Mackay holds his nerve to snatch last-gasp win
Caithness...19
Orkney...17
ORKNEY trudged off Millbank shell-shocked after a last-gasp penalty robbed them of what had looked like a certain victory.
A converted try midway through the second period put them back in front and though a Gary Mackay penalty cut their lead to 17-16, the islanders took a vice-like grip of the remainder of the match.
With the visiting pack working through unspectacular but effective close-quarter keep-ball phases, the Greens looked dead in the water.
But a stoppage-time riposte almost put replacement Gregor Thexton clear. He was forced into touch but play was recalled for an Orkney forward having strayed offside at the previous breakdown.
Mackay, who had earlier missed two straightforward kicks, held his nerve to splice the posts with the angled shot from 25 metres.
There was no time for the restart as the Greens snatched an unlikely win from the jaws of defeat.
After a decent start, it had been a stuttering, error-strewn performance to pull down the curtain on their home schedule in the RBS Caledonian 1 League.
A bout of food poisoning forced centre Danny Gordon into a late call-off from an already under-strength back division. His position was taken by Stevie Campbell with Reece Coghill taking over the skipper’s normal berth in the back row.
Campbell was soon testing the islander’s midfield defence in a sparky opening from Caithness which featured a third minute try.
Scrum half Gordie Macleod fed number eight Evan Sutherland who made the crucial break. The ball was then worked right to left with Campbell’s speculative over-the-shoulder pass being caught on the bounce by Mackay who sent centre Marc Anderson on a surge to the line.
Roddie Gray and Grant Anderson put in some meaty tackles as Orkney’s early fire was dowsed with the home side’s dominance further rewarded by a Mackay penalty.
On the half-hour mark, Caithness butchered a glaring opportunity to add to their lead. Stand off Kris Hamilton’s shimmy to the blindside created a clear overlap only for Orkney to be let off the hook by an attack of white-line fever by home prop Mark Nicolson.
Nicolson further blotted his copybook when he was yellow-carded three minutes from half-time when ref George Whitecross deemed home tacklers had failed to roll away once too often.
This triggered a feisty spell by Orkney with stand off James Linklater nailing a penalty.
In over-time, the visitors’ adventure in turning down another kickable penalty was rewarded when scrum half Scott Rendall created space for right winger Denis Hayes to zoot over near the right corner-flag.
Linklater, who had missed an earlier penalty, gave his side an interval 10-8 lead by landing the tricky conversion.
Caithness were throughout blighted by an abject, aimless kicking game and continued to get on the wrong side of Mr Whitecross.
Orkney twice came close to scoring from turnovers soon after half-time as they set up camp in the Caithness half.
Visiting flanker Phillip Ross was very lucky to stay on the field after a reckless tip tackle on Hamilton.
Mackay was short with the resultant penalty attempt though the mini-spell of Caithness led to them going back in front on 56 minutes.
Hamilton made the killer break and Sutherland was on hand to take the inside pass to cross. Mackay struck the post with the conversion.
The Greens were soon back grimly defending their line but could not stop Rendall barrelling over after a series of short-range sorties had been repelled.
Linklater’s conversion put his side 17-13 ahead though a Mackay penalty shortly afterwards cut the deficit to one point.
That is the way it looked set to stay until the dramatic finale.
Caithness – G. Mackay, W. Mill, M. Anderson, S. Campbell (cpt), M. Tindal, K. Hamilton, G. Macleod, M. Duffy, H. Coghill, M. Nicolson, R. Gray, A. Morris, R. Coghill, E. Sutherland, G. Anderson. Replacements (used) – D. Pottinger and G. Thexton.
Orkney – C. Slater, D. Hayes, G. Poke, A. Watson, M. Flett, J. Linklater, Rendall, E. Drever, G. Coltherd, D. Adams, B. Linklater, D. Robb, S. Kemp, A. Baird, P. Ross. Replacements (used) – K. Sinclair, D. Nicholson and C. Guthrie.
Ref: George Whitecross.