There looks to be an exciting finish ahead in Marine Harvest North Division 1 with the season likely to continue until the beginning of October 2010.
Current leaders Lochaber and second place Kilmallie are favourites in the battle for the title and promotion to the Scottish Hydro Premier Division. Both sides still have their fate in their own hands as they are only separated by a single point and have still to meet twice in the league. However they have had two cup meetings with each side winning their home tie.
Lochaber
League leaders Lochaber are currently on 16 points from 10 games played.
Lochaber’s next 3 fixtures are away from home against Kilmallie, Strathglass and Caberfeidh.
They have just 2 home matches remaining including a potentially crucial second league meeting with Kilmallie.
However Lochaber have a 100% home record in the league so far this season with 2 defeats on the road against Kinlochshiel and Skye Camanachd.
Lochaber’s remaining fixtures are as follows;
Home - Strathglass, Kilmallie
Away - Kilmallie, Strathglass, Caberfeidh, Lochcarron
Lochaber can reach a maximum of 28 points if they win all of their remaining games.
Kilmallie
Second place Kilmallie are currently on 15 points from 10 games played.
Kilmallie have 4 of their 6 remaining games at home.
Kilmallie also have a 100% record at home in the league this season. Their dropped points have come on the road with defeats against Kinlochshiel and Lochcarron and a draw with Skye Camanachd.
They have the best goal difference in the league of +34 as opposed to Lochaber’s +26 goals.
Kilmallie’s remaining fixtures are as follows;
Home - Lochaber, Skye Camanachd, Beauly, Caberfeidh
Away - Beauly, Lochaber
Kilmallie can reach a maximum of 27 points if they win all of their remaining games.
Kinlochshiel
Third place Kinlochshiel are currently on 15 points from 12 games played.
Shiel are not completely out of the title race and they will be ready to pounce on any slip up by the top two sides.
Perhaps significantly, all their remaining matches are at home where they have a 100% record this season.
Kinlochshiel’s remaining fixtures are as follows;
Home - Skye Camanachd, Beauly, Strathglass, Lochcarron
Kinlochshiel can reach a maximum of 23 points if they win all of their remaining games.
Lochcarron
Fourth place Lochcarron are currently on 14 points from 11 games played.
Lochcarron are also outsiders in the title race but could go third should they win their game in hand on Kinlochshiel.
However Lochcarron are at home for only 1 of their remaining 5 games.
Whatever happens, this has been an excellent season for the side that finished bottom of the table last year.
Lochcarron’s remaining fixtures are as follows;
Home - Lochaber
Away - Caberfeidh. Inverness. Skye Camanachd, Kinlochshiel
Lochcarron can reach a maximum of 24 points if they win all of their remaining games.
Beauly
Fifth place Beauly are currently on 12 points from 12 games played.
Beauly have a difficult run-in with 3 of their 4 matches away from home. They have also still to play Kilmallie home and away and have a trip to Kinlochshiel ahead of them.
Beauly’s remaining fixtures are as follows;
Home - Kilmallie
Away - Inverness, Kinlochshiel, Kilmallie
Beauly can reach a maximum of 20 points if they win all of their remaining games.
Caberfeidh
Sixth place Caberfeidh are currently on 11 points from 12 games played.
Caberfeidh will face title contenders Lochaber and Kilmallie in their remaining matches but games against west coast sides Lochcarron and Skye Camanachd will provide a better opportunity to pick up points.
Caberfeidh’s remaining fixtures are as follows;
Home - Lochcarron, Lochaber
Away - Skye Camanachd, Kilmallie
Caberfeidh can reach a maximum of 19 points if they win all of their remaining games.
Skye Camanachd
Seventh place Skye Camanachd are currently on 11 points from 11 games played.
The Islanders had aspirations of a top 3 finish this season as happened last year. However they have been dogged by a chronic injury list which has affected their consistency.
Skye Camanachd’s remaining fixtures are as follows;
Home - Lochcarron, Caberfeidh
Away - Kinlochshiel, Kilmallie, Strathglass
Skye Camanachd can reach a maximum of 21 points if they win all of their remaining games.
Inverness
Eighth place Inverness are currently on 7 points from 14 games played.
Inverness have fought hard for their points this season and have a 4 point advantage over bottom side Strathglass. However the Strath still have 2 games in hand on the Town side.
Inverness’ remaining fixtures are as follows;
Home - Beauly, Lochcarron
Inverness can reach a maximum of 11 points if they win all of their remaining games.
Strathglass
Ninth place Strathglass are currently on 3 points from 12 games played.
Strathglass are another side who have suffered terribly from injuries and player unavailability this season.
They have a difficult run-in including home and away matches against Lochaber.
However it is unlikely that there will be relegation from this league this season.
Strathglass’ remaining fixtures are as follows;
Home - Lochaber, Skye Camanachd
Away - Kinlochshiel, Lochaber
Strathglass can reach a maximum of 11 points if they win all of their remaining games.