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Crossal & Co Snatch 2017 John MacKinnon Memorial Sixes | |
08 January 2018 Crossal & Co won the fifth John MacKinnon Memorial Sixes which took place at the Portree High School astro pitch on Saturday 6 January 2018.
The Tournament Play began just after 10am on what was a dry but cold day in Portree with six teams taking part. PG Tips 2 Crossal & Co 0 PG Tips took the lead following a good James Pringle run and although his shot was saved by keeper Murphy Henderson, Ross Gordon was on hand to drive the rebound into the net for the tournament’s opening goal. A clean strike from James Pringle made it 2-0 against a Crossal & Co side which included some of last year’s Golden Oldies winning team. Grantie’s Mob 2 North End 0 An early John Gillies effort was saved by North End keeper Ally Morrison (Struan) and the goalie got the ball away under pressure from Jordan Murchison. At the other end, Jamie Gannon saved well from Ruaraidh MacLeod. Grantie’s Mob went in front when Abby MacLean finished off a good passing move and Abby MacLean bagged her second with a fine individual effort and her goals earned Grantie’s team a couple of bonus points. Morrisons & Co 1 Achmore 1 Over 40s player James “Tatties” MacDonald opened the scoring from the throw up with the goal earning Morrison & Co a bonus point. Achmore, who have taken part in all five MacKinnon Sixes tournaments, equalised courtesy of a David Falconer strike which came following a corner. North End 1 PG Tips 1 A turn and shot from Ally MacDonald, following a corner, put North End ahead. However James Pringle squeezed the ball home from a tight angle on the left to ensure a share of the spoils. Grantie’s Mob 1 Morrison’s & Co 0 A blistering John Gillies shot gave keeper Ryan Morrison no chance. The winning margin could have been greater but Ryan Morrison made a terrific save with his body to keep out a Connor Gilpin strike before making another good stop from a low John Gillies shot. Crossal & Co 1 Achmore 0 John MacLean saw a shot saved by Neilie “Ach” MacRae before iain Nicolson’s persistence paid off as he forced home the only goal of the game. North End 1 Morrison’s & Co 0 North End looked to have lost the chance to score following a free-hit in a dangerous area before Ruaraidh MacLeod found enough space to score. Ryan Morrison saved well from Kenny MacLeod to prevent North End doubling their lead. Crossal & Co 2 Grantie’s Mob 2 John Gillies put Grantie’s Mob in front before Jordan Murchison turned Ewen MacKinnon and ran in to make it 2-0. Angie “Borve” MacDonald displayed some great individual skill to juggle the ball by his marker before slotting low into the net to half the deficit. The equalising goal came following a Crossal &Co free-hit. Jamie Gannon made a great save from Scotland U21 player Charlie MacDonald from Inverness but Iain Nicolson nipped in to make it 2-2 in what was the best match of the tournament so far. PG Tips 1 Achmore 1 A James Pringle shot from wide on the left was saved by Achmore keeper Neilie “Ach” MacRae only for Emma Gordon to tap home the rebound, bagging a bonus point into the bargain. A surging run and shot from Martin Pringle was met with a fine Neilie “Ach” MacRae save, with the keeper feeling his hamstring after an earlier dart from his goal line. Achmore grabbed a point when PG Tips keeper Peter Gordon came off his line to halt an attack but his clearance went straight to Duncan Matheson who made it 1-1. North End 0 Crossal & Co 0 The nearest we came to a goal was a smart Ally Morrison (Struan) save from Ross MacKinnon. . Achmore 0 Grantie’s Mob 1 Ian MacPherson, who was a late replacement for a flu-stricken David Grant, set up Abby MacLean, who saw her initial shot was saved by Neilie “Ach” MacRae, before slotting the rebound home. Jamie Gannon did well to keep out a David Falconer effort as Achmore tried for a leveller. PG Tips 0 Morrisons & Co 0 The closest we came to the deadlock being broken was a high Robbie Gordon ball out of defence which was expertly controlled by Emma Gordon and her shot from the right fizzed across the keeper but past the far past. Achmore 1 North End 2 North End threatened first and Ruaraidh MacLeod’s shot was saved by Neilie “Ach” MacRae. Achmore took the lead when David Butcher picked his spot with a confident score. However Ruaraidh MacLeod bundled the ball home for a leveller before he got his second, the game’s winning goal, with a low, hard strike into the net. PG Tips 1 Grantie’s Mob 1 Peter Gordon made a good save on the goal-line to thwart John Gillies. Moments after, Abby MacLean ran in to score, giving Grantie’s Mob the lead and notching another bonus point into the bargain. However Davie Pringle cut through the Grantie’s Mob defence to make it 1-1 at the death. Morrisons & Co 1 Crossal & Co 3 Both teams went into this encounter still in contention for a semi-final spot. John MacLean tucked the ball into the corner of the net from just inside the Morrison & Co half to give Crossal & Co the lead. A superb James “Tattie” MacDonald equaliser, which earned Morrison & Co another bonus point, made it 1-1. Goals from Charlie MacDonald and William MacKinnon gave Crossal & Co a 3-1 victory.
Grantie’s Mob finished top of the pile, four points ahead of PG Tips in second place. Third placed Crossal & Co edged out North End in fourth on goal difference.
Semi-Finals Grantie’s Mob 1 North End 2 Grantie’s Mob were hot favourites in their semi-final meeting with North End. Grantie’s Mob were 2-0 winners when the sides met in the group stages but North End started in determined fashion and they led 1-0 at the break after Ruaraidh MacLeod cut across goal and finished well. North End looked set to double their lead when Jamie Gillies got onto a ball from the left but, as he was about to stroke the ball home, he was wiped out by Connor Gilpin and referee Donnie Martin had no hesitation on pointing to the penalty spot. Despite some Granite’s Mob gamesmanship, Ruaraidh MacLeod held his nerve to make it 2-0 from the spot. For the first time in the tournament, Grantie’s Mob looked in trouble. However they did pull a goal back in fortuitous circumstances when an Ally Morrison (Struan)’s goal-hit went straight to John Gillies and he slammed the ball home but with just 90 seconds remaining. However North End held on to reach the final, knocking-out the favourites in the process. PG Tips 1 Crossal & Co 2 Iain Nicolson passed up an early chance and Peter Gordon saved from Charlie MacDonald as Crossal & Co started well. However it was PG Tips, with Martin Pringle catching the eye in defence, who went in front with a great goal. Peter Gordon lofted the ball forward and the dropping ball was expertly controlled by Emma Gordon who played in her brother Ross Gordon and he sent the ball low into the net to make it 1-0..Crossal & Co levelled when Caitlin MacLean, who played well throughout, broke up an attack and sent the ball forward. The move ended with Charlie MacDonald turning on the right and shooting goalwards. Keeper Peter Gordon thought the ball was going wide but it crept just inside his left post to make it 1-1 at the turnaround. Angie MacDonald got the goal that made the difference with a clinical finish after a good passing move, sending the ball low into the net. There were a couple of late chances with William MacKinnon going close at one end and Emma Gordon doing like-wise at the other but Crossal & Co stayed in front to reach the final.
Third / Fourth Place Play-Off PG Tips 0 Grantie’s Mob 4 Despite being without Abby MacLean and Thomas Wilson, Grantie’s Mob were comfortable 4-0 winners in the third / fourth place play-off. There was a sign of what was to come when a Connor Gilpin shot came back off Peter Gordon’s right post. Grantie’s Mob took the lead when John Gillies stretched to keep the ball in play and his cut-back found Ian MacPherson who made it 1-0. PG Tips responded and Davie Pringle went on a mazy run but his effort rebounded off Jamie Gannon’s right post. Jordan Murchison struck the ball low and hard into the net to make it 2-0 and Ian MacPherson dispossessed Peter Gordon to add a third. Jordan Murchison was next to hit the post whilst Stewart Grant denied Ian MacPherson a hat-trick by clearing the ball off the line. However MacPherson was not to be denied and he produced a great finish to complete his hat-trick and round off the 4-0 win.
Grand Final North End 0 Crossal & Co 2 Several of the Crossal & Co squad were part of last year’s Golden Oldies winning side which perhaps gave them a slight advantage going into the final. Ally Morrison (Struan) blocked a Charlie MacDonald bullet-shot before saving again from MacDonald seconds later. Iain Nicolson opened the scoring when he turned and beat the keeper to make it 1-0. Keeper Murphy Henderson kept Crossal & Co ahead at the break when he saved well from Ruaraidh MacLeod at the expense of a corner. North End fought back at the start of the second half but the Crossal & Co defence, with Caitlin MacLean again outstanding, stayed firm. It was left for Ross MacKinnon to clinch the trophy when he punished a defensive lapse to make it 2-0. It was fitting that two of John MacKinnon’s grandsons would score both goals and captain Murphy Henderson got his hands on the winners’ shield.
The John MacKinnon Memorial Sixes The event remembers Skye Camanachd Vice President John MacKinnon who died following a tragic accident at work in December 2011. John MacKinnon was a regular at Skye Camanachd games both at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree and on the mainland. His son Ewen MacKinnon was the youngest member of the Skye Camanachd side which won the 1990 Camanachd Cup when they beat Newtonmore 4-1 at An Aird, Fort William. The family connection continued with John’s grandson Iain Nicolson playing for the Skye first team whilst his grandson William MacKinnon turned out for the Skye U17s last season. John MacKinnon’s firm Skye Transport was a well-established haulage business and is now part of the Ferguson Transport Group. John was also a generous sponsor of Skye Camanachd and was always on hand to provide advice on many matters.
Player of the Tournaments The four player of the tournament awards, selected by the participating teams, were presented as follows at a special event at the Skye Camanachd Clubhouse afterwards:
Sponsors Following the presentations at the Skye Camanachd Clubhouse, Skye Camanachd Chairman Douglas MacDougall made special thanks to tournament sponsors M2Motors and the Castle Restaurant, Inverness.
Team Line-ups The six participating teams were: PG Tips from: Peter Gordon, Davie Pringle, James Pringle, Martin Pringle, Robbie Gordon, Emma Gordon, Ross Gordon, Stewart Grant Crossal & Co from: Murphy Henderson, Ewen MacKinnon, William MacKinnon, Iain Nicolson, Ross MacKinnon, Caitlin MacLean, Charlie MacDonald, Angie MacDonald, John MacLean Grantie’s Mob from: Jamie Gannon, Ian MacPherson, Jordan Murchison, John Gillies, Connor Gilpin, DJ Gilpin, Thomas Wilson, Abby MacLean Morrisons & Co from: Ryan Morrison, Daniel Morrison, James Morrison, Iain Murray, Sam MacPhee, Holly MacLean, James MacDonald, Iain MacLellan North End from: Ally Morrison (Struan), Jamie Gillies, Christina MacDonald, Allan MacLeod, Ally “Cleodi” MacLeod, John MacLean, Kenny MacLeod, Ally MacDonald Achmore from: Neilie MacRae, David Falconer, Duncan Matheson, Oliver MacRae, David Butcher, WD MacRae, Emily Gordon, Fraser Reid
Tournament Referees – John Angus Gillies & Donnie Martin (The picture of the winning Crossal & Co team comes courtesy of Moreen Pringle) |