The Skye Camanachd second team are through to the Aberdein Considine Cup semi finals following an impressive 8-3 win over cup holders Lovat at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree on Saturday 28 May 2011.
Skye manager Davie MacVicar named a 17 man squad for the match and he made a couple of changes to the pool which beat Boleskine last weekend with Calum Gibb and Mark Mortimer missing out.
Iain MacLellan returned to the squad following an appearance for the first team last week and he started at full forward. U17 player Shaun Hedley was also included as was the experienced Allan MacLeod who retired from first team duty at the end of last season and he started on the bench. defender Iain Grant was also back after missing the last couple of games.
Lovat manager Alan MacRae suffered a blow when keeper Chris MacCallum was ruled out with a hand injury. Charlie Mainland took over in goal in what was only his second game for a couple of years. There were a couple of other changes from the Lovat side which beat Skye 3-2 at Balgate in the league a fortnight earlier. Tom Smith was on holiday so Alan MacPherson was moved from defence to full centre. Michael MacKenzie came into the defence as did the experienced Jimmy MacKenzie with Rory Cruden also missing.
There was a short delay before the throw up as a couple of Lovat players were late arriving in Portree. When the game did start, Lovat won the toss but they opted to play against the strong wind in the first half.
Skye attacked from the throw up and as Shaun Hedley played the ball forward, there was good play between Allan MacKinnon and Paul MacKinnon which set up a chance for Will Cowie but his effort took a slight deflection which took it just wide of goal.
Skye maintained the early pressure and a 10 minute shot from Will Cowie was saved with his feet by Lovat keeper Charlie Mainland and Allan MacKinnon’s shot from the rebound was deflected for a corner.
Iain MacLellan drilled a backhand shot on target from the resultant corner but his effort was saved by Mainland at the expense of another corner on the Skye right. This time Allan MacKinnon played the corner short and took a return pass before firing another backhand shot on target which Mainland saved with his caman.
A massive free hit from David Grant from well within his own half set Skye on an attack after 15 minutes. Keeper Mainland was forced to run from his goal to the edge of the D in an attempt to clear the danger. However he missed his attempt at the ball under pressure from Iain MacLellan and the Skye full forward took the ball around the keeper before scoring from the tightest of angles to put Skye 1-0 in front.
Charlie Mainland was again in action on 21 minutes when he had to carefully watch a long ball from Iain MacLellan which took a deflection before bobbling past his left post.
Lovat made a rare attack on 21 minutes when Lewis Tawse and Steven Cameron combined before Cameron shot wide.
Skye were back on the offensive a minute later. Martin Bruce dispossessed Lewis Tawse before playing the ball forward to Ally MacDonald who found Jordan Murchison and his shot was deflected for another Skye corner.
A minute later Will Cowie found space at the end of the D but his shot looped past the keeper’s right post.
Skye were made to pay for not making more of their early pressure when Lovat equalised on 26 minutes. Steven Cameron collected the ball with his back to goal and he made a half yard of space before turning and firing the ball into goal from around the penalty spot.
Skye looked rattled by this goal and Lewis Tawse shot past the post on 29 minutes.
The Lovat defence breathed a sigh of relief on the half hour mark when Will Cowie lost his marker but his snap-shot from the edge of the D rose over the bar.
Shaun Hedley and Connal MacIllechiar were having a competitive battle in midfield but Hedley became the first player to find his way into referee Ronnie Campbell’s book when a wild swing caught MacIllechiar on the ankle.
An Ally MacDonald shot on goal following a Shaun Hedley free hit on 33 minutes was accurate but lacked power and the ball was deflected for a corner.
Lovat were coming more into the game and with the strong wind advantage in the Islanders favour, the cup holders would have been happy to go into the break on even terms. However everything was about to change in the closing minutes of the first half.
Allan MacKinnon got onto the end of a huge David Grant goal hit on 41 minutes and he slipped the ball to Will Cowie who played a swift pass to Shan Hedley on the Skye left. Hedley’s cross found Jordan Murchison at the back post and he blasted the ball into the roof of the net to put Skye 2-1 in front.
Just 60 seconds later Skye wet 3-1 ahead. This time Will Cowie collected a stray pass from midfield and he broke down the left wing. Cowie crossed for Allan MacKinnon and he crashed a great 25 yard drive past Mainland to give Skye the advantage they desperately wanted at the interval.
Both teams headed for the shelter of the changing room at half time to avoid a heavy hail shower.
Lovat had the strong elements in their favour in the second half but it was Skye who broke from the throw up and Shaun Hedley played the ball to Will Cowie who found Jordan Murchison with his back to goal. Murchison spun before shooting into the side net.
Lovat looked certain to pull a goal back a minute later when Lewis Tawse set up Steven Cameron but his shot went wide of target.
Skye looked vulnerable and a mix up in defence forced Scott MacLeod to clear the ball off the goal line.
However the Islanders returned on the attack and they went 4-1 up on 49 minutes. Allan MacKinnon played in a corner from the right and Shaun Hedley lost his marker and ran in from the left before blasting an unstoppable shot into the top right corner of Mainland’s net.
Skye went for the kill and Jordan Murchison scored his second on 54 minutes. Keeper Mainland came out of goal to make a clearance but he seemed to hesitate which gave Murchison the opportunity to shoot high into the net.
Skye manager Davie MacVicar made his first change of the game as the experienced Allan MacLeod came on in defence in place of Martin Bruce.
Skye scored their sixth on 55 minutes and this goal effectively ended the tie as a contest. Will Cowie played in a ball from the left and whilst he may have been looking for Murchison, the ball took a slight deflection off a defender’s caman and rolled agonisingly over the goal line with Cowie claiming the goal.
Lovat threatened from an Alan MacPherson free-hit on 57 minutes. The ball was allowed to run to the end of the D before Steven Cameron got on the end of it and shot wide.
Lovat’s Connal MacIllechiar was booked for talking out of turn following a Shaun Hedley foul on 58 minutes.
Skye’s Paul MacKinnon was also booked a couple of minutes later for having too much to say for himself.
Charlie Mainland saved from Jordan Murchison on 64 minutes and the Skye youngster looked likely to score each time he was in possession.
Lovat were awarded a penalty on 65 minutes. Referee Ronnie Campbell penalised Scott MacLeod for a kick although the offense did seem to take place outside the D. MacLeod became the third Skye Camanachd player to be booked for his protests and Skye seem unlikely to retain their Camanachd Association Fair Play Trophy.
Steven Cameron stepped forward to take the penalty and although Ross Graham got his feet to the ball, it deflected into the roof of the net to make it 6-2.
Lovat introduced Ayrton Streets and player manager Allan MacRae into the action.
Mainland again saved from Murchison on 69 minutes and the keeper cleared the danger.
Paul MacKinnon played keepy-uppy down the Skye right as he raced past Michael MacKenzie on 71 minutes. He crossed to Will Cowie who laid the ball back to Shaun Hedley but his shot fizzed wide of goal.
Alan MacRae found Steven Cameron on 71 minutes and Ross Graham did well to save Cameron’s effort with his feet and Scott MacLeod completed the clearance.
Jordan Murchison sprinted onto a through ball on 72 minutes. Charlie Mainland ran from his goal in an attempt to clear the danger but Murchison got there first and knocked the ball past the keeper with a deft flick before rolling the ball into the empty net to complete his hat-trick and put Skye 7-2 ahead.
A Connal MacIllechiar shot from distance on 73 minutes benefited from the wind advantage but it drifted past Graham’s goal.
Mainland saved a Hedley shot with his chest on 75 minutes as the game raged from end to end.
Daniel Morrison came on in place of Will Cowie for the final 14 minutes.
Jordan Murchison neatly swiveled past his marker on 77 minutes and was clean through on goal but Charlie Mainland stayed big and blocked his attempt.
Mainland made a good point blank reaction save from a Paul MacKinnon shot inside the D a minute later.
Murchison just failed to get on the end of a rebound off the keeper on 79 minutes.
Skye went 8-2 ahead on 81 minutes when Ally MacDonald knocked the ball forward to Jordan Murchison on the edge of the D and he cracked a blistering drive over Mainland for his fourth and probably his best goal of the afternoon.
Lovat were awarded their second penalty on 86 minutes when David Grant pulled back substitute Ayrton Streets just inside the D. Steven Cameron placed the ball low into the net to complete his hat-trick and make it 8-3.
This was a good team performance from Skye and their young side is looking more and more impressive as the season progresses. However Skye have reserved their best performances for the cup and they will now be keen to start picking up league points.
Skye’s Will Cowie and Lovat’s Danny Kelly are both still playing U14 shinty and they had a great tussle throughout the game. Shaun Hedley shone in midfield for Skye whilst Jordan Murchison put in a man of the match performance with his four goal haul. Steven Cameron was always a handful in the Lovat attack and Connal MacIllechiar and Alan MacPherson worked hard in midfield.
Skye will now face Kingussie in the semi final on Saturday 9 July 2011 and the match will be played at a neutral venue.
Skye Camanachd from; Ross Graham David Grant, Martin Bruce, Iain Grant, Scott MacLeod, Allan MacKinnon, Ally MacDonald, Shaun Hedley, Paul MacKinnon, Jordan Murchison, Will Cowie, Iain MacLellan subs John MacLeod (captain), Stewart Grant, Daniel Morrison, Alan Macleod, John MacKenzie
Lovat from; Charlie Mainland, Jimmy MacKenzie, Danny Kelly, Tom Collings, Michael MacKenzie, Connal MacIllechiar, Alan MacPherson, Andrew Wallace, Ryan Fraser, Lewis Tawse, Calum Farquharson, Steven Cameron subs Ayrton Streets, Alan MacRae, Bradley McHardy, Chris MacCallum
Match Referee – Ronnie Campbell
The match balls are sponsored by Nor-Dan