The 101st Camanachd Cup takes place at An Aird, Fort William on Saturday 13 September 2008 and the newspapers have a view on shinty’s premier competition.
The West Highland Free Press reports that both sides are in good form ahead of the weekend clash. Fort William travelled to Argyll to beat Inveraray 5-1 last weekend whilst Kingussie trounced Lovat 9-0 at the Dell.
They also highlight the absence of Fort William defender Duncan Rodger which is a blow to manager Drew McNeil as Rodger usually marks Kingussie talisman Ronald Ross whenever the sides meet. The paper says that Kingussie manager Jimmy Gow has a full squad to pick from and intends to start with John Gibson at full centre at the expense of James MacLean who will start on the bench.
The Oban Times regards the final as being on a knife edge but gives Kingussie the slight advantage because of their league form and two previous wins over their rivals this season. The paper highlights urgent pitch maintenance carried out by Highland Council on An Aird to combat over-use and periodic rabbit infestation.
The Oban Times also recalls stories of Camanachd Cup wins in years gone by. This includes the aftermath of Skye Camanachd’s 1990 win when the famous trophy was left on the street in Portree as the team celebrated in a near-by hotel. It took a local bobby to return the trophy to its grateful custodians.
Current holders Fort William, who beat Inveraray 3-1 in last year’s final – have played in 8 finals overall. However they have never retained the trophy. Kingussie have 33 final appearances, winning 22 – a third of them. This record is only beaten by Newtonmore with 28 wins. A victory on Saturday will mean that Kingussie will have their fiercest rival’s record in their sights. Drew McNeil has asked his Fort William players to abstain from alcohol in the lead up to crucial fixtures but they will make up for lost time if they win on Saturday.
They highlight James Clark as crucial to Fort William’s hopes and name Ronal Ross – the man who scored 4 goals in the 2006 final against Fort in Dunoon – as Kingussie’s major threat. Ross is described as a worthy ambassador for the game who puts in hours of practice to perfect his scoring prowess. They describe how he has progressed from shooting into a set of goals in his back garden as a shinty mad youngster to a lone figure that can be found on a rain soaked night firing shots into an empty net at the Dell.
Jimmy Gow is wary of Fort William now that they are back to full strength and highlights Gary Innes and John MacDonald as key players because they supply strikers like James Clark.
Drew McNeil unsurprisingly points to the “exceptional” Ronald Ross as the man to stop. He does not want to take anything away from the rest of the team but explains that people who know nothing about shinty have heard of him.
Both Kingussie captain Paul Gow – son of team manager Jimmy Gow – and Fort William captain Chris Bamber are confident but respectful of their opponent’s ability.
The Badenoch & Strathspey Herald expects the cup to come home to Speyside, the place of its birth. They highlight the achievements of Rory Fraser and Kevin Thain who each have 12 Camanachd Cup winners’ medals with Ronald Ross and Michael Clark just one behind. Ross is again hailed as the key man with 74 goals already this season and he only 15-20 goals way from 1,000 senior goals. Two Kingussie players, Rory Fraser and Ronald Ross have each won the Albert Smith medal for man of the match on two occasions and few would bet against either of them winning it a third time on Saturday.
The Strathy also highlights Jimmy Gow’s game plan which is to cut out the supply to Fort William hit-men James Clark and Drew Ferguson by putting the shackles on play-makers Gary Innes and John MacDonald.
Ronald Ross also highlights midfield as an area where the match will be won or lost. He cites Fort William forward Bryan Simpson as a danger man whilst acknowledging that he hopes to take advantage of the absence of the injured Duncan Rodger in the Fort William defence. Ross even believes the elements on Saturday can be a factor as there is often a stiff breeze at An Aird. Winning the toss and edging ahead with the elements can make it difficult for the opposition.
The Inverness Courier feels the whole day could be about one key playr - Ronald Ross. They point out that Ross has scored all Kingussie's goals in their last 2 Camanachd appearances. Drew McNeil is coy on the subject of dealing with Ross, prferring to dwell on the virtues of his own team. the Courier reckons that the game has all the ingredients to be a classic.
The Press & Journal tells us about Fort William's training regime in the lead up to the game. the Fort players have been taking advantage of Fort William's world mountain bike championship status and have been cycling round the wide range of good tracks in the area. It's been a successful exercise aside from a James Clark crash which manged to write off a new bike. McNeil will accept the damage to the bike and be happy that his key forward escaped unscathed.
The P&J also highlight Kevin Thain's extrodinary success in this competition. Thain has played in 12 finals and won them all! Thain was working offshore when Kingussie lost 3 finals 1992 and 1996.
Whatever the outcome, this will be a fascinating tussle and it’s hoped that both teams and sets of supporters respect the decisions of Oban referee Colin MacDonald in a season where tolerance to referees has been found wanting on occasion.