Sport / Super Saturday of sporting action in inter-counties and cup final
A BUMPER Saturday of sport will kick off tomorrow afternoon when Shetland travel to Orkney for the annual mixed hockey inter-county.
That will be followed by Shetland facing Orkney again – this time in the women’s football inter-county – at Scalloway’s Fraser Park at 3pm.
And then Celtic will play Ness United in the GTS County Shield final at the Gilbertson Park at 6pm.
The 12th meeting of the two mixed hockey teams will take place at Kirkwall’s Pickaquoy pitch at 12pm, with the blues battling to retain the Joan Nicolson cup.
A solitary Gary Sutherland goal was enough for Shetland to win 1-0 in Brae last year.
The competition was created in 2013 to allow mixed players to experience an inter-county outwith the traditional ladies and junior hockey events.
Shetland are set to be led out by joint captains Joshua MacColl and Alexis Robertson tomorrow, with coach Jill Hibbert naming a strong team for the fixture.
The joint captains are joined in the squad by Paul Hibbert, Reece Thorne, Kelvin Anderson, Peter Sharp, Finlay Simpson (goalkeeper), Eve Wiseman, Eve Fraser, Caitlin Spence, Chiara MacColl, Sophie Jamieson, Jess Fraser, Vhairi Graham, Jake Davies and Harry Britton.
There are eight changes from the 2024 team, coach Hibbert said, with four players in line for a first cap.
Penalty flicks will follow if the two teams are tied at the end of the match.
Coach Hibbert said that places in the team this year have been the most closely fought for ever, making selection much harder.
“We have the usual mix of youth and experience and I know they will give their all on the day,” she said.
She thanked team sponsors Ian Irvine Engineering and NorthLink Ferries, Kevin Jones for team photos and to those who have provided opposition and umpiring for the team’s training.
Shetland Hockey hopes to provide a livestream for the inter-county clash on its Facebook page tomorrow.
Attentions will then turn to Fraser Park, where another county encounter will be underway.
Shetland’s women’s football team will welcome Orkney to Scalloway for their first official home game since July 2022.
The blues will be looking to keep the feel-good factor alive after reaching the Highlands and Islands League Cup final earlier this month, and after their impressive showing at the Island Games in Orkney last month.
They last played Orkney in their league cup opener in April, thrashing them 5-0, but Orkney are the inter-county cup holders after beating Shetland last year.
Shetland have named a strong 20-player team for tomorrow’s match, with rolling subs in action during the game.
The squad is as follows: Jessica Laurenson (goalkeeper), Sarah Williamson, Sadie Pottinger, Anya Arcus, Autumn Arcus, Charis Scott, Rhea Nicolson (captain), Freya Leslie, India Reynolds, Emma Gray, Emily Veitch, Inga Inkster, Kayla-Marie Pottinger, Lisa Goudie, Sadie Anderson, Katie Anderson, Kristan Robertson, Kayla Shearer, Miley Watt and Morgan Taylor.
In front of what is sure to be a packed and passionate crowd at Fraser Park, Shetland are eager to continue the steep rise of the women’s game going with a statement victory.
The final sporting action of the day comes at Gilbertson Park, where Ness and Celtic will meet in the final of the GTS County Shield.
Ness have a strong recent record in the competition, winning four of the past five trophies before losing last year’s final.
But deposed premier league champions Celtic will be looking to lift their first silverware of the season at the last chance.
And they will hope to avenge the result of this season’s Madrid Cup final, where Ness came out on top 2-1.
That game kicks off at Gilbertson Park at 6pm.
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