Glenurquhart 3 Skye Camanachd 0 | |
10 June 2011 Skye Camanachd went down to a 3-0 defeat to Marine Harvest North Division 2 reigning champions Glenurquhart at Blairbeg on Saturday 4 June 2011. Skye manager Davie MacVicar was forced to make seven changes to the side which beat Lovat in the Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup quarter finals the previous weekend. Allan MacKinnon joined U17 trio Shaun Hedley, Jordan Murchison and Iain Grant on first team duty. Will Cowie was playing for the Skye Camanachd U14s in their MacMaster Cup tie against Kingussie at the Dell. Allan MacLeod was unavailable as was keeper Ross Graham so captain John MacLeod took over in goal. U17 players Magnus Burd, Calum Gibb, Angie MacPherson, Ally MacLeod and Stevie MacKinnon came into the squad with Burd and Gibb winning starting places. . Glenurquhart included Kelvin MacKenzie for the first time this season now that his football commitments with Inverness City are over. However they were without Iain MacDonald, Iain MacLeod and Gregor MacCormack. David Girvan made his first start of the season following injury. Skye keeper John MacLeod was to have a busy afternoon in goal and he saved well from both Ewan Menzies and Billy Urquhart in the opening quarter of an hour. Skye were not without chances of their own and Glen keeper Gary MacKintosh saved well from Daniel Morrison after he had been set up by Ally MacDonald. In their next foray up field, Skye’s Daniel Morrison played in Paul MacKinnon and his well struck drive was cleared by MacKintosh with a contemptuous volley that ended in a Skye corner. The Glen countered with a well worked move that saw John MacLeod pull of a stunning one handed save from Daniel MacKintosh who was almost turning to celebrate what seemed a certain goal. The Glen finally found a way past MacLeod on 26 minutes from a Bradley Dickson corner that was met full on the volley by Billy Urquhart who thundered the ball into the Skye net. Urquhart will have to play for a considerable number of years before he repeats the feat. Despite having an average age of 18, the Skye team were competing well and almost fashioned an equaliser on the 38 minutes. Stewart Grant and Iain MacLellan were involved in the build up that saw MacKintosh save with his feet at his right hand post from Daniel Morrison. As the half drew to a close, John MacLeod pulled off another stunning save with the caman low to his left from a Euan Lloyd sizzler. The Glen, with the luxury of four former first team regulars in their side, were able to shuffle the pack at half time and they strengthened the midfield by moving Calum Fraser from full centre to wing centre and David Girvan from wing back to full centre with Kelvin MacKenzie moving from the wing to the buckshee forward position. With two 15 year olds and a 17 year old on the bench, Skye’s options were somewhat more limited. The Glen were quickly onto the attack at the start of the second half but they again found MacLeod in defiant mood with saves from Urquhart and Menzies in the opening 5 minutes. The second goal duly arrived from the caman of the industrious Urquhart on the 61 minute mark following neat build up play involving Girvan, MacKenzie and MacKintosh. Skye were still probing for openings but the usual flowing forward line shinty was absent with players carrying the ball too far and being eventually dispossessed. Skye came agonisingly close to a goal from a John MacKenzie shy on the right that crept just past the post with MacKintosh in the Glen goal uncertain of the balls final destination. Glen wrapped up the game with a vicious 25 yard swerving shot from Calum Fraser after fine work from MacKenzie and Urquhart. Like Urquhart’s goal in the first half, it will be a long time before Fraser repeats such a stunning strike but with MacLeod in inspirational form, it was always going to take something special to beat him and so it proved. Before the half was over MacLeod had time to pull off another superb save from a thunderous drive from David Girvan. Skye were outdone in the end by the physical strength and experience of the Glen and this was something which the Skye youngsters were unable to match. Skye did however have opportunity to field six of their MacTavish Juvenile squad with 15 year old Angie MacPherson making his second team debut. Glenurquhart from; Garry MacKintosh, Calum Smith, David Girvan, James Hurwood, Ross MacAulay, Kelvin MacKenzie, Calum Fraser, Bradley Dickson, Daniel MacKintosh, Euan Lloyd, Ewan Menzies, Billy Urquhart subs Gary Smith, Jack Hosie, Ross MacDiarmid, Cameron MacLennan Skye Camanachd from; John MacLeod (captain), David Grant, Calum Gibb, Martin Bruce, Scott MacLeod, John MacKenzie, Ally MacDonald, Stewart Grant, Paul MacKinnon, Iain MacLellan, Daniel Morrison, Magnus Burd subs Angie MacPherson, Stevie MacKinnon, Ally MacLeod Match Referee – Jock Matheson |