2010 Macaulay Cup Preview. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 December 2009 The draw for the 2010 Macaulay Cup has thrown up some interesting ties. This year’s competition features 2 sides who did not qualify last year – Oban Celtic and Skye Camanachd who replace Tayforth and Strathglass. Champions Inveraray will travel to Oban to play Marine Harvest South Division side Oban Celtic in the first round of the South draw. Kilmory’s reward for a third place finish in Marine Harvest South Division 1 is a trip to Rothesay to play Scottish Hydro Premier Division survivors The match of the South first round is the meeting between Kyles Athletic and Oban Camanachd at Tighnabruaich. Glasgow Mid Argyll will be at home to Glenorchy, the side they replace in the 2010 Scottish Hydro Premier Division. The second round of the South draw sees the winners of the Oban Celtic and Inveraray clash at home to the winners of the meeting between Glasgow Mid Argyll and Glenorchy. The victors from the tie between Kyles Athletic and Oban Camanachd will meet the winners of the The first round in the North sees 2 sides who played in Marine Harvest North Division 1 last season meet at Balgate when Skye travel to play Lovat. A late Somhairle MacDonald strike earned Skye a 1-1 draw at Balgate when the met during the 2009 league season. Two new managers will meet when Jim Barr’s Glenurquhart host Peter MacIntyre’s Fort William at Drumnadrochit in what is probably the tie of the North first round. Both sides were knocked out by Badenoch rivals Newtonmore and Kingussie last season and they will have ambitions of going further this year. 2009 Macaulay Cup beaten finalists Kingussie travel to Canal Parks to play Kilmallie. King’s, with new manager Stevie Borthwick in charge, should be too strong for Kilmallie but they will find this to be a testing tie. Lochaber and Newtonmore meet at The second round of the North draw sees the winners of the clash between Lochaber and Newtonmore at home to Kilmallie or Kingussie. This obviously throws up the possibility of a Badenoch derby at the Eilan although Marine Harvest North Division 1 sides Lochaber and Kilmallie will have something to say in that. The winners of the Lovat and Skye Camanachd clash will be at home to the victors from the meeting between Glenurquhart and The final will be on 21 August 2010 and will be live on BBC ALBA. The MacAulay Association is currently negotiating for a new sponsor for the competition and they hope to make an announcement this week. Their previous 3 year sponsorship with MacPhee & Partners ended in 2009. The full draw is;
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