The Shinty Round Up – Saturday 29 March 2014 | |
30 March 2014 A mixture of regional cup ties and league matches took place in an almost full shinty programme on Saturday 29 March 2014.
The MacTavish Cup – First Round Lovat 11 Boleskine 0 As far as David versus Goliath cup ties go, the meeting between MacTavish Cup holders Lovat and Boleskine at Balgate was up there with the best of them. The home side sit proudly at the top of the Orion Group Premiership whilst Boleskine play in Marine Harvest North Division 2 – a full three leagues below. Lovat had Lorne MacKay free of suspension after he had served his two match ban. Boleskine’s Mathew Ross served a one match ban for a points accumulation. Kevin Bartlett opened the scoring on 9 minutes and Jamie Matheson made it 2-0 on 23 minutes. Kevin Bartlett got his second and Lovat’s third a minute later before Lorne MacKay made it 4-0 on 36 minutes. Greg Matheson scored Lovat’s fifth whilst Kevin Bartlett completed his hat-trick on the stroke of half time to make it 6-0 at the break. Greg Matheson got his second on 51 minutes whilst Lorne MacKay did like-wise just 3 minutes later to make it 8-0. Greg Matheson completed his hat-trick on 68 minutes whilst two goals on the last two minutes from Jamie Matheson – his second – and Owen Ferguson, competed the 11-0 triumph.
Skye Camanachd 0 Glenurquhart 1 (after extra time) It took extra time to separate Skye Camanachd and Glenurquhart at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree. The Islanders might sit a couple of leagues below their opponents but they made the Orion Group Premiership side fight all the way for their one goal victory. Skye Camanachd manager John MacLeod was without Neil MacVicar who was working whilst Jordan Murchison was a late call-off for the same reason so Paul MacKinnon was called up from the second team. Glen co-managers Billy MacLean and Dave Menzies were without the injured Andrew Corrigan and David Smart whilst David MacLennan and Euan Lloyd also missed out. There was a start for former Boleskine player Raymond Robertson in attack. Glenurquhart had the best of the first half without really troubling Skye keeper Jamie Gannon. However the home custodian made a great save with his hand from Ally MacKintosh in the second period and he also denied Neale Reid and Ewan Brady. At the other end, a Kenny MacLeod snap-shot went wide of target. With neither side able to make the breakthrough, referee Deek Cameron took the game into an extra-time period. Glenurquhart had introduced James MacPherson in the latter stages of the second half. The former Lovat player had started on the bench as he was troubled with a hamstring injury. And it was MacPherson who made the difference 3 minutes into extra time when he got on the end of a superb Lewis MacLennan flick to steer the ball past the out-rushing Jamie Gannon to make it 1-0. The goal came at a price though as MacPherson pulled his hamstring in the act of scoring and he had to leave the field. Two late David Grant free-hits from his own half landed in the danger area and troubled the Glen defence but they saw off the threat to book their place in the next round. Steven Morrison was superb in defence for Skye whilst Ally MacKintosh in the middle of the park was the pick of the Glenurquhart players.
Fort William 1 Kingussie 2 (after extra time) The tie of the round was probably the meeting between Fort William and Kingussie at An Aird. Fort William were without the services of Gary Innes and Duncan Rodgers and the tie came too soon for the injured Liam McIntyre. Defender Garry Munro was ruled out for the Kings because of a hamstring problem. This was a tight encounter and whilst Kingussie created most of the chances, Fort William were always dangerous and they punished Kingussie’s misses in front of goal when Arran MacPhee put them ahead after 65 minutes. Kingussie co-managers Russell Jones and Davie Anderson immediately pushed Louis Munro into attack and the move paid dividends when he levelled on 70 minutes with a shot from 25 yards. With no further scoring, referee Billy Wotherspoon took the game into an extra-time period. The pattern of play continued in the same vein and the winning goal came on 108 minutes when Lee Bain found Thomas Borthwick at the edge of the D with a cross-field pass and Borthwick turned inside his man before firing home on his backhand. Steven Stewart at buckshee back was excellent for Fort William and youngsters Darren Hanlon and Rory MacKeachan were outstanding for Kingussie whilst another youth player, James Falconer, played for an hour for the Kings.
Newtonmore 3 Strathglass 0 Newtonmore were favourites against Strathglass and ran out 3-0 winners at the Eilan. The visitors, who play two leagues below the Orion Premiership Group champions in Marine Harvest North Division 1, were without Raymond Fraser who started a two match ban for his ending off against the Newtonmore second team a fortnight ago. Danny MacRae was still missing for the home side but Steven MacDonald was free of suspension. Things looked ominous for Strathglass when Paul MacArthur gave Newtonmore a 4 minute lead. Some terrific goalkeeping from Stevie MacLachlan kept Strathglass in contention and Newtonmore didn’t double their lead until 65 minutes when Calum Stewart netted. Glen MacKintosh put gloss on the win with a goal 4 minutes from time. The Strathglass defence were superb throughout and Callum Duff’s side will take a lot of positives from this game.
Kilmallie 4 Inverness 2 Kilmallie survived a scare before sealing a place in the second round with a 4-2 win over Inverness at the Canal Parks. Kilmallie were minus Michael Rodger who served a one match ban for a points accumulation whilst manager Duncan Kelly also missed the game. Inverness are still without the injured Zander Grant. Liam MacDonald opened the scoring to give Kilmallie a 6 minutes lead. Referee John MacGregor awarded Inverness a penalty on 10 minutes and Liam Girvan stepped up to convert from the spot. Inverness shocked their hosts when Dougie Rankin put them 2-1 in front on 23 minutes. It took until the 63 minute for Kilmallie to draw level through Ryan Stewart and Liam MacDonald proved to be the difference as he went on to complete his hat-trick with goals on 72 and 82 minutes to make it 4-2.
Lochaber 1 Beauly 3 On a day of few surprises in the RBS MacTavish Cup, Marine Harvest National Division side Beauly took an Orion Group Premiership scalp when they beat Lochaber 3-1 at Spean Bridge. Lochaber had Zandz Ferguson and Brennan MacDonald free of suspension after they both missed the league defeat to Lovat a fortnight ago. However keeper Calum MacDonald was missing. Beauly started with David Neilson at full back and Scott MacLeod – who was back after injury – at buckshee back. This allowed Conor Cormack to move to full centre and David MacLean to full forward. Youngster Sandy Elrick earned a call up to the bench after some fine performances for the Beauly second team. Beauly had the early possession but it was the home side who went in front thanks to a Zandz Ferguson snap-shot from the edge of the D. Beauly levelled on 29 minutes when David MacLean slipped a pass to Ross Forbes who tucked the ball home. The visitors went in front just 2 minutes later and this time Ross Forbes was the provider for David MacLean to score. Lochaber pushed Shaun Nicolson to full forward in a bid to restore parity but it was Beauly who extended their lead on 68 minutes when Barrie MacDonald lost his marker and he stroked the ball into the net to make it 3-1. A late scuffle saw Conor Cormack and Stuart Callison sent off by referee David Stafford. Shaun Nicolson was Lochaber’s main threat whilst David Neilson played well at the back for the Braeview Park men. Beauly’s reward is a second round tie against Newtonmore.
Lochcarron 0 Caberfeidh 5 Marine Harvest North Division 2 side Lochcarron were hit with a five goal blitz in only twelve minutes as they lost out to Marine Harvest National Division side Caberfeidh at Battery Park. Lee Nicol put Cabers ahead after 22 minutes and Martin MacDonald made it 2-0 a minutes later. Liam Symonds added a third on 26 minutes whilst Ally MacLennan added his name to the scoresheet a couple of minutes after. Blair Morrison ended the match as a contest when he made it 5-0 on 33 minutes. Lochcarron rallied but Caberfeidh saw out the rest of the game for a comfortable win.
The Glasgow Celtic Society Cup – First Round Kilmory 4 Ballachulish 1 Kilmory’s good start to the season continued as they beat Ballachulish 4-2 at MacRae Park. John MacDonald remained suspended for Ballachulish whilst Angus Thorburn was available following suspension for Aberdour. Alistair MacArthur gave Kilmory an 18 minute lead. Craig Taylor made it 2-0 on the stroke of half time. Alistair MacArthur got his second 5 minutes into the half and Craig Taylor also bagged a second on 61 minutes to ease Kilmory into the next round. Balla’ grabbed a consolation goal through Scott Henderson on 71 minutes.
Strachur 1 Glenorchy 3 Glenorchy beat Strachur 3-1 at Strachurmore. The visitors raced into an early lead with goals from Finlay Ross after 7 minutes and Duncan Smith on 13 minutes. Iain Wilson gave Strachur hope when he pulled a goal back after 55 minutes but Grant MacPherson confirmed Glenorchy’s place in the next round when he converted a penalty awarded by referee David Mitchell a couple of minutes from time.
Oban Celtic 2 Bute 1 Oban Celtic from Marine Harvest South Division 1 recorded a fine 2-1 home win over Bute from the Marine Harvest National Division. Bute’s James Craig missed out as he served a one match ban carried forward from the end of last season. There were no goals in a tense first half but the home side went ahead on 57 minutes through David Hill. Alan Duffy made it 2-0 on the hour mark. Chris Lawrence set up a grand-stand finish when he pulled a goal back for the Islanders 5 minutes from time but Oban Celtic held their advantage through the closing stages of the game.
Taynuilt 3 Aberdour 2 Taynuilt beat Aberdour by the odd goal in five at the Playing Fields. Willie Gillies looked to have given the home side an interval lead when he netted on 43 minutes only for Kevin McKell to level just sixty seconds later. Duncan Gillies put Tayforth back in front on 52 minutes and it stayed that way until 8 minutes from time when Kevin McKell’s second goal looked to have rescued his side a point. However Willie Gillies got his second to put Taynuilt into the next round.
Orion Group Premiership Kinlochshiel 4 Inveraray 0 Both Kinlochshiel and Inveraray were given byes in their respective regional cup competitions so their league encounter, which was originally scheduled for the second Saturday of the shinty season, was rescheduled for this weekend. Both sides were still to get off the mark in terms of collecting points so this was a crucial encounter. Finlay MacRae delighted the home support by notching the opening goal after just 10 minutes when he knocked the ball past Inveraray keeper Graham MacPherson following a rebound. Jordan Fraser made it 2-0 with the pick of the afternoon’s goals on 33 minutes. A long hit from Mark MacDonald was knocked down first time by full forward Keith MacRae and Jordan Fraser rushed in to sweep the ball into the net. Finlay MacRae got his second 5 minutes before the break with a long range drive from the buckshee forward position to make it 3-0. Inveraray have found goals hard to come by this season and it was ‘Shiel who extended their advantage when Keith MacRae made it 4-0 on 75 minutes. John MacRae played the ball in to the danger area and an Inveraray defender missed it which allowed Keith MacRae to take the ball down and tap it into the net almost from almost the goal line. Kinlochshiel manager Colin Fraser has challenged his team to pick up points at home this season and they got off to a good start with both points from their first home encounter.
Marine Harvest South Division 1 Lochside Rovers 1 Kyles Athletic 1 Lochside Rovers and Kyles Athletic shared the points in Oban. Brian MacCallum put Lochside ahead on 67 minutes but Thomas Whyte evened things up when he netted 5 minutes from time.
Marine Harvest North Division 2 Fort William 3 Lochaber 1 The Fort William and Lochaber second teams had a noon derby at An Aird. After a goalless first half, Gregor Cameron put Fort William ahead just 3 minutes after the restart. However they held that advantage for just a couple of minutes before Martin Patterson levelled for Lochaber. Peter Wood put the Fort back in front on 74 minutes and Sean Cameron fired home on 80 minutes to make it 3-1 to give the Fort their first league win in their second league outing.
Aberdeen University 1 Kinlochshiel 1 The meeting between Aberdeen University and Kinlochshiel Balgownie was rearranged for this weekend. The match was originally scheduled for last Saturday but the west coast side were unable to raise a team. Aberdeen University player / manager Jamie Beaton put his side ahead after just 4 minutes. Duncan Newton Grant restored parity after 29 minutes and that’s the way it stayed so the sides shared the points.
Glengarry 1 Skye Camanachd 0 With the Aberdeen University match against Kinlochshiel rescheduled, this allowed Glengarry, who were originally due to play the Students, to host Skye Camanachd in a match which had been postponed on the opening day of the season because of an unplayable pitch. The influential Daniel MacLennan missed out for Glengarry as he served a one match ban for a points accumulation. Skye were without Shaun Hedley, Ally “Viewfield” MacLeod and Raymond Gillies. The only goal of the game came after just 8 minutes when David Noble put the ball past Skye stand-in keeper Iain “Spod” MacLeod.
Marine Harvest South Division 2 Tayforth 1 Inveraray 1 Tayforth and Inveraray shared the points following a 1-1 draw at Musselburgh. Inveraray started well but Tayforth came back into the game although neither side were able to break the deadlock in the first half. Jamie MacDonald put the home side ahead following a goalmouth scramble. However Kieran Kirkhope replied for the visitors who were grateful for some fine goalkeeping from young Scott MacLauchlan who stood between Tayforth and both points. This was Tayforth’s first dropped point of the season but they stay out in front at the top of the table.
Col Glen 16 Aberdour 0 Second place Col Glen were too strong for bottom side Aberdour as they rattled in sixteen goals at Glendaruel. Neil McKirdy, who recently signed from Bute, and Andrew MacVicar scored five times each. Hamish MacLean bagged a brace, whilst a Stuart MacKellar hat-trick and a Jamie MacVicar goal completed the scoring.
Ballachulish 1 Glasgow Mid Argyll 3 Ballachulish went down 3-1 to Glasgow Mid Argyll at Jubilee Park. Scott Anderson put GMA ahead after 20 minutes but Lewis Bryson levelled on the half hour mark. However Neil Beaton struck twice on 52 and 88 minutes as the visitors took the points.
Glenorchy P Bute P The match between the Glenorchy and Bute reserve sides at Dalmally was postponed as the Islanders were unable to raise a team.
Marine Harvest North Division 3 Caberfeidh 2 Lewis Camanachd 1 Caberfeidh edged out Lewis Camanachd in their 1.30pm throw up at Castle Leod. Callum MacCulloch gave Cabers the lead just a couple of minutes before the break. Scott MacPhail made it 2-0 on the hour mark and although former Lochcarron player and manager Kenny Murray pulled a goal back on 74 minutes but Cabers staying in front to take the points in what was a competitive encounter. Cabers top the table with six points from their three games.
Lochbroom 2 Kilmallie 1 Lochbroom beat Kilmallie 2-1 at Inverlael. Sandy Urquhart and Paddy Wilson were on target for the home side with Ross MacKenzie scoring for the visitors. Lochbroom are in second place, a point behind leaders Caberfeidh.
Inverness 0 Strathspey Camanachd 2 Strathspey Camanachd go third as they followed up their win over Lewis Camanachd last weekend with a 2-0 victory over Inverness at the Bught Park. There were no goals in the first half but Andy Hay put the visitors ahead after 54 minutes. Steven Shand was excellent for the visitors and Andy Hay got his and his sides second on 77 minutes to clinch a 2-0 win.
(This round up will be updated as more information becomes available) |