Third bronze ends Island Games day two on a high

Taylah Spence sealed a thrilling bronze medal at the Island Games this evening, taking Orkney to three bronzes in the medal table.

The Birsay youngster finished third in the women’s 100m event, beating Shetland rival Faye Cox by a tenth of a second to secure a thrilling bronze, crossing the line in a time of 12.68.

It ended day two in complete ecstasy for the Orkney side, with Spence saying it was without a doubt the highlight of her sporting career so far.

Aland’s Hanna Wiss won gold in 12.16, while Taahire Butterfield, from Bermuda, took silver, finishing in 12.58.

In the pool, Mia McAllister was just pipped to securing Orkney’s fourth bronze, finishing fourth in the 50m women’s 50m breastroke in a time of 32.67.

Nevertheless, McAllister, who is competing at her first Island Games, will be proud of her fantastic achievement, with Steph Brew, from the Isle of Man, finishing just ahead of the Orkney swimmer with 32.48.

Elsewhere, Orkney’s badminton players beat Shetland comprehensively, but lost to the Isle of Wight to finish in 10th position.

Orkney’s cyclists got their Games underway, with Tom Lynch, Torquil Clyde, Paul Kerr and Olga Hamilton, all finishing in respectable positions in the time trial.

The archers didn’t enjoy the best of days in extremely difficult conditions, while Orkney’s footballers enjoyed a comprehensive 3-0 win against Alderney. Erik Bews, Aiden Drever and Thorfinn Stout got the goals to set them up nicely for a crack against Jersey tomorrow.