Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup Final – Lovat 4 Glenurquhart 1. | |
03 August 2010 Lovat beat Glenurquhart 4-1 to win the Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup Final at the Eilan, Newtonmore on Saturday 31 July 2010. Lovat took the lead within seconds of the throw up – 17 seconds to be precise. The ball was played wide to Greg Matheson on the Lovat left. Matheson – who was an unused substitute in the Lovat first team’s draw with Kingussie earlier in the day – fired on target and his shot was blocked with his legs by Glenurquhart keeper Gary MacKintosh only for Lovat’s Lewis Tawse burst forward to tuck the rebound into the net. The remainder of the half belonged in the main to Glenurquhart. They had a series of shots at the Lovat goal and those that were on target found Balgate keeper Chris MacCallum in sparkling form. He pulled off a series of fine saves which would eventually earn him the BBC ALBA man of the match award. If the Glen could have converted even some of their chances, they would have been out of sight by the interval. Just when it looked as if Lovat were going to survive until the break, some invention from the impressive Ruaraidh Cameron created an opportunity for youngster Kelvin MacKenzie and he beat MacCallum to make it 1-1 at the break. Glenurquhart buckshee forward Ruaraidh Cameron had only just passed a fitness test to play in the final but he was clearly becoming more and more troubled by his hamstring problem as the half wore on and he was replaced at the break. Glenurquhart missed Cameron’s creativity and another significant move at the break saw Lovat managers Allan MacRae and James White push buckshee back Alan MacPherson on to full centre and he nullified Glenurquhart’s physical presence in the middle of the park and went on to have a very good final. Lovat surged forward and Greg Matheson gave them the lead on 52 minutes when he scored from a tight angle on the left. Just 4 minutes later, Lovat extended their lead when Jimmy MacKenzie cleverly created a chance for Jamie Matheson who beat keeper MacKintosh to make it 3-1. Lovat sealed victory in 77 minutes in controversial circumstances when Greg Matheson claimed to have knocked the ball over the line. As the youngster turned away in celebration, Goal Judge Laurie Kudos awarded the goal although the benefit of television replays showed the ball had not crossed the line. Fortunately the decision did not seem to make a significant difference to the outcome. Lovat were well served by keeper Chris MacCallum and Alan MacPherson, especially in midfield. They must also be pleased with the performance of 15 year old wing back Michael MacKenzie who played very well. Greg Matheson was his usual threat in attack. The Glen will be left to plot revenge for when the same sides meet in the Strathdearn Cup Final. They undoubtedly missed playmaker Ruaraidh Cameron and they were caught out in defence a couple of times during the game which is unlike them. Lovat captain Jimmy MacKenzie was presented with the Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup by Harvey Aberdein from Aberdein Considine. |