WHEN IS a sheep not a sheep ... when it’s a pig, of course!

There’s been a meeja frenzy recently about the mangalitza pigs kept by Jim Mann, at Erchless Castle Estate, near Beauly, recently. Of course, these stories are well behind The SF in reporting on this breed – we carried a story about the breed many months ago.

However, the winter coat these piggies acquire does bear a striking resemblance to a sheep fleece. In fact, I’d go as far as saying there are sheep about with worse coats than their porcine cousins – and some of them made a lot of money!

Serious rugby played for fun

The annual Muirhead Plant Hire rugby tournament will kick off today (Saturday, January 5), at Hartree Mill Sports Grounds, in Biggar, at 2pm. As usual there is The Scottish Farmer select team against Biggar’s Farmer Select team.

Organiser, Stuart Muirhead sent us the team list, and he may have added some artistic licence with the replacements' alleged team names. Playing for The SF are: James Baird (Ayr); David Paterson (Biggar); Sean Young (Carrick); Niall Goldie (Annan); Angus Kerr (Robert Gordon Uni); Alan Wilson (Ardrossan); William Dick (Stirling County); Andrew Dunlop (Biggar); Callum Smith (Kilmarnock); Craig Baird (Marr); William Greene (Dumfries); Andrew Rutherford (Stirling County); Mark Fowler (Biggar); Andrew Neilson (Stirling County) captain; Paul Davidson (Biggar).

The hopeful/hopeless replacements are: Stuart Muirhead (Kilmarnock); George Rutherford (Cumbernuald); Jamie McFadzean (Dalespark); George Strang (Southfork); Bob Munro (Pull None); Ewan McAlpine (Evergreen RFC); Finlay Smith (Monarch of the Glen); Gordon Young (Queen Vic); Hamish Dykes (Ba Bas); and the coaches, Stuart Cameron (Haribo RFC); Dave McFadzean (Kilmarnock).

The bus is leaving Kilmarnock Rugby Club on Saturday at 10.30am, contact Stuart Muirhead on 07977050621. This is a warm up for next year’s massive 16-team tournament which will be played with all proceeds going to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.