The council said other initiatives could go ahead and it plans to encourage anglers to the area with fishing points around Loch Ryan, and bird hides will also be placed around the waters' edge in co-operation with the RSPB.

BBC: Stranraer slipway cost concerns surface

The last time I was here, we were embedded in the Green Zone security bubble of the African Union peacekeeping operation at the edge of the Somali capital, with its Ugandan and Burundian troops, its heavy mortars and armoured convoys.

BBC: Welcome to tough, unpredictable Mogadishu

David Law, who heads up the media operation for the Champions Tour, said that the competitive edge which McEnroe brought to events had been crucial in establishing the circuit.

CNN: Past Masters still court glory on Champions Tour