Skye Camanachd - Camanachd Cup Winners 1990 – Part 3. | |
30 May 2010 Saturday 5 May 1990 Camanachd Cup Second Round Skye Camanachd 3 Kingussie 1 This match was originally scheduled for 24 March 1990 but fell foul to the wet weather that had dogged most of the season. When the game was played, the weather wasn’t that much better but the day found Skye Camanachd in a determined mood. Skye had reason to be confident; this was the third time the teams had met in as many weeks. Kingussie narrowly won the MacTavish Cup Final by 5 goals to 3 and the teams drew one each in a North Division 1 clash in Portree the previous week which would eventually deny Skye their first North Division 1 title by a single goal. Was this to be third time lucky for Skye? Many wondered how Skye would react to the disappointment of the previous week’s draw against Kingussie which almost certainly secured the Badenoch club the league title and the MacTavish Cup defeat the previous week. A large Skye support braved the heavy rain and they engulfed all four sides of the King George V touchline. Kingussie’s Kevin Thain sustained a head knock early in the game after being accidently struck by colleague Davie Anderson and he had to leave the field of play. As Kingussie assessed Thain’s injury – which later required treatment in the Belford Hospital, Fort William - Skye took advantage of the fact that their opponents were a man short. First Calum Murchison crashed a shot off the post with Kingussie keeper Ian Anderson beaten. Then he set up John MacRae and to the delight of the large crowd; he expertly finished to give Skye the lead. Thain was eventually replaced by Dallas Young a full 11 minutes later. The torrential rain made the conditions under-foot very difficult but it was Skye who adapted better. Perhaps significantly, when the half time whistle blew, the Kingussie players sought refuge in the changing rooms whilst the Skye players braved the elements and gathered in the centre circle to hear instruction from manager Ross Cowie. Calum Murchison, who had missed the two previous encounters against Kingussie because of work commitments, was revelling in the conditions and after 54 minutes he hit a wonderful 30 yard shot to double Skye’s lead. The cheer from the Skye support must have echoed all around Portree. However cup holder Kingussie were not going to give up without a fight and they pressured the Skye goal for the next 25 minutes. Both keeper MacKenzie and full back Duncan MacDougall were in tremendous form and they stood up to the challenge until 10 minutes from the end when Dallas Young pulled a goal back. A nervy period for the Skye support ensued but the Islanders were not to be denied as Skye held on and in the final minute, Calum Murchison sent the rain soaked crowd wild once again when he found the back of the net to seal a famous victory. Skye were through to the semi finals and the headline on John Willie Campbell’s radio report that evening screamed, “Kingussie are out of the Camanachd Cup!” The fixtures backlog was such that the Camanachd Cup semi final was scheduled for the following Saturday at the Bught Park, Inverness. And it wasn’t to get any easier as after seeing off Kingussie, Skye were now to face Fort William. Could the semi final beat this game for excitement? The answer turned out to be, “Oh yes!” Skye received a further boost when play-maker Willie Cowie was named the first Marine Harvest National Player of the Year. The 28 year old was enjoying a very productive season and was a main player in the team’s most successful season ever. He was presented with the award by renound journalist Hugh MacIlvanney. |