A very strong breeze was just in PL’s favour in the first half and stand off Greg Leitch twice used it to his advantage during the opening exchanges as he sent two long kicks deep into the Orkney 22. The pack were competing well but it was going to be a tough afternoon for them as Orkney were a very big and organised side and competed well for the ball to show that they were going to be no pushovers.
An early chance was lost when John Armstrong collected a high ball that was held up in the wind on the 22 but scrum half Warner Easton spilled it forward as he attempted to send the scoring pass to Paul Voy. This was to be the story of the afternoon for PL as they struggled to look after the ball in the wind and all too often gave away easy possession to their opponents. The Referee was also making his mark with over fussy decisions to frustrate PL whose discipline let them down, resulting in the loss of 30 metres for backchat and failing to retreat.
Once the game settled down however, it was Orkney who were able to control the ball better and work their way into the 22. Orkney’s stand off Bruce Ruthven, the former Melrose captain, was the dominant player in midfield and on the 10 minute mark he received quality ball from a line-out a too easily cut through PL’s defence to score under the posts. The try was converted by Linklater to give Orkney a 7-0 lead, slightly against the run of play and all the more valuable as it was into the wind.
The home side showed that this was no fluke though when 10 minutes later, Ruthven again sold a good dummy that helped create a three man overlap and two neat passes allowed centre Marcus Guthrie to cross unopposed for the second try that was also converted by Linklater.
Some of the referee’s questionable decisions started to go in PL’s favour as the half progressed and two successful penalties in quick succession allowed Greg Leitch to reduce the deficit to 14-6 after 30 minutes.
Plenty of tough tackles were put in by both sides and Thayne, Blair and Voy in particular for PL were evident in the loose as they drove the Orkney pack back. However, the ball continued to be spilled and Orkney always looked dangerous on the break as Ruthven continued to move his back line forward. The half ended with PL under pressure but once again Leitch’s boot came to the rescue when he cleared the ball to touch on the Orkney 22.

Much of the play early in the second half took place in the middle of the field and Orkney were unable to use the wind to any great advantage. PL were also playing much better and looked far more determined in the loose. However, there were still too many mistakes as passing moves were too intricate in the conditions and even simple passes rarely went to hand. As the half progressed though, they continued to gain in confidence and despite the wind, they dominated territory and possession. However, it looked impossible to find a way to breach the strong Orkney defence and as time started to run out, it looked they would be making the long journey home empty handed.
Voy always looked strong going forward and he nearly breached the defence following a penalty that Leitch took quickly to keep up the momentum and a two to one overlap seemed certain to bring a try for Dougie Thomson but Leitch’s pass failed to make it to the winger.
As the clock ticked on to 40 minutes, it was Blair Cowan’s turn to come up just short as he stretched for the line and when Ruthven cleared downfield it seemed that all chance of a losing bonus point was now gone. The referee allowed play to continue though and awarded PL another series of penalties which saw them inch their way back up into the 22. Eventually the visitors’ determination paid off when centre Ali Wood received the ball and was able to slice through the beleaguered defence to score near the posts for a well earned and well deserved consolation try. The conversion was missed but with the final scoreboard showing 14-11, the hard won bonus point was the least that PL deserved from their much improved second half performance.
It will be interesting to see as the season progresses, how many sides will prevent Orkney from winning at home and how many will come away with a bonus point of their own.

PL have the chance to get back on the winning trail when they play Cumbernauld at The Pennypit next Saturday. Kick off 3pm.

Preston Lodge team:
A Wood, J Brash, J Armstrong, J Anderson, D Thomson, G Leitch, W Easton,
K Duncan, N Marsh, S McLean, B Cowan, A Blair, E Thayne, A Archer, P Voy.
Replacements:
D Wardell, C Guiney, D Naismith (All used)