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2nd XV

Like most Second XV’s, Orkney is a mix of youthful exuberance and ageing gyle. We suffer from our geographical position, which make it impractical to enter any league, as none are exactly ‘local’. So our home fixtures have in recent years, limited to a couple of cup games against our local rivals Caithness and Shetland, our old friends Lochaber and Ross Sutherland, several friendlies, and touring with Orkney Rugby Club.

Due to the rising number of players and the lack of games for the seconds, it was decided to set up an internal league consisting of 5 teams: Westray, The Isles, Kirkwall, The East Mainland and The West Mainland. This is proved to be a massive success with all matches being very keenly contested with no quarters given! These fixtures together with other internal games such as Married vs Single, East vs West, Over 35s vs Under 35s, and Uppies vs Doonies help to complete the long winter season. These will hopefully continue to thrive over the coming seasons, and help to bring more players into the game in Orkney as well as giving some of the older players a chance to show up their younger pretenders.

If you would like to arrange a fixture with our 2nd XV please contact Erik Knight on 07881505765 or email us here.

Some photos of the 2nd team in action can be found below.

2nd XV v Shetland

Big Stoff on the charge (without the ball!)

The Captains share a dram!

Shetland Captain Wilson with his forfeit pint!

2nd XV v Caithness

A boat race v Caithness

Spillage?

Brin Cup - 17-3-12

Orkney RFC 2nd XV 35 Caithness 0

Orkney hosted Caithness on Saturday which was played at the same time as the 6 Nations Scotland v Italy game live on Television, Orkney had a large contingent of people in Italy who I'm sure would have rather been watching the great performance at the Pickaquoy off their fellow orcadians than watching the collapse of the national team.

Caithness could only field twelve players for their trip over the Pentland Firth so Orkney agreed to supply them with the remaining three players to even up the balance, thanks go to Graham Lincoln, kenneth Kent, Robb Thomson and Derek Robb who all played their part for the visitors.

From the Kick off Caithness exerted huge pressure onto the Orkney defence with surging runs from their captain Dougie Gunn and our own Derek Robb, the defence held strong and soon the Orkney pack regained the ball and set off down the pitch linking well with good offloads and hitting the space at pace, quick recycled ball allowed Bruce Ruthven to spin the ball out into the width only for Glen Mclellan to drop the ball just short off the line much to the amusement off the home crowd. But within four minutes the orkney forwards won the ball at a turnover due to sterling work from Graham Slater and Ian Rushbrook fed the ball out ending up with Daniel Adams who was out of position on the wing who took the final pass and fell over the try line for Orkney's first score. The orkney pack showed its strength a short time later with Ed Russell making a trademark run down the pitch but failed to get the pass away and the move broke down.

A break from orkney youngsters Ewan Coltherd and Euan Dunnett set the foundations for the next try as the ball was recycled and passed out to flying machine Steven Collingwood who rounded his man and ran in for a try in the corner. Next it was the turn of veteran Al Watson who showed his deceptive pace and change of angle to outwit the caithness defence to go in for Orkney's third try. The orkney forwards continued to dominate the young caithness side with strong runs from Ed Russell Brian Linklater and father and son combinations Angus and Robbie Firth, it was from a set play that Glen Mclellan broke through the defence and linked with Ewan Coltherd who was held ten metres from the Caithness line but quick recycling from the forwards allowed the backs to release Magnus Flett who did well to score in the right hand corner. From the restart a long kick down field from Ruthven made the Caithness team retreat deep into their 22metre area and clear into touch just metres from their goal line, quick thinking from the orkney players resulted in Ewan Coltherd going over for a try from a quick line out throw. This resulted in the half time score being 30 - 0.

The second half started at a frantic pace with Caithness making good progress into the Orkney half and making good use of the wind direction. Caithness came close to scoring but strong tackling by the orkney pack and a steal ball from Slater allowed Alan Watson to run up the field and after being tracked down by the caithness youngsters a ruck was set up then the ball spun wide to Ed Russell who galloped around his opposite man to score. Due to an injury to the Caithness 2nd Row the game was then cut short with only fifteen minutes of the second half played. Final Score 35 - 0. Orkney's Man of the Match went to Ewan Coltherd.

Well done to the Orkney players, the round round draw in the Brin Cup will take place this week, keep an eye on guest book for details and keep training. A big thank you to Caithness who made the effort to travel with only twelve players, the majority of their squad were U18 players who play our boys on the 31st so we shall look forward to that encounter.

A. Storm

Match Report Highland 2nds V Orkney 2nds 05/11/11

Last Saturday the ORFC 2nds squad travelled with the 1sts to Inverness to take on Highland 2nds. With the game getting underway early to allow the players the chance to watch the 1sts game, Highland were soon on the attack and scored in the first five minutes. Things looked ominous for Orkney at this point but some good ball retention took the visitors to within 10 yards of the Highland try line. A penalty was awarded and a quick “tap and go” by Rambo resulted in the No 8 crashing through three Highland tackles to score.

Highland re-grouped and dominated large parts of the half scoring another three tries. After the turn around, the game evened itself out with Orkney having good periods of pressure but failing to add to their score while the hosts added only two tries thanks to some excellent defence from Orkney.

It was a great effort by the whole Orkney squad against a powerful Highland team that are playing on a regular basis and it is hoped that a return match can be organised. Edward Russel was voted Orkney “man of the match” with G Slater and P Moss just missing out.

Squad: D Adams, P Moss, G Coultard, A Firth, B Ratter, K Amer, E Russel, G Slater, M Currie, K Robb ,G Linklater, A Corse, E Thompson, L.Kerr, B Scott ,G Lincoln, B Ruthven, T Johnston

"Highland enjoy hat-trick over Orkney" - Inverness Courier report on Saturday's matches

Orkney Wilt in Melrose Heat

Orkney returned to the birthplace of the abbreviated game for the Davidson Chalmers VETS Tournament at Melrose, intent on at least reaching the final of the competition that the club graced last year.

However, in an afternoon of what-might-have-been, the island club wilted in a Mediterranean heat more suited to sunbathing than sport, going down to the Cayman Harlequins and Melrose in the pool rounds.

The tournament consists of teams of ten players, with clubs eliminated being entered into subsidiary Bowl and Plate events. This year the event comprised Melrose, Orkney, the Cayman Harlequins, Tynedale, Islay, Glasgow Legends (Glasgow Hawks), Hamilton (South Africa), Morgan Academy and the Auld Reekies (Edinburgh clubs).

For the second year, it was captain Andy Cant who piped his team onto the Melrose turf, the squad only arriving at Edinburgh airport hours beforehand. Last year, the tournament was rounded off by Andy’s bagpipes being mysteriously run over by a police car.

Photo: Aikman Smith Creative Photography

Now mended, and with a cardboard sign on his pipes case that read DO NOT RUN OVER, it was a rusty Orkney side that found themselves being run over by a team of rampant Caribbean islanders, augmented by not a few players from Hawick Harlequins. The final score was 40-0 to the Caymans.

If Orkney thought that things couldn’t get worse, they promptly did, as the islanders came up against their old nemesis from last year, the host club Melrose – who won the 2010 tournament against Orkney in the Final. Although Orkney revived in the dying minutes, it was a rampant Melrose – with the ever-youthful Doddie Weir in their ranks – who took the plaudits 63-5.

This set up Orkney for a Plate semi-final match against the Morgan Old Blacks from Dundee and, again, it was Orkney’s opponents who started off the brighter, leading 19-0 at half time. If Orkney was to have any chance, the club needed an early second half score. Alas, it wasn’t to be, with Morgan extending their lead from scrappy play and effectively ending any chances of an Orkney come-back. The match ended 31-19 to Morgan.

The good news is that the cardboard sign on Andy’s pipes case seemed to work and magically prevented his bagpipes being run over again, a common occurrence in Melrose on Friday nights. Hopefully, the island club will make it back to Melrose again next year, with their pipes dreams still intact!

Andy Drane, Partner of Davidson Chalmers, said: “There can be few places better to watch rugby than in Melrose on a sunny spring day. They may be longer in the tooth, but today’s veterans showed real passion and pride. Davidson Chalmers commercial lawyers are delighted to be able to make the start of the Melrose Sevens festival happen and to support rugby both in the beautiful Borders and across the country.”

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said: “The whole weekend shows the reputation of the event and how teams from all around the world are eager to come and play in Scotland, the perfect stage for rugby with its rich history around the sport. As we are in the year of Active, it was wonderful that we had so many teams in both the main draw and veterans competition and inspiring others to have a go.”

Results 2011: Cup Final: Hamilton (Hammie) Dynamiters 17 Melrose 12. Bowl Final: Tynedale 31 Auld Reekies 7. Plate Final: Morgan Old Blacks 24 Glasgow Legends 12

Poor conditions and a heavy pitch greeted 21 players for the latest game of internal rugby pitting Westray\Isles verses “the rest”. The sides swapped a prop for a fly half which balanced the teams and allowed the scrums to be contested.

Westray\Isles (playing in black) – Forwards, Christopher Rendall, Kenneth Kent, Heddle Drever, Ross Howe and Tim. Backs, Magnus Currie, Kyle Robb (1^st half), James Linklater (2cd half), Scott Cooper, Kyle Harcus, Oleg and Marex.

The Rest (playing in blue) – Forwards, Raymond Hutchison, Ally Linklater, Fraser Corse, Steven Wylie and Erik Firth. Backs Ben Scott, James Linklater (1^st half), Kyle Robb (2cd half), Kevin Spence, Jamie Firth, Alan Corse and Gavin Linklater.

The Blues started the game with a strong wind in their favour which was the dominant feature of the game, more so with the arrival of first team regular James Linklater 10 minutes in to the game joining “the rest” to even up the numbers. The blues used the wind throughout the half to good effect dominating territory, the isles men pinned in their own 22 for long periods. The blues finished the half strongly, the try count 5-1.

The second half started with Linklater switching in to the Westray ranks and Robb joining the blues and it was the blues turn to face the his boot and the biting wind. The blues managed a few forays into the top half to score 3 tries in the second half whilst the blacks used the wind well scoring 7 tries to leave the game tied at the final whistle, 8 tries each.

The blues pack played well throughout the match scoring half their teams tries with Hutchison scoring 2 (sorry Westray), F. Corse and Wylie one each. The blue front row of Hutchison, A. Linklater and F. Corse performed well, noticeably youngsters Corse and Linklater playing very well, both scrummaging against older opposition, with Linklater taking a few strikes against the head in the second half, good play in the loose and fine throwing in to the line in difficult conditions. F. Corse capping a fine performance of scrummaging and support play in the loose with a try. The second row had the very experienced Wylie who consistently showed quality in all areas of the game. Wylie was partnered with Firth, returning to the game of Rugby Football after many years out, great to him out on the pitch and putting in a good shift. The back line was continually fed quality ball through Scott, whose running and delivery to his fly half was very good considering the conditions. Spence ran hard and straight all game continually making hard yards over the gain line, making holes to allow Firth to score 1 try and A. Corse a further 3 tries after good support and running. G. Linklater, another youngster linked in well from Fullback, especially in the second half against the wind facing the boot of J. Linklater, demonstrating very good handling skills and running.

The black pack having not been on a rugby pitch for some time, scrummaged well throughout, with front row Rendall, Kent and Drever, direct and strong in their running and support as is their normal, typified with a good try from Drever. Commendable contribution came from the second row, Howe played well throughout the match tackling well and providing 3 assists to try scoring team mates. Tim, relatively new to the game of rugby and Westray also put in a hard shift in the pack engine room.

Currie led the back line well, able to run with ball in hand often from the forwards hard won endeavours. Currie’s good play well reflected with his contribution of 3 tries in the game and a further 4 tries outside him through the backs. A well worked try from Cooper who crossed the line with 2 blue shirts trying to stop him typifying his direct approach to game. Harcus also had a good game, coming in to the second row towards end of the match with ease. The black back line was completed with Oleg and Marex , again relatively new to rugby and Westray, their pace and strength evident and as their understanding of position increased throughout the game, so did their contributions, great additions to the North isles team.

Robb played very well considering he was asked to switch sides at half time meaning he had to face the uncompromising wind for both halves. That said, with kicking not an option, he demonstrated running and handling skills well, supplying good ball to both sets of backs leading to several of the tries. J. Linklater by also switching the other way too Robb, played with the wind throughout the game. Allowing him to control the game through exceptionally accurate kicking and running good lines throughout, demonstrating why he is a first team regular, and capping an excellent performance with 3 tries in the second half.

A good game of rugby considering the conditions with Wylie for the blues and Currie for the blacks being the MOM for their respective teams. However the younger players of F. Corse, A. Linklater, B. Scott, G. Linklater, J. Firth, K. Robb and K. Harcus put in very good performances. Thanks to Derek Robb for refereeing the game very well.

At the 1st XV v 2nd XV game last Saturday, Stuart Kemp of John Kemp Drapers kindly presented the Orkney RFC 2nd XV with a new strip based on the original red & white hoops.

The game itself started with a minute silence in memory of former club coach Brian Diack who sadly passed away recently. It was a keenly contested match with the teams being mixed up at half time, so the score was irrelevant.

There will be another match this weekend, so please keep your eyes on the guestbook for details.

Some pics from the second match are in the gallery, the rest can be found here.

There is a 2nd XV v Westray fixture being planned for the 20th of November, out in Westray. This will be the first match on Westray for a good while, so lets make sure we get a team together for it!

Please let Perkins know on 07810 211625 or Glen on 07718 389454 (or the e-mail address at the bottom of the page) if you are available or not rather than rely on us contacting everyone individually. It's much easier for you to let us know whether or not you are available rather than us to have to contact everyone individually.

A week past Saturday saw the first internal fixture of the season finally going ahead. The groundwork had been laid by Erland “bull” Drever and Glen Mclellan with numerous texts, phone calls and e mails being sent out to entice folk out for a run about.

It also helped that most of the Westray team were in the toon the night before for a doo at the Motor Hoose. So at kick off there were almost two full teams with Westray having the extra man. Tho this was probably needed given their celebrations the night before as one was heard to say mid way through the second half; “the hangovers aboot gone noo!!”

It was great to see some old and new faces out to blow the cobwebs off. Notably father and son combo Ken and Ali Amer, Steven “Chopper” Wylie and Andrew Cromarty, along with recent converts to this most gentlemanly of sports Murray Inkster and Angus Firth. All playing for the Rest.

Westray/Isles were made up in the main of Drevers and Rendalls with the odd Harcus and (streamlined) Hutchison thrown in.

This turned out to be a really close competitive game that went right down to the wire with only a conversion (2pts) separating the two teams when the whistle was blown for no side. This was after eight tries were equally shared with three conversions to Westray and only two to the rest. The final Westray conversion came in the last five minutes to win the game giving a score of 26-24.

Try scorers for the rest were Trev Spence, David Leisk, Andrew Cromarty and Chopper with Andrew Cromarty kicking both conversions.

Scorers for Westray/Isles were Luke Rendall (2), Calum Rendall and Allan Thomson with Johnny Drever supplying the three conversions.

Thanks to Bruce “cheeky face” Ruthven for refereeing and to all who took part. The game was played with remarkable intensity but in great spirit and no little fun. It was what internal games are all about and let there be many more. Come along if you can next time, everyone will get a game. Watch the ORFC website for details.

It would also be great to see more senior players out at training so we can get the second team playing regular games and putting pressure on the first team squad.

Toecruncher

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