Banff 31 Shetland 11
SHETLAND Rugby Club began the campaign in the Scottish Hydro Electric Caledonia Division 2 (North) on Saturday with a trip to Banff.
Shetland started brightly chasing the kick-off to pressurise Banff and good work at the breakdown resulted in Banff conceding a penalty at halfway. Stand-off Robert Geddes stepped up to confidently strike the ball over for a 3-0 lead after only a minute.
Unfortunately for Shetland the next 20 minutes were all Banff, using their forwards to gain yardage then unleashing their backs. During that period Banff scored two converted tries to give them a 14-3 lead.
For the remainder of the half Shetland raised their game to have their best spell, retaining the ball well with strong rucking play. This strong rucking and some poor discipline from Banff saw Shetland awarded two penalties, Geddes kicking the second to reduce Banff's lead to 14-6.
From the restart Shetland regained the ball which was taken on by the forwards and recycled to Geddes who put up a high kick. A good chase and challenge by Peter Sidgwick made the Banff winger spill the ball. The ball broke to Joe O'Conner who gathered and sprinted over the line from 30 yards. Geddes missed the conversion to give a half-time score of 14-11 to the home side.
The second half started with Banff again dominating possession. Shetland defended well, gaining penalties for Banff infringements, but Banff's superior line-out made retaining possession difficult. After 10 minutes of pressure Banff scored under the posts after a drive from close range to make it 21-11.
For the next 10 minutes Shetland had another good spell, trying to mix up play by moving the ball wide and using their kicking game to pressurise Banff. During the spell Geddes just missed two long penalty attempts. Shetland won the drop out from the second kick and attacked the blind side. Banff were penalised at the ruck, Geddes took a quick tap penalty and was tackled early by his opposite number who was shown the yellow card and sent to the sin bin by the referee.
Shetland decided to run the resultant penalty but a lack of composure in the forwards saw the chance wasted. Shetland kept the pressure on but couldn't seem to find the final pass that would exploit the extra man they now had. A good break and kick ahead by tight head prop Michael Sinclair which just bounced out with Shetland looking likely to score was the best chance of the period.
With Banff now back to their full complement they soon scored from a scrum. A missed tackle from the Shetland midfield made it an easy run in for the Banff full back. The score was now 28-11 and Banff had secured a try bonus point.
The final 10 minutes saw Banff kick another penalty to give them a final score of 31-11.
Overall it was a decent performance by Shetland, better than scoreline suggests, but travelling with only 15 players and no replacements left some tired legs in the second half.
Positives were good rucking both in attack and defence, intelligent kicking from stand-off Geddes and good chasing from the backs. Negatives were a poor line-out and missed tackles that cost Shetland points at key times.
Best for Shetland were Thomas Smale and Stuart Mouat in the forwards and Geddes and Maurice Williamson in the backs. Danny Farnworth was awarded the Shetland Catch man of the match for an excellent performance on the wing.
Aberdeen Wanderers 52 Shetland 0
SHETLAND Rugby Club played their second game of the season against Aberdeen Wanderers last weekend in Aberdeen.
The weather was perfect for rugby ­ dry but with a slight wind blowing down the slope at Groats Road.
From the kick-off Joe O'Connor failed to make the required 10 metres with his kick. Wanderers made ground in midfield from the scrum and Shetland knocked on at the tackle. From the next scrum Wanderers produced a good move in the back line that saw their outside centre score under the posts. The conversion was kicked to give Wanderers a 7-0 lead, hardly the best of starts for the blues.
A better kick-off from O'Connor saw Shetland put pressure on Wanderers inside their own half. After a couple of phases the ball was moved to the left and the winger put a high kick into the Shetland 22. This was volleyed spectacularly out to halfway by full back Rhydian Reynolds.
The unorthodox clearance seemed to focus Shetland who won the line-out against the throw and the ball was passed to the back line. Joe O'Connor broke through and was tackled on the 22 metre line. Wanderers were penalised at the tackle for not staying on their feet. Shane Jamieson stepped up but narrowly missed the kick.
For the next 20 minutes it was a tight affair. Shetland's line-out, much improved from the last game, was winning possession but Aberdeen used the wind to their advantage to pin Shetland in their half for much of the period. Aberdeen were fairly well dealt with by the Shetland defence but Shetland couldn't seem to gain yardage with possession.
On 35 minutes Shetland had another chance. A break from a scrum by number eight Maurice Williamson made ground and open side Danny Farnworth was first to the ball. He passed to Nathan Coote who drew his man and passed to Shane Jamieson on the wing, but a good tackle from the Wanderers full back saw Jamieson put into touch five metres from the line.
Wanderers won the line out and kicked long, Rhydian Reynolds returning the ball with a high kick that was kicked back downfield by Aberdeen. Unfortunately for Shetland the Aberdeen player was tackled late by Williamson and the penalty was awarded where the ball landed, deep in Shetland's half. Aberdeen kicked for touch from the penalty.
Although Shetland won the line-out against the throw they started going backwards and tried to play the ball to team mates where a clearance may have been the better option. After a number of dropped passes Aberdeen won the ball and after another two phases were under the posts again.
The conversion was kicked to give a half time score of 14-0 to Wanderers.
With Shetland now having the wind and slope advantage the aim was to cut out the mistakes that had cost the team points and start to reduce the deficit.
The first few minutes saw Shetland play in the Aberdeen 22. They were soon awarded a penalty wide on the 22 but unfortunately Rhydian Reynolds missed the kick.
Shetland then capitulated, giving surely their worst 30 minutes for a number of years. Tackling in the forwards was non-existent, allowing the Wanderers pack to offload and make yardage and then release their backs and run in tries. In this spell Wanderers ran in five tries and kicked a penalty.
In the last five minutes Shetland did restore a little pride as another good break from O'Connor saw him tackled short of the line and some good rucking saw the ball moved wide. But good cover defence from Aberdeen saw the chance missed.
Overall it was a real game of two halves. Shetland did the hard work in the first half to put them in a position to win the game but a terrible second half performance undid all the good work and effort of the first.
Positives were improved line-out play and some good penetration in midfield from O'Connor, something the team has been lacking for the last few seasons.
The best players were Farnworth, Fraser and Williamson in the forwards and O'Connor and Jamieson in the backs. Stuart Jamieson was named the Shetland Catch man of the match for a good debut in the second row.
This weekend newly-promoted Aboyne visit Clickimin for a key game in Shetland's league campaign. Kick-off is at noon. A win is a must for a team capable of doing well but unless the concentration and workrate improve relegation will be hard to avoid
Shetland 0 Aboyne
SHETLAND Rugby Club suffered defeat in their first home game of the season at the hands of a determined and well organised Aboyne team.
For the third match in succession the Shetland side had a makeshift look to it, with few experienced players in the backline, and several making their first appearance for Shetland in a home match, including nine 16-year-olds.
Another feature was the presence in the side of three father-and-son duos, Stuart and Shane Jamieson, John Roy and Matthew Nicolson and Martin and Peter Sidgwick.
The first points on the board came in under 10 minutes of action, with some good pressure and a bit of luck by Aboyne. They soon scored again after some poor defence by the Shetland players.
Shetland managed some good passages of play after this, especially at scrum time and in and around rucks, resulting in a number of turnovers which unfortunately they couldn't capitalise on. Aboyne did manage to botch a number of scoring opportunities through poor option taking and some good last-ditch defence from Shetland but they did mange to score again before the break, converting the try to go 17-0 up.
Shetland decided to take the game to Aboyne in the second half but too often poorly-judged kicks were run back at them and Aboyne began to pile on the pressure again.
The Shetland forwards continued to work quite well, with some good runs from strongman Neil Hamilton and skipper John Roy Nicolson.
Unfortunately for Shetland the counter attacking by the Aboyne backline was too much for their inexperienced counterparts and they scored three more unanswered tries, two of them converted, to finish the match 36-0.
With three losses from three games it could be all doom and gloom for Shetland but there were some positives from this match. The scrum was solid and set a good platform and there were patches where they were able to string passes together.
There is no substituting for experience but the youngsters who have played so far have done extremely well and are keeping Shetland rugby going. Christian Fraser, Danny Farnworth, Joe O'Connor, Maurice Williamson and Shane Jamieson are all prominent.
The experienced David Thomson played well at full back after some early jitters and lock Stewart Mouat was the Shetland Catch man of the match for a tireless display, until having to leave the field injured.
Moray 92 Shetland 0
RUGBY players from the isles are looking for an England-like miracle recovery if they are to start to compete with the opposition after their latest league trouncing.
To be fair to Shetland this was always going to be a season of a transition after several senior players retired at the end of last season.
And it was a young and relatively inexperienced squad who travelled to face Moray last Saturday at the Morriston playing fields Elgin, for their latest Scottish Hydro Electric Caledonia League Division 2 (North) clash.
Even so, to ship almost 100 points without reply is a bitter pill to swallow.
It didn't help Shetland's cause that they were late getting to Elgin, arriving there just before noon, with just enough time for a quick change and straight onto the park.
Shetland seemed to leave their playing heads on the bus, as Moray opened the score within the first five minutes.
Up against a ruthless, well-drilled squad by half time the Shetlanders were down by 61 points.
Following a few well-chosen words from the captain at half time, Shetland tried to turn the game around.
Some good tactical kicking by winger-cum-stand-off Martin Sidgwick moved Shetland into the Moray half for what seemed like the first time in the game.
And Jimmy Smale and Matthew Nicolson put in some robust rucking to keep pressure on the Moray line but Shetland could not turn territory into points.
Particular mention must go to the young guys who played with passion and enthusiasm against this much more experienced side. Ieuan Webb, Arron Leask, Neil Christie and Kristian Fraser in the front and second row, Jeff Dobson, Maurice Williamson, Peter Sidgwick and Ryan Tulloch in the backs who never gave up despite this being a very one-sided match. Their heads never went down, always remaining positive about each other's play.
Shetland Catch man of the match was awarded to Matthew Nicolson for his work rate around the park. Shetland rugby again wish to thank NorthLink for their assistance with travel
. Shetland 14 Aberdeen University 19
THE SHETLAND rugby team put on a spirited performance last weekend at Clickimin against North Caledonia League Division Two (North) leaders Aberdeen University.
The weather was good for rugby but the brisk breeze would certainly affect both teams play.
Shetland won the toss and decided to play with the wind advantage. Scrum half Robert Geddes kicked deep into Aberdeen territory with the kick off. Aberdeen fielded the ball and cleared the ball to their 10-metre line.
Shetland won the line-out but Aberdeen managed to stop them gaining any yardage from the maul and Geddes put up a high box kick that was fielded by Aberdeen just outside their 22. A good chase from the Shetland forwards stopped Aberdeen and excellent work at the ruck saw Aberdeen driven off the ball.
The ball was passed out to stand-off Joe O'Conner who put up a high kick that was fumbled by the Aberdeen full back. Maurice Williamson was first to the ball and fed Lewis King who first ran outside and then cut inside and passed to the onrushing Paddy O'Conner who touched down under the posts. Geddes kicked the conversion to put Shetland 7-0 ahead after only a couple of minutes.
Shetland were obviously up for it and won the kick-off and the ball was kicked long into the Aberdeen half. Aberdeen won their line-out but Shetland maintained pressure on Aberdeen at rucks with the visitors finding it hard to make yardage against a determined defence.
For the next 10 minutes Aberdeen were camped in their half, Shetland using the high kick on a number of occasions to pressurise them. Aberdeen were turned over a number of times at the breakdown by strong drives by Shetland.
After 20 minutes Shetland thought they had scored again. Aberdeen kicked long to full back Derek Ross who put up a perfect up and under that was spilled under pressure. Shetland won the ball and played it wide, Stuart Jamieson passing to Joe O'Conner. He was tackled but played the ball to Robert Geddes who ran in to touch down, only to be pulled back for a forward pass.
From the resultant scrum Shetland made their first mistake and Aberdeen showed why they are at the top of the league. The Shetland back row missed tackles on the Aberdeen number eight and after some good handling Aberdeen were in Shetland's 22 having made 70 yards. Shetland put in a number of good tackles but Aberdeen, after a few rucks, spun the ball wide and scored at the corner. The conversion was missed leaving the score 7-5 in Shetland's favour.
Shetland now brought John Martin and Callum Spencer into the action. Spencer made an immediate impact with a strong tackle from the kick-off and from the next ruck another good tackle that held the man up and allowed the support to compete for the ball.
For the remainder of the half Shetland had Aberdeen under pressure although Aberdeen were able to put width on the ball a couple of times and give their wingers a chance to run but good cover from Shetland stopped the danger. Shetland were getting a bit over eager at the breakdown and penalised which gave Aberdeen time to slow the game down.
The half-time whistle blew with Shetland still holding their 7-5 lead.
Aberdeen kicked off the second half with the wind but Shetland won the ball and used their forwards to keep possession and drive forward after a number of phases. The ball was passed to Joe O'Conner who kicked deep into the Aberdeen 22 to force a line-out.
Aberdeen won the line-out but good driving play was spoiled when one too many Shetland forwards joined in and Shetland's Stuart Mouat was penalised for falling on the ball. Mouat was sent to the sin bin by the referee who was now getting frustrated with Shetland's penalty count.
Shetland now upped the tempo of things and although play was now at halfway managed to win the line-out against the throw and started to plough their way upfield. Shetland intelligently were using Geddes as an extra forward and Derek Ross as an auxiliary scrum half when required.
After two minutes of possession Shetland were awarded a penalty on the 22. Shetland decided to kick for touch. The line-out was won and Shetland drove over, but the referee was unsighted and could not award the try. A scrum five went to Shetland and a pick up from Lincoln Carroll was stopped short. Another drive by the forwards went over the line and it was try to Shetland. The referee was already under the posts to award the penalty try as Aberdeen were offside on two occasions from the scrum and breakdown.
Geddes kicked the conversion to put Shetland 14-5 ahead.
Aberdeen failed to kick the restart 10 metres and were looking rattled. From the resultant scrum Shetland went left and were able to spin the ball back to the right through Maurice Williamson and John Roy Nicolson to Shane Jamieson who got on the outside of his man but was caught by Aberdeen's cover defence.
Shetland continued to have the upper hand until midway through the second half. After that they unfortunately did not go for another try ­ seeming happy to defend their lead and let Aberdeen back into the game.
Aberdeen now had the majority of possession and were able to score another try from a period of sustained pressure with 10 minutes left to pull it back to 14-12.
Shetland were camped in their half but were able to defend well from set piece and breakdowns. With two minutes left a kick from Geddes missed touch and a tackle in midfield was missed on the full back. Aberdeen now had an overlap and showed good basic skills to put the winger in at the corner. A good conversion put them ahead for the first time in the game at 19-14.
Shetland kicked off but Aberdeen won the ball and were able to run the clock down to emerge victorious at the end of a very entertaining game.
This was Shetland's best performance of the year, pushing the best team in the league very close and probably deserving victory. At the end of the day a few missed tackles and letting Aberdeen dominate the last 15 minutes cost them victory.
Every player played to the level required but stand-outs were Callum Spencer, Stuart Mouat and John Roy Nicolson in the forwards. Derek Ross and Joe O'Conner kicked well and played intelligently in the backs, Paddy O'Conner added a strong defence to the back line but it was Robert Geddes that was awarded the Shetland Catch man of the match for an outstanding display of scrum half play.
Shetland 10 Huntly 9
SHETLAND are celebrating their first rugby victory of the season after a second half comeback saw them scrape home against fellow league strugglers Huntly.
The weather at Clickimin on Saturday was good with a slight breeze on a damp pitch as Huntly kicked off.
From the offset it was apparent that the visitors were far the more aggressive team, Shetland far too passive at breakdowns and tackles.
The first five minutes was all Huntly and following a ruck inside the 22, the referee blew for a penalty as Shetland players were guilty of going off their feet. The Huntly stand-off kicked the penalty to go 3-0 ahead.
From the kick-off Shetland failed to put the ball the required 10 metres and Huntly were awarded the scrum. Huntly moved the ball wide and made yardage in midfield, the ball got tied in and Huntly were awarded another scrum 30 metres out.
A back row move from Huntly was stopped by a good tackle by Lindsay Leslie who undid all the good work by not rolling away from the contact area and was penalised by the referee. Huntly kicked another penalty to go 6-0 up after only 10 minutes.
Shetland kicked off again and continued to be second best to Huntly, only some last ditch tackles and a couple of dropped passes stopping the visitors from increasing their lead.
After 20 minutes Shetland made two changes with John Martin and Scott Hatrick coming on. They finally did manage to get into Huntly territory after a long kick from Joe O'Connor.
At the line-out Shetland finally showed the aggression required, and after an altercation both Hatrick and Martin stood their ground.
Huntly did manage to clear into Shetland's half where Shetland soon committed another offence at the ruck; Huntly kicked this to go 9-0 ahead.
For the next 10 minutes Shetland enjoyed a long period of possession in Huntly's half but a lack of composure and incorrect decision making at critical times meant scoring opportunities were lost.
With Shetland able to pressurise Huntly for the first time in the game their opponents started to give away a couple of penalties. Shetland curiously decided against going for the posts or the line-out and tapped the ball. From the second tap penalty Leslie made yardage and Dhanni Moar received the ball from second phase. He brushed off the tackler and showed good pace to burst into the 22 and only an excellent tackle by the Huntly fullback stopped him from scoring an excellent try. It was the last passage of play as the referee blew for half time.
For the second half Shetland needed to improve as they were lucky to still be in the game and only nine points behind.
For the first 10 minutes Shetland had the majority of possession in their own half but could not seem to make any yardage. Huntly were making life difficult as they wheeled their scrum to disrupt Shetland ball on a number of occasions.
Finally Shetland decided to try to gain some territory and a long kick from Robert Geddes took Shetland into the Huntly half for the first time.
Shetland were now able to put pressure on the Huntly line-out for the first time and were awarded a scrum as Huntly knocked on. Geddes took a short ball from O'Connor and made good yardage, Huntly slowed the ball down and were penalised. Shetland decided to kick the penalty but Geddes' effort ended just wide.
With the game entering the last 20 minutes Shetland were camped in their 22, but from a ruck managed to play the ball out of the tackle for the first time in the game. Flanker Matthew Nicolson took the ball at pace and continued to run away from the cover. He took the ball deep into the Huntly half where he was well tackled by the covering winger when it looked possible he could score.
Unfortunately Nicolson was injured in the tackle and Shetland made two changes, Danny Farnworth coming back on to replace the injured player and veteran warhorse Mike Skinner replacing Derek Ross at scrum half.
These changes seemed to up the tempo of Shetland's play and Huntly looked tired for the first time. Shetland had a number of set pieces in Huntly's 22 with the front row of Alan Blair, Martin and Moar now taking control.
Huntly were being forced backwards and were penalised for being offside. Skinner tapped and went for glory and was stopped short, the ball was recycled and spun wide. The ball got to Maurice Williamson with men free outside, but unfortunately he cut inside and the chance was lost.
Shetland were awarded the scrum from the breakdown ­ from this they went left and Peter Farquhar was stopped on the line. The ball was spun back right and Shetland now had another overlap, this time Shane Jamieson did the basics to let full back Lewis King score at the corner. Geddes narrowly missed the conversion.
Going into the last 10 it was all Shetland. An excellent kick from Geddes put Shetland in Huntly's 22 again. From the line-out Shetland lifted two men to pressure Huntly and the ball went over all the jumpers. Shetland's Stuart Jamieson was first to the ball, Alan Blair picked up and went left only to find the Huntly defence sleeping. Blair ran through, brushed off a tackler and dived dramatically over the line, putting the home side 10-9 ahead for the first time. Geddes again missed the kick from wide.
Huntly kicked off and Shetland played the clock down. A high kick from O'Connor was spilled by Huntly and landed to speedster Peter Farquhar who looked certain to score but stopped metres out.
Huntly won the line-out and tried a chip kick to attack but this was read by Geddes who returned the ball. Huntly dropped the ball in goal and Peter Sidgwick looked to have dropped on the loose ball but the referee decided otherwise and blew for full time. Shetland had their first victory of the season and Huntly achieved a loss bonus point.
Huntly will be disappointed not to have killed the game in the first 20 minutes, Shetland, lucky still to be in it, showed the composure that has been lacking previously to win. An ugly victory is a victory at the end of the day ­ a creditable defeat is a myth still a defeat.
Best for Shetland were the front row of Blair, Martin and Moar. Skinner, in a new role of impact player, was as repugnant to his opposite number as he has been as a spectator this season. But it was King who was awarded the Shetland Catch man of the match ­ after dropping his first catch he did not make a mistake after and was an attacking threat throughout and well worthy of his try.
Shetland 19 Ross Sutherland 17
A SECOND consecutive victory was achieved by the Shetland rugby team last Saturday, performing poorly but beating an understrength Ross Sutherland side.
Shetland won the toss and decided to play into the breeze in the first half. Ross Sutherland kicked off and some of the demons from last weekend were apparent in the first 10 minutes. Ross were camped in the Shetland half and Shetland were not aggressive enough in contact and missing a number of tackles.
After 10 minutes Ross were still making ground in Shetland's 22 when a moment of individual skill created a gap for Shetland.
John Martin ripped the ball loose in the tackle and broke upfield; he made 30 yards and passed the ball to the supporting Robert Geddes who put width on the play, with Peter Farquhar bursting up the touchline.
Farquhar was stopped 10 metres out on the right touchline but quick ball was recycled and Geddes put the ball left. Joe O'Connor passed to Fraser Mackie who cut back inside to score under the posts. Geddes converted to put Shetland 7-0 ahead.
Shetland kicked off and Ross started to drive upfield, the forwards making 50 metres with no-one in the Shetland pack seemingly able to stop their opposite numbers gaining yards. With the ball now in Shetland's 22 Ross spun the ball wide and were able to exploit some poor defence to score out wide.
The conversion was missed to make it 7-5 to Shetland with only 15 minutes played.
For the next 15 minutes Shetland continued to make mistakes and miss tackles, only a number of good clearances by Derek Ross and O'Connor relieving the pressure Ross were now applying.
With five minutes of the half remaining Ross scored their second try from a scrum on halfway. Ross spun the ball, Shetland's centre gave his opponent the outside and the Ross centre outpaced the Shetland player. Now with the overlap the centre dummied full back Derek Ross to score under the posts. The score was converted to put Ross 12-7 ahead.
This was the last score of the half and Shetland turned around knowing that they needed to improve their basics if they were to get anything out of the game.
Shetland kicked off and immediately were able to apply pressure to Ross for the first time. Good defence and a solid line out ended with Shetland having possession 30 metres from Ross's try line.
From a scrum Shetland ran an 8-9 back row move and Geddes broke into the 22. A couple of pick and drives gained more yardage and the ball was played out to the backs. Mackie took the ball from O'Connor and burst the tackle but was held up over the line.
From a scrum five yards out, Shetland won the ball and Geddes passed to Mackie on the charge, who used his momentum to crash over the line. Geddes converted to put Shetland ahead again at 14-12.
For the next 10 minutes Shetland remained on top through playing more of a kicking game in Ross's half. Unfortunately they were not able to turn the pressure into points as Ross defended well, Shetland were awarded a couple of penalties which they decided against going for goal and tapped where it may have been more prudent to extend the lead.
Ross withstood this spell and cleared their lines and the ball was in the Shetland half for the first time. Ross cleared but it unfortunately went straight out giving the visitors the line-out 30 metres from Shetland's line. They went for a short line-out and won the at the tail with a good catch.
With Shetland contesting the throw Ross were able to make 15 yards quickly to take them close to the line, after a series of drives made the remaining yards to score at the corner. The conversion was missed but Ross were now 17-14 ahead.
With 20 minutes remaining Shetland made three changes with Peter Sidgwick, Rhydian Reynolds and Mike Skinner coming on in the backs.
Ross Sutherland failed to make 10 metres with the kick-off and Shetland had a scrum at halfway.
From they gained yards and Ross were penalised for entering the ruck from an offside position. Shetland now decided to kick for points to tie the game, Geddes' kick landed just short requiring Ross to clear the ball.
Shetland now had the line-out 30 metres out and a poor tap back left Geddes under pressure. However, a good side step and kick ahead saw him challenging for the ball near the try line.
Geddes seemed to be impeded but the referee played on. A badly sliced clearance was fielded by Mike Skinner who couldn't believe his luck with two team-mates outside him and only two defenders to beat. Skinner showed his experience and drew his man and passed to Maurice Williamson who did enough to play the ball to Peter Sidgwick out of the tackle. Sidgwick ran in unopposed over the line to score. Geddes narrowly missed the conversion to see Shetland ahead again at 19-17.
The remaining 15 minutes saw Shetland have the upper hand as Ross tired, but unfortunately they did not show the ability to score another try and gain the try bonus.
The referee blew for full time and Shetland had registered their second victory in two weeks.
Credit must go to Ross Sutherland who arrived with an understrength team but had the upper hand for the majority of the game until the last 10 minutes.
For Shetland ultimately they did enough to win but the performance was nowhere as good as previous games.
Best for Shetland were John Martin in the lacklustre forwards and Geddes in the backs. Heavyweight centre Fraser Mackie was awarded the Shetland Catch man of the match for his tries.
The result sees Shetland finish 10th of 11 in the league which now splits top and bottom. The next game is on 16th January, against the loser of the Ross Sutherland v Aberdeen Wanderers fixture yet to be played.
There will be three festive fixtures of President's Selects against Captain's Selects over the next few weeks which gives current players the chance to remain match fit and ex-players the chance to run off the excesses of the festive season.


Aboyne 22 Shetland 6
SHETLAND rugby team played their first fixture of 2008 last Saturday, travelling down by NorthLink on Friday night to play Aboyne in Westhill after their own pitch was unplayable due to frost.
The opening exchanges were fairly even with play confined to forward exchanges near halfway, after a spell of Shetland possession, Aboyne were penalised for players not rolling away at the breakdown.
Robert Geddes stepped up and confidently struck the ball over from 45 yards to put Shetland 3-0 ahead.
Aboyne gained possession at the restart, after a couple of phases in the forwards the ball was knocked forward by Shetland in the tackle. From the scrum Aboyne managed to push Shetland backwards and the ball was passed to the Aboyne back line for the first time. The Aboyne outside centre managed to burst through the Shetland defence and drew Shetland full back Peter Farquar to put his winger in. The conversion was missed to put Aboyne 5-3 ahead after 10 minutes.
The next 20 minutes saw Shetland have the upper hand in territory, Aboyne camped in their half. Shetland's set piece was doing well with the lineout solid and the scrum able to win a number of strikes against the head. With the possession Shetland were able to run the ball in the backs and although Shetland executed their moves well, Aboyne defended stoutly. Shetland varied their play with a number of kicks but a combination of poor chases and unkind bounces meant they could not breach Aboyne's line. In this period Shetland did go ahead through another Geddes penalty.
After withstanding this spell of pressure Aboyne gained possession and after another break by the outside centre play entered Shetland's 22. Aboyne kept the ball alive and after a break up near the touchline Shetland lock forward Jimmy Smale was lucky not to be sin-binned after a horrendous high tackle on an Aboyne player five yards out.
From the resultant penalty Aboyne were able to create a maul and drive over the line but Shetland managed to get bodies under the ball and prevent the score. From the scrum Aboyne's number eight picked up from the base and was tackled short but from the next phase Aboyne brushed through the Shetland defence to score. The conversion was successful to put the score to 12-6 to Aboyne as the referee blew for half-time.
Shetland kicked off the second half and gained a lineout as Aboyne kicked for territory. Shetland won the ball and spun it wide to Nathan Coote on the Shetland wing who got outside his opponent and ended deep in the Aboyne half before he was tackled into touch.
This gave Aboyne the lineout which they duly won and played the ball to their backs. Another break in the centre resulted in another score wide for Aboyne. The conversion was missed to put the score at 17-6 to Aboyne.
Again Shetland rallied with another spell of possession and territory, continuing to win scrums against the head. The nearest Shetland came to scoring was when wingers Coote and Peter Sidgwick were bundled out near the corners.
For the last quarter play opened up as players tired but neither side looked likely to score until five minutes from the end when Aboyne scored at the corner, the referee missing a clear knock on in the build up play. The conversion was missed to put the score at 22-6.
Shetland ended the game camped on Aboyne's line and after a number of tap penalties debutant David Leask went over the line but was adjudged to have been held up by the referee as he blew for full time.
Overall a patchy performance by Shetland, who were able to win ball easily at the set piece and move the ball effectively through the backs but were unable to stop the direct play of the Aboyne backs. Shetland also found it difficult to win quick ball at the breakdowns, not clearing out the Aboyne bodies well enough, which at the end of the day was key to their downfall.
Standout players for Shetland were Jon Pulley and Peter Farquar in the backs and Matthew Nicholson and Maurice Williamson in the forwards. Hooker Thomas Smale was awarded the Shetland Catch man of the match for excellent work at set pieces and in loose play.

Ross Sutherland 54 Shetland 8
SHETLAND Rugby Club made the arduous journey to Invergordon on Saturday to play Ross Sutherland.
Shetland had never lost to the hosts on their home ground and were hoping to continue that run.
After a smooth crossing to Aberdeen on the NorthLink ferry Hjaltland a four-hour bus journey awaited the team, many of whom were making their first visit to the Black Isle.
The players showed little sign of fatigue on arriving at sunny Invergordon and started well, putting pressure on from the kick-off.
The experienced Ross Sutherland backs soon began to dictate proceedings and quickly exploited a mismatch on the wing. Shetland's young left wing Jeff Dobson (nine stone dripping wet) found himself marking a six-foot-four-inch 16-stone bald winger resembling Great Britain league star Keith Senior. The big man scored the first of his three tries after five minutes, converted, and Ross Sutherland were 7-0 ahead.
Shetland competed well in the scrums and around the fringes and scored their first points courtesy of a Shane Jamieson penalty after a Ross player was penalised for foul play. Unfortunately for the Shetland players the referee missed several other incidents during the course of the match.
Although the Shetland pack competed well the backs were struggling to manage their more experienced counterparts. Missed tackles led to overlaps and soon the lead was 30-3.
Just before half-time the big winger, seeking his hat-trick, was well tackled short of the line by Joe O'Connor and Maurice Williamson. Unfortunately his long arm was able to place the ball over the line, giving Ross a 35-3 lead at half-time.
After the break Shetland was able to secure some good ball from set pieces and at breakdowns. However, some good rucking (and some dubious tactics by some players) led to several turnovers, undoing some good build-up work for Shetland.
Ross Sutherland scored two further tries against the run of play before big Jimmy Smale charged over for Shetland. Unfortunately the referee was unsighted and much to Smale's disappointment the try was not allowed.
Shetland lost some drive after that, allowing Ross Sutherland to score again. Shetland did manage to have the final say, with a well-taken try by Orcadian import Kristian Cooper.
The score flattered the home team somewhat, although they showed that experienced players in key positions is vital.
For Shetland there was some good progress made in the forwards while the backs showed good enterprise with limited ball. Five of the seven backs, at only 16 years old, showed maturity beyond their years.
Young winger Peter Sidgwick won the Shetland Catch man of the match for some excellent tackles and for taking the few opportunities on attack.