It's not easy taking opinion polls for an unprecedented election, such as the forthcoming Scottish independence referendum.

We've seen a great deal of attention given over the weekend to a poll from YouGov printed in the Sunday Times, which put the "Yes" campaign ahead by 51% to 49%, excluding the don't knows.
The first thing to say is that we should not get too excited about a single poll - another poll from Panelbase, for example, still puts the "No" campaign ahead.
The second thing is that one-off, yes or no elections present peculiar difficulties for pollsters, as the Alternative Voting System referendum in 2011 showed.
The way YouGov's polls work  is that they have hundreds of thousands of people registered on their site who may be asked to take part in a poll.
The company's computer systems will take a group of people to reflect as closely as possible the electorate in terms of both demography and political views.
The responses given will then be weighted to make up for any parts of the panel that were not quite representative of the electorate.
One-off elections cause problems because it is hard to predict how big the turnout will be (although pollsters say that is more of a problem for low turnouts than high ones). With general elections, polling organisations may learn from mistakes made in previous campaigns, but with one-off elections they are breaking new ground.
So what can we learn from the last two weeks of polling? The gap between the two campaigns does seem to have narrowed to the extent that many commentators now see the referendum as too close to call.
It would certainly be a mistake to see a difference of two percentage points between the campaigns as significant.
Perhaps more significant is a less well-publicised aspect of the YouGov polling.
Because its results are taken from a panel, it can check people's responses against what they said in previous polls.
Apparently, almost half of the just over one thousand people included in each of the last two YouGov polls had taken part in another poll since January.
Looking at just the people who had expressed an opinion in the past, "in the last few weeks there has been a real and significant shift to yes", YouGov's Peter Kellner told BBC News.
One tenth of those saying "yes" now, had not said "yes" when asked previously, he said.
But while the London-based national newspaper headlines are all about saving the union, another source seems less convinced.
Gambling odds are often a good place to look for this sort of information, because they reflect views that people are prepared to back up with money.
Looking at the range of odds available on the referendum, most bookmakers are offering about 2-1 against a yes vote and about 4-11 on a no vote, which means you would have to bet Â£110 to make a Â£40 profit.
Gamblers still clearly think that no to Scottish independence is by far the most likely outcome.


A photographer who pictured Scots living in tenement slums 45 years ago is now hoping to be reunited with his subjects.

Nick Hedges took the photos for housing charity Shelter in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
He now wants to meet the people in his pictures to find out what happened to them.
The images will be featured in an exhibition in Edinburgh's St Andrew Square until 30 October.
Mr Hedges, who is now 73, said: "It would be wonderful to meet the children I photographed all those years ago and to hear their stories. I often wonder what happened to them, if they went on to lead happy and healthy lives.
"When I was commissioned by Shelter to take these photographs, I never imagined that decades later they would still have such impact - none more so than on me personally.
"The poverty and terrible conditions I witnessed shocked me to the core. My hope is that all these years later, by reconnecting with some of those I photographed, I am able to hear good news of what happened to the families."
Director of Shelter Scotland Graeme Brown said: "I encourage anyone who recognises themselves, or family members and friends to get in touch with us. We want to hear the stories behind these iconic images, and in particularly what happened after they were taken.
"These photographs are a sobering piece of history not only for Shelter Scotland, but the nation as a whole and it's important to preserve the stories behind them."


With fans whose pre-match song of choice is by Zombie Nation, Wales' Euro 2016 campaign feels like a footballing nation rising from the dead.

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Absent from major tournaments for 58 years, Wales have had to watch on enviously as international football's elite do battle at World Cups and European Championships.
Yet their rise has not merely ended that wait for qualification; their march to the quarter-finals in France has now captured the imagination of an entire nation.
While a sea of red shirts roared Wales on to victory over Northern Ireland in Saturday's second-round tie at Paris' Parc des Princes, a similar mass of bodies gathered at Cardiff's fan zone and countless bars and living rooms across Wales.
The country is captivated, and its people are daring to dream.
"It goes beyond football to the whole nation, people who don't even like football," said former Wales striker Dean Saunders.
"The players have made the whole nation proud even if we get knocked out in the next round."
Wales' players refer to their fans as the Red Wall, in homage to the Yellow Wall that German club Borussia Dortmund's fans form at their imposing Westfalenstadion home.
Their vocal support and good behaviour outside grounds has brought praise from French media and tourism companies, and they were at their vociferous best in Paris.
Wales' players and coaching team insist they cannot look any further than their quarter-final but, as far as the Red Wall is concerned, manager Chris Coleman sees no reason to curb fans' optimism.
"We won't look ahead but the fans can get carried away. Keep dreaming, there's nothing wrong with that," he said.
"They had to be patient with us [against Northern Ireland] - they sensed we were under pressure but they stayed with us. That's when you need togetherness. They were fantastic."
If the demolition of Russia was an exhibition of thrusting, enterprising football, the triumph over Northern Ireland was one built on patience and perseverance.
Coleman praised Northern Ireland for their defensive display - well organised and immaculately disciplined as they contained the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey.
Yet Wales gamely stuck to their task and their persistence eventually paid, Bale freeing himself from Northern Ireland's shackles to produce the match-winning moment of class.
"We needed our team spirit, when you're not playing well but you dig in," said Coleman.
"That's when you're showing your courage - and that's strength. Not giving up when you have nothing left to give, finding something, and we had to do that."
Whether it is Coleman, Bale or any other member of the squad, Wales have insisted throughout their time in France there is no limit to their ambition.
Bale says he believes Wales can win Euro 2016, while Coleman has said qualifying for a first major tournament for 58 years should usher in a new era of regularly competing at such events.
This is a team already immensely popular, and the further they progress in France, the greater an inspiration they will be for future generations.
"It is not just about this tournament and what is going on now but we want to qualify for other tournaments and grow football in Wales, get other kids playing and be role models to make football even bigger in Wales," said Bale.
"Hopefully that will give us a better national team in the future as well."
Wales and Iceland (who are undefeated in Euro 2016, their only major tournament appearance) have excellent records in major championships - but it should be noted that Wales have played nine games compared to Italy's 119 and Germany's 152.
Even if Wales go out of the tournament in Friday's quarter-final against Belgium in Lille, one could argue Wales' campaign is a success.
However, such carefree contentment does not register with this Welsh side as they prepare to face the world's second-ranked team.
Yet Marc Wilmots' men were in the same position when they were memorably beaten by Wales in Cardiff in a qualifier for this competition last year.
The parties that followed Wales' qualification, Group B success and beating Northern Ireland have become part of the nation's football folklore.
But reaching the semi-finals in France could take celebrations to a similarly uncharted level.


Scotch whisky contributes nearly £5bn a year to the UK economy, according to research commissioned by the industry.

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) said more than 40,000 jobs were supported by the industry across the UK, including 7,000 in rural areas.
The research also found that Scotch made a positive contribution to the UK's balance of trade of almost £3.7bn.
Exports were estimated to worth about £4bn while imports, such as packaging and casks, totalled only £200m.
The study also suggested that the UK's trade deficit in goods of £115bn would be 3% larger without Scotch's contribution.
SWA said the research reinforced Scotch whisky's position as a "strategically important" industry for the UK.
In a statement, SWA said: "Scotch is a significant contributor to rural employment, supporting often fragile local economies.
"The Scotch whisky industry is expanding at historic levels.
"As well as the 14 new distilleries opened since 2013, existing sites have been expanded, for example with increased production, more warehouses or revamped visitor centres.
"Up to a further 40 new distilleries are planned across Scotland, with seven expected to open this year alone."
The industry body also reiterated its call for the UK government to cut excise by 2% in March's Budget, arguing that the current tax of 77% on an average priced bottle of Scotch was "a burden on consumers and the industry".
In response, a UK Treasury spokesman said: "Scotch Whisky is a great British success story with exports worth £4bn a year. That's why we froze the duty on whisky and other spirits at last year's Budget."
We're all learning more about trade, amid the heated debate over Brexit. The Scotch Whisky Association brings its own perspective, with an interesting analysis of net trade.
That measures the value of exports versus the value of imported raw materials and components. Britain has its own oil and gas supply, but while it exported £10bn worth in refined oil during 2015, and as much in crude, it imports £29bn worth. So it's a net importer.
In the economic analysis by the distillers' trade grouping, it shows there's a slight negative on iron and steel, and on 'toilet and cleansing preparations'. Much moreso on plastics and paper products.
Britain exports a lot of cars, with nearly £26bn by value in 2015.  But more than half of a British-built car is made of imported components. And other finished cars are imported, with a total automotive value of nearly £32bn.
The biggest single sector deficit is clothing. We import £12bn per year more apparel than we export - an imbalance of £6bn in exports to £18bn in imports.
What do distillers need to import? Fuel, packaging, some grain and used casks - those bourbon barrels and sherry butts that add a lot of Scotch's distinctive taste and colour.
Export value was around £4bn in 2015, while imports towards the product were around £200m.
What better reason, argues the Scotch Whisky Association on Robert Burns' birthday, for the chancellor to raise a dram to the Bard - a one-time excise officer in Dumfries - and cut duty on spirits?


Damages totalling nearly £1.25m have been awarded to eight people whose phones were hacked by Mirror Group journalists writing celebrity stories.

Actress Sadie Frost won £260,000 and ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne £188,250.
Soap stars Shane Richie, Shobna Gulati and Lucy Benjamin also received payouts. Mirror Group has set aside an extra £16m to deal with further claims.
The scale of damages reflected the invasions of privacy being "so serious and so prolonged", the judge said.
Mr Justice Mann added: "The length, degree and frequency of all this conduct explains why the sums I have awarded are so much greater than historical awards.
"People whose private voicemail messages were hacked so often and for so long, and had very significant parts of their private lives exposed, and then reported on, are entitled to significant compensation."
The High Court heard the hacking of the eight claimants' phones took place at various periods between 1999 and 2009.
The other damages, awarded after a three-week hearing at London's High Court, were:
After the figures were announced, Mr Justice Mann was told that about 70 other claims were outstanding, and that a further 10 had settled.
The Mirror Group said it would consider whether to seek permission to appeal against the size of the damages.
It has increased the money it has allocated to deal with phone hacking claims from £12m to £28m.
Trinity Mirror, which owns Mirror Groups Newspapers (MGN), said: "Our initial view of the lengthy judgment is that the basis used for calculating damages is incorrect and we are therefore considering whether to seek permission to appeal.
In February, Trinity Mirror, which owns the Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and the People, published a "sincere and unreserved" apology for the voicemail interception, saying it "was unlawful and should never have happened".
BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman
There was no right to privacy enforceable in the English courts until the 1998 Human Rights Act created one.
Since then relatively few claims for breach of privacy have gone to trial and judges' awards have been modest.
Naomi Campbell won £3,500 when she sued the Mirror for publishing pictures of her leaving a drug rehabilitation centre.
Until today, the highest award by a judge was £60,000 to Max Mosley following the News of the World publishing a story about him attending a sex party.
Both of those cases concerned a single story.
Today Mr Justice Mann has made it clear that a claim for invasion of privacy made up of many different acts over years will be broken down into individual awards of damages.
So, for example, every time a person is hacked, damages will be awarded. Compensation will be added on top for the distress caused.
If the hack caused further breaches of privacy, say via the publication of a tabloid article, a further sum will be added.  And if that further breach of privacy caused distress, a sum will be awarded for that distress as well.
In Sadie Frost's case, 30 articles published over four years, plus nearly £40,000 for the hacking itself, a further £30,000 for the sustained level of distress resulting from the hacking, and £10,000 for the acts of private investigators, gets you to over £250,000, dwarfing the Mosley award.
The message to the press and others is clear.  Don't breach privacy repeatedly and for years, or you will pay, and pay, and pay.
The damages dwarf those awarded to former Formula 1 boss Max Mosley, who successfully sued the now defunct News of the World in 2008.
He was awarded £60,000, previously the biggest sum awarded by a UK court in a privacy case.
Following the ruling, Ms Frost said she was "relieved" the case was over and the ruling was "closure" for her.
Phone hacking had left her unable to trust the "closest people in my life", she said, adding: "When you lose trust in your friends and family, it is a very lonely place to be."
Mr Gascoigne was described by his lawyer as being "delighted" with the result.
The former England international told the hearing that hacking had left him "scared to speak to anybody" on the phone. He said the ordeal had "ruined his life".
He had complained about 18 articles published by Mirror Newspapers, all of which were accepted to have been the product of illegal activity.
Christopher Hutchings, solicitor for Ms Alcorn, said the judgement should encourage "ordinary people who have found themselves to be victims of phone hacking to take steps to bring the offending parts of the media to account".
Hacked Off, the campaign group formed in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal, said it predicted there would be hundreds of further claims.
It also predicted the Mirror Group had underestimated the amount it needed to set aside for compensation "by a factor of 10".


Oldham Athletic have further boosted their squad for next season by signing midfielder Mike Jones and defender Brian Wilson.

Jones, 26, has been signed on a two-year-deal after Crawley Town withdrew their offer of a new contract.
Wilson, 31, has agreed a similar deal with the Latics, after ending a four-year spell with Colchester United.
Meanwhile, full-back Connor Brown, 21, who has made 58 appearances for Oldham, has signed a new one-year-contract.
Jones, who signed for Crawley Town in 2012, began his career at Tranmere and has since played almost 300 professional games.
He told the club website: "I want to excite the fans and give Oldham a good season next year. I want to score goals, get assists and make things happen."
Wilson, a former Colchester captain, has scored 22 goals in 387 appearances during a career which has also included spells with Bristol City, Cheltenham and Stoke City.


Tourism organisation VisitScotland is encouraging people to celebrate Sunday's National Unicorn Day.

The unicorn is the official national animal of Scotland and continues to feature on Royal Coat of Arms today.
For Sunday, willow artist Woody Fox has created a 2.1m (7ft) unicorn sculpture for the Crawick Multiverse art project in Dumfries and Galloway.
VisitScotland is also encouraging people to "spot" unicorns elsewhere in Scotland.
Carvings and sculptures of unicorns can be found on historic buildings, such as the National War Museum at Edinburgh Castle.
A tapestry called, Mystic Hunt of the Unicorn, hangs in Stirling Castle and a unicorn is a feature of a fountain in the courtyard at Linlithgow Palace.
On the Black Isle in the Highlands, The Stables in Cromarty has a large unicorn sculpture.
The unicorn has been a Scottish heraldic symbol since the 12th Century when it was used on an early form of the Scottish coat of arms by William I.
Reasons for the appearance of a unicorn include a theory that narwhal, a whale with long tusks protruding from their heads, were seen in Scottish waters after straying from their usual range in the Arctic.
Unicorns were also written about by the ancient Celts, Persians, Romans and Greeks, and were often described as an elegant white horse-like creature with a single horn capable of magical properties.
Wales and England are among other nations that also celebrate fabled beasts. The Welsh flag features a red dragon connected to one of the country's legends, while England's patron saint St George is said to have killed a dragon.
Artist Fox's other artwork has also involved animals, but of varieties that can be found running around the Scottish countryside.
He said: "I was thrilled to be asked to create this unique sculpture of a unicorn to mark National Unicorn Day.
"My previous work includes deer, badgers, foxes and rabbits which bring homes, gardens, parks and public spaces to life.
"It has been very inspiring for me to work on this noble and spiritual animal for the first time and to help promote Scotland at the same time."


A 19-month-old toddler has died three days after falling into a garden pond in Lincolnshire.

The boy, who lived in Peterborough, was at his grandparents house in Gosberton Risegate, near Spalding, when he fell in the family pond on Sunday.
He was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham but later died, a coroner's officer in South Lincolnshire confirmed.
An inquest is expected to be opened and adjourned on Monday.


Houthi rebels and their allies in Yemen have stormed the presidential palace in Aden following heavy clashes, officials say.

The rebels pushed through to the heart of the port city using tanks and armoured vehicles, despite air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition.
At least 44 people have been killed in the violence, including 18 civilians, according to AFP.
Separately, a Saudi border guard has reportedly been killed by gunfire.
It is the first known Saudi fatality since it began an air campaign against the Houthis last week.
The Saudi government says the aim of its operation in Yemen is to protect President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi's "legitimate government". It says it has no plans to deploy ground forces for now.
Aden was President Hadi's last seat of power before he fled to Saudi Arabia last week, as the Shia rebels advanced on the city.
"There are bodies and wounded in the streets and nobody dares to approach," said a resident in the central neighbourhood of Crater.
Yemen - who is fighting whom?
The Houthis: Zaidi Shia-led rebels from the north, who seized control of Sanaa last year and have since been expanding their control
President Hadi: Fled to Saudi Arabia after rebel forces advanced on his stronghold in the southern city of Aden
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula: Seen by the US as the most dangerous offshoot of al-Qaeda, AQAP opposes both the Houthis and President Hadi.
Islamic State: A Yemeni affiliate of IS has recently emerged, which seeks to eclipse AQAP
Failure 'not an option for Saudis'
Yemen crisis: An Iranian-Saudi battleground?
Meeting the Houthis - and their enemies
The rise of Yemen's Houthi rebels
Earlier reports suggested that foreign troops had disembarked at the port. But China later said it had sent its navy to the area to help foreign nationals evacuate.
The Houthis have said their aim is to replace President Hadi's government, which they accuse of being corrupt. They captured the president's palace in the capital Sanaa in January and established a transitional presidential council.
Gulf Arab states have accused Iran of backing the Houthis financially and militarily, though Iran has denied this.
Fighting in Yemen over the past two weeks has left more than 500 people have dead and some 1,700 wounded, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said.
It's not safe to go out; it's not safe to go anywhere.
We fled from our home yesterday. The Houthis were bombing everywhere - gunshots, RPGs, everything you can imagine.
When President Hadi came to Aden, he just brought all the mess from Sanaa.
In Sanaa they have weapons: they could have fought the Houthis. We only have light weapons. Can you imagine fighting a tank with a gun? It's insanity.
Hadi does not deserve to be fought for. Aden is a peaceful city, Adeni people don't carry weapons.
After two days of bombing, he flew away to Saudi Arabia, and now people are dying here and he is safe and doing nothing for us. He hasn't even said thank you to his people for protecting him and Yemen.
We are grateful to Saudi Arabia but the air strikes are not effective anymore. I'm worried about what will happen. An invasion could turn us into Iraq. We don't want airstrikes, we don't want invasions, we just want peace.
The Saudi border guard killed was named by state news agency SPA as Cpl Ali Yahya al-Maliki.
Ten others were wounded when his observation post in the province of Asir came under fire.
Also on Thursday, local officials in the port city of Mukalla said al-Qaeda militants had stormed a prison there and freed at least 150 detainees.
Local Yemeni officials said that among those released in the prison break was a senior figure in the regional wing of al-Qaeda.
He was named as Khaled Batarfi, who had been arrested four years ago.


David Cameron has told the BBC he will not serve a third term as prime minister if the Conservatives remain in government after the general election.

The PM said if re-elected he would serve the full five years of another Parliament and then leave Number 10.
Mr Cameron tipped Home Secretary Theresa May, Chancellor George Osborne and London Mayor Boris Johnson as potential successors.
Labour accused him of arrogance while the Lib Dems called him presumptuous.
In an interview with BBC deputy political editor James Landale, Mr Cameron described the three Conservative heavyweights as "great people" with "plenty of talent".
James Landale said the PM's comments would "electrify the election campaign".
"Not only will this kick-start a lengthy Tory leadership contest, it will also send a message to voters that if they back the prime minister now, he would not go on and on as some previous prime ministers had done," he said.
"But it is quite a gamble. There is a risk that some voters will think Mr Cameron is being arrogant for presuming the result of an election that could see him dismissed from Downing Street in a matter of weeks."
The prime minister said during the interview he felt his job was "half done" with the economy "turned round" and that he wanted to "finish the job" of education and welfare reform.
But he said: "There definitely comes a time where a fresh pair of eyes and fresh leadership would be good, and the Conservative Party has got some  great people coming up - the Theresa Mays, and the George Osbornes, and the Boris Johnsons.
"You know, there's plenty of talent there. I'm surrounded by very good people."
He added: "I've said I'll stand for a full second term, but I think after that it will be time for new leadership.
"Terms are like Shredded Wheat - two are wonderful but three might just be too many."
Asked whether he could imagine "life outside" if he falls short at the election, Mr Cameron said one day he would "find something else to do" and that he hoped to continue being an MP.
Labour said Mr Cameron was "taking the British public for granted" by discussing a third term.
Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander, the party's general election co-ordinator, said: "It is typically arrogant of David Cameron to presume a third Tory term in 2020 before the British public have been given the chance to have their say in this election."
A UKIP spokesman said: "Mr Cameron's announcement will create the long-awaited civil war in the Conservative Party over Europe."
The Liberal Democrats described the prime minister's comments as "incredibly presumptuous".
But Mr Johnson played down the significance of his remarks. "Frankly it really is people making a fuss about nothing," he said.
Speaking on BBC Newsnight, Conservative Chief Whip Michael Gove said the comment had been a "statement of the bleeding obvious".
"The prime minister was asked a direct question and he gave an honest answer," he added.
Former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair ruled out seeking a fourth term ahead of the 2005 general election, leading to speculation about his replacement. His party won that election and Gordon Brown took over as prime minister in 2007.
Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher won a third term at the 1987 general election, but resigned in 1990 following a leadership challenge and was replaced by John Major.
Mr Cameron was elected Conservative Party leader in 2005, and became prime minister in 2010 at the head of the coalition government with the Liberal Democrats.
He revealed his intentions in a wide-ranging interview in the latest of a BBC series looking behind the politics of the party leaders.
He also said his eldest daughter, Nancy, was campaigning to get Jeremy Clarkson reinstated as the presenter of Top Gear. Mr Clarkson, who has been suspended following a "fracas" with a producer, is a family friend and neighbour in Mr Cameron's Oxfordshire constituency.
The prime minister joked: "Nancy has threatened to go on hunger strike unless Jeremy Clarkson is restored. I told her this is not necessarily a useful intervention. It is not exactly Gandhi."
He also admitted that being seen as posh had made it easier for his political opponents to describe the Conservatives as a party of the rich, and described his wife Samantha as his "sanity check" during the election campaign.


Scenes of shelled-out buildings and panic-stricken people fleeing Aleppo may seem far removed from the lives of most people.

But for some members of Cardiff's Somaliland community, the conflict in Syria is akin to a nightmare they have lived through.
"Maybe it was worse than Aleppo. There were bodies scattered everywhere, people dying in the streets, children," said Abdirahman Ahmed, about the war in his homeland.
He joined 150 people at Cardiff's city hall on Thursday to recognise the contribution of Welsh Somalilanders and to raise awareness of problems still afflicting the state 25 years after the war ended.
These include a lack of medical facilities, jobs or help for the large amount of men suffering from mental health problems and a crippling drought exacerbating the situation.
It was in 1870, after the opening of the Suez Canal, that men from Somaliland began travelling to Cardiff to work in the docks.
A community developed around Butetown and increased in size after 1969 when Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barre seized power in a military coup.
Mr Ahmed, a health expert, was born in Burao in 1970 and said life was manageable until about 1984, when people started speaking out against the regime.
He said their voices were suppressed and a "power struggle" developed into a war in 1989, with Somalilanders intent on taking back control in their country.
With dissenters living in fear for their lives, constant shells and artillery fire, Mr Ahmed said he and his family fled, leaving everything behind.
"We walked miles and miles, about 150 in a few days. We would hide in the jungle during the day and just walk at night," he said.
"There were hundreds of people. We made it to a refugee camp in Ethiopia and luckily, my grandfather had been in the Navy and was retired in Cardiff.
"That connection with Wales, that 100 year friendship. Every elderly person in Cardiff requested a family reunion and me and my cousins were the lucky ones."
Mr Ahmed learned English, gained an environmental sciences degree and a teaching qualification before returning to Somaliland.
He worked voluntarily, helping to build hospitals and improve services as vice chairman of Somaliland's equivalent of the General Medical Council.
Now back in Cardiff, he works as a taxi driver while studying for a masters degree in biomedical science, adding: "My ambition is to revolutionise the health sector (in Somaliland)."
Another wanting to return is Faisal Isa, 49, who plans to seek election as an MP in the capital, Hargeisa.
He organised demonstrations in college before he fled in 1986.
Mr Isa spent five years as an asylum seeker in both Abu Dhabi and the Netherlands before studying to become a mechanical engineer, working for BP and Shell.
The Somaliland community drew him to Cardiff, which he believes is a good place for his five children to grow up. But he has other ambitions.
"The elections have been delayed until March 2017 because of the drought but it could be longer as there is no water and people are moving away," he said.
"I will move there if I win. The situation is so bad, I want to take examples from Wales and help people.
"People think they have to move abroad for a better life. But I want them to know there are a lot of good things that can happen there."
Another man looking forward to the elections in 2017 is Saeed Ebrahim - who wants to become a Labour councillor for the Butetown ward on Cardiff council.
His focus is on helping Somalilanders and other youths in his adopted city, many of whom would have been born in Wales.
After arriving in 1989, aged 10, he attended Willows High School, Tremorfa, played rugby for Cardiff Youth and gained a youth work degree from Cardiff Met.
He has been involved in projects across the city and sees the same problems affecting youngsters from different cultures, but thinks there should be a better understanding of where each comes from.
Mr Ebrahim believes many talented, young Somalilander professionals are lost to jobs teaching English abroad and should be encouraged to be more vocal in their pursuit of work in Cardiff.
Other issues include some being afraid to report hate crime and the threat of radicalisation.
"It needs to be brought to the surface, talked about and not tackled behind closed doors," he said.
But there is nothing that brings communities together quite like sport, according to Mohammed Yusuf.
He was one of the first appointments to the Welsh Refugee Council in 1994 and now provides training and employment opportunities to people in the area.
Mr Yusuf is also involved in a football tournament that tries to integrate the different communities like Somalilander, Yemeni, Palestinian, Sudanese and Bengali.
Last year, 1,000 people watched the winners - Somaliland - take on a South Wales Police side at the Principality Stadium.
"It brings people together and helps the different cultures understand how each lives and creates a better neighbourhood," he said.
"The police also have a role to play and it (the tournament) helps them understand the ethnic minorities and stops people being intimidated by them.
"Football is a good way - and it was an opportunity for the communities to represent themselves in the main stadium in Wales."
While many Welsh-Somalilanders left their homeland a long time ago, through playing sport, fundraising or simply using the language in their adopted country, they say it will never leave them.


Military action has ended in eastern Aleppo, Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, has said.

He said Syrian government troops had re-established control over the last areas of the city held by rebels.
He said an arrangement had been made for rebel fighters to leave. The rebels confirmed the deal, but said civilians would also be allowed to leave.
The latest developments could bring to an end more than four years of vicious fighting in which thousands have died.
Reporters on the ground said there had been no bombardments or fighting in recent hours.
The rebels had been squeezed into ever smaller areas of the city in recent months in a major government offensive backed by Russian air power.
Word of the deal came as the UN reported summary killings by pro-government forces.
It said it had reliable evidence that in four areas 82 civilians were killed, adding that many more may have died.
The UN and the US said the Syrian government and its allies Russia and Iran were accountable for any atrocities committed in the city.
Russia said the allegations were untrue.
"According to the latest information that we received in the last hour, military actions in eastern Aleppo are over," Mr Churkin told an emergency session of the UN Security Council.
Earlier he had spoken of the deal allowing the rebels to leave, saying it would take place within hours.
"The civilians, they can stay, they can go to safe places, they can take advantage of the humanitarian arrangements that are on the ground. Nobody is going to harm the civilians," Mr Churkin said.
Rebel groups suggested that civilians would be included in the exodus.
The seizure of the eastern part of the city by government forces and the crushing of the rebel enclave there represents a major propaganda victory for the government of President Bashar al-Assad, which now controls virtually all of the major population centres of the country.
But Aleppo - the most populous city before the civil war and the country's financial centre - is the biggest prize.
Its capture represents a victory not just for Mr Assad but also for his Iranian and Russian backers.
Aleppo itself may not matter much on Moscow's strategic chess-board. But the defeat of the rebel opposition there underscores the extraordinary turn-around in President Assad's fortunes.
Before Russia intervened President Assad was on the ropes, his military power crumbling.
External actors have propped up his government in large part to secure their own strategic aspirations. And these aspirations will play an important part in deciding what comes next.
Aleppo: Key dates in the battle
Red Cross doctor's heartbreaking letter
Before the end to hostilities was announced, the rebels had retreated into just a handful of neighbourhoods.
It is hard to know exactly how many people are in the besieged areas, although UN envoy Staffan de Mistura put the figure at about 50,000.
He said there were approximately 1,500 rebel fighters, about 30% of whom were from the jihadist group formerly known as the al-Nusra Front.
Other local sources say there could be as many as 100,000 people, many of them arriving from areas recently taken by the government.
Ibrahim Abu-Laith, a spokesman for the White Helmets volunteer rescue group, said 90% of their equipment was out of operation and only one medical point was still working in the besieged areas. There was no first aid equipment left, he added.
He said volunteers were using their hands to pull people out of rubble, but some 70 people were stuck and could not be extracted.
Activist Lina Shamy: "Humans all over the world, don't sleep! You can do something, protest now! Stop the genocide".
Bana Alabed, aged 7: "I am talking to the world now live from East #Aleppo. This is my last moment to either live or die."
White Helmets tweet: "All streets & destroyed buildings are full with dead bodies. It's hell."
Abdul Kafi Alhamado, teacher: "Some people are under the rubble, no-one can help them. They just leave them under the rubble until they die - these houses as their graves."
The 'final goodbyes' from Aleppo
UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said that 82 civilians had reportedly been killed by pro-government forces, of whom 11 were women and 13 children, adding that the death toll could be much higher.
He said there were reports of numerous bodies in the streets, with residents unable to retrieve them for fear of being shot on sight.
The UN's humanitarian adviser on Syria, Jan Egeland, earlier spoke of "massacres of unarmed civilians, of young men, of women, children, health workers", saying a pro-government Iraqi Shia militia was responsible for the killings.
This is a huge blow to the armed opposition, and a major victory for the Russians, the Iranians, Lebanon's Hezbollah and some Iraqi Shia militias.
But the rebels still control quite large areas, as do the jihadists of so-called Islamic State. So in terms of Syria itself the war continues.
The BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen says it will be a different type of war - less rebels trying to hold territory and create their own entity, more hit-and-run and insurgency.
At the UN Security Council meeting, US ambassador Samantha Power said the Syrian government and Russia and Iran bore responsibility for killings of civilians.
For the UK, Matthew Rycroft said the UN had failed in its mission to resolve the crisis, and the reports of atrocities "evoked the darkest days of the history of the United Nations".
Mr Churkin denied humanitarian abuses were taking place. Earlier Russia said atrocities were being carried out by "terrorist groups", referring to rebels.
For much of the past four years, Aleppo has been divided roughly in two, with the government controlling the western half and rebels the east.
Syrian troops finally broke the deadlock with the help of Iranian-backed militias and Russian air strikes, reinstating a siege on the east in early September and launching an all-out assault weeks later.


A 24-hour strike by ambulance staff may lead to delays in 999 response times, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) has warned.

The Unite union, which represents about 250 NIAS staff, is staging the stoppage because of a pay dispute.  The day-long strike began at midnight.
The NIAS said its ability to deliver an emergency service would be affected.
It appealed to members of the public to call 999 only in "real emergencies" when they believe a life is at risk.
It said the emergency calls it receives during the strike will be prioritised and ambulances will be "sent to the most critically injured or clinically ill patients first".
"The public may, immediately, notice a delay in their call being answered by our control staff and there will be delays in ambulance response as the trust anticipates a reduced level of cover for the 24-hour period," its statement said.
Unite's NIAS membership includes paramedics, control room staff and some non-operational staff.
The union is staging the strike in a dispute over a pay rise that they say has already been given to health workers in all other parts of the UK except Northern Ireland.
A department of health spokesperson said: "In Northern Ireland despite our offers to negotiate, local trade unions had not been prepared to talk to us about options for a 2015/16 pay deal, dissatisfied with what their English colleagues accepted in 2014/15.
"The department wrote in early January and February inviting unions â€Žto begin discussions, sought to engage with unions at the start of March, and recently issued a further invitation to seek to commence pay discussions as soon as trade union availability permits.
"While we would like to be in a position to have done more in 2014-15,  it is important to recognise staff received a minimum of 1% extra with the average rise through incremental progression being 3.7% and some staff receiving 6.7% more. This was the same settlement as in England."
The spokesperson added that "no decisions" had yet been taken on pay increases for 2015-16 in Northern Ireland.
Unite's 24-hour stoppage will coincide with a work-to-rule action staged by other ambulance staff who are members of Unison.
Unite national officer Kevin McAdam said: "Unite members represent 25% of the NIAS workforce and their strike action, in conjunction with that of Unison members, is likely to result in significant service disruption."
He told BBC Radio Ulster that his union "would ask people to understand that this campaign is not aimed at harming them and we will ensure that's an absolute minimum".
"It's about making the people in Stormont realise that they have to hold to their promises and honour the pay review body payments," he said.
Mr McAdam said ambulance staff were "particularly aggrieved" after they were prevented from joining a wider public service strike earlier this year.
Paramedics were ruled out of strike action on 13 March when management declared a "major incident" due to critical ambulance staffing levels.
At the time, NIAS management said they had been forced to take the measure "to maintain a safe level of ambulance cover".


The head of Apple's operating system iOS confirmed that open but unused apps do not affect iPhone battery life after a customer emailed boss Tim Cook.

The customer from Ohio, known as Caleb, asked Mr Cook whether closing down "multitasking apps" improved battery life and whether it was something the chief executive did himself.
Senior vice-president Craig Federighi replied "no and no".
However, other smartphone batteries can benefit from app closure.
Microsoft advises Nokia Lumia owners to close apps that aren't in use on a web page about extending battery life.
Android creator Google suggests identifying and closing apps that are not often in use but warns that frequent use of its Overview device manager to do this will in itself drain the battery.
"You can view and optimise your device through closing running apps and uninstalling unnecessary apps," said Samsung in an announcement about a new "smart manager" app for the Galaxy 6.
While many Apple users do shut down apps in the belief it extends the iPhone battery this is not advice explicitly given by the firm itself.
It only recommends disabling apps from carrying out background refreshes in a list of tips about saving power.
The BBC has contacted Apple for comment.
Former chief executive Steve Jobs would sometimes reply directly to unsolicited emails - generally in very few words - but Tim Cook appears to be less forthcoming.
Caleb shared his unusual correspondence with the website 9to5mac.
"On a technical level, most of the apps are either frozen in RAM or not running at all, the system just displays them as a history for consistency. This is why the battery life impact is negligible," reporter Benjamin Mayo notes.
Caleb himself appears to be surprised by the attention the emails received.
"That went more viral than I thought it would," he tweeted.


Volkswagen's US boss has made a "sincere apology" for installing "defeat devices" to cheat emissions tests on its diesel cars.

Michael Horn, chief executive of VW's US operation, said the events were "deeply troubling".
However, he said the decision to use the devices was not one made by the company's board, but by individuals.
Mr Horn said: "My understanding is that it was a couple of software engineers who put these in."
He said that three people had been suspended following the scandal, but they could not be named for legal reasons.
The executive was giving evidence before the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce committee.
Many of the committee members were sceptical. New York Congressman Chris Collins said: "VW is trying to get us to believe this is the work of a couple of rogue engineers. I don't believe it."
At one point, Mr Horn himself said he found it hard to believe. Texas Congressman Joe Barton asked him: "Do you really believe, as good, as well-run as Volkswagen has always been reputed to be, that senior level corporate managers, administrators, had no knowledge for years and years?"
Mr Horn replied: "I agree it's very hard to believe. And personally I struggle [to believe it] as well."
Several of the committee members admitted they had owned VW cars and held a deep affection for them, which prompted some angry questioning.
Vermont Congressman Peter Welch asked Mr Horn: "How do you call yourself a member of the human race when you poison the human race?"
Mr Horn added: "I did not think that something like this was possible at the Volkswagen group.
"We have broken the trust of our customers, dealerships, employees as well as the public and the regulators.
"Let me be very clear: we at Volkswagen take full responsibility for our actions and we are working with all the relevant authorities in a co-operative way."
Mr Horn told the panel he was informed about a "possible emissions non-compliance" in the spring of 2014.
But he said he first learned about so-called defeat devices being installed on VW diesel cars at the beginning of September, just before the scandal was made public.
The software allowed a vehicle to recognise whether it was being driven on the road or running in a test laboratory, and turn engine emissions controls on or off.
VW will offer a financial package to American dealers to help them through the crisis, but expects it will take "one to two years minimum" to fix the US cars.
Later on Thursday the state of Texas said it was taking legal action against Volkswagen over the marketing of its supposedly clean diesel vehicles, alleging that Volkswagen violated a state law prohibiting deceptive trade practices.
Meanwhile, German public prosecutors have searched Volkswagen's Wolfsburg headquarters as part of their investigation into the emissions scandal.
The prosecutor's office said they were looking for data linked to the defeat devices.
German prosecutors launched their investigation into the scandal last week after receiving about a dozen criminal complaints from citizens and one from VW itself.
They say they are trying to find out who was responsible for the alleged manipulation and how it was carried out.
Mr Horn said he was told about problems with VW's diesel cars meeting US emissions tests after the publication of a study by West Virginia University.
"I was informed that EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] regulations included various penalties for non-compliance with the emissions standards and that the agencies can conduct engineering tests which could include 'defeat device' testing or analysis," he said.
But he told the members of the committee: "I had no idea what a defeat device was or that Volkswagen used them."
Volkswagen told US authorities on 3 September this year about the "defeat device" in emissions software in diesel vehicles for the model years 2009 to 2015.


The death on 18 January of top Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman has led to fevered speculation in Argentina and abroad.

Conjecture about the cause of his death emerged almost immediately as Mr Nisman had been due to give details of controversial allegations against President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and other high-ranking officials.
He had accused them of involvement in a plot to cover up Iran's alleged role in the 1994 bombing of the Amia Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires.
President Fernandez herself has cast doubts on the theory put forward by an investigating prosecutor that his death was suicide.
Here we look at some of the background to the case and the theories that have been put forward.
Alberto Nisman was investigating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, in which 85 people died.
He was put in charge of the probe in 2004 by the then-President  Nestor Kirchner, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's late husband.
Mr Nisman was chosen to head the investigation after the previous investigation, led by judge Juan Jose Galeano, collapsed.
A car bomb exploded outside the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (Amia) on 18 July 1994.
The seven-storey building collapsed and 85 people were killed.
It was Argentina's deadliest terrorist attack.
The attack on the Amia community centre came two years after 29 people died in an attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires.
A group calling itself Islamic Jihad Organisation said it was responsible for the 1992 attack.
The group alleged the bombing was in revenge for the killing by Israel of Hezbollah leader Abbas al-Mussawi that same year.
Jewish and Israeli institutions abroad were seen as "soft targets", easier to attack than similar buildings in Israel.
Theories therefore soon surfaced pointing the finger for the Amia bombing at Hezbollah, a mainly Shia group backed by Iran.
Iran has denied any involvement in either of the attacks.
No one has been convicted in connection with the attack.
Twenty-two people were charged as part of the original investigation led by Judge Juan Jose Galeano.
After three years of hearings, the trial concluded in 2004 and all 22 suspects were found not guilty due to lack of evidence.
From the beginning, investigators suspected Iranian officials may have been behind the bombing.
Also among the accused were members of the Buenos Aires police force, who were suspected of helping to carry out the attack.
Argentine car salesman Carlos Telledin was accused of selling the lorry used in the attack.
The investigation and the court case were overshadowed by allegations that Judge Galeano paid Mr Telledin $400,000 (Â£263,000) to inculpate the police officers.
Judge Galeano was impeached. He is facing trial later this year accused of covering up evidence in the case.
In 2006, Mr Nisman formally charged Iranian officials with directing the Amia attack, which he alleged was carried out by Hezbollah militants.
In his most recent report, published just days before his death, he furthermore accused President Fernandez and Foreign Minister Hector Timerman of covering up the Iran's purported role in the bombing.
He alleged that the government wanted to whitewash Iran in order to secure lucrative trade deals with Iran, exchanging Argentine grain for Iranian oil.
President Fernandez dismissed the allegations as "absurd".
Speaking on 19 January, a day after Mr Nisman's body was found, investigating prosecutor Viviana Fein told reporters that his death was "suspicious", but that there was no indication of an "outside link" or the involvement of anyone else in his death.
She did not rule out that Mr Nisman might have been "induced" to take his own life, though.
"We're going to investigate if there was any kind of instigation to suicide through threats, be they through phone calls or text messages," she said.
Ms Fein added that suicide was the most likely cause.
But the time of his death, just hours before he was due to give details of his allegations against President Fernandez to a congressional committee, triggered outraged comments on social media networks, with many questioning whether the prosecutor may have been murdered.
Opposition member of parliament Elisa Carrio told daily Clarin [in Spanish] that she was convinced Mr Nisman had been murdered and that "the government, the power" had played a role in his death.
"They killed him," she said. "I thought they stole and systematically lied, but I never thought they would be capable of killing," she added.
Her views were mirrored by some of the protesters who demonstrated in front of the presidential palace in the days following Mr Nisman's death.
They yelled "murderer", and held up placards demanding justice for Mr Nisman.
In a letter [in Spanish] published a day after Mr Nisman's body was found, the president referred to Mr Nisman's death as a "suicide". The word was followed by a question mark.
She also asked what could have led a person to take the terrible decision to take his life.
Two days later, in another letter published on her website [in Spanish], President Fernandez wrote: "I'm convinced that it was not suicide".
She alleged that Mr Nisman was manipulated to attack her and her government.
"They used him alive and then they needed him dead," she wrote.
She did not explain who she thought had killed him but added that his death was "sad and terrible".
President Fernandez alleged Mr Nisman had been manipulated by rogue agents inside the Intelligence Secretariat (SI).
Parts of Mr Nisman's report were based on wiretaps and the president suggested he was fed false information by disgruntled spies and stooges posing as spies.
Ms Fernandez said she had "no proof" of her allegations, but stressed she had "no doubts" either.


DNA in dog mess could be used to catch owners who fail to clear up their pet's mess.

A firm in north Wales wants to bring the PooPrints service from the United States to the UK with up to 15 councils reportedly interested in the scheme.
Councils could make owners in problem areas register their dogs to a database which involves a mouth swab taken.
Then, DNA could be taken from mess left on a street, path or grass and used to find a match on the database.
Gary Downie, managing director of Streetkleen Bio in Ruthin, Denbighshire, believes local authorities can use new powers granted by the Antisocial Behaviour and Policing Act 2014 to force dog owners to comply.
"The purpose of the system is to get cleaner, safer open spaces," he said.
Councils the company is in talks with include Kingston-upon-Thames in south-west London, Aberdeen and Cheshire East.


Venezuela's Supreme Court has upheld the 14-year jail sentence of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, a day after Donald Trump called for his release.

Mr Lopez was found guilty of inciting violence during protests in 2014 in which 43 people - from both sides of the political divide - were killed.
He has repeatedly said that his sentence was politically motivated.
Thursday's ruling on an appeal by Mr Lopez's defence makes the conviction final, officials said.
"Under this dictatorship, every sentence is null," said Mr Lopez's wife, Lilian Tintori, as she arrived in Caracas following a meeting in Washington with Mr Trump.
"Trump is with the people of Venezuela," she added.
On Wednesday, Mr Trump posted a photo of himself at the White House standing alongside Ms Tintori, writing on the social media site Twitter that Mr Lopez should be allowed "out of prison immediately".
Before the tweet, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had said that he did not want "problems with Trump".
However Mr Trump's remarks raised tensions and Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez accused the US president of interfering in her country's affairs.
Ms Rodriguez wrote on Twitter that she rejected "the meddling and aggression of US President @realDonaldTrump who tries to give orders in our fatherland".
She also tweeted that Mr Trump had "sided with the boss behind violent acts" while Mr Maduro had proposed "initiating a new era of respectful relations" between the two.
Mr Lopez, who leads the Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party, had earlier claimed through his defence team that there had been serious irregularities in the trial, with the judge hearing 138 witnesses for the prosecution but only one of the 50 witnesses and pieces of evidence submitted by the defence.
His supporters insist that he is innocent and say he was jailed on trumped-up, politically-motivated charges.


Leicester's 24 second-half points ended Harlequins' unbeaten home league record to move level with fourth-placed Bath.

After the ball bounced off the corner flag, Alofa Alofa got the only try before the break as the hosts led 13-3.
Sam Harrison dotted down for Tigers and they were given a penalty try when Adam Thompstone was taken out of the air by Aaron Morris, who was sin-binned.
Freddie Burns added a third when he intercepted to score before Dave Ward grabbed a late Quins consolation try.
Relive Leicester's victory at Harlequins
Ruaridh Jackson missed the conversion from out wide with the final kick of the game, costing the West London side a losing bonus point, as the visitors recorded their first win away from Welford Road since November.
John Kingston's Quins side had won all seven of their Premiership matches at the Twickenham Stoop this season, but are now 10 points behind Leicester in sixth.
Leicester fly-half Burns, who will join Bath in the summer, scored 15 points to help Aaron Mauger's team over the line.
Tigers wing Thompstone was given a head injury assessment after being illegally felled by Morris, but he was able to continue, but Quins fly-half Nick Evans was forced off on his return from seven weeks out with a shoulder injury.
Harlequins director of rugby John Kingston:
"This was the cup final for us and by losing it, we know that we are not going to finish in the top four and the best we can do is to finish in the top six.
"We are an act in progress and I'm really clear as to where we are and what needs to be done, and I won't be stopping until I make the necessary adjustments.
"We made too many mistakes and didn't deserve to win, although I thought we deserved to get something out of it."
Tigers head coach Aaron Mauger told BBC Radio Leicester:
"I'm obviously impressed and pleased with the result, and large parts of the performance.
"It was nice and pleasing to start well, but I just don't think we were clinical enough to put points on the board and put Quins under more pressure early on.
"Five or six weeks ago we were in a bit of a hole really, and it was the belief and confidence in the group that allowed us to dig our way out of it."
Harlequins: Morris; Yarde, Marchant, Hopper, Alofa; N Evans, Mulchrone; Lambert, Buchanan, A Jones, Merrick, Matthews, Chisholm, Ward (capt), Luamanu.
Replacements: Gray, O Evans, Shields, South, Naoupu, L Jones, Jackson, Walker.
Leicester: Veainu; Thompstone, Betham, Mermoz, Pietersen; Burns, Harrison; Genge, McGuigan, Bateman, Wells, Barrow (capt), Fitzgerald, O'Connor, McCaffrey.
Replacements: Youngs, Brugnara, Betts, Williams, Hamilton, Kitto, Williams, Smith.
Referee: Dean Richards.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.


The US Air Force is investigating 14 guards at a nuclear weapons site after they were accused of using illegal drugs, including cocaine.

The Air Force announced the probe at FE Warren Air Force Base in the US state of Wyoming on Friday.
The defence corps has been scrutinised for insufficient training and poor personal conduct in recent years.
Its command guards the fleet of Minuteman 3 land-based nuclear missiles.
The 14 are accused of "credible" off-duty drug "activity", General Robin Rand told the AP news agency.
"This is very important to me that we get to the bottom of this," he said, and that he believes most airmen do adhere to Air Force rules.
The accused airmen, who have been removed from duty, are not the ones who actually control the missiles at the 1,300-airmen base.
Security forces at the base patrol missile fields and respond to emergencies.
Past misconduct
Two years ago, some missileers - the officers who launch the missiles - were under investigation for drug use. That investigation found that several dozen of the missileers had cheated on their proficiency tests at another air base.
Some staff had texted answers to the routine tests to others, while others had known about the cheating but failed to report it.
Nine mid-level nuclear commanders were later fired.
"Personnel failures within this force threaten to jeopardize the trust the American people have placed in us to keep our nuclear weapons safe and secure," then-Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said.


Firefighters are dealing with a large mountain fire in Denbighshire which broke out on Wednesday evening.

About two hectares (five acres) of heather is alight along the Panorama Walk below the Eglwyseg escarpment, above Llangollen.
The area is a Site of Special Scientific interest.
The fire is ongoing, with firefighters from Llangollen, Wrexham, Buckley and Chirk using hosereel jets and beaters to try to control the blaze.


Shaun Murphy moved into the quarter-finals of the Players Championship with a 4-1 win over Welshman Dominic Dale.

The victory means the 2005 world champion from England remains on course to win back-to-back ranking titles for the first time in his career.
Murphy, who won the World Grand Prix in Llandudno a fortnight ago, now plays Ben Woollaston in the Manchester event.
Ali Carter defeated fellow Englishman Judd Trump 4-1 to set up a meeting with Ricky Walden, who beat Marco Fu 4-2.
Northern Ireland's Mark Allen set up a quarter-final against Mike Dunn by beating Mark King 4-2.
Allen, who hit a top break of 119, will be facing a player who will be competing in only his second ranking quarter-final.
Redcar man Dunn progressed to the last eight with a 4-2 win over Welshman Ryan Day.
Quarter-finals (best of seven frames)
Semi-finals (best of 11 frames)
NB: Clocks go forward one hour on Sunday, 27 March at 01:00 (1am) to mark the start of British Summer Time (BST).
Final (best of 19 frames)
Second round (best of seven frames)
Ben Woollaston (Eng) 4-2 Matthew Selt (Eng)
Shaun Murphy (Eng) 4-1 Dominic Dale (Wal)
Mark Allen (NI) 4-2 Mark King (Eng)
Mike Dunn (Eng) 4-2 Ryan Day (Wal)
Ricky Walden (Eng) 4-2 Marco Fu (HK)
Ali Carter (Eng) 4-1 Judd Trump (Eng)
Ding Junhui (Chn) 4-0 Michael White (Wal)
Barry Hawkins (Eng) 4-3 Robert Milkins (Eng)
First round
Barry Hawkins (Eng) 4-2 Michael Holt (Eng)
Matthew Selt (Eng) 4-1 Andrew Higginson (Eng)
Mark Allen (NI) 4-1 Mark Davis (Eng)
Mark King (Eng) 4-2 Sam Baird (Eng)
Ryan Day (Wal) 4-1 Kyren Wilson (Eng)
Tian Pengfei (Chn) 1-4 Robert Milkins (Eng)
Mark Williams (Wal) 3-4 Dominic Dale (Wal)
Tom Ford (Eng) 1-4 Ricky Walden (Eng)
First round
Ding Junhui (Chn) 4-1 David Gilbert (Eng)
Marco Fu (HK) 4-3 Alan McManus (Sco)
Shaun Murphy (Eng) 4-1 Liang Wenbo (Chn)
Ben Woollaston (Eng) 4-3 Jimmy Robertson (Eng)
Michael White (Wal) 4-2 Luca Brecel (Bel)
Allister Carter (Eng) 4-1 Graeme Dott (Sco)
Martin Gould (Eng) 1-4 Judd Trump (Eng)
Rory McLeod (Eng) 1-4 Mike Dunn (Eng)


A "bored" pensioner who advertised for a job at the age of 89 has been to his first Christmas party in his new job.

Joe Bartley, 89, from Paignton in Devon, put an ad in the Herald Express pleading for a job to stop him from "dying of boredom".
The Cantina restaurant made him a waiter and kitchenhand and on Wednesday night he got a kiss from staff at the Christmas party.
"They are lovely people here, I had a great time," he said.
More on Joe Bartley's Christmas do, plus more Devon and Cornwall news
Former serviceman Mr Bartley said he had felt very lonely after his wife Cassie died two years ago, which spurred him to place the unusual ad.
"Last night was our Christmas party which Joe enjoyed very much," the Cantina posted on its Facebook page.
"Joe has worked two full weeks now, he's working the 20 hours a week he asked for and is really enjoying it.
"He does a variety of tasks around the place. One day he'll be peeling potatoes the next polishing cutlery.
"He's getting to meet people and is a very useful member of the team."
Mr Bartley said: "I do all kinds of things here - you do what has got to be done and don't wait for people to ask you.
"I'm 90 next year and I hope to still be here for that party."
His wages are going towards his rent for a flat so he does not rely so much on housing benefit.
"That was the other reason for getting a job," he said.
"I like to pay my own way."


A man and a woman found dead in a house in Hertfordshire have been named by police.

Sarah Nash, 37, a mother of two, was discovered in her home in Highfield Road, Berkhamsted on Thursday after concerns were raised for her welfare.
The man found at the house has been named as Lee Guntrip, 25, also of Berkhamsted.
Hertfordshire Police said it was not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.
For more Hertfordshire stories, visit BBC Local Live
The bodies were found at 11:30 BST after neighbours rang the emergency services.
Det Ch Insp Jerome Kent said: "This was a tragic, isolated incident and one which I know has caused concern within the wider community.
"Investigations are ongoing. However, we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths."
The parents of Ms Nash issued a statement, which said: "We are devastated by the loss of our beautiful daughter and request that we are left in peace to grieve her death."
Hertfordshire Police made a mandatory referral of the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission because they had prior contact with the deceased.
The commission said it would decide whether to investigate the police response in due course.


The implications of the vote in Greece continue to dominate in terms of analysis.

What didn't happen can sometimes spook people as much as what did.
The initial market reaction appeared relatively sanguine, sparking bafflement in some quarters.
But this piece in the Telegraph argues that this is because the markets have yet to grasp the scale of the rift between EU creditors and the new Greek leaders, and that a showdown is inevitable.
This piece in the New York Times argues that the vote for Syriza highlights a deeper fault line in Europe.
Elsewhere, the question is what exactly happens now. Who blinks first?
The stage is set for a challenge to Europe's prevailing economic orthodoxy, according to this analysis in the Wall Street Journal.
The New Yorker maintains that it was only a matter of time before Greeks turned to Syriza and that the vote sends a clear warning to the rest of Europe's leaders.
With just 100 days to go to the General Election, the Independent takes a close look at what it says will be the 100 seats that decide the result.


Ghana's former President John Mahama has not been given permission to stay in the house he occupied while in office, an official says.

Mr Mahama's failure to vacate the house when his term ended on Saturday has caused huge controversy.
He says he reached agreement with new President Nana Akufo-Addo's team to remain there last month.
But Yaw Osafo Mafo from Mr Akufo-Addo's team said the request had been rejected, reports said.
"We have not approved of his request, and I want to repeat we have received the request and the requests are two - for him to be given his ex-gratia where he lives and also be given another property as his office," Mr Mafo was quoted by the Daily Guide newspaper as saying.
Mr Mahama stayed in the vice-presidential residence during his mandate.
Critics say his continued presence there is unlawful and has also left incoming Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia with nowhere to live.
Ghana's parliament passed a law in October stipulating that outgoing ministers and other government officials had three months from the date of the new president's inauguration to hand over state-owned homes or face forcible eviction.
But the law does not apply to former presidents and vice-presidents.
The presidential villa in Ghana is a grand stool-shaped building known as Flagstaff House.
But former President Mahama did not live there, preferring to remain in the home of the vice-president - a post he held before his elevation to the presidency in 2012.
So, Flagstaff House remained vacant during his rule. Now, it is expected to be occupied by his successor, Nana Akufo-Addo, who won elections last month.
The question is: Where should the new vice-president live? As far as Mr Mahama is concerned it is not in the house he is occupying. The new government seems to disagree. Will it send the removal trucks? Watch this space.
The former president's office has dismissed the reports as "mischievous" and insisted that the last parliament had also resolved that a home and an office should be be given to Mr Mahama "in line with convention and existing precedent".
Mr Mahama's office said Mr Bawumia was instead expected to live in another building, Australia House, a government safe house previously occupied by former Vice-President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur.
Mr Mahama was widely credited for accepting defeat in elections last month, rather than challenging the result.
He is among regional mediators trying to persuade The Gambia's long-serving ruler Yahya Jammeh to step down after he lost elections to property develop Adama Barrow.


Fear about being "staked out" for robbery is the biggest concern when it comes to rural crime, according to a new report by NFU Mutual.

It says in some places farmers have had to turn their yards into "fortresses" to prevent repeated thefts.
The main targets are four-by-four vehicles, quad bikes, livestock and tools.
The level of crime is down around 15%, but still costs around £3m a year in Northern Ireland.
NFU Mutual spokesman Martin Malone claimed thieves were becoming more brazen and farmers had to constantly increase security to cope.
"They are using tracking devices on tractors, video and infra-red surveillance in their farm yards and even DNA markers to protect sheep from rustlers," he said.
In addition to the fear of being watched, other concerns include longer police response times.
"The threat of becoming a victim of rural crime, and regular reports of suspicious characters watching farms is causing high levels of anxiety amongst farmers who know their rural location makes them vulnerable to attacks," said Mr Malone.
He said the advice was to regularly evaluate security measures, to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police and local farm watch schemes.
The PSNI said its records showed 560 burglary, robbery and theft offences linked to agriculture last year, but the trend was downwards since 2010, when more than 900 such offences were recorded.
Supt Brian McKee, the PSNI's lead on rural and wildlife crime, said police took the issue seriously.
"Agriculture crime represented 1.8% of all burglary, robbery and theft offences, compared with 1.5% during the previous 12 months," he said.
"However this does not diminish the impact these type of crimes have on a rural business, family and community, and we are very mindful of that. It often severely impacts a farm business."


Mothers who make movies say the answer to increasing the number of women in the film industry is simple: Hollywood needs childcare on-set for the directors, writers and others who work on location and for long hours.

So two women filmmakers are starting a business to do just that.
If there was a childcare on every film set and at every film festival, the number of women working in the film industry would not be so dismal, says Mathilde Dratwa, the New York-based filmmaker who created the Wee Wagon Project.
"You can't promote gender equality and not think about motherhood and childcare," says Dratwa.
Many studios already have on-site childcare centres, but they are for full-time studio workers, not directors, writers, cinematographers and other members of the cast and crew who come temporarily to work on a specific project.
And plenty of films work for weeks away from Los Angeles.
Dratwa's idea to fix the gap: Wee Wagons - mobile playrooms with soft padding, toys, changing tables and quiet corners for breastfeeding and napping. The trailers can be brought to any set, much like craft services takes care of meals.
Hollywood "makes so much work and happen for stars - they can make this work," she says.
Dratwa tested her concept at the South by Southwest festival in Austin this month. She parked a Wee Wagon behind a theatre there and invited filmmakers to drop off their children so they could attend screenings or parties.
The Wee Wagon was available to everyone from directors to dolly grips, as long as they had a credit in a film at the festival.
Christy Lamb, the project's director of strategy and development, has a 12-month-old daughter. She considers the project a mission to make the world of film a better place.
"If you don't hire women or diverse people on your cast and crew, it shows on the screen," she says.
"It may not be obvious but it shows up on screen. And now that I have a daughter it's imperative. The heat is on. This has become a priority."
In 2016, women accounted for just 17% of those working behind the scenes on the top 250 domestic grossing films, according to the annual Celluloid Ceiling report.
Of those films, 92% had no female directors, 77% had no female writers, 79% had no female editors and 96% had no female cinematographers.
The numbers are grim in an industry under pressure to diversify. But motherhood is rarely part of the conversation in Hollywood, unless you count magazine stories about actresses shedding their baby weight after childbirth.
"I don't think Hollywood understands how deeply connected this is to motherhood," says filmmaker Foster Wilson, whose five-month-old played in a Wee Wagon while she attended screenings.
Wilson, an actress who is moving into directing, says she hadn't planned to come to the festival, but changed her mind when she heard there would be free childcare.
She also knew the child minders because they came from Collab&Play, a Los Angeles co-working space with childcare that's popular with filmmakers.
"It would be incredible to me if I were on set and there was childcare on set. It would be a total game-changer," she said.
"Do I want kids or do I want to get into the film industry? It's really difficult to do both.
"It's liberating to think it's possible."
It's possible, but not simple.
For one, the wheels make the wee wagons too expensive to insure, so trailers must be unhitched before any children get on board.
Convincing studios and independent productions to include childcare in the production budget also won't be easy.
In the competitive world of Hollywood many employees don't advocate for child care or other amenities that might brand them as "difficult".
But if Hollywood executives are serious about increasing the number of women in film, these mothers say they need to take childcare seriously.
The service is meant for women behind the scenes, but even Hollywood megastars like Reese Witherspoon or Angelina Jolie who can afford private nannies would benefit, says Dratwa, because the Wee Wagons would be childproofed and tailored for children.
Even a megastar's kids would have a better time in this wagon than hanging out in mom's trailer, Dratwa says.
While the filmmakers would still work long hours that are conventional in Hollywood, they could see (and breastfeed) their children on breaks.
Dratwa and Lamb hope to offer different models of Wee Wagons and create a non-profit arm, funded by grants, so independent films can afford the service.
Aspiring director Wilson hopes she can "budget the baby" on future films she directs.
"If we can make this mobile unit available, I would be a proponent of that on any film that I worked on."


Labour has defended its local election showing amid concerns about the campaign from within its own ranks.

The party is on course to beat the Conservatives by two percentage points, gaining more than 300 councillors.
But along with the Lib Dems and the Tories it saw UKIP eat into its support - in Essex, the Midlands and the North.
Having lost control of 11 councils, one prominent Tory backbencher said his party had to "reconnect" with its core support after an "unsettling" result.
The Conservatives were around 200 seats down with only two councils left to declare on Saturday morning.
Chancellor George Osborne is due to address supporters at a London conference at which high-profile donor Lord Ashcroft will reveal the results of a large-scale opinion poll in marginal seats.
Late on Friday night, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted it was Labour that should be worried by the results.
"No opposition party has ever won a general election without being the biggest party in local government," the Conservative minister told the BBC's Newsnight.
"We are going to be the biggest party in local government."
Senior Labour figures Yvette Cooper - the shadow home secretary - and shadow chancellor Ed Balls both said their party now needed to talk "more" about immigration.
Another shadow minister told the BBC Mr Miliband still had to "weave a clearer narrative" on what he was offering to voters.
But shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said: "Importantly we have got the biggest share of the vote in the areas which are the boundaries of some of the key marginal seats."
Michael Dugher, shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, says the party is making "extremely good progress" but that its members are "not complacent".
He told the BBC: "I'm pleased that we won in those key battleground seats.
"I'm realistic but I'm also aware that in some of or heartland areas, we did lose seats to UKIP and that is an area where we're going to have to work much harder."
The party is keen to stress its successes in areas it needs to win come next year's general election.
There has been an "awful lot" of criticism of Ed Miliband, according to the BBC's political correspondent Alan Soady.
He said: "I think it is a wake-up call for some in the party leadership that UKIP can do a substantial amount of damage to their vote in their traditional heartlands.
"I think previously they had assumed that largely UKIP would do more damage to the Conservatives than Labour."
UKIP, meanwhile, said leaving the EU would not be a deal-breaker should it continue its rise and win seats at Westminster.
"I don't think we'd be so arrogant to think that we'd be allowed to dictate to the entire government that they must leave the EU without a referendum," director of communications Patrick O'Flynn said.
"It would be a way of guaranteeing that the referendum actually took place," he told BBC Radio 4's Any Questions.
The BBC's projected national share of the vote suggests UKIP would have scored 17% in a country-wide election.
Labour would have got 31% of the vote, just two points ahead of the Conservatives on 29% with the Liberal Democrats on 13%.
UKIP's projected national share figure is lower than the 23% it got in council elections last year.
Yet the challenge from Nigel Farage's party, which took council seats from all three main parties in England, prompted one Conservative to reflect on voters' lack of "trust" and "respect" for his party.
Adam Afriyie - once mooted as a leadership challenger to David Cameron - said: "Many of our core supporters feel alienated and disillusioned."
Writing on the Conservative Home website, he said many supporters felt "duped" and called for a "swallowing of pride" from the party establishment to win them back.
Although UKIP does not control any councils it has emerged as a "fourth national political force capable of disrupting the hopes and plans of each of the established three parties", BBC political editor Nick Robinson said.
David Cameron rejected calls from some in his party for an electoral pact with UKIP.
By Nick RobinsonPolitical editor
Already the Conservatives and Labour are wrestling with how to react. A few eurosceptic Tories demand a pact (with UKIP). They won't get one but there will now be huge pressure on David Cameron to show how he intends to reform the EU and how he'll control the immigration that comes from it.
Ed Miliband too is under pressure - not least from Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper - to sharpen Labour's message on those same subjects - Europe and immigration.
The Lib Dems endured another bad time at the polls, although there were signs of them holding on in areas where they have MPs, such as Sutton, Eastleigh, and Cheltenham.
The party lost control of Portsmouth City Council where suspended MP Mike Hancock - standing as an independent but unopposed by the Lib Dems - lost his seat after 43 years as a councillor.
The Green Party, which is hoping to double its tally of MEPs to four in the European elections, performed moderately well in the local elections with an average 9% share of the vote in wards where it stood, adding 17 councillors.
Mayoral elections took place in four London boroughs and Watford, with Labour winning contests in Hackney and Lewisham.
Lutfur Rahman, once of Labour then George Galloway's Respect, beat Labour into second in the Tower Hamlets mayoral contest.
In Northern Ireland, counting is taking place in 11 new "super districts" councils, with 462 seats up for grabs.
All results should be known by Saturday evening but the DUP and Sinn F??in are expected to take most of the seats.
There were no local elections in either Scotland or Wales - apart from a by-election in the Hawick and Denholm ward of Scottish Borders Council.


A mental health ward worker accused of sexual activity with a female patient has been cleared of all charges.

Alec Wallbank, 31, from Pontypridd, was found not guilty of two charges at Cardiff Crown Court in January.
Prosecutors have now said they are not proceeding with four more allegations, and not guilty verdicts have been recorded.
It was claimed Mr Wallbank had sex with a woman discharged from Cardiff's Whitchurch Hospital.
But his trial was halted when Judge Thomas Crowther QC told the jury to find the carer not guilty of two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a patient.
Mr Wallbank had always denied all the allegations against him.
Prosecutors said on Wednesday that they would not be offering any evidence in the outstanding four charges being faced by Mr Wallbank.


West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has concerns over an injury Diafra Sakho picked up against West Brom.

The striker immediately signalled he was unable to carry on after having a shot blocked in Sunday's 1-1 draw with the Baggies.
"That worried me more than the result. I don't know if it's too early before the scan but it looks like a muscle injury," said Bilic.
"It's a big blow for us after Enner Valencia and Dimitri Payet."
Attacking midfielder Payet was ruled out for three months with an ankle injury in early November.
Meanwhile, Valencia has been out since July after suffering an ankle injury in a Europa League qualifying match.
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US ice cream firm Blue Bell has expanded a recall to include all of its products because of a potentially lethal bacteria contamination.

In a statement, the Texas-based firm said its ice cream, frozen yoghurt and other products could be contaminated with listeria.
The bacteria can cause "serious and sometimes fatal infections".
The recall began last month in response to the deaths of three people in Kansas who had eaten Blue Bell's ice cream.
Tests later revealed that five people in Kansas and three in Texas had been made ill by the bacteria. A batch of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream was linked to the outbreak.
Blue Bell now says that after further inspections, it found the bacterial infection had contaminated not just one batch, but several of its factories.
It said it "can't say with certainty'' how the bacteria was introduced to the manufacturing line.
"We're committed to doing the 100% right thing, and the best way to do that is to take all of our products off the market until we can be confident that they are all safe," said chief executive Paul Kruse in a statement.
He added the company would be instituting a new procedure called "test and hold", in which all of its products will be tested first and held until the results indicate the products are safe.
This is the first recall in the 108-year-old company's history.
It comes just a few weeks after Sabra Dipping Co recalled 30,000 cases of hummus, because of possible contamination with the same poisonous bacteria.
Listeria is a food-borne organism which can cause fever and nausea. In most cases, people make full recoveries.
But it can be fatal to people with weakened immune systems and lead to miscarriages among pregnant women.


A council investigation is under way after a 13-year-old boy raped a classmate following a sex education lesson at school in Gwynedd.

The boy was given a 12-month referral order at Dolgellau Youth Court earlier this month after he admitted attacking the girl of the same age in 2012.
Gwynedd council said its review will see if there are "lessons to be learnt" now the legal process has concluded.
The boy will be on the sex offenders list for 30 months.
A Gwynedd council spokesperson said: "As soon as this serious allegation was brought to our attention the matter was immediately referred to North Wales Police for investigation.
"Now that the legal process has been concluded, we will be working with North Wales Police and other relevant partners to carry out a detailed review of the incident to identify whether there are any lessons to be learnt."
He said safeguarding the welfare of the county's children was a "key priority" and when an allegation that a young person may have been the victim of a crime is received, the authority has detailed processes in place in accordance with child protection procedures.