Latest news with #BeaufortScale
The National
5 days ago
- Sport
- The National
Richard Sterne sets early pace with 67 at Nexo Championship
Funnily enough, some readers often say that these writings make them want to cut theirs too. Sterne, meanwhile, is made of, well, stern stuff. A defiant, bogey-free five-under 67 over a blowy Trump International Golf Links gave the 43-year-old South African a timely tonic has he continues to recover from a series of ravaging injuries and surgeries. At the end of an unforgiving day, Sterne was perched at the head of the standings, a shot clear of his compatriots, Thomas Aiken and Louis Albertse, and Norway's Andreas Halvorsen. Wear, tear, aches, pains, hirples and hobbles can be par for the course when you've spent your life thwacking balls with a stick. 'How long have you got?,' replied Sterne when asked to detail the various afflictions that have dogged him down the seasons. 'I've had three wrist surgeries since 2020 and I have a titanium disc in my lower back,' added the six-time DP World Tour winner, who reached a career-high of 29th in the world rankings but now languishes down in 1049th. 'The wrist procedure was a scaphoid ligament which tore and they fixed it and then it tore again. I also tore the TFCC (triangular fibrocartilage complex) in my wrist. It can be a hell of a thing to operate on. 'When I was getting the third wrist surgery, I decided to get my back done as well because I'd had 20 years of it (pain). I could always play but it got so bad, I couldn't even swing a club. 'I was out for nine months with the wrist surgery so I thought I may as well do my back too. I would have pain down my leg, I was living on painkillers. It was not fun. 'The only way I could see myself playing again was to take the chance with surgery. My back was actually easier to recover from. The wrist was more of a worry. I've spent hundreds of hours recovering and being in the gym trying to get my body able to play again. 'I didn't hit a ball for 22 months. You can imagine trying to come back from that. It's been a tough year.' Sterne has played 14 events on the tour his season but has made just three cuts. It's been a sair auld fecht but, having harnessed the testing conditions with a neatly assembled opening round amid the towering dunes of the Menie estate, Sterne is seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. 'I enjoyed today, and it would be nice to play like this for the rest of the year to build some confidence,' said Sterne, who birdied three of the four par-5s and was home and dry before the wind really got howling. 'The wind was not excessive, but it was testing. You can see that in the scores. I hit some shots that I've been working on, and they came off so that gives me confidence too.' Sterne's considered, bogey-free card was in stark contrast to a wild practice round earlier in the week that was played out in the kind of wind that would've knackered the Beaufort Scale. 'I lost eight balls, it was chaos,' he said with a chuckle. 'Some guys played nine holes and then stopped. But I thought, 'bugger it, I'll go and play'. I nearly ran out of balls.' Many of us can empathise with such a predicament. Halvorsen's 68 included an eagle-two on the seventh after his drive rolled up to within six-feet of the hole. Aiken also had an eagle in his four-under round as he trundled in a 20-footer for a three on the long 10th. Englishman Jordan Smith, meanwhile, has been one of the players on European Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald's radar ahead of the showdown with the USA in New York. The consistent Smith got himself up-and-running with a three-under 69 but with qualifying events running out – the final counting tournament is the British Masters in a couple of weeks - the 32-year-old knows it's a tall order to make the grade. 'I think it would have to be two wins or a win and a really good performance somewhere else,' said Smith of a last ditch push. 'I mean, it's not off the cards, but I think it will be really, really tricky for me to get on the team." America's John Catlin made an assault on the summit as he raced to the turn in five-under, but he got into bother on his back-nine and trudged home in 40 on his way to a one-under 71. It was that kind of day.
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Richard Sterne sets early pace with 67 at Nexo Championship
A defiant, bogey-free five-under 67 over a blowy Trump International Golf Links gave the 43-year-old South African a timely tonic has he continues to recover from a series of ravaging injuries and surgeries. At the end of an unforgiving day, Sterne was perched at the head of the standings, a shot clear of his compatriots, Thomas Aiken and Louis Albertse, and Norway's Andreas Halvorsen. Wear, tear, aches, pains, hirples and hobbles can be par for the course when you've spent your life thwacking balls with a stick. 'How long have you got?,' replied Sterne when asked to detail the various afflictions that have dogged him down the seasons. 'I've had three wrist surgeries since 2020 and I have a titanium disc in my lower back,' added the six-time DP World Tour winner, who reached a career-high of 29th in the world rankings but now languishes down in 1049th. 'The wrist procedure was a scaphoid ligament which tore and they fixed it and then it tore again. I also tore the TFCC (triangular fibrocartilage complex) in my wrist. It can be a hell of a thing to operate on. 'When I was getting the third wrist surgery, I decided to get my back done as well because I'd had 20 years of it (pain). I could always play but it got so bad, I couldn't even swing a club. 'I was out for nine months with the wrist surgery so I thought I may as well do my back too. I would have pain down my leg, I was living on painkillers. It was not fun. 'The only way I could see myself playing again was to take the chance with surgery. My back was actually easier to recover from. The wrist was more of a worry. I've spent hundreds of hours recovering and being in the gym trying to get my body able to play again. 'I didn't hit a ball for 22 months. You can imagine trying to come back from that. It's been a tough year.' Sterne has played 14 events on the tour his season but has made just three cuts. It's been a sair auld fecht but, having harnessed the testing conditions with a neatly assembled opening round amid the towering dunes of the Menie estate, Sterne is seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. 'I enjoyed today, and it would be nice to play like this for the rest of the year to build some confidence,' said Sterne, who birdied three of the four par-5s and was home and dry before the wind really got howling. 'The wind was not excessive, but it was testing. You can see that in the scores. I hit some shots that I've been working on, and they came off so that gives me confidence too.' Sterne's considered, bogey-free card was in stark contrast to a wild practice round earlier in the week that was played out in the kind of wind that would've knackered the Beaufort Scale. 'I lost eight balls, it was chaos,' he said with a chuckle. 'Some guys played nine holes and then stopped. But I thought, 'bugger it, I'll go and play'. I nearly ran out of balls.' Many of us can empathise with such a predicament. Halvorsen's 68 included an eagle-two on the seventh after his drive rolled up to within six-feet of the hole. Aiken also had an eagle in his four-under round as he trundled in a 20-footer for a three on the long 10th. Englishman Jordan Smith, meanwhile, has been one of the players on European Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald's radar ahead of the showdown with the USA in New York. The consistent Smith got himself up-and-running with a three-under 69 but with qualifying events running out – the final counting tournament is the British Masters in a couple of weeks - the 32-year-old knows it's a tall order to make the grade. 'I think it would have to be two wins or a win and a really good performance somewhere else,' said Smith of a last ditch push. 'I mean, it's not off the cards, but I think it will be really, really tricky for me to get on the team." America's John Catlin made an assault on the summit as he raced to the turn in five-under, but he got into bother on his back-nine and trudged home in 40 on his way to a one-under 71. It was that kind of day.
Edinburgh Reporter
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Fringe 2025 – Athens of the North ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A delivery driver. A student. A confused elderly lady. You might not think these three would have much in common. But on a single day in Edinburgh their paths will intersect. In Athens of the North, writer and solo performer Mark Hannah brings all three characters richly to life; their struggles, their foibles, their small, important, pleasures are laid before us in this accomplished show. First up is Alan He's a delivery driver for Sound Asleep, and we first meet him as he studies the menu in a curry house. He's a typical (aging) lad, full of beer and bravado. His riff on the menu's 'a la carte' section had the audience in fits just two minutes into the show. Hannah is a remarkably versatile actor; he not only inhabits all three of his characters, but even acts out Alan doing an impression of his annoying teetotal boss Brian. It's not the same since Brian's Dad went – back then they used to have fun. But today Alan is in a hurry. If he doesn't get to his daughter Erin's concert at St Giles' Cathedral there'll be hell to pay with his ex-partner. So he rushes off to do his last delivery, only to find it brings back childhood memories he'd rather forget. As Alan floors it back to get to the cathedral by 12, the audience holds its breath, and for more reasons than one. We are holding our collective breath as we see the van charging into the crowded Old Town. What happens next? You'll need to see the show to find out, but let me tell you your emotions will be pulled in every which way as Hannah threads the past and the present together to reveal the man beneath the macho swagger. Hannah's second character isn't from Edinburgh at all. Liam's a working class London boy on a scholarship to study Meteorology at university. He's fascinated by his subject, but when he goes on a last minute holiday to Zante with his friends (cue hilarious description of their 'budget' hotel) he's also fascinated by the Scottish girl he meets there. Meteorological observations, the Beaufort Scale, the humidity; Liam still has time to notice these even as he enjoys their first kiss. When his new love tells him he 'should see the weather in Edinburgh' he takes her at her word. Back in London he takes the train to Waverley on a whim. Hannah gives us a great sketch of a Londoner looking for CockburnStreet and later seeing Stockbridge ('like Disney!') for the first time – but although there's humour, Liam's impressions of Edinburgh are interspersed with lyrical moments too. He looks up at the castle and imagines his 'princess' waiting for him; he watches the Water of Leith, 'it just flows, no calculation, it just is.' And on his way to meet his princess, he walks straight into a man running towards St Giles' Cathedral. Does Liam disappear into the happy ever after with his dream girl? Or does he end up sitting on the top deck of a bus with a rambling old lady? I'm not saying – but again, Hannah ends the piece on a beautifully optimistic note. Cameo three isn't anything like the other two. For this one Hannah needs a handbag, as he morphs into Maureen, an old lady and long time resident of Annandale Street. We first meet Maureen having a crafty fag in her strictly non-smoking care home. She's chatting with her carer, Ross. She likes him better than her son Peter, who's sold her flat and put her – quite unnecessarily in her opinion – into West Edinburgh Residential Care. Hannah creates a convincing study of a woman slowly descending into dementia. Maureen has a mouth like a sewer (she could beat Alan hands down in a swearing match) and some sharp words to say about a lot of things. She reluctantly accepts that she's been forgetting why she went out shopping, but she still remembers all the boxes from her house sale, and she gives a priceless and instantly recognisable description of the buyer, all set to gentrify her home of sixty years. It's easy to imagine this guy's face when Maureen, in characteristically salty terms, puts him right about his chances of staying very long in her flat. But Maureen mostly lapses into memories, weaving in and out of reality as she tells us Alec (her deceased husband) will be coming in soon. She sees him at the end of her bed, imagines he's asking her to go home with him. Soon she's taken herself to the bus stop – and when, on the top deck, a sad young Londoner asks her if she's ok, she's convinced he's Peter. And no, she's not pleased to see him. Although it's certainly not necessary to know Edinburgh to enjoy this show, some references will particularly hit home with locals. Maureen's thoughts on the St James's Shopping Centre raised a lot of laughs with Saturday's audience, as did Alan's opinions on a prawn curry. And again, the ending of Maureen's story is poignant rather than tragic. As she reaches the last part of her eventful life, she's happy reliving her memories with Ross. He looks after her ('better than Peter'!!!) Athens of the North is a very entertaining show, and one that's full of humanity. It's not only the rich and famous who have a story to tell; people are endlessly fascinating, and Mark Hannah brings these three vignettes of 'ordinary' people's lives to the stage with tremendous warmth and skill. The audience loved the show, and so did I. Athens of the North is at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street (Venue 30) at 3.15pm every day until 9 August, then on alternate days (starting with 11 August) until 23 August. Like this: Like Related
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Greece declares emergency on Chios over wildfires
Greece put the Mediterranean island of Chios under a state of emergency on Monday because of major fires that have raged since the weekend. Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so the authorities could "immediately take the necessary measures". Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called on island residents to exercise "the greatest caution" and follow official instructions. Chios, in the northern Aegean Sea, is Greece's fifth-largest island and is currently facing five separate fire outbreaks. Some 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed, the fire service said. Kefalogiannis, who travelled to the island, said strong winds, estimated at force six on the Beaufort Scale were making the situation "very difficult". Reinforcements were being deployed, he told Greek news site iEidiseis. "If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control," he said. "But the wind really hasn't dropped." On Sunday, hundreds of asylum seekers were forced to move from a reception centre while seven villages were evacuated on Monday. Island authorities feared the fire was dangerously close to fields of valuable mastic trees, whose aromatic sap is used in making chewing gum, alcoholic drinks and pharmaceuticals. Mastic is the island's most famous product, designated part of its intangible cultural heritage by world heritage body UNESCO. Greece is particularly vulnerable to fires in summer, fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. Forecasts are predicting a heatwave in the coming days with temperatures of more than 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) expected, including in the capital Athens. mr/yap/phz/jxb
Observer
23-06-2025
- Climate
- Observer
Greece declares emergency on Chios due to fires
ATHENS: Greece on Monday said it had put the Mediterranean island of Chios under a state of emergency because of major fires that have raged since the weekend. Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so the local authorities "can immediately take the necessary measures". Chios, in the northern Aegean Sea, is Greece's fifth-largest island and is currently facing five separate fire outbreaks. Some 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed to tackle the flames, the fire service said. Kefalogiannis, who travelled to the island, said strong winds, estimated at force six on the Beaufort Scale were making the situation "very difficult". A firefighting helicopter makes a water drop, Chios island. — Reuters Reinforcements were being deployed, he told Greek news site iEidiseis, adding: "If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control. "But the wind really hasn't dropped." On Sunday, about a dozen localities and hundreds of asylum seekers at a reception centre were forced to move while on Monday, seven villages had to be evacuated. Greece is particularly vulnerable to fires during the summer months, fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. Forecasts predict a heatwave in the coming days, with temperatures of more than 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) expected, including in the capital Athens. — AFP
