Peterhead Home (Cup 1st Rnd)
7th October 06
Orkney 74, Peterhead 0
Pre-match
Orkney entertained Peterhead for the 1st time in the Aberdeenshire club's 23 year history. Front row talisman Derek Sutherland was rested, which allowed a return to action for Douglas Montgomery, recently celebrating the birth of his daughter Lily. Orkney also made a few positional changes. A crowd of about 70 watched the match.
1st Half
Peterhead started the stronger of the two teams, Glen McLellan knocked on giving Peterhead a scrum on the Orkney 22, they were unable to capitalise as Orkney tackled well defensively. Peterhead infringed shortly after giving James Link Jr his first 3 points of the day with a penalty, 3-0. Further Orkney pressure and good combining between stand-off Linkelator and centre McLellan allowed the seasoned warhorse his first try, conversion by Linkelator 10-0.
Great handling involving Watson, Linkelator and McLellan opened a gap for fullback Roger Hall to go over next, try converted 17-0. McLellan involved again as evergreen Gairsayman Andy McGill hammered his way through the opposing defence for Orkney's next 5 points, no conversion 22-0. A powerful Lee Thomson bulldozed his way through 5 metres from the Peterhead line, he passed outside to lock Derek Robb, who switched his pass inside to McLellan who touched down for his 2nd. An excellent James Link Jr conversion from wide made it 29-0. McGill picked up from a scrum just inside the Peterhead half, popped the ball to Linkelator who offloads to McLellan, uncharacteristically he declined to use the men outside him and diligently made his way to the try line, try converted 36-0. A late 2nd half flurry from Peterhead saw their first attacking opportunities since early in the game, but Orkney held on to deny them, 36-0 at half-time.
2nd Half
Peterhead injected some power into their ranks at half-time with some more guest Orcadians, East firebrand Duncan Montgomery and former 1st stalwart Davie Flett coming into the forwards, hoping to tighten things up as Orkney stole 7 strikes against-the-head in the scrum in the first half. Both sides displayed more confidence in the 2nd half with Peterhead keen to spin the ball wide at every opportunity, but it was Orkney again scoring first with Yorkshireman Roger Hall giving a deftly timed pass to teenager Dean Campbell to fly over the line, 41-0. Jon Tait showed similar pace on the opposite flank shortly afterwards missing his own difficult conversion, 46-0. Wily old Al Watson sold a brazen dummy yards from the try line, playing in his schoolboy position of scrum-half (which wasn't yesterday). His converted try increased the margin to 53-0.
Peterheads best chance came 25 minutes from the end, with an intercepted a pass 25 yards from the try line, but industrious Orkney defence denied the thundering Peterhead lock. Orkney scored three more tries in last 20 minutes. Dean Campbell sold a beautiful dummy to go from just over the half-way line, try converted 60-0. Edward 'Rambo' Russell scores between the posts for the next converted try and finally James Link Jr took a quick tap penalty and found acres of room and goes on to score under the posts, final score 74-0.
Postmatch
Andy McGill deservedly won the the man-of-the-match award, and worryingly for Orkney powerhouse back-rower Kevin Sinclair came off injured with 10 minutes remaining, although unavailable next week with work commitments, he believes he'll be fit for the following week against Aberdeenshire.
Orkney team: Roger Hall, Glen Thomson, Trevor Spence, Glen McLellan, Robert Foubister, James Linkelator jr., Al Watson, Lee Thomson, Douglas Montgomery, Erlend Drever, Derek Robb, Steven Patterson, Edward 'Rambo' Russell, Kevin Sinclair, Andy McGill. replacements:- Dave Shearer, Jon Tait, Rob Thomson, Dean Campbell.
Smiffur