Nail-biting netball win sets up super Stuart Cup Sunday

It’s still all to play for in the junior inter-county competition, as a thrilling netball victory ended a super Saturday of sport.

An absorbing netball match, in which the momentum swung like a pendulum, ended with Orkney celebrating victory, eventually winning 42-23.

The win, Orkney’s first of 2017, means the overall score is Shetland 139.25, Orkney 119.25, with the hockey and football still to go.

It was a match in which both teams were backed by a raucous support, creating a fantastic atmosphere inside the Clickimin Centre.

A fantastic first quarter from Orkney meant they held the advantage early on, being 10-3 up, before a Shetland fightback.

A truly special final quarter meant Orkney pulled away once more to leave a delighted captain Kirstie Burns to lift the cup.

Earlier in the day, Shetland gained two victories in the athletics and in the swimming pool.

Both contests were closely fought throughout, however Shetland held the upper hand in both, winning 57.5 to 39 in athletics and 58.75 to 38.25 in the pool.

Notably, the Shetland 4 x 100m girls’ relay side set a new junior inter-county record, finishing in 50.1 seconds, while Amy Davis and Lucy Holden became joint high jump record holders at 1.61m.

However, swimmer Angus Blance had another spellbinding performance in the pool, setting no less than three new records.

Tomorrow sees the hockey and footballers get in on the action, beginning at 10.30am in Brae with the hockey.

The footballers end the 70th competition, with the match set to kick-off at 1.15pm.