Top of league position maintained as Orkney crush Ross Sutherland 113-0

Orkney Rugby Club's final home game in the BT National League Division Five on Saturday saw a crushing 113-0 defeat of visitors Ross Sutherland.

The win keeps Orkney's position at the top of the league table.

Orkney was down one player for a time after Glen McLellan was "sin-binned" just before half-time. However, the home side kept up the pressure and romped home to a clear victory.

Orkney have two more away games to play before the end of the season.

Farm support scheme changes finally agreed

Changes have finally been agreed to the way payments will be made from support scheme which will benefit farmers in Orkney.

The Scottish Executive and the NFU welcomed the news from Brussels that changes to the 2002 Less Favoured Area Support Scheme had been agreed, following last month's delay.

NFU Scotland president, Jim Walker said: “Until today the LFASS payments could have been delayed due to the failure of the EU to approve scheme changes, as expected, at meetings in January and February. The way is now clear for full payments to begin, on schedule, during the week commencing March 18.”

Bursary awarded to Stromness writer

An Orcadian writer has received £3,000 from a national arts council, allowing her to devote more time to her writing.

Yvonne Gray of Upper Pow, Stromness, was one of 12 writers from all over Scotland who received a bursary from the Scottish Arts Council last month.

The bursary will allow Yvonne more time to work on a collection of poetry that is soon to be published.

Editor calls for reprint of GMB "masterpiece"

The editor of a Scottish literary magazine is making a call for a book by Orkney author George Mackay Brown to be reprinted.

Joy Hendry, editor of Chapman magazine, will give a lecture on Wednesday night on the Stromness author. She contests that his book Time in a Redcoat, which was not well received critically, is a masterpiece and should be reprinted.

The lecture, which is part of the University of Aberdeen season of lectures, subsidised by the Scottish Arts Council, will take place in Kirkwall Town Hall on Wednesday evening at 7.30pm. Admission is free.

Contender bound for Middle East

The Contender during the crew's protests in Kirkwall last year. (Picture: Orkney Photographic)

The cargo and livestock vessel Contender has been sold to a shipping company in Dubai.

The Contender ran a service between Kirkwall and Invergordon and for her final year, was kept afloat by a joint venture between Orkney Islands Council and Streamline Shipping Company.

The vessel has been on the market since May 2001 and the council confirmed yesterday that it has been sold for an undisclosed sum.

OIC development director Mr Jeremy Baster said: "There will be some money back for the council. I do not think it would be as much as the initial investment."

Police inquiries are continuing today after a head-on car collision in Rendall on Thursday night left one person injured.

The incident, involving two Mazda cars, occurred just after 6.30pm a short distance from the Norseman Garage. A police spokesman confirmed that all emergency services attended the accident and that the injured man was detained in hospital overnight. He added that a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

Anyone who witnessed the accident should contact Kirkwall police on 872241.

Burray family homeless after flooding

A woman and her six children – one a newborn baby – have been made temporarily homeless after flooding in their house.

Mrs Rona Olsen of Banks in Burray and her children have been staying with her mother-in-law and the children’s grandmother, Peggy Shand, who lives next door, after this week's heavy rainfall left every room in the house four inches deep in water.

Mrs Olsen is appealing for the loan of a dehumidifier and carpets. She can be contacted on 731454.

Orkney B&Bs are among Britain's best

Four Orkney bed and breakfasts have been named in a guide featuring the 1,000 best B&Bs in Britain.

The entries, based on recommendations by guests , backed up by independent inspections, include Stoneyquoy Farmhouse in Lyness, owned by Arthur and Louise Budge, Cleaton House Hotel in Westray, owned by the Stout family, Netherstove in Sandwick, owned by Ann Poke and Alan and Joyce Craigie’s The Creel in St Margaret's Hope.

An Orkney man has been killed in a three-car road accident near the Tore roundabout on the Black Isle.

Originally from Sanday, Dennis Sinclair (58), now of Inverness, died in the accident around 5.40pm on Tuesday on the A9 one mile south of Tore roundabout.

Police are appealing for witnesses to contact them on 01463 715 555. In particular they would like to speak to the driver of a white estate car, possibly a Vauxhall Astra, who was travelling south at the time.

Close family and friends of Mr Sinclair still live in Orkney.

Wind farm on target for completion

The wind farm on Stronsay is on target for completion this week with all three wind turbines now constructed on the site.

The three 800 kilowatt turbines have been erected at Rothiesholm and are expected to produce enough electricity to power 2,500 homes, or all of the North Isles.

The scheme is being developed by Devon-based Farm Energy. Company director Peter Crone told The Orcadian today that he expected the site to be commissioned this month.

Police inquiries are continuing after a two car accident occurred near the Tormiston Mill in Stenness on Tuesday.

Around 1.40pm yesterday two cars collided near the mill, one ending up on its roof in the burn by the side of the road. Because of the day's heavy rain the burn was in full spate.

A police spokesman said the driver was helped out of the car by people nearby and that no-one was injured. Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact the police on 872241.

Strides towards an overhaul of Orkney Islands Council's committees collapsed in confusion on Tuesday after councillors voted in favour of proposals they did not fully understand.

When the implications of their decision finally dawned on them at the full council meeting, the majority decided it had to be overturned. It was claimed afterwards that the proposals initially voted for had not been explained properly.

The decision was overturned by deferring the plans, which officials, in conjunction with councillors, had been working on for two years.

October 2003 date for airport ILS

An Instrument Landing System should be in place at Kirkwall Airport by October next year.

The news was announced this week by OIC transportation chairman, Councillor Stephen Hagan during an update at Tuesday's full Orkney Islands Council meeting.

Plans for ILS, which will enable planes to land in low cloud, were delayed while an agreement with the landowners by the airport was resolved.

Section of 'Hope pier collapses

'Hope pier trustee Cyril Annal surveys the damage. (Picture: Orkney Photographic)

A 20-feet section of a pier in St Margaret’s Hope has collapsed into the sea.

Additional strain has been put on the 100-year-old pier as a result of the new short-sea ferry service - which began last year - from the ‘Hope to Gills Bay in Caithness.

Steel piles have been taken over from Gills Bay in an attempt to secure the pier side in the short term, however European funding is being sought in a bid to sheet pile the whole pier to secure its long term future.

Veterinary practice to change hands

Local vets, Kate Carmichael and Liz Flett have bought Neil McHarg’s veterinary practice in Kirkwall.

Mrs Carmichael, the wife of Orkney and Shetland MP, Mr Alistair Carmichael, told The Orcadian that they were formally taking over the Junction Road practice in early May.

She added: “We're looking forward to it very much. We both have families and work part time - this was an ideal opportunity for us. We hope that McHarg clients will want to come to us, and we will be writing to them shortly.”

PSP shellfish ban lifted

A PSP shellfish ban on waters between Orkney and Caithness has been lifted by the Food Standards Agency.

The ban, restricting the harvesting of king scallops due to levels of PSP toxins, affected an area of water from the tip of South Ronaldsay across the Pentland Firth (Box 027).

The ban was lifted at 4 pm on Monday.

Moena group due to arrive next week

The links between Orkney and the Italian town of Moena - home of the late Domenico Chiocchetti, creator of the Italian Chapel - will be taken a stage further next week when a group from Moena visit the county.

The choir Caticum Novum, in which Chiocchetti’s youngest daughter Angela sings, will be accompanied by some family members, two councillors and representatives of the Roman Catholic Church in Moena. Chiocchetti’s other daughter, Letizia, will complete the 36-strong group, who are due to arrive on Thursday, March 14.

The visit was due to take place last October, but was cancelled as a result of travel worries following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the USA.

Damaged cable knocks out power to Albert Street

Damage to an underground cable in Kirkwall left Albert Street without power on Friday evening.

Scottish and Southern Energy operations manager, Mr Mark Rough, said today: “There was third party damage by a contractor. In order to repair the cable and make it safe we had to turn the power off. The whole of Albert Street was off for quite a short period of time.”

Report to fiscal after Tankerness disturbance

A report is being sent to the Procurator Fiscal after an incident in Tankerness on Saturday night.

A police spokesman said today that two young men were taken into police custody at a dance in Tankerness. The two were later released.

Advisor post readvertised as appointed officer switches roles

Orkney’s new advisor on drugs and alcohol has switched roles within Orkney Islands Council’s social work department and her job readvertised.

Mrs Fiona Mathieson was appointed to the project worker (drug misuse) last month, but is now working within the community social services department clearing a work backlog on the council’s new Children’s Plan, which has to be submitted to the Scottish Executive by April.

Social work director Mr Harry Garland said: "We had to backfill to get some pieces of work done. Sometimes you have to prioritise. We had someone with the skills who could complete a piece of work.”

Graemsay residents outraged by newspaper article

Two Graemsay residents have sought to defend their island following a recent article in the John O’Groats Journal newspaper.

The headline, “It’s looking grim for Graemsay”, in a Letter from Orkney written by Sinclair Dunnett has outraged islanders, Mr Arthur Ritch, who has lived on Graemsay for some 20 years, and Miss Sian Thomas an “incomer”.

In the article Mr Dunnet asks how Graemsay has any inhabitants, while Stroma is abandoned, before going on to comment on the island's "huge dependency on the public purse”.

“He is basically calling us a lot of subsidised scroungers,” Mr Ritch said. “A welfare case – that’s a bit cheeky isn’t it. It is a downright, bloody insult.”

April visit for NorthLink's Hascosay

Northlink’s new freight ship, Hascosay, is expected in Orkney at the beginning of next month to try out the Kirkwall linkspan, which will act as backup for the new linkspan at Hatston.

A spokesman for NorthLink told The Orcadian that the ship – which is currently undergoing modifications and maintenance in Gdansk – is to visit Orkney, Shetland and Aberdeen in early April, and that linkspans at all three ports of call will be tested.

Local press and farming representatives are to be invited to see the freight and livestock boat while she is here.