Shetland win netball but trail junior inter-county heading into final day

SHETLAND trail rivals Orkney by 20 points heading into Sunday’s final day of the junior inter-county competition.

The two sides were locked together at 86-86 after the swimming and netball through Saturday, but a 4-0 victory for Orkney in the evening’s football has left the blues with a gap to close on Sunday.

Orkney started the day with a 57-40 win in the Stromness swimming pool, but Shetland roared back on the netball court to comprehensively win 46-29 and level the tie.

However the reds’ success on the football field – with each goal worth five points – means Orkney now lead 106-86 heading into Sunday’s finale.

The destination of the Stuart Cup trophy will be decided by the outcomes of either the hockey at 11am, or finally the athletics at 1.30pm.

Orkney have won the overall junior inter-county three times in succession, giving Shetland a target of stopping four-in-a-row this weekend.

As well as the overall trophy for the junior inter-county winner, the teams will vie for individual team trophies in each sport – as well as the John Nicolson memorial cup, awarded to the athlete who makes the best contribution across the weekend.

Swimmer Finlay Geddes and netball player Erin Spence are Shetland’s overall captains for the junior inter-county this year.