Sport / Sporting round-up 10 February
LAYLA Todd has returned from her Scottish cross-country experience in Leeds with a gold medal.
The distance runner was part of a four-person under-20 women’s team representing Scotland at the Home Countries cross-country challenge on Saturday.
And she was 13th across the line – the third from team Scotland – to help them clinch the gold medal ahead of teams from Wales, Ireland and England.
She was selected for her country having come fifth out of 66 competitors in the Scottish Athletics cross-country championships in Glasgow last month.
That was not the only success for Shetland’s athletes at the weekend, with Michelle Sandison and Susan Linklater both also medal winners.
The pair were in action at Camperdown Park in Dundee at the Scottish Athletics Masters Cross Country Championships, where Linklater claimed gold in the women’s 70 and over category.
Sandison was third overall in the race, securing bronze for herself and running club Springburn Harriers.
Shetland Amateur Athletics Club gave a “huge well done to all three ladies”, adding it showed “once again Shetland-based athletes can and do hold their own on the national and international stage”.
AN EXCELLENT turnout of 73 young darts players – including four from Orkney – took part in the 2025 Shetland Darts Youth Open at the Clickimin on Saturday.
That was up from 62 players the previous year, with the sport continuing to grow and develop among younger generations.
Players were split between a junior section, for children in secondary two or younger, and a senior section from S3-6.
Thirty-three players took part in the junior section, competing in a straight knockout played over the best of three legs of 301.
In the quarter-finals Jim Leask (P3) beat Robbie Nicol (P6), Magnus Ward (S2) beat Bobby Goudie (S1), Reuban Giblin (S2) defeated James McDowall (S2) and Billy Hutchison (S2) saw off Leo Lupulo (P6).
Ward narrowly beat Leask 2-1 while Giblin beat Hutchison by the same score.
The final was played over the best of five legs of 301, producing a very close game which went to a final leg decider, which Giblin checked out very impressively to claim the title.
The highest checkout went to Hutchison, who checked out 82 in his semi-final.
In the senior section – including four players from Orkney – the players competed on six round robin boards.
Following a competitive round robin stage, and some close games in the round of 16, the quarter finals saw Sandy Leask (S3) beat Bobby Robertson 3-2 (S5), Jamie Gray (S5) beat Jake Ramsay (S5) 3-0, Dylan Young (S3) defeat Jordan Linklater 3-0 (S5) and Adam Fleck (S5) beat James Nicol 3-0 (S4).
The semi-finals were played to a high standard with Gray beating Leask 3-1, while Fleck enjoyed a 3-0 victory over Fleck to progress to the final.
Orkney’s Gray emerged a 3-0 winner in the final to claim the Shetland Youth Open seniors trophy.
The highest checkout prize was shared by Bobby Robertson and Liam Budge, who both had a 99 checkout, while 180s were recorded on the day by James Nicol, Dylan Young, Jake Ramsay and Jamie Gray.
The Shetland Darts Association thanked all the players for attending, Ross Bisset (Bisset & White Builders Ltd) for sponsoring the competition, Garry Bremner who sponsored the nine dart challenge, all association members who assisted with marking of games and the Clickimin for use of the venue.
ANOTHER Shetlander made their bow for North Caledonian league side Golspie Sutherland at the weekend, and made it a goal-scoring debut too.
Defender Stuart Copland, who plays for Ness United in the isles, scored against county rivals Orkney on his debut for Golspie on Saturday.
However both he and goalkeeper Henry Oldbury were unable to prevent Orkney from securing a 3-2 victory that could prove the final blow to Golspie’s title aspirations.
They remain nine points behind league leaders Halkirk United having now lost two of their last three.
Golspie have three Shetlanders now in the ranks, with forward Lewis Harkness – who did not play against Orkney – also regularly involved.
In the Highland League Brechin City remain in charge of their own fate in the title race, despite twice losing a lead to third-place Banks o’ Dee at the weekend.
Spencer Moreland started from the off, with former Celtic forward Cillian Sheridan scoring his first Brechin goal early on to give his current side the lead.
However the sides were soon level again, and despite Brechin going ahead just before half-time a second half equaliser earned Banks o’ Dee a share of the points.
Brechin are level with Brora Rangers at the summit, but with a game in hand.
Turriff United’s eight game unbeaten streak was brought to an end late on in the same division on Saturday.
John Allan was a late substitute but could not prevent Deveronvale from securing a 2-1 victory courtesy of a last-minute penalty.
ISLES swimmers were in Aberdeen over the weekend on the hunt for personal bests and medals at the North District Age Group championships.
Representatives from Delting Dolphins, Shetland ACSC (Hurricanes), South Mainland ASC, Westside Sharks and Lerwick ACSC were all in the Granite City to take part on the weekend-long event.
Julian Okroj (Delting Dolpins) was one of those securing a podium place on Saturday, winning silver in the 14-15 age group individual medley.
There was also a bronze medal in the 4x50m freestyle relay for Shetland ACSC, as well as silvers in the 50m, 400m and 800m freestyle.
If you have any sporting stories you want included in our weekly round-up, email them to news@shetnews.co.uk by 2pm on Monday.
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