Sport / Three wins out of three for girl footballers in first inter-county tournament
THE FIRST girls football tournament pitting teams from Shetland and Orkney against each other has been hailed a big success.
It was good news on the pitch down in Orkney, with Shetland teams all comprehensively winning their three games.
But the event, held at the weekend, was more than just about the scores, with the tournament giving girls the chance to travel and gain competitive experience.
“We were delighted with how the trip went this weekend,” Shetland Girls Football secretary Adam Priest said.
“The Orkney coaches and organisers went above and beyond with the legendary Orcadian hospitality, right down to the perfect weather.
“The results all went our way, with an outstanding performance from the U13s who were very sporting to their more inexperienced opponents, choosing not to score on a number of occasions in their 10-1 win.”
In the under 17s game Orkney had the upper hand early on, with Katie Anderson making a string of vital saves to keep the score at 0-0.
But she ended the game with a suspected broken bone in her wrist in what the Orkney coaches picked out as a player of the match performance in goals, Priest said.
Shetland eventually won the game 5-2.
“The U15s match on Sunday was a very close 3-2 just after half time, until captain Meryn Carter hit a spectacular free kick to restore the two goal advantage and give Shetland some breathing space,” Priest added, with the game also finishing 5-2.
He said sponsor Scottish Sea Farms is keen to make it an annual event and has committed to support the fixture going forward.
“We must also thank NorthLink for their continued support, without which we would not be able to undertake trips like this,” Priest added.
“With the sad passing of Queen Elizabeth, all three games went ahead with the permission of Scottish Women’s Football, with a minutes silence being respectfully observed before each fixture.”
Co-organiser and Orcadian Kirsty Brown described it as a “fantastic although exhausting weekend, with some really great teamplay on both sides”
“The girls all had a super weekend and are already keen for the next year’s event,” she said.
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