in a 2-0 win away to Ray McKinnon's Falkirk side in April 2019. (Image: GBR Photos) As the season neared its end, Morton's squad, now boosted by the arrival of loanees Robbie McCrorie, Andrew Dallas and Greg Kiltie, travelled to Falkirk on April 20, 2019, where goals from Kiltie and Telfer secured a brilliant 2-0 victory. Morton were safe, finishing fifth; Falkirk were bottom and were duly relegated. For their first season in League One, McKinnon lured out of contract players Tidser, Telfer and Buchanan from Morton, but by November 2019, he had been dismissed. Falkirk were to spend the next five years in the third tier.
