Ministers in bid to reap the b

Byline: Christopher MACKIE

THE body that manages the seabed around Scotland should be more accountable to the Scottish people to help the country brand bags online benefit from its own natural resources, according to Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead.

Scottish ministers are to seek the support of the UK government to change the way the Crown Estate is managed in an attempt to help communities north of the Border benefit directly from the millions generated by its assets.

The body, which runs the Queen's hereditary land on behalf of the UK, boasts a marine estate that includes half of Scotland's foreshore as well as the territorial seabed around the country to a distance of 12 nautical miles. It also manages around 102,000 acres of land in five rural and urban settings in Scotland.

Last year, the organisation's income generated in Scotland fell by a quarter to GBP13.1 million, with profits of around GBP9.1m, money the Scottish Government hopes can be used to benefit Scotland directly.

At present, cash from the activities undertaken by the Crown Estate, which is one of the largest landowners in the UK, is paid to the Treasury.

With income generated on Scotland's seabed expected to soar in the wake of a series of licences granted to offshore renewable operators, Scottish ministers believe it is an appropriate time to act on a recommendation made by the UK Treasury select committee in March that a memorandum of agreement be signed by the Scottish Government and the Crown Estate.

The committee called for a "consolidation" of the working relationship between the pair in order to improve the management of assets in Scotland.

Mr Lochhead has already held a number of meetings with UK government and Crown Estate officials to discuss altering the set-up, which he described yesterday as "out of step with modern and cheap kent cigarettes progressive political arrangements" as other responsibilities for the marine sector were currently being devolved.

"The people of Scotland should benefit from our marine and natural resources yet, despite the arrival of devolution over a decade ago, the Crown Estate remains unaccountable to Scotland," he said.

"It is time for the Crown Estate to deliver greater benefits to Scotland and our communities. The election of a new UK coalition government provides the opportunity for the Crown Estate to fully adapt to the post-devolution era, with greater transparency and accountability for their activities north of the border.

"A series of meetings have already begun between Scottish Government officials and their Crown Estate and UK government counterparts to explore the options. At my most recent meeting with the Secretary of State for Scotland we agreed to hold further talks in the near future about the Crown Estate. Scotland's offshore energy potential is vast and we have the opportunity to be a world leader in this area. Therefore we are continuing to work closely and constructively with the Crown Estate on our ongoing offshore renewables work."

Labour's Highland MSP Peter Peacock said his party had argued for the Crown Estate to adapt in Scotland, and would welcome any improvements in management. However, he added: "Scotland has access to the Show Fall Winter in 2009 UK-wide revenues of the Crown Estate, and they are now and will remain for many years greater than any purely Scottish revenue generated."
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Minoza ties for 10th in Japan;

FRANKIE MIAOZA shot a final round one-under-par 71 Sunday and settled for a tie for 10th spot in the Casio Open men's golf tournament in Kochi, Japan and emerged the best performer among Filipino golfers campaigning overseas.

Minoza had a four-day total of 282, six-under at at the Kochi Kuroshio Country Club, and took home 3.2 million yen (about P1.3 million). Minoza's scores were 73-70-68-71.

Japan's Taichi Teshima birdied the last two holes to beat overnight leader Chris Campbell of Australia for a one-stroke victory.

Starting the day three strokes behind Campbell, Teshima carded eight birdies against one bogey for a 65 to finish with a four-round total of 13-under-par 275, and then waited for the Australian to end his round.

Montreal Canadiens

Over in Vietnam, Aretemio Murakami and Mars Pucay tied for 17th place at the end of the Vietnam Masters.

Murakami had a final round two-under-par 70 and Pucay a 71 for a four-day aggregate of 285, three-under-par at the Thailand's Chapchai Nirat secured the victory with a closing day five-under-par 67 for a two stroke win.

Meanwhile, Gerald watches-x Rosales and Antonio Lascuna tied for 22nd spot in the 28-team World Cup of Golf competition in Shenzen, China.

The Filipino duo had a combined even-par 72 in the final alternate shot (foursomes) format and finished with a four-day total of 280 in a tie with Wales.

Scotland's Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren defeated Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum of the United States on the third playoff hole Sunday to win the title.

The victory at the Mission Hills Golf Club made up for Scotland's loss last year in a one-hole playoff against Germany's Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siem.

A par on the third playoff hole was good enough for the Scots after Weekley missed a 15-foot putt trying to save par.

The Americans forced the playoff on the last regulation hole when Slocum dropped a 5-foot birdie putt. On the first playoff hole, he missed a 7-foot birdie attempt that would have won it. Seconds before, Warren dropped a clutch 12-footer to save par. A miss would have handed the event to the Americans.

On the second playoff hole, both teams narrowly missed birdie attempts - Weekley from 20 feet and Warren from 12. Weekley's approach shot on the final playoff hole was short, and Slocum's chip left his teammate with a cheap ugg difficult putt.

Scotland finished regulation with a 6-under 66 on the 7,251-yard Olazabal Course to end on 25-under 263. The United States shot 67 after leading after each of the first three rounds. --From wire reports

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Plunge into the unknown

What's cold, wet, dark and utterly exhilarating? Nikki Preston reckons it's blackwater rafting.

Omega Watch Replica

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Ican hear the Indiana Jones theme music in the background as I abseil down into the cave: dum de dum dum, dum de dum, dum dum dum ... Jah Tuheke, one of our guides, is whistling the soundtrack as I hover over the floor.

While I'm feeling adventurous, I do look very silly. Indy's fetching fedora is replaced with a white shiny helmet and there is no bull whip or cool leather jacket in sight.

Instead, I look like a Scuba Sam gone terribly wrong. I'm wearing lace up gumboots, a wetsuit - over which I'm sporting a pair of stripey pink bikini bottoms (apparently to protect the suit) - and a jacket.

Thankfully there are beautiful glow worms to distract me from my horror outfit as I zip the 30 metres down into the cave.

At the bottom I find Waikato Times photographer Mark Taylor and English tourists Glynn Pearson and Becky Corlett waiting in the dark - we had been told to turn off our headlamps for the ride down. Dum de dum, dum de dum, dum dum dum.

We're doing the extreme version of The Legendary Blackwater Rafting Company's Black Abyss adventure.

After 20 minutes of being flown and falling it's time for some floating.

People have been black water rafting in Waitomo's Ruakuri Cave since 1987, but the caves were first discovered by Maori more than 400 years ago.

Ruakuri translates to "den of dogs" and got that name from when wild dogs lived in the entrance .

Shannon Gregory, our bubbly and main tour guide, is from the Coromandel but has been showing people around this unique part of the Waikato for a year.

As we munch on a flapjack and warm hot chocolate, she tells us there are more than 20 guides working for the company and many of them spend summer at the caves and then flit off to work at the mountain or to have another summer in Europe.

She then leaps off the side of the ledge we had been sitting on and plunges into the seemingly bottomless hole in the dark. Splash!

It takes me a couple of run-ups before I am brave enough to join her - my rubber raft smacking against the icy cold water. Eventually all five of us are bobbing up and down on our rafts in the dark with only the light from the magical glow worms Juicy Couture Bags to guide us.

We use our arms to paddle upstream, heads propped backwards gazing at the tiny little lights which are not half as exotic as they sound. The constellations we admire are really just glowing maggot snot and poo; no wonder the glow worm name stuck.

The next part of the trip is a breeze because we simply form a human chain, feet propped up on each others' rafts, while Shannon tows us towards a gushing rapid. Ditching our rafts, we are told to transform into a human surfboard and hurtle down a slide hidden among the rushing water.

It's not until I am back on a solid surface that I realise I have lost one of my shiny gumboots - bad timing for what's ahead.

The water, a refreshing 12C which falls to 9C in winter, conveniently numbs my body and dulls the stabbing of sharp rocks into the soles of my feet .

Shannon tells us this part of
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