2011 MacMaster Cup Final Preview – Skye Camanachd U14 v Fort William U14 | |
14 September 2011 The 2011 MacMaster Cup Final between Skye Camanachd U14 and Fort William U14 promises to get a great day of shinty action off to a flying start at the Bught Park, Inverness on Saturday 17 September 2011. Both sides have been at the fore-front of youth shinty in recent seasons and they met in the 2009 MacMaster Cup Final in Oban with the Fort coming out on top. The Skye youngsters have enjoyed league success and they are currently trying to with the North Division 1 title for the fourth year in a row. Skye are coached by Willie Cowie who was widely regarded as one of the game’s best players and he was named 2009 Marine Harvest Youth Coach of the Year. Cowie has worked with most of the present squad since the players were around 5 years old and he has put together a side which plays the game with an attacking flair. Fort William are also led by another of the games greats in Victor Smith. Like Cowie he is a Camanachd Cup winner and he has indeed gone on to win every honour in the game. Smith is assisted by Jock Sneddon who was named 2008 Marine Harvest Youth Coach of the Year and who has led the Fort’s youth system for a number of years now. There is also no shortage of talent on the park. Skye will be captained by Will Cowie who is already a regular in both the club’s U17 side and second team. Andrew Grant is another one to watch and he has the ability to produce a goal from nothing. Iain MacLeod provides solidity at the back in a side which loses few goals. Fort William’s Lewis Smith is their main-stay in defence and he’ll likely assume the full back role. Dejan Watson and Michael Lawrie are two of the side’s more attacking players and all three performed well when Fort William recently won the Donnie MacLean Sixes at Spean Bridge without even dropping a point. Skye were 7-2 winners when the sides recently met in North Division 1 action at Black Park but the nature of youth shinty is such that little can be read into that result. Jock Matheson is the referee and throw up is at 11.45am on the main Bught Park pitch and it will be worth turning up early to see this clash. |