Shetland Squash
The 33rd Orkney vs Shetland Intercounty 23rd April 2022, Kirkwall.
"Biggest Intercounty yet, goes down to the wire!"
Play got underway with ladies number four seed Isla Denvir facing Orkney’s Morven Gemmill. The ever improving Denvir gave Gemmill a close run in the first game 12-10, however she was unable to improve on this and Gemmill took the match 3 - 0. First blood to Orkney. ORKNEY ONE SHETLAND ZERO
Last weekend saw nine men and four women make the trip south to take on Orkney in the much anticipated return of the squash intercounty. Orkney has had a stronghold on the senior fixture winning the last two in a row, and Shetland set out to reclaim the trophy.
Phil Manson got the men underway with the fourth seed facing Adam Stanger. Stanger, a regular at number 1 has been battling back from injury which had resulted in this match up down the order. Although at times showing difficulty moving around the court, his tight hitting and controlled length secured the game 3 - 0 and gave Orkney their second point.
ORKNEY TWO SHETLAND ZERO
Christy Henderson and Marta Leslie, Shetland ladies’ second and third seeds were up against seasoned intercounty veterans Betty Stanger and Barbara Balcombe respectively. Despite a promising showing from the Shetland duo, Stanger and Balcome’s experience prevailed. 4 - 0 Orkney. ORKNEY FOUR SHETLAND ZERO
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George Abernethy, Shetland’s ninth seed, faced off against Graeme Beck in what became a tale of two halves. Beck took the first two games before Abernethy’s fitness and determination kick-started a resurgent Shetland and took the game 3 - 2. Shetland’s first point.
ORKNEY FOUR SHETLAND ONE
Steven Leask, Matthew Bruce and Billy Mycock, Shetland’s eighth, seventh and sixth seeds faced the young trio of Dominic Barnaby, Andrew Swanney and Dylan Scott respectively. Despite Orkney pushing close in some games, Shetland prevailed on all three fronts 3 - 0 to level the competition, 4 games a piece.
ORKNEY FOUR SHETLAND FOUR
Seed three saw David Sutherland take on Mick Swanney. Sutherland pushed Swanney hard, however, the accurate drop shots and deception from Swanney gave Orkney another point, 6 - 4.
ORKNEY SIX SHETLAND FOUR
Shetland team captain Andrew Reid faced off against Orkney captain Kit Bichan in the fifth seed position. Reid, a former Orkney team member now donning the blue of Shetland following a move north, possibly felt the pressure of the occasion in the beginning, dropping the first two sets. However, he mounted a strong comeback in the third and fourth sets before Bichan clinched the 5th after nearly 50 minutes of play.
ORKNEY FIVE SHETLAND FOUR
Stuart Copland faced old foe Andrew Moar at seed two. These two have played competitively on two separate occasions and came into this tie with 1 win each. Both players are big hitters and their height meant all areas of the court were covered. Momentum shifted several times but it was Copland’s slight fitness advantage that meant he pipped Moar 3 - 2 in the third 5 set match of the day. Orkney lead 6 - 5.
ORKNEY SIX SHETLAND FIVE
Fresh off his retention of the Shetland Men’s Championship the previous weekend, Ramsay Hogg, playing at first seed, faced Finlay Scott. Scott, who trains regularly on the Scottish mainland, looked shaky in the first set as Hogg got one on the board however some long rallies and clinical finishing saw Hogg go down 3 - 1 in an excellent game. This meant that Orkney took victory in the tie 7 - 5 with only one match remaining. ORKNEY SEVEN SHETLAND FIVE
Final match of the day was ladies number 1 seeds Zoe Rivett taking on Orkney’s Aimee Drever. Despite the tie being over, these ladies put on an exceptional match, with some entertaining rallies. Drever took victory 3 - 0 meaning Orkney ran away with a 8 - 5 victory on the day. Special mention to Denvir, Henderson, Leslie, Abernethy, Leask, Bruce and Reid as they all picked up their first caps in a Shetland senior inter-county tie.
ORKNEY WIN !!!! ORKNEY EIGHT SHETLAND FIVE
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