Waiting for the throw-up on Broad Street, Christmas, 2000.

It was a double victory for the Uppies today as they won both the boys’ and men’s Christmas Day ba’s.

The men’s game was a relatively short lived affair with Graham Brough, of Rennigal, Cannigal, St Ola emerging as the winner after three hours of play. Just 45 minutes after the throw-up the scrum had moved from Broad Street into Victoria Street and was moving fast towards the Uppies’ goal.

The larger Uppie pack showed no signs of easing off the pressure throughout the afternoon and the ba’ touched the wall at 3.55pm. Winner of the boys ba’ was James Linklater, of Sittadale, Berstane Road, Kirkwall after less than ten minutes of play.

On Broad Street the ba’ was thrown clear from the pack and a good run by Magnus Flett sealed the victory for James Linklater and his fellow Uppies.

Transport minister Sarah Boyack today approved the subsidy contract for the ferry services to Orkney and Shetland from 2002.

Ms Boyack said: "The Executive is committed to maintaining lifeline services to the islands and their communities. The subsidy contract is a good deal and that is very good news for Orkney and Shetland communities. The new service includes a number of benefits such as three new vessels, more frequent sailings, shorter journey times and cheaper fares - all for a lower subsidy."

She added: "I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the service that P&O Scottish Ferries has provided to Orkney and Shetland over the years. Northlink, the Executive and P&O will now work towards ensuring a smooth handover in 2002."

Six people were reported for various road traffic offences yesterday following a campaign by police in the county. But the numbers of offenders during the festive season appear to be down on last year.

Police have been checking for drink driving, speeding and other road traffic offences and Inspector Paul Eddington said today that the rate was down. He added that there had been no fatal accidents in Orkney this year compared to five last year.

"Credit has to go to the improved driver behaviour throughout Orkney which is heartening," he said.

A North of Scotland Water Authority van driver was taken to the Balfour Hospital following a road accident on the Germiston Road on Thursday.

Police say the Ford Escort van left the road and ended up on its roof - the driver receiving minor arm injuries. No other vehicles were involved.

A man appeared from custody in Kirkwall Sheriff Court yesterday charged with assaulting his wife.

Iain Vincent MacIntyre, Grainshore Cottage, St Ola, appeared in court while his wife was still in hospital receiving treatment for her injuries. He plead guilty to grabbing her by the throat and repeatedly punching her on the face to her injury.

Under the condition that he stay away from his wife and find alternate accommodation, Sheriff Craig McSherry released MacIntyre on bail and ordered social enquiry reports and community service assessments to be completed before his next appearance in court on January 30.

The “Mystery of the Twenty-nine Steps” comes to the small screen this Christmas with the broadcast of the Channel Four Time Team special featuring the excavation at Minehowe.

The one hour programme, filmed at the mysterious underground chamber over the summer, is scheduled for broadcast on Channel Four on Wednesday, December 27, at 9pm.

For those wishing to see Minehowe first-hand, the site is being specially opened to the public next Saturday, December 30 between 11am and 1pm.

Orkney’s Flotta oil terminal was given what could potentially be a major boost this week by news that BP were investing more than £200 million into the Foinaven field.

The project was one of four announced by the Department of Trade and Industry on Monday which will see more than £1 billion invested into North Sea oil and gas ventures, securing 2,500 jobs.

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A dinner plate allegedly salvaged from the wreckage of the sunken battleship HMS Royal Oak was up for sale on an Internet auction this week.

Being a war grave to the 833 men who died in Scapa Flow after she was sunk in 1939 by a German torpedo, no items are supposed to be removed from the wreck.

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The five men charged in relation to a disturbance at the Torvhaug Inn last month are not expected to reappear in court until later next year.

On a Sunday night at the end of November every available police officer was called to the Bridge Street bar to deal with a "serious" disturbance which led to the arrest of five men and resulted in two people being taken to hospital.

Procurator fiscal Roderick Urquhart says that they are still in the early stages of preparing a case to put before the crown. He explained that the time limit in which the case has to be called again is one year.

Two pupils of the Orkney Traditional Music Project have made a plea to councillors to prevent the scheme falling by the wayside next year.

The three-year scheme, funded largely by the Scottish Arts Council Lottery Fund, comes to an end in March and the organisers are looking for cash from the council instead.

The group asked for £25,000 a year for the next three years but councillors said that although it would be difficult to find the money they agreed that officials should investigate all avenues of funding.

Two of the project's pupils, Jeana Leslie and Louise Bichan, have now written to all the councillors asking for their support, writing: "More projects like this are what is needed rather than stopping this one."

A fundraising calendar of naked Orkney athletes goes on sale in Kirkwall this weekend.

Members of the Orkney Island Games Association became involved in a ‘cheeky’ project to raise funds for next year’s Island Games, deciding to bare all in an “alternative” calendar for 2001.

Twelve sporting groups threw caution to the wind - literally, in Orkney - and stripped to raise some of the £65,000 cash needed to participate in the 2001 games in the Isle of Man.

The calendars are available from Saturday morning from the Pickaquoy Centre or from Gornsport, Albert Street.

The Pickaquoy Centre will close over the festive season unless a large public demand for the facility to be opened occurs, the centre's manager Mr Kieran Henderson confirmed this week.

Mr Henderson explained that the reason behind the closure is because last year the centre made only 30 per cent of its normal income during the period between Christmas and New Year.

“You might expect The Pickaquoy Centre's income to be more than normal because of the amount of people with more time than usual to spend,” said Mr Henderson, “but last year this was not the case and we actually made less money than expected.”

The Pickaquoy Centre closes on Sunday, December 24 and reopens on Wednesday, January 3, 2001.

The council are keen to encourage the use of charter flights to bring additional tourists to Orkney, although the local tourist board don’t feel the development will prove cost-effective.

The suggestion has been included as part of the council’s local transport strategy for 2000-2003.

OIC convener, Councillor Hugh Halcro-Johnston, said that at the last meeting of the Highlands and Islands Convention tourist boards present appeared to support the idea. "So the local tourist board’s attitude that the strategy was ‘low volume, high risk’ is a little disappointing."

The vice-convener, Councillor Jim Sinclair, commented: "There is evidence that a substantial number of tourists are being lost to Orkney, by the cost of the air fares."

Work on Kirkwall Airport's new terminal is set to start in February following confirmation this week of European funding towards the project.

A total of £2.6 million in European money will go towards the construction of new terminals at Kirkwall and Stornoway - cash that is the final piece of the funding jigsaw.

Money is also being put into the Kirkwall terminal – expected to cost around £2.5 million – by Orkney Islands Council, Highlands and Islands Airports Limited and Orkney Enterprise.

The long-awaited BT Cellnet and Vodafone mobile phone transmitters on Westray and Sanday are to be switched on before the end of January, giving island mobile phone users a greatly improved service.

The transmitters were built over a year ago but could not be switched on until permission was given by relatives of the owner of the land around the Sanday mast, who died earlier this year.

A spokesman from Vodafone said that the landlord had complete control over the switching on of a transmitter but that the predicted date for the activating of these two masts is January 27.

Jim Panton, Orkney Islands Council's director of technical services is to leave the authority next year, it was announced this week.

Mr Panton will leave the OIC in April, moving to Stirling to join his wife Jean, who will shortly take up a head teacher's post in Alloa, Clackmannanshire.

Mr Panton joined the OIC 15 years ago, becoming director of technical services in 1996.

Orkney Islands Council are taking forward plans to create road links between a number of the islands - including Westray and Papay, Westray and Eday, Rousay and Egilsay and Rousay and the Mainland.

At a special meeting on Monday councillors said that they wanted to see feasibility studies address issues such as the technical difficulty of creating a bridge or causeway, the environmental impact as well as the economic and social advantages of physically joining two distinct communities.

It was also agreed that wherever fixed links were put in between islands that renewable energy projects should be incorporated into their design.

These measures are to be included in the OIC’s new Transport Strategy document which will be sent to the Scottish Executive.

Councillors and bus operators are to meet to discuss the provision of bus stops in Kirkwall’s town centre.

In what was described as an "extremely complicated" issue, OIC chief engineer John Holmes said there was no instant answer to the long-term problem of where buses are allowed to stop.

"We have got to get something in place and at the same time work with the local plan for Kirkwall to solve the problem in the longer term," he said.

It was agreed that discussions should take place with bus operators to consider the provision of bus stops in West Castle Street, Castle Street, Broad Street, Palace Road and the Castle Street pay and display car park.

An attempt to rescue a young dolphin in Stromness Harbour came to a sad end on Sunday night when the animal had to be put down.

A team from Orkney Seal Rescue were called to the scene around midday on Saturday where the young dolphin was swimming in circles by the Stromness pier. The dolphin was shepherded out to sea but the following day was found stranded on the shore opposite the harbour.

The animal was returned to the water again but following veterinary advice had to be put down.

Aurrida House in Kirkwall were presented with a new computer on Monday, allowing the young people at the centre to take part in a new chatroom project.

Chatibility is being piloted by Capability Scotland and allows young people with disabilities from all over Scotland to meet, make friends and chat online.

Seventeen drivers in Orkney received fixed penalties for road traffic defects during the police's Operation Blitzen target day last week.

Kirkwall Police Inspector Paul Eddington said: “Seventeen drivers throughout the county were stopped in relation to defects on their vehicles and issued with fixed penalties.”

Most defects were in relation to lighting or seat belts, he added.

“Drivers should check their vehicles to make sure their lights are working, particularly during the hours of darkness in the winter months.”

Police are again warning drivers to approach the zebra crossings in Kirkwall with care.

Following on from concerns from a member of the public, Kirkwall Police Inspector Paul Eddington said: “A member of the public was concerned enough to complain to us that a car had driven over the crossing as he was using it.

“We want to raise awareness again that drivers must be careful when approaching the crossings, particularly during the hours of darkness.”