Orkney Inter-County - Season 2007-2008

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Orkney too strong this time around in both sections - 09/02/08 (Away)

Some CBA players (more pictures below)

It was always going to be a tough task for the Caithness contingent, when they travelled across the Pentland Firth to try and pull back the deficits from the first round of the Orkney Inter-County match.  The task was made even harder with the selectors scouring the county for players to fit into positions, at the last minute.

Orkney led the 'A' match by 8 games to 4 and 'B', 9 to 3 but larger scorelines have been overturned in the past - giving the Caithness side a glimmer of hope.

The 'A' match started well with a fantastic performance from Stephen Hill and Abdul Mkith who made a tough match look easy versus experienced players, Stuart Slater and Trevor Kinghorn - securing a valuable point, which lifted the hopes of the travelling side.

The regular partnership of Carole Mowat and Casey Sangster at 1st Ladies, continued their strong hold of this match-up to secure the second point for the Caithness 'A' team.

Abdul and Casey added to their Level Doubles' wins by pairing each other to triumph in their Mixed Doubles event.  This was very much a 'teacher and student' partnership where Abdul is learning fast from the strict ground rules and guidelines of his educator and mentor, Casey.  It must be working as they are winning on various occasions, comprehensively...!!!

The final point was gathered by John Durrand and Carole Mowat in the last match of the event.  Going on recent performances, this pairing have stepped up a gear, complement each other on the court and are a force to be reckoned with - in the Highlands and Islands.

Orkney won the 'A' match by 8 games to 4 and a final score of 16-8.

Parental Guidance was required for Top Ranking player, Mark Mackay who hobbled in unknown territory, within the 'B' side.  Having recently suffered an Achilles injury which stopped his International career, performing in this event was unnecessary, could've caused problems in the recuperation period and knocked back the redevelopment cycle of his limb. Nevertheless, after being 'carried' by his partners, he went onto win his Mens and Mixed Doubles to secure 2 valuable points for the team.

Debutant traveller, Andrew Falconer joined the squad for the first time across the water and never let his initial nervousness affect his game. Partnered by Lindsay Coghill, the two players played an excellent match by constantly piling the pressure on their opponents and picked up the only other point the Caithness 'B' side managed to pull together.

Other debut appearances came from juniors, Ryan Jones, Andrew Cummings, Bronwyn Ross and Lauren Gunn.  Now that they have 'tasted the water', I'm sure it has come up sweet enough for them to develop their skills and continue further into the squads.

Orkney went onto win the 'B' match by 9 games to 3 and a final score of 18-6.

Although the scorelines in both matches seem to reflect a trouncing, this is very much a transitional period within the Caithness county team, one that was very much needed and, as yer faither used to tell ye', "you'll have to learn how to walk, before you can run, laddie.....!!!!!".

Thank you to Orkney for their excellent hospitality, 'Thom-Ass' for taking 'e mouthie' and look forward to seeing you all again in December.

Photos

L to R:- Michelle Cowie, Caithness 'A' captain, Stuart Slater, Orkney 'A' captain - (Sponsor) - Robbie Norquoy, Orkney 'B' captain and Pauline Gunn, Caithness 'B' captain

Fox passes on his thanks to everyone after matches...

Caithness 'A' and 'B' teams

Orkney 'A' and 'B' teams

Rear - Father & Son, Mark & Ryan Jones Front - Mother & Daughter, Pauline & Lauren Gunn	Sam is delighted to get his picture taken with Marnie as you can see by the thumbs up.....

Scoresheets

'A' Team RESULT - CAITHNESS 4 (8) - (16) 8 ORKNEY

'B' Team RESULT - CAITHNESS 3 (6) - (18) 9 ORKNEY

Caithness 'A' and 'B' teams struggle in first round tie - 01/12/07 (Home)

'A' Match

• Third Ladies:
  • Lynn Cursiter and Cath Bremner lost a close first set against a young Caithness pairing. The second set saw the Orkney pair begin to take control and went on to win the set 21-13, from her they went on to secure the match by winning the third set 21-12 and gave Orkney an important first point on the board.
• Third Mens:
  • Calvin Reid and Gary Nicolson secured the first set in a game of few rallies. The second set saw both sets of players play better but Calvin and Gary remained in control to secure victory winning the set 21-12.
• Second Ladies:
  • Orkney's strong second pairing of Moira Nicolson and Elaine Gray used their experience well to overcome Pam Bain and Jill Gunn in two sets. The Caithness pair played well but Moira and Elaine had too much doubles awareness and secured victory in two sets. Scoreline 21-16, 21-13.

Caithness 'A'

Orkney 'A'

• Second Mens:
  • Trevor Kinghorn and captain Stu Slater got off to a slow start against the flat and hard hitting pair of Benji Mackay and Ian Nicolson. The Caithness pair winning the first set 21-15. The Orkney pair rallied during the second but never quite found top gear and Caithness secured a close second set, winning 21-18.
• First Ladies:
  • Christine West and Elspeth MacLellan lost a close first game against the strong pairing of Casey Sangster and Carole Mowat. They fought back well to force a third set winning the second 21-13. Casey and Carole were not to be denied though as they took control in the third set winning 21-12.
• First Mens:
  • Ross Groundwater and Eion Ballantine put on a solid high class performance against Sam Campbell and John Durrand. The Orkney pair's experience and knowledge of doubles are turning them into a real formidable force and they controlled the game throughout winning 21-12, 21-13.
• Sixth Mixed:
  • Cath and Gary started well and won the first set 21-15 but Caithness hit back strongly to win the second 21-12. A tense and exciting third set was witnessed with the Orkney players winning the crucial last few points to win the game and match 21-19.
• Fifth Mixed:
  • Lynn And Stu took an early lead and comfortably won the first set 21-14. A real battle of a second set ensued with Caithness forcing the third set with a really tight 25-23 scoreline. The third set was even until Caithness eventually gained a 20-17 lead and credit goes to Stu and Lynn for getting back to 20-20, however it was Caithness who were to win the vital last couple of points to secure victory.
• Fourth Mixed:
  • Moira and Trevor lost the first set against the tricky pairing of Jill Gunn and Martin Cook. After some tactics discussions they forced the game to a third set and continued their good form to win the match two sets to one.
• Third Mixed:
  • The experienced pairing of Elaine Gray and Calvin Reid lost the first set heavily against Pam Bain and Benji Mackay. A re-think of tactics was needed and seemed to work as they secured the second set comfortably. The third set was closer but the Orkney pair secured victory winning the final set 21-16.
• Second Mixed:
  • Elspeth and Ross played very well to win against the experienced pair of Casey Sangster and Sam Campbell. Ross had no time to stay and celebrate the win as he had to catch the boat back to Orkney as his wife was due to give birth, which she duly did a few days later. Maybe Ross still had the badminton match in his mind as they named their new son Sam! Well done Kay and 'Moosh' from all at Orkney Badminton.
• First Mixed:
  • Christine and Eion began well and won the first set against the very strong pairing of Carole Mowat and John Durrand. The Caithness pairing hit back in the second set in a game not for the faint hearted with every inch of the court being covered by all four players. Caithness continued their good form in the third set to win the match 2-1.

At the end of play Orkney has produced a highly creditable victory by eight games to four, a tremendous achievement in an away 'A' County fixture.

'B' Match

• Third Ladies:
  • Orkney's junior pairing of Ruth Flett and Rebecca Reid started strongly in the first set but their Caithness opponents came back strong to level the game at 20-all with the Orkney pairing managing to win the vital two points to claim the first set. The second set was a repeat of the first but this time the Caithness pair were to win the set with a scoreline of 22-20. Orkney got off to a winning start in the match as Ruth and Rebecca claimed victory by winning the set 21-17. A fantastic win for the Orkney pair and set the tone for what was to follow.
• Third Mens:
  • Caithness started strong with Orkney edging back the scoreline but Caithness saw out the set winning 21-17. Orkney's junior pairing of Euan Gray and David Delday fought back, and in an incredibly close second set managed to force a deciding game by winning the set 22-20. From here they gradually managed to dominate the third set winning 21-13.

Caithness 'B'

Orkney 'B'

• Second Ladies:
  • The match started with both sides evenly balanced with the Orkney pairing of Joanne Pottinger and Jane Hill a bit nervy. Caithness managed to reached 20-17 in their favour but from here the Orkney pair rallied to secure the first set 23-21. The second set was also close but Caithness ran away with the final few points to force a third set. The final set was another close affair which ended in a big cheer from their Orkney team-mates as Joanne and Jane won 21-19.
• Second mens:
  • Marty Flett and Graham Beck played well to win the first set with Graham's smash doing most of the damage to the opposition. Orkney continued to apply the pressure in the second set, playing their utmost with Marty ending up on his knees in an attempt to get the shuttle. Their efforts were rewarded as they bet Caithness pair Mark Jones and Andy Nicolson 21-16 to win the second set and the match.
• First Ladies:
  • Caithness were to win their first match of the evening as the Orkney pairing of Kathryn Sclater and Sandra Deans lost to Jane Grant and Lyndsay Coghill. The Caithness pair won a tense first set 21-19 and went on to win the second 21-16 with the help of some good drop shots.
• First Mens:
  • The Orkney pairing of captain Robbie Norquoy and Ronald Thompson were fired and put the pressure on from the start winning the first set 21-17. Caithness hit back in the second set winning the game 21-15 to set up a tense third set. Orkney gained an early lead 11-7, but Caithness levelled at 11-11. The match continued level until 18-18 where the Orkney pairing pulled away to win the set and match 21-18.
• Sixth Mixed:
  • Rebecca Reid and David Delday got off to a very good start matching Caithness point for pint. They pulled away to win the set 21-17. The second set saw Orkney get off to an absolute flyer gong 10-6 and 15-8 up. From here Caithness hit back and at one stage were only one point behind, however Rebecca and David were not to be denied as they won the set and match 21-18.
• Fifth Mixed:
  • Ruth and Euan played very well with good net shots from Ruth and confident smashing from Euan to win two sets 21-13,21-16.
• Fourth Mixed:
  • Sandra and Graham fought for every point but Caithness pulled away to win the first set 21-15. A tactical discussion was held and the Orkney pair won the second set comfortably 21-11. From here Sandra and Graham went on to dominate the final set by winning 21-6.
• Third Mixed:
  • Jane and Marty had an unsettled start with Caithness player Mark Jones dominating play. Caithness went on to win the first set 21-13. Orkney fought back well to win the second set 21-16. The third set saw Caithness get off to a great start which they maintained to win the set and match 21-9.
• Second Mixed:
  • Orkney experienced pairing of Kathryn Sclater and Ronald Thompson played very well to win in two sets, just edging the second set 21-19 with Ronald showing some tricky shots around the net and Kathryn as ever giving all her efforts or the cause.
• First Mixed:
  • Joanne and Robbie played well to win the first set but Davie Swanson's experience showed in the second as he helped the Caithness pair win with a scoreline of 21-12. The final set was neck and neck until 18-18, from here Caithness won the remaining few points to secure the match 21-18.

The match finished with Orkney securing an incredible 9-3 victory. This type of victory isn't unheard of in home matches but for a team to win an away game so impressively deserves special mention. The catalyst for this victory was the impressive and mature performances by the junior players. This bodes well for the future and is testimony to the efforts by the youth development coaching. Well done to all the players for a fantastic effort.

With both teams having secured good leads before the home leg in February hopes are high of winning both matches overall but another strong performance will be wanted by the selectors if this is to achieved. Orkney Badminton would like to thank the coaches and team selectors for their efforts and also to Northlink for sponsoring the teams travel.

report from Calvin Reid, Orkney

Scoresheets

'A' Team RESULT - CAITHNESS 4 - 8 ORKNEY

'B' Team RESULT - CAITHNESS 3 - 9 ORKNEY

End-of-Document

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