Plenty of Nothing

El Djem Amphitheatre on a 50 Franc Note

Source.

Bodle

This is a bodle or bodwell or Turner or half groat, a copper coin of small denomination from the reign of Charles II. It's 300 years out of circulation, but it survives in the language as a tiny unit of worth, as in for instance, "Th' Board disnae care a bodle aboot th' state of oor pitch." Source.

It's the playoffs. Morton travel to Links Park in Angus to contest the first leg of their Championship playoff semifinal against Montrose. Montrose made it into fourth place in League One with an 87th-minute win over Partick on Tuesday, knocking Falkirk into fifth place and out of the playoffs.

Morton have not played Montrose since a League Cup match in August 2013, which the Ton won handily.

Montrose are not necessarily pushovers this time. They scored 33 goals in 22 games this season, in contrast to Morton's 22 in 27 games. They each allowed 33 goals.

Morton have only ever taken part in two playoffs, losing both. Peterhead knocked them out of their Division One semifinal in 2006, and Dundee United bounced them from the Premiership quarterfinal in 2017. Montrose have participated in four playoffs, losing all but one. They denied Brora Rangers entry to the SPFL in 2015 as Team 42, or, rather, Brora declined to seize it.

Montrose defender Kerr Waddell wore a Morton jersey in 2018-19. Lewis Hawke, son of Warren, played for Morton in 2012-13. None of the Morton squad have ever played for Montrose.

Links Park is one of those grounds where the neighbouring houses can double as luxury suites at game time. All the houses across Union Row at the east end of the park have an upstairs view of the pitch.

It's also the Scottish Cup semi-finals:

Dundee United [0 - 2] Hibs

These two have met in the Scottish Cup semi-finals twice before. United won in 2005, Hibs in 2016.

St Mirren [1 - 2] St Johnstone (tomorrow)

The Scottish Cup semi-finals have never featured this foursome before. Three of the four were also League Cup semi-finalists. The last time the Old Firm was not represented in the Scottish Cup semi-finals was 2005-06. Rangers are now 12 years without a Scottish Cup.

Four possible finals can come out of these semis: Dundee United vs St Johnstone, Dundee United vs St Mirren, Hibs vs St Johnstone, and Hibs vs St Mirren. Dundee United vs St Mirren occurred in 1987, Dundee United vs St Johnstone in 2014. The other two have never happened before.

The 2020-21 semi-finalists by number of Scottish Cups won:

3    Hibs

3    St Mirren

2    Dundee United

1    St Johnstone

One final League One match:

Clyde 2 - 1 East Fife (May 6)

Playoffs:

Premiership playoff QF, leg 2:

Raith Rovers [2 - 0] Dunfermline

[Raith advance to meet Dundee in the semifinal.]

Championship playoff semifinals, leg 1:

Montrose [2 - 1] Morton

[Morton goal by Oliver.]

Cove Rangers [1 - 1] Airdrieonians

League One playoff semi-finals, leg 1:

Stranraer [0 - 0] Dumbarton

Elgin [0 - 1] Edinburgh City

Pyramid playoffs, second leg:

Kelty Hearts [4 - 1] Brora Rangers

[Kelty advance to play Brechin.]

Developments:

The Lowland League is in discussions to admit Rangers and Celtic colt teams next season.

Goals scored per game, worst averages, Morton:

1987-88    44    27    0.614

1984-85    36    29    0.806

2020-21    27    22    0.815

1981-82    36    31    0.861

2013-14    36    32    0.889

Goals scored per game, worst averages, Dumbarton:

2020-21    22    14    0.636

1995-96    36    23    0.639

2017-18    36    27    0.750

1984-85    36    29    0.806

2007-08    36    31    0.861

Other matches:

Luxembourg: Hostert [0 - 3] Progrès Niederkorn

3.Liga: Ingolstadt  0 - 0  1.FC Saarbrücken

Swiss Challenge League: Chiasso 2 - 1 Winterthur (yesterday)

J2: Mito HollyHock [1 - 1] Tochigi SC (tomorrow)

UCD 3 - 2 Treaty United (last night)

Treaty United are the newest Limerick club.

Faroes: Klaksvik [4 - 0] B36 (tomorrow)

WE League preseason: Mynavi Sendai [0 -0] Elfen Saitama (tomorrow)

Suomen Cup final: HJK [0 - 0] KuPS [KuPS win on PK.]

The Strongest [3 - 0] Royal Pari

Historical matches:

May 8, 1993. Morton hosted Stirling Albion and lost 1 - 3. Alex Mathie got the lone Ton goal.

Which university teams are in the Scottish pyramid?

Tier V:

University of Stirling        Lowland League

Edinburgh University       Lowland League

Tier VII:

Glasgow University         West of Scotland League, Conference A

Heriot-Watt University     East of Scotland League, 1st Div Conf B

Stirling U reserves           East of Scotland League, 1st Div Conf B

Edinburgh University in the Scottish Cup:

1878/11/16    R3    Edinburgh University 2 - 5 Hibernian

1879/11/8      R3    Rob Roy 1 - 0 Edinburgh University

1880/11/13    R4    Edinburgh University 0 - 1 Campsie Central

1881/11/12    R4    Edinburgh University 2 - 3 Clyde

1882/11/18    R4    Vale of Leven 2 - 0 Edinburgh University

1889/10/19    R3    Edinburgh University 0 - 9 Leith Athletic

1890/10/18    R3    Edinburgh University 3 - 2 Cowdenbeath

1890/11/8      R4    Edinburgh University 0 - 7 Queen's Park (neutral site)

1954/9/11      R1    Fraserburgh 9 - 0 Edinburgh University

1955/9/10      R1    Edinburgh University 0 - 7 Inverness Thistle

1956/9/8        R1    Edinburgh University 1 - 11 Duns

1963/1/12      R1    East Fife 5 - 0 Edinburgh University

1965/1/27    PR2    Edinburgh University 1 - 4 Forfar Athletic

1973/12/17    R1    Queen's Park 1 - 0 Edinburgh University

2006/11/18    R1    Edinburgh University 2 - 1 Keith

2006/12/9      R2    Cowdenbeath 5 - 1 Edinburgh University

2007/10/27    R2    Edinburgh University 3 - 1 Deveronvale

2007/11/24    R3    Cove Rangers 1 - 0 Edinburgh University

2008/9/27      R1    Edinburgh University 1 - 2 Civil Service Strollers

2009/9/26      R1    Edinburgh University 0 - 3 Vale of Leithen

2010/9/25      R1    Edinburgh University 2 - 2 Brora Rangers

2010/10/2      R2    Brora Rangers 2 - 1 Edinburgh University

2011/9/24      R1    Edinburgh University 0 - 3 Whitehill Welfare

2012/8/25      R1    Edinburgh University 1 - 2 St Cuthbert Wanderers

2013/9/14      R1    Edinburgh University 0 - 2 Spartans

2014/8/16      PR    Hurlford United 2 - 2 Edinburgh University

2014/8/23      PR    Edinburgh University 0 - 5 Hurlford United

2015/9/26      R1    Strathspey Thistle 1 - 2 Edinburgh University

2015/10/24    R2    Inverurie Loco Works 2 - 1 Edinburgh University

2016/9/24      R1    Edinburgh University 0 - 1 Whitehill Welfare

2017/9/23      R1    Edinburgh University 2 - 1 Lossiemouth

2017/10/14    R2    Edinburgh University 0 - 2 Fraserburgh

2018/9/22      R1    Whitehill Welfare 1 - 0 Edinburgh University

2019/9/21      R1    Edinburgh University 1 - 3 Lochee United

2020/12/12  PR2    Edinburgh University 1 - 2 Tranent Juniors

This game was played 140 years ago yesterday:

    LADIES' INTERNATIONAL MATCH.--SCOTLAND V. ENGLAND.--A rather novel football match took place at ----- Road, Edinburgh, on Saturday, between teams of lady players representing England and Scotland, the former [hail]ing from London, and the latter, it is [said], from Glasgow. A considerable amount of curiosity was evinced in the event, and upwards of a thousand persons witnessed it. The young ladies' ages appeared to range from eighteen to four and twenty, and they were very smartly dressed. The Scotch team wore blue jerseys, white knickerbockers, red stockings, a red belt, high-heeled boots, and blue and white cowl, while their English sisters were dressed in red jerseys, white knickerbockers, blue stockings and belt, high-heeled boots, and red and white cowl. The game, judged from a player's point of view, was a failure, but some of the individual members of the teams showed that they had a fair idea of the game. During the first half the Scotch team, playing against the wind, scored a goal, and in the second half they added other two, making a total of three goals against their opponents' nothing. Misses St Clair and Cole scored the first two, and the third was [due] to Misses Stevenson and Wright. Teams.--Scotland--Misses Ethel Hay (goal), Bella Oswald and Georgina Wright (backs), Rose ------- and Isa Stevenson (half-backs), ------- Wright, Louise Cole, Lily St Clair, Maud ---ford, C------ ------ and M------ ------- (forwards). England-- Misses May Goodwin (goal), Mabel Bradbury and Maud Hopewell (backs), Maud Starling and Ada -------- (half-backs), Geraldine V------, Mabel Vance, Eva Davenport, A------ Hopewell, Kate Mellon, and Nellie Sherwood (forwards).

(Glasgow Herald, May 9, 1881, p. 8.)

Internment Camp Money

Source.

Cinq Mille

The best-looking banknote in a denomination of 5000. Republic of Cameroon, 1962.

This is the 5000th post on Plenty of Nothing. The blog began in 2006 and has been daily since 2010.

$15 Playing Card Money

In 2008 the Canadian Mint issued this commemorative silver coin in the form of the Queen of Spades, which harks back to the days when the government of New France was so hard up for coin that it seized all the playing cards in the province and reissued them as legal tender. Source.

The Countess of Dufferin $1 Bill, 1878

Hariot Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood had her face on the Canadian one dollar bill in 1878 by virtue of being married to the Governor General, the Earl of Dufferin, who was on the two. Source.

Potosi, 1758

A bird's-eye view of the city of Potosi, Bolivia, in 1758, with the mountain Cerro Rico. This place supplied much of Europe's silver in the time of the Spanish Empire, and is still mined today. Source.

The Vampire Note

On this date in 1922 Germany issued it's largest denomination banknote till then, though as the year progressed they came out with greater and greater denominations, ultimately reaching billions of marks in face value as inflation ran rampant. This one included an engraving of a portrait by Albrecht Dürer, which some people took to be a picture of a vampire and symbolic of France, whose war reparation demands were blamed for the financial crisis. Read about it.

 

Der Wilde Mann

A 25-pfennig notgeld from 1921. Source.

2019 Serie del Caribe

Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez in Basquisimeto, Venezuela, where this year's series is not happening. Source.

It's la Serie del Caribe 2019. The teams are: Leñadores de Las Tunas (Cuba), Estrellas Orientales (Dominican Republic), Cangrejeros de Santurce (Puerto Rico), Cardenales de Lara (Venezuela), Toros de Herrara (Panama) and Charros de Jalisco (Mexico).

The games take place at the Estadio Nacional Rod Carew in Panama City. Venezuela was to have been this year's host, but between the disputed presidential election and the hyperinflation it seemed better to relocate. Which is good of the Panamanians because originally they weren't even invited. This is their first involvement since 1960.

The tournament begins today and goes till February 10th.

Cangrejeros are the only one of this year's participants to have won the series before. They've done it five times: in 1951, 1953, 1955, 1993 and 2000.

Leñadores are lumberjacks, estrellas orientales are eastern stars, cangrejeros are crabbers. Cardenales are cardinals, the bird not the papal elector. Toros are bulls, and charros are horsemen.

[Toros de Herrara beat Leñadores de Las Tunas 3 - 1 in the final. It's Panama's first Caribbean Series championship since 1950.]

Venezuelans are using the country's money, the bolivar, as craft paper. Source.