Skye Camanachd Ladies 5 Badenoch & Strathspey Ladies 5 | |
08 October 2018 Skye Camanachd were crowned Marine Harvest National Division 1 champions for the third successive season after they drew 5-5 with title challengers Badenoch & Strathspey at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree on Saturday 6 October 2018. This was the final game of the season for both sides and Skye went into the match with a two-point lead courtesy of their 3-1 victory when the sides met at the Dell earlier in the season. They required a point to again finish top of the pile whilst a Badenoch win would force a play-off at Balgate the following Saturday as goal difference isn’t considered. The sides met in the Valerie Fraser Camanachd Cup Final at the Dell in early September with Badenoch running out 4-1 winners. Badenoch & Strathspey Head Coach Scott Campbell and his assistant Iain Robinson named an unchanged starting ten from that day whilst Skye Camanachd Head Coach Robbie Gordon made just one change with Ilana Paterson starting in preference to Jenna Beaton. This 2.30pm throw up was broadcast LIVE online and on radio on Cuillin FM’s Camanachd LIVE show. A good crowd gathered for the match and there was a short delay ahead of throw up when Badenoch keeper Elizabeth MacGregor was hit in the eye by the ball during the warm-up. However the Scotland keeper was able to play as her side made a storming start to the match. Badenoch, playing towards the Viewfield end of the ground, attacked from the throw up and, with less than a minute gone, Kirsty Deans exchanged passes with Zoe Reid before cutting in from the left and tucking the ball low into the net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Badenoch went back on the attack but Skye settled into the match and Sarah Corrigall played in Lorna MacRae for the Islanders’ first chance but she sent the effort past the keeper’s right post. However Sarah Corrigall pulled Skye level on 8 minutes. Caitlin MacLean caused panic in the Badenoch defence after she got away from Jeanette MacGregor and Corrigall forced a rebound home, low into the net, to make it 1-1. Sarah-Jane Ferguson made a good save with her feet from Mairi Stewart’s low shot and the Skye keeper did well to get the ball out for a corner under pressure from Zoe Reid. Badenoch made positional changes with Jeanette MacGregor going to full forward and Kirsty Deans going to full centre whilst Skye replaced Helen Lamond with Katherine Dibble although Lamond later returned to the action. Sarah Corrigall made space to create a shooting chance midway through the first half but her effort went over the top whilst, at the other end, Sarah-Jane Ferguson made a good save with her foot to deny Jeanette MacGregor. The end to end nature of the contest continued with Sarah Corrigall shooting wide soon after. With the rain starting to fall, Deans was becoming increasingly influential and Badenoch took the initiative, scoring two goals in two minutes. They regained the lead on 22 minutes when Jeanette MacGregor played in Zoe Reid and she fired low into the net from the inside right channel. The Badenoch support had hardly finished celebrating when Jeanette MacGregor made it 3-1 just a minute later. A driving Kirsty Deans run created the chance and MacGregor gave the keeper no chance with a fierce drive from left of the penalty spot. Skye needed a goal and Sarah Corrigall got them back on track on 28 minutes. There seemed little danger when Corrigall gathered the ball on the left but she skipped past he marker and ran into the D before finishing confidently. Skye replaced Izzy Law with Jenna Beaton and Lorna MacRae dropped back into midfield. Sarah-Jane Ferguson made a great save with her right hand to parry a Rhona MacIntyre drive from distance and the visitors had to settle for a corner. Keeper Ferguson then got her body behind a powerful Mairi Stewart shot. Badenoch made their first change as Katie Falconer took over in attack from Jeanette MacGregor. With no further scoring at the end of the first 40 minutes, Badenoch took their 3-2 lead into the break. Badenoch made a lively start to the second period and Katie Falconer ran at the Skye defence before shooting over the top. Skye settled though and a Caitlin MacLean ball from wide on the right dipped just over the bar. Sarah-Jane Ferguson was the busier of the two keepers and she turned a Katie Falconer effort from a tight angle away for a corner. The game was being played at a terrific pace and Jeanette MacGregor came back on for Badenoch. A good shot from Mairi Stewart produced another fine Sarah-Jane Ferguson save and Skye’s Helen Lamond limped off before the resulting corner could be taken with Katherine Dibble coming back on. Sarah Corrigall completed her hat-trick to make it 3-3 on 55 minutes. The goal came following a good passing move involving Ilana Paterson, Lorna MacRae and Caitlin MacLean. Skye immediately replaced Jenna Beaton with Abby MacLean. The Badenoch goal survived a scare after a Lorna MacRae run had stretched the visiting defence but they managed to scramble the ball away. Ilana Paterson, who had a good game throughout, came off in preference to Holly MacLean but, just seconds later, Badenoch got themselves back in front when Mairi Stewart’s low shot from the right deceived the Skye keeper and crossed the line to make it 4-3. Badenoch now knew that, if they could stay in front for the remaining 19 minutes, they would force a title play-off. A couple of minutes later, Sarah-Jane Ferguson stretched high to her right, making a brilliant save with her hand to keep out a Mairi Stewart shot as Badenoch went for the kill. Sarah-Jane Ferguson was now standing between Skye falling further behind as she made an astonishing reflex save to turn away a point-blank Kirsty Deans piledriver over the top of the bar with her club and the Badenoch player dropped to her knees in disbelief. There was a heart in the mouth job moment for the Skye support as keeper Ferguson then missed a ball into the D but she was able to turn and sweep the ball away before it crossed the goal line. Elizabeth MacGregor had to come off her line to play the ball out for a corner after Lorna MacRae had run into the D from the middle of the park. Skye keeper Ferguson saved with her feet from Zoe Reid and she got the ball away for a corner before Jeanette MacGregor could profit. Katherine Dibble suffered a knock and again switched places with Helen Lamond. Badenoch were now just 7 minutes away from earning a title play-off. However Skye levelled for a third time on 73 minutes when Caitlin MacLean’s speculative effort from wide on the right ended up in the net, past an unsighted keeper, to make it 4-4. Badenoch went back on the attack and another outstanding Sarah-Jane Ferguson stop saw her use her caman to foil Kirsty Deans whose shot was heading for the roof of the net. Ferguson then made a smart double-save to keep out efforts from Mairi Stewart and Jeanette MacGregor before Helen Lamond cleared the danger and Skye broke forward. Caitlin MacLean played the ball to Abby Maclean and she found Sarah Corrigall who gave Skye breathing space as she scored her fourth goal of the game, after her initial effort had been blocked, to make it 5-4 with 75 minutes played. Skye were now ahead for the first time in the match and there were only 5 minutes remaining. Elizabeth MacGregor then made a double from Sarah Corrigall and then Lorna MacRae as Skye tried to extend their lead. Katie Falconer sent the ball past the post as Badenoch refused to accept defeat. Lorna MacRae, who unusually hadn’t scored in the game, sent a shot just over the top. The game took another twist in the final minute. Sarah-Jane Ferguson saved with her legs from Mairi Stewart and, from the resulting corner on the left, the ball came across to Kirsty Deans at the back of the D and she struck the ball waist-high across the keeper to make it 5-5. Badenoch still needed another goal to force a play-off but there was no time and referee John Matheson’s final whistle sparked joyous celebrations in the Skye camp. John Angus Gillies from sponsors Marine Harvest presented the Marine Harvest National Division 1 trophy to Skye captain Lorna MacRae in front of a delighted Skye support. Skye Camanachd Ladies from: Sarah Jane Ferguson: Christina MacDonald, Helen Lamond, Emma Gordon: Izzy Law, Rhianna Kirk, Ilana Paterson: Caitlin MacLean, Lorna MacRae (captain), Sarah Corrigall: subs Katherine Dibble, Jenna Beaton, Abby MacLean, Holly MacLean Badenoch & Strathspey Ladies from: Elizabeth MacGregor; Jeanette MacGregor, Roma Fraser, Sarah Caird; Rhona MacIntyre, Rona Stewart Megan Ralph; Mairi Stewart (captain), Zoe Reid, Kirsty Deans: subs Katie Falconer, Shannon MacWhirter, Hope Borthwick, Eilidh Ross Match Referee – John Matheson Scorers Skye Camanachd Ladies Sarah Corrigall (8, 28, 55, 75) Caitlin MacLean (73) Badenoch & Strathspey Ladies Kirsty Deans (1, 80) Zoe Reid (22) Jeanette MacGregor (23) Mairi Stewart (61) The match balls were be sponsored by Nor-Dan |