Saturday 23rd saw the 8th Annual Bank of Scotland Orkney Mini Rugby Tournament kick off at the Pickaquoy pitches in Kirkwall. As usual play was divided into two age groups, P4/5 and P6/7. Each age group had 5 teams making a total of 20 games for the day, no two of which were alike and all were cheered on by a large number of supporters on the sidelines.
P4/5
|
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
Kirkwall A |
4 |
0 |
0 |
26 |
6 |
12 |
Kirkwall B |
2 |
1 |
1 |
24 |
12 |
7 |
| Dounby A |
2 |
1 |
1 |
22 |
16 |
7 |
Dounby B |
0 |
1 |
3 |
15 |
34 |
1 |
St Andrew’s |
0 |
1 |
3 |
11 |
30 |
1 |
This first game in this age group saw Dounby A play St Andrew’s, this game set the tone for the day with many good runs and a lot of brave tackling. Dounby A won by 9 tries to 4. Then Kirkwall A played Kirkwall B, this ended in a 5-1 victory for Kirkwall A. Next was the turn of the two Dounby sides to face each other. This was a tight game which Dounby A won by 7 to 4. Dounby B stayed on the pitch to face Kirkwall A, who ran in 11 tries to Dounby B’s 3. St Andrew’s then faced Kirkwall B and although they managed to score a try, Kirkwall B scored 9.
In the next game Kirkwall A played St Andrew’s and won by 6 unanswered tries. Dounby A against Kirkwall B was extremely close with both sides tackling at a ferocious level, the final result being 4 all. The next game saw another draw, this time between St Andrew’s and Dounby B. The lead seesawed between both teams but a 6-6 draw was a fair result reflecting the evenness of the sides. Dounby A against Kirkwall A was yet another tough match for both sides, strong play from both teams in both attack and defence meant that it could have gone either way, but at the final whistle it was Kirkwall A who had the 4-2 advantage. The final game in the age group saw Kirkwall B beat Dounby B by 10 tries to 2.
These results meant that the P4/5 Shield went to Kirkwall A. Player of the Tournament medals were given to Jordon Thomson (Kirkwall B), Mark Sinclair (Dounby A), Scott Smith (Dounby B), and Arjun Pankhania (St Andrew’s).
P6/7
|
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
Dounby B |
4 |
0 |
0 |
26 |
1 |
12 |
Kirkwall A |
3 |
0 |
1 |
26 |
2 |
9 |
Kirkwall B |
2 |
0 |
1 |
9 |
12 |
6 |
Dounby A |
1 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
24 |
3 |
St Andrew’s |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
25 |
0 |
The games in the older age group started with a tight game between Dounby A and St Andrew’s, Dounby winning by 2 tries to nil. Kirkwall A then played there B team-mates and beat them by 5 tries to nil. The Dounby A versus Dounby B match saw Dounby B score 9 unanswered tries. Kirkwall B won their next game against St Andrew’s by 5 to 0. Kirkwall A against Dounby B saw the two strongest teams in the section going head to head. Dounby B managed to get their noses in front and kept their by virtue of their tight defence, finishing the game 2 tries to 1. The next result was a 4-1 victory by Kirkwall B over Dounby A. Dounby B then continued in their winning ways by crossing the try line 9 times against St Andrew’s whilst keeping a clean sheet themselves. The next game was also a try fest as Kirkwall A scored 11 unanswered tries against Dounby A. The following game saw Dounby B round off their day with a 6-0 win over Kirkwall B. The last game of the day finished off a sad day for a tired St Andrew’s as they lost 9-0 to Kirkwall A.
Dounby B therefore took the P6/7 Shield home with them. Player of the Tournament medals were awarded to Jack Siderfin (Kirkwall A), Chris Mollison, (Kirkwall B), Dale Groundwater (Dounby A) and Correen Davies (St Andrew’s).
A big thank you must go to Ian Carse and Mike Girvan for their fair and consistent refereeing which kept the games flowing and made them so good to watch. Thanks also to all those who provided soup and sandwiches.
MLH.
