Nusadan
Chilla Wilson (44)
Just got back this morning from a great weekend away in the Shetland Isles, I was one of the 3 visiting referees for the sevens tournament, it was certainly an interesting experience courtesy of the organisers who bunged on for us the return overnight ferry trip from Aberdeen and a night in a local B&B.
Four teams from the mainland took the trip as well, and played against the 8 cobbled local teams, including one comprising solely of local soccer players which made it interesting for me in the only game I reffed them.
Whilst the locals didn't lack at all in the enthusiasm department, they were outclassed by the four mainland teams who ended up making the two finals on their own, although one team could have come close to making it, only for me to officiate them in their only loss for the day with only one try scored.
With the missus tagging along and not much of a sport fanatic, I relucantly left after being out on the field on and off for five hours, and thus missed out on the post match festivities which by all accounts relatively low key...perhaps the visiting players had done it tough the night before on the overnight ferry ride?
The locals were of a different kettle of fish to those in the Scottish mainland, they call themselves Shetlanders rather than Scottish even though the isles are part of Scotland (the isles were sold to Scotland by the King of Denmark and Norway in the late 1400s to pay for the dowry in his daughter's marriage to the Scottish King at that time). The North Sea oil revenue royalties held in trust help to pay for the superb sporting facilities dotted all over the isles, and pay for travel by sporting teams to the mainland. I have heard the trust even pay for the locals' holiday trips!
Four teams from the mainland took the trip as well, and played against the 8 cobbled local teams, including one comprising solely of local soccer players which made it interesting for me in the only game I reffed them.
Whilst the locals didn't lack at all in the enthusiasm department, they were outclassed by the four mainland teams who ended up making the two finals on their own, although one team could have come close to making it, only for me to officiate them in their only loss for the day with only one try scored.
With the missus tagging along and not much of a sport fanatic, I relucantly left after being out on the field on and off for five hours, and thus missed out on the post match festivities which by all accounts relatively low key...perhaps the visiting players had done it tough the night before on the overnight ferry ride?
The locals were of a different kettle of fish to those in the Scottish mainland, they call themselves Shetlanders rather than Scottish even though the isles are part of Scotland (the isles were sold to Scotland by the King of Denmark and Norway in the late 1400s to pay for the dowry in his daughter's marriage to the Scottish King at that time). The North Sea oil revenue royalties held in trust help to pay for the superb sporting facilities dotted all over the isles, and pay for travel by sporting teams to the mainland. I have heard the trust even pay for the locals' holiday trips!
