Season begins with First XV facing Caithness at Picky

Orkney Rugby Club’s competitive season gets under way today with a home match against Caithness.

The First XV faces its near rivals in the preliminary round of the RBS Caledonia Regional Shield at Pickaquoy on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 2pm.

With the new season comes a new-look league set-up, with the leagues switching from national to regional format. This means that the majority of Orkney’s matches will be played north of Perth, allowing the club to play some away matches and return to the county the same day.

A smaller league, the Royal Bank of Scotland Caledonia Regional League Division One, hosts ten teams, rather than the 12 in National League Three.

William Thomson is the club captain this season, while Alan Brown has been named vice-captain.

Orkney’s first league fixture comes next Saturday, away to Aberdeenshire, before ORFC hosts Hillfoots in its first home league match, on September 10.