The Shinty Round Up. | |
23 August 2009 Inveraray retained the MacPhee & Partners Macaulay Cup and Newtonmore went to the top of the Scottish Hydro Premier Division on Saturday 22 August 2009. Inveraray added the 61st MacPhee & Partners Macaulay Cup to the Celtic Society Cup, which they won earlier this season. Kingussie took the lead when Ronald Ross turned Andrew MacMurdo and bore in on goal but he then appeared to have his legs clipped by the Inveraray full back and he crashed to the ground in the penalty area. The match was covered live by BBC2 Scotland and slow motion replays showed that Ross had actually lost his footing outside the D without any contact from MacMurdo but to be fair to referee Colin MacDonald, it did look like a penalty on first viewing. To Andrew MacMurdo’s credit, he did not make an issue of the decision but he could only stand and watch as Ross smashed the penalty high to MacKenzie’s right to give the Kings the lead. Kingussie doubled their advantage on 12 minutes. Ronald Ross took the ball in the air, he turned McMurdo and his low shot was stopped by MacKenzie’s foot but the ball trickled agonisingly over the line. A midfield spat between Douglas Dando and Russell Dallas after 15 minutes seemed to distract the Kings defence and Garry MacPherson took full advantage as he turned his marker and teed up his shot before blasting the ball into the net to reduce the deficit. There was no doubt about the class of Ross’ third goal in 22 minutes. Paul Gow fired the ball goalwards but his shot was blocked by MacKenzie with his feet. However the rebound fell to Ross and he lobbed the ball with the most delicate flick over the keeper to complete his hat-trick and give the King’s a 3-1 advantage. A face injury to Ian Borthwick after 47 minutes required several minutes’ treatment. Kingussie were unable to clear their lines from the resultant throw up and the ball broke to Garry MacPherson who beat Borthwick at his near post to reduce the deficit to a single goal. Inveraray levelled the game on 78 minutes when Garry MacPherson played in Scott Robertson from the right and he found space, turned and fired the ball high into the net past the unsighted Borthwick to make the score 3-3. In injury time Garry MacPherson beat Ronald Ross on the Inveraray right and played the ball into the danger area for Grant Griffen to drill a low shot into the Kingussie net to win the cup for the Winterton men. Newtonmore won match of the day in the Scottish Hydro Premier Division with a 3-0 win over Oban Camanachd got back on their winning ways against Kyles Athletic at Tigh na Bruach. Ian MacMillan gave the Oban side the lead after 5 minutes but David Martin leveled just 5 minutes later. A 27 minute goal from Lorne Dickie proved to be the winner and Oban Camanachd join The match between Lochaber and Lovat and Caberfeidh – and maybe even Skye Camanachd who didn’t play – gained most from the weekend’s results in Marine Harvest North Division 1. The top match saw second place Kilmallie travel to play fourth place Lovat at Balgate. John Stewart gave Kilmallie the lead with a goal after only 7 minutes but Greg Matheson leveled a minute later. Raymond Rennie gave Lovat the lead after 17 minutes but Ross Lavin made the score 2-2 on 43 minutes. Just when the teams looked as if they would go into the break level, Fraser Gallagher struck for the second week in a row to put Lovat 3-2 up. The strike by Gallagher, who has just recently returned to the side after injury, turned out to be the winner and this victory gives Lovat 14 points from 9 games. Caberfeidh leap-frogged Kilmallie into second place with a 4-0 win over second bottom Fifth place Beauly raced into a 3-0 half time lead against bottom club Lochcarron at Kinlochshiel gained some revenge for their Balliemore Cup Final defeat when they beat Strathglass 3-2 at Cannich. This game turned out to be a battle between the Reid family from Strath and the MacRae family from Shiel. Garry Reid gave Strathglass the lead after 13 minutes but Keith MacRae equalised on 34 minutes. Keith’s brother John MacRae put Shiel ahead 2 minutes before the break but Garry’s brother Darren Reid made the score 2-2 after 51 minutes. A share of the points looked on the cards until Keith MacRae scored his second with almost the last hit of the game to give the west coast side 9 points from their 9 games played. Kyles Athletic will play Lochside Rovers in the Bullough Cup Final after their convincing 5-0 win over Glenorchy in the semi final. Ally MacKay scored twice and Peter Mobeck, Euan MacDonald and Peter Shuttleworth scored the others. There were no games in Marine Harvest South Division 1 as the game between Glasgow Mid Argyll and Inveraray did not go ahead. Only one match survived the weather in Marine Harvest North Division 2 as the games between Lovat were convincing 8-2 winners over Kilmallie at Balgate. Jimmy MacKenzie put them ahead in the first minute but Robbie MacFadyen leveled after 10 minutes. Steven Cameron made in 2-1 for the home side on 22 minutes but Craig MacPhee drew Kilmallie level again on 32 minutes. MacKenzie netted his second on 38 minutes to give Lovat and interval lead. James MacPherson made it 4-2 a minute after the break and Charlie Mainland also found the net 5 minutes later. Steven Cameron scored his second after 56 minutes and Owen Ferguson made it 7-2 on 67 minutes. Jimmy MacKenzie completed his hat-trick 4 minutes from the end. In Marine Harvest South Division 2, second place Strachur failed to narrow the gap on runaway leaders Taynuilt when they lost out in a 14 goal thriller against a Scott Rodger inspired Aberdour whom they beat 3-0 on the second Saturday of the shinty season. Rodger gave Aberdour the lead after 14 minutes only for Ronnie Campbell to level on the half hour mark. Scott Rodger restored Aberdour’s lead on 35 minutes and Ross Nicol made it 3-1 just 3 minutes later. However an Alistair Murrells goal on 40 minutes and an Andrew Hunt effort right on the stroke of half time meant that the sides went into the break all square. There was a goal explosion 9 minutes into the second half with 5 goals in 8 minutes and Aberdour’s Scott Rodger claimed 4 of them. Rodger made it 4-3 for the home side after 54 minutes and scored further goals on 58 – with 2 goals in a minute – and 61 minutes with Murrells scoring for the visitors on 59 minutes to leave the score at 7-4. Rodger capped a great personal display with his seventh goal after 77 minutes and Duncan MacNicol replied for Strachur on 83 minutes. Fraser Matheson scored for Aberdour 2 minutes from the end to give them a 9-5 win and lift them into third place in the league. The match between bottom club Ballachulish and second bottom Glenorchy did not go ahead as Marine Harvest North Division 3 second place side Lochbroom traveled to the Highland capital to play Leaders Beauly ran out 2-1 winners over Strathglass at Cannich and with 2 games to go, they hold a 1 point advantage. |