Orkney grind their way to bonus-point win at Picky

A gritty and determined Orkney RFC beat old rivals Caithness to record a third bonus-point victory on the bounce.

Scott Russell opened the scoring in the 29-24 win, diving under the posts to get Orkney off to the perfect start on a bright but windy day in Kirkwall.

Caithness replied with a converted try of their own to make it 7-7, before Orkney captain Scott Rendall forced his way over the line to put the home side back into the lead.

The visitors squared the game before the break though, making it 12-12 at half-time.

Ally Linklater was the next to go over the line in the second half for a converted try, but Caithness fought back once more, bringing the score to 19-19.

With space at a premium on the flanks, it was through direct powerful forward play that Orkney continued to profit from. This led to Linklater getting his second try of the day to hand Orkney the lead at 24-19.

And just short of the 80-minute mark, Orkney made sure of the win as Chris Guthrie, who had earlier seen a yellow card for an altercation near the Caithness bench, emphatically placed the ball over the Caithness try line.

There was still drama yet in this absorbing contest as Guthrie then saw red for a high tackle, and Caithness secured two losing bonus points with a fourth try of the day.