Sport’s back but still no fans

● Ayr races to kick-start return on Monday ● Rugby to resume with inter-city derbies ● Golfers allowed to play in three-balls

Competitive sporting action will return in Scotland on Monday after the country’s lockdown measures were further eased.

A horse racing meet at Ayr will herald the resumption of elite sport after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon signalled the beginning of phase two of the route out of lockdown.

Rugby fans were also handed good news after the return of the Guinness Pro14 was announced, with Glasgow and Edinburgh set to play each other twice in late August in a truncated finale to the season.

Scottish Premiership football clubs are waiting to hear when they will be allowed to resume contact training after most returned to socially-distanced activity over the past week.

Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament: “Professional sport can resume, although, since strict public health restrictions remain in place, that will be only behind closed doors.”

Edinburgh and Glasgow players will return to training next week ahead of their season finale.

Conference B leaders Edinburgh are set to qualify for the semi-finals but Glasgow face a highly improbable task of overhauling Ulster to compete in the reduced play-offs.

Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill said: “We would

NICOLA STURGEON “Professional sport can resume [but] only behind closed doors” have obviously liked to have finished the season and tested ourselves against the likes of Munster at home and Ulster away to earn the right to be in a play-off – which I think we would have been good enough to do.

“But, we’re now in a position where the season has obviously been cut short and we have an opportunity – because of where we sat prior to the league’s suspension – to kick on and we want to take that opportunity.

“We’re at where we’re at because of circumstance and now have the challenge of two big derby games, which are important regardless of the points.

“If we can get some decent points out of those two derby games then that will give us a decent chance of securing top spot and a home semi-final.”

Scottish golfers have been given the green light to resume playing with two friends in a three-ball from today under the latest guidance from Scottish Golf. Four-balls comprisingofpeoplefromthreehouseholds are also now allowed but the “broad five miles” travel guideline remains in place for recreational golf.

In football, Scottish League 1 and 2 clubs have been asked by the SPFL when they can start the new season, with August, October and January among the options. The 20 clubs have

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Aberdeen players and staff are understood to have agreed a 20 per cent wage cut.

Dons chairman Dave Cormack recently estimated that the Scottish Premiership side faced a £9 million hole in their income – the equivalent of their annual football budget – because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Most of the players have been on furlough leave but the first-team squad returned for pre-season training on Monday.

The club announced they had “begun conversations

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