Orkney signed off the 2005/6 season with a convincing win which secured their deserved – if distant – runners-up spot to league champions Strathmore.
In a scrappy game, in which both sides made numerous handling errors, Orkney turned first half pressure into second half points.
The game was spoilt as a spectacle by the strongish breeze blowing straight down the pitch.
In the first half, Orkney had the elements in their favour, and the Aberdeenshire players use up so much energy in backs-to-the-wall defence that they simply had nothing left for the second half.
That summary probably does a little disservice to the Orkney players, as they definitely improved in the second half, when those watching might have expected the game to have followed the pattern of the first 40 minutes.
Orkney took the lead within a couple of minutes of the start, as a result of a well worked move from a scrum.
Having pushed Aberdeenshire deep inside their 22, number eight Andy McGill picked up from the back of the scrum, and off-loaded to scrum half Roger Hall.
Hall in turn passed to John Dearness at stand-off, whose powerful run saw the ’Shire defenders unable to stop him as he went over under the posts.
James Linklater, playing in the centre for this game, made no mistake with the straightforward kick to put the home side 7-0 up inside five minutes.
On nine minutes, Orkney were on the attack again. After a rare venture into Orkney territory, John Deerness sent a wind-assisted clearing kick from inside his own 22 to within five yards of the Aberdeenshire line.
The line-out was won and the forwards got a shove on, before a knock-on by Hall gave the visitors the chance to clear.
It wasn’t long before Orkney added to their lead, however. Aberdeenshire were penalised for hands in the ruck and Linklater stepped up to add three points from just inside the 22.
The visitors then wasted their best chance of the half hen they had a clear overlap on the left, with the full back coming up into the line, but a poor pass gave Orkney the chance to clear.
From that moment until referee Ian Rushbrook blew for half time, play was concentrated in the Aberdeenshire 22.
However, Orkney simply couldn’t find their way through, going from side-to-side rather than straightening up.
Time and again they came within five yards of the line without finding their way through. Credit must be given for some stout defence on behalf of the visitors, who showed they were not simply going through the motions in this end of season game.
The closest Orkney came was when Brian Linklater, playing on the left wing, did manage to force his way over, after taking a pass from Andrew Cromarty, but he was held up.
The question at half time was whether Aberdeenshire had anything left in the tank to mount a period of pressure in the second period, when they would be assisted by the breeze.
The answer was no, as Orkney turned in a 40 minutes to remember, with some excellent individual contributions, most notably from Gary Burton, making a long-awaited return to the side after injury, and skipper Glen McLellan, who was also playing his first game of 2006.
It was McLellan’s burst which set up the next try, the skipper making a good 30 yards and setting up good ball before Kevin Sinclair powered his way over close to the posts.
Linklater’s conversion extended the lead to 17-0 and Orkney were just about home and hosed.
A penalty reduced the arrears by three points, but Aberdeenshire rarely threatened to get over the try line.
From the restart, Orkney were back on the attack with a scrum just ten yards from the line, but on this occasion the defence held firm.
However, Linklater, reveling in his unfamiliar role at centre, burst through two tackles and raced over the line to make the score 22-3, before adding the conversion.
Colin Risbridger thought he had added what would have been one of the tries of the season, running full 80 yards down the right, only to realise referee Rushbrook had blown for an infringement way down the other end of the pitch.
However, Risbridger set up Linklater for his second try, opening up he by now exhausted Aberdeenshire defence, allowing the youngster to jog over unchallenged to score. The two points made it 31-3.
Skipper McLellan then put the icing on the cake with a fine individual effort. He burst through, and showed a fine burst of speed to outpace the defence before diving over extravagantly.
He was glad to be back, and one suspects it was talked about at length during the captain’s night out which followed the match!
Linklater then made it six out of six, making his most difficult kick of the afternoon and round off a well deserved 38-3 win.

Stuart Laundy (The Orcadian)