Glenurquhart 2 Skye Camanachd 1 | |
18 April 2016 The Skye Camanachd second team lost 2-1 to the Glenurquhart second team in their Marine Harvest North Division 1 meeting at Blairbeg on Saturday 16 April 2016. Skye were originally scheduled to play Kinlochshiel at Kirkton. However ‘Shiel had been due to travel to Balgownie the previous weekend to play Aberdeen University in the first round of the Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup but that tie was postponed and carried forward a week. Therefore Skye’s meeting with Glenurquhart was brought forward from later in the season. Skye boss Davie Pringle was forced to make eight changes to the squad which beat Glasgow Mid Argyll 3-0 in their Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup first round tie at Yoker a week earlier. He was without Chris MacLennan who returned to the first team and David MacInnes, DJ Gilpin and James Pringle who were also called up by the seniors. Ruaraidh MacLeod was injured and Iain MacLellan, Ross Gordon and Sam MacPhee were missing too. Chris Rose was included for the first time this season whilst there was a place for Iain Nicolson whose work commitments meant he was unable to travel to Portree to play for the first team. There were also places for midfielder Ross Nicolson and Stewart Taylor and Connor Gilpin who started in attack and Jamie Gillies, Martin Pringle and Jack Henderson who filled the substitutes’ bench. With Davie Pringle stepping in to take the Skye Camanachd first team for their RBS MacTavish Cup quarter-final against Newtonmore in John MacLeod’s absence, second team captain David Grant and injured wing centre Thomas Wilson looked after the side. Three of the Glenurquhart squad – James MacPherson, Callum Smith and Cairn Urquhart - were in New York the previous weekend where they played an exhibition match as part of the Tartan Day celebrations. They missed the Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup defeat to Lochside Rovers but they were back for this one. The first half of this 2.30pm throw up ended goalless with both defences dealing with anything that was thrown at them. Skye made a change at the break with Jamie Gillies taking over from Andrew Banks in defence. Skye’s Martin Pringle then came on for Stewart Taylor 10 minutes into the second half. However Pringle’s game was short-lived as he suffered an elbow injury soon after so Taylor was re-introduced to the action. Pringle had to make a trip to Raigmore Hospital but fortunately an x-ray showed no break. It was the home side who went in front on 57 minutes. Skye claimed for a foul on defender Chris Ross but referee John Matheson waved away their appeals and as Cairn Urquhart got his stick to a cross-come-shot, he deflected the ball past a wrong-footed Iain MacLeod in the Skye goal to make it 1-0. Calum Miller scored what proved to be a crucial second on 63 minutes. Skye goalie Iain MacLeod was at full stretch to make a great one-handed save with his caman from a looping shot and Miller was first onto the rebound and he pushed the ball home to make it 2-0. Skye took Jack Henderson on for Stewart Taylor for the closing stages of the match. Skye pulled a goal back 6 minutes from time through Iain Nicolson when he hit a well-struck shot past keeper Cameron MacLennan from a wide position to make it 2-1. Glenurquhart saw out the rest of the game to take both points. This was Glenurquhart’s first league win at the fifth time of asking and it lifts them to sixth spot in the table. Despite the loss, this was a very good performance from the young Skye side who battled away throughout. Connor Gilpin was outstanding from start to finish. Skye remain bottom of the table after four away league fixtures and they now look forward to their first home match of the season against the Beauly second team this coming Saturday. Glenurquhart from: Cameron MacLennan; Paul MacKintosh, Duncan Fraser, Lachlan Smith, Bradley Dickson; Finlay Robertson, Callum Smith, Ross MacAulay; Cairn Urquhart, James MacPherson, Calum Miller, Finlay Ralston; subs Jed Stoddart, Tommy Ellis, Ruaraidh Ralston, Jamie MacLennan Skye Camanachd from: Iain MacLeod; David Grant (captain), Calum Gibb, Andrew Banks, Chris Rose; Ross Nicolson, Iain Nicolson, Neil John Campbell; John Angus MacInnes, Stewart Taylor, Connor Gilpin, Ryan Morrison; subs Jamie Gillies, Martin Pringle, Jack Henderson Match Referee – John Matheson |