The Shinty Preview – Saturday 23 April 2011. | |
21 April 2011 The Co-operative MacTavish Cup and Glasgow Celtic Society Cup quarter finals take centre stage on Saturday 23 April 2011. Co-operative MacTavish Cup Sides from the Scottish Hydro Premier Division take on teams from Marine Harvest North Division 1 in the four scheduled Co-operative MacTavish Cup quarter finals. Perhaps the closest tie will be at the Canal Parks where Kilmallie meet Lochaber. The sides had a titanic battle in Marine Harvest North Division 1 in 2010 before Kilmallie eventually edged out their rivals to take the title and promotion to shinty’s top division. The winners will play whoever comes through from the quarter final between Kingussie and Kinlochshiel. Johnston Gill’s Kinlochshiel squad heads for the Dell for their tie against Co-operative MacTavish Cup holders Kingussie. This game is likely to mark a return to the field of play by Kingussie’s Ronald Ross. Kinlochshiel will face this tie with confidence and they have previously run shinty’s top sides close in previous cup encounters. Shiel should be at full strength with Fraser MacVicar returning from injury last weekend. Iain Borthwick will likely continue to be an injury absentee for Kingussie. This tie throws up at 3pm with the club’s reserve sides meeting in league action at the same venue at noon. The winners will face the winners of the tie between Kilmallie and Lochaber. Beauly will be put to the test when Newtonmore visit Braeview Park. Beauly will likely be without Jack MacDonald and Barrie MacDonald as they picked up injuries against Caberfeidh last weekend. Newtonmore’s Paul MacArthur serves the second game of a two match ban following his sending off in the Badenoch derby against Kingussie. Graham Cameron, the man who sent him off that day, is also referee for this one. Throw up is at 3pm. The winners will play the victors of the match between Fort William and Caberfeidh. Fort William and Caberfeidh meet at An Aird. Fort William were without John MacDonald and Bryan Simpson and their boss Peter McIntyre will be keen to have a full squad available to avoid any potential banana-skin. Cabers will likely be without Martin MacDonald who has a broken thumb. A semi final against Beauly or Newtonmore awaits the winners. Glasgow Celtic Society Cup The 2011 Glasgow Celtic Society Cup Final will be held at the Winterton. The final has only been held outside Glasgow twice before in over a century and organisers have confirmed that the switch has been made because of financial reason. The competition has not had a sponsor for five years and it is hoped a bigger crowd will turn out for this year’s final. The Glasgow Celtic Society Cup continues to be played to amended rules with a bigger penalty area and direct free-hits. The competition has had rolling substitutes and this was of course carried forward into all competitions this season by the Camanachd Association on a pilot basis. Glasgow Celtic Society Cup holders Inveraray have an excellent recent record in this competition having not lost a tie since 2005. They head for Jubilee Park to take on Ballachulish however they will have to play this one without play-maker Garry MacPherson, who has 13 winners medals to his name, as he is working. It’s Glasgow Mid Argyll or Kyles Athletic for the winners. Glasgow Mid Argyll and the south’s in-form team, Kyles Athletic, meet at Yoker. GMA youngster Finlay MacMillan received a boost this week when he was named in the Scotland U17 squad for the summer tour of Ireland. Kyles have been shinty’s form side this season and they will start as favourites. This tie has a 3pm throw up. The victors will play Inveraray or Ballachulish in the semi finals. The only all-Scottish Hydro Premier Division tie sees Oban Camanachd and Glenorchy meet at Mossfield. The sides met at the same venue in league action last weekend when a Aidan MacIntyre hat-trick helped Oban to a 5-0 win. The home side will also be favourites to reach the semi finals. Glenorchy boss Allan MacKechnie will hope that a switch away from league action will change his side’s fortunes. The winners will play Kilmory or Taynuilt in the last four. There is one all-Marine Harvest South Division 1 tie as Kilmory travel to play Taynuilt. The home side has made the better start to the league this season however Kilmory recorded their only league win this season against Taynuilt. Top division opponents Oban Camanachd or Glenorchy await the winners. Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup – First Round The SCOTS and Lovat catch up on their Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup first round tie. The SCOTS had home advantage but as they have no fixed base, they have agreed to play this one at Lovat’s Balgate pitch. Lovat may have made a poor start to the season but they will be boosted from last weekend’s league win over reigning champions Glenurquhart. The Balgate men also have a superb cup pedigree, reaching the last four finals from the last two years. Strathdearn Cup – First Round Marine Harvest North Division 3 side Strathglass could be in for a difficult afternoon when Marine Harvest North Division 2 team Fort William visit Cannich. The tie between Marine Harvest North Division 2 local rivals Lochaber and Kilmallie at Spean Bridge should be closer although a Conor Sweeney double helped Lochaber to a 4-1 win when the sides met at the same venue last weekend. This tie has a 12 noon throw up. Scottish Hydro Premier Division There is one rearranged match in the Scottish Hydro Premier Division as Glenurquhart and Lovat meet in league action for the second successive Saturday. This meeting is at Blairbeg after a David Smart strike helped Glenurquhart to a 3-1 win at Balgate last week. Full centre Euan Ferguson will be missing for Lovat as will longer term absentee Drew Howie. A Lovat win would lift them out of the relegation zone and above Kilmallie and Inveraray but Glenurquhart can move into second place in the table, just two points behind leaders Kyles Athletic, if they win this one which is a great incentive from the Blairbeg side. Marine Harvest North Division 1 Skye Camanachd go looking for their first points of the season when they head for Battery Park for a west coast derby against Lochcarron. Lochcarron boss Murdo John Fraser will give Dickie MacKenzie every chance to prove his fitness following a hand injury sustained against Caberfeidh earlier in the season. The Islanders boss Aonghas MacDonald had his injury woes added to last week when it was confirmed that Danny Morrison would be missing for 6-8 weeks with a shoulder injury. Iain Morrison is also a doubt after receiving 13 stitches in a head wound. However Shockie MacLennan should be fit enough to start and Steven Morrison and Robbie MacDougall will return after missing the Lochaber defeat last week. There is another local derby at the Bught Park where Strathglass make the short journey to play Inverness. This match has a 3pm throw up. Marine Harvest South Division 1 It’s first plays second as league leaders Bute welcome Lochside Rovers to Rothesay. Bute have a 100% record in the league scoring x goals in their four games so far this season. Fifth place Kyles Athletic and bottom side Aberdour meet at Tighnabruaich. Marine Harvest North Division 2 League leaders Newtonmore head west for the second successive Saturday as they take on Skye Camanachd at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree. Skye manager Davie MacVicar returns to the hot-seat after missing the defeat to Glengarry as he was on holiday. His selection options will likely be limited because of injured first team players. ‘More went top of the table last weekend on goal difference courtesy of a 9-0 win over an under-strength Kinlochshiel side at Kirkton. Second top Glengarry play second bottom Glenurquhart at Invergarry and this is always an interesting tussle. The home side have made a good start to the season and only trail leaders Newtonmore on goal difference however Glenurquhart’s start to the season has been some-what inconsistent. Kinlochshiel head for the Dell for a 12 noon throw up against Kingussie. The home side have a two point advantage over their rivals in the league whilst Shiel will hope to have players back following their under-strength side’s 9-0 defeat to Newtonmore last weekend. Both teams will then cheer on their senior sides as they do battle in the Co-operative MacTavish Cup quarter finals at the same venue in the afternoon. Marine Harvest South Division 2 League leaders Strachur head for the Winterton to play Inveraray. Strachur’s chances of collecting the points will be helped if Russell MacKinlay travels with the Inveraray first team squad to play Ballachulish. Fourth place Bute and Aberdour, who hold up the table, clash on Rothesay. This match throws up at noon. The match between third place Col Glen and second bottom side Ballachulish has been postponed. Sixth place Glasgow Mid Argyll and second place Tayforth meet in a 12 noon throw up at Yoker. Marine Harvest North Division 3 League leaders Aberdeen University have an early start as the head for the Highland Capital for an early throw up against Inverness. Second place Boleskine meet sixth place Lochbroom at Farr. An Arran Matheson helped Lochbroom ear a 3-3 draw in the corresponding fixture last weekend. Second bottom Ardnamurchan face a tough match as they host third place Caberfeidh. Cabers were 3-1 winners in the corresponding fixture last season. Beauly and Lochcarron resume acquaintances in a 12 noon throw up at Braeview Park. Beauly ran out 5-4 winners after extra time when the sides met at Battery Park in the first round of the Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup a couple of weeks ago. |