2015 RBS MacTavish Cup Final …………. 3 Days To Go! | |
10 June 2015 Glenurquhart played three Marine Harvest National Division sides on their way to the RBS MacTavish Cup Final against Newtonmore at the Bught Park, Inverness on Saturday 13 June 2015. Glenurquhart’s route to the final is as follows:
Saturday 28 March 2015 RBS MacTavish Cup – First Round Beauly 0 Glenurquhart 1 2014 RBS MacTavish Cup runners-up Glenurquhart edged out Beauly with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Braeview Park. Beauly were without full back Jamie MacLennan and attacker Sean Stewart. However there was a welcome return for Dougie Blaine who started on the bench. Glenurquhart were still minus the injured Euan Lloyd with Andrew Corrigan also still out for work reasons. However Billy Urquhart was back and he was to make a telling contribution. The strong wind was an influence in this match and Glenurquhart played with it at their backs in the first half. The game’s first real chance fell to Glen’s Neale Reid but he shot past the post. A Lewis MacLennan shot whistled just wide of target whilst Beauly goalie Josh Grant did well to save a Fraser Heath effort with his hand. Billy Urquhart gave his team a 24 minute lead. Urquhart got away from his marker to collect a Neale Reid pass and he crashed the ball over Josh Grant’s shoulder, into the net and this spectacular finish made it 1-0. Beauly had goalie Josh Grant, stand-in full back Ewen Campbell and the more experienced Conor Cormack to thank that the deficit remained at a single goal at half time. Whilst Glenurquhart had most of the first half pressure, the second half was a different story as Beauly now had the elements in their favour. Barrie MacDonald and Marc MacLachlan tested Glen keeper Stuart MacKintosh before Jack MacDonald shot wide of target. Beauly pushed hard for an equaliser with David MacLean joining the attack in the closing stages but despite the best efforts of Conor Ross and Marc MacLachlan, they were unable to take the tie into an extra-time period. Beauly boss Roger Cormack will be concerned that Colin MacDonald sustained a suspected broken hand which could keep him out of action for a number of weeks.
Saturday 18 April 2015 RBS MacTavish Cup – Quarter Finals Glenurquhart 3 Inverness 0 Glenurquhart were 3-0 winners over Inverness in their 3.15pm throw up at Blairbeg. Calum Smith missed out through work commitments but Andrew Corrigan was available to play and Euan Lloyd returned to the squad after a period on the sidelines through injury. Glenurquhart’s Ewan Brady served a one game suspension for a bookings points accumulation. Former Glenurquhart manager Drew McNeil took his Inverness charges back to Blairbeg, where he won a Macaulay Cup as Glenurquhart manager. He was still without Somhairle MacDonald but he did include former Fort William player Davie Duncan. Andrew Corrigan settled home nerves when he gave Glenurquhart a 17 minute lead. Corrigan was first to react when Inverness keeper Adam MacMaster saved from Lewis MacLennan and he slotted the rebound home to make it 1-0. A combination of keeper MacMaster and the frame of the goal kept the Glen at bay until Lewis MacLennan made it 2-0 on 38 minutes. This goal came from another rebound after MacMaster had a gain made the save and the strike made it more comfortable for the Blairbeg side at the break. Glenurquhart continued to press but former Glen player Liam Girvan was a star at full back for Inverness. The third Glen goal on 50 minutes was a classic example of how to turn defence into attack. As the Highland Capital side tried to penetrate the home defence, Glenurquhart won possession and quickly broke forward with Neale Reid rifling the ball into the net with a shot from the right to make it 3-0. Inverness goalie Adam MacMaster made two good saves from Neale Reid shots from distance as the Glen looked to increase their advantage. There could have been an uncomfortable end to the match for the Glen but Inverness spurned two late opportunities. First, Dougie Rankin played a defence-spitting pass which found Davie Duncan in space on the left but he missed his hit. Then Rankin shot goalwards. Home keeper Stuart MacKintosh saved with his legs and Duncan was first to the rebound but he put the ball past MacKintosh’s right post. So Glenurquhart are through to a RBS MacTavish Cup semi-finals where they will play Skye Camanachd or Fort William. However a concern for Glenurquhart co-managers Billy MacLean and Dave Menzies will be an injury to defender Ally MacKintosh who fell awkwardly mid-way through the second half.
Saturday 23 May 2015 RBS MacTavish Cup – Semi Final Skye Camanachd 0 Glenurquhart 2 Glenurquhart will play Newtonmore in the 2015 RBS MacTavish Cup Final after they beat Skye Camanachd 2-0 thanks to two late goals in their semi-final tie at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree. Skye went into the tie without injured pair Shockie MacLennan and Iain Nicolson. The Glen gave Ewan Brady a pre-match fitness test which he failed. However Ally MacKintosh returned from injury to take up a place on the bench. Both sides created chances in the first half with Iain MacLeod in the Skye goal twice saving well whilst Stuart MacKintosh did like-wise for the Glen. Danny Morrison came within a whisker of giving Skye an interval lead but he steered a ball from the right just the wrong side of the post. Ally MacKintosh came on in midfield for an injured Arran MacDonald at half time and as the second half went on, it became clear that the opening goal would be crucial. The break-through came with just 7 minutes remaining as Neale Reid got just ahead of his marker to turn a ball from the right into the net to make it 1-0. Skye tried to force extra-time but the Glen sealed the win with just a minute remaining. Fraser Heath saw his initial shot blocked but he slammed the rebound into the net to make it 2-0. Glenurquhart have now reached their third consecutive RBS MacTavish Cup Final and after two defeats to Lovat, they will now face Newtonmore at the Bught Park on Saturday 13 June 2015.
Admission for the 2015 RBS MacTavish Cup Final is £10 for Adults, £5 Concessions and U12s go free if accompanied by an adult. |