Memory Lane – Season 1989 / 90 – Part 33 | |
21 December 2010 North Division 1 Skye Camanachd 6 Beauly 0 Skye Camanachd rounded off their league campaign with a 6-0 win over Beauly at the King George V Park, Portree. Kingussie had already clinched the title whilst Skye had a Camanachd Cup Final against Newtonmore the following weekend to look forward to. Skye’s start was a bit flat and it seemed that their thoughts had already turned to the following weekend. However Beauly rarely threatened and they only managed one shot on target during the whole game. It took Skye until midway through the first half to create the first real opening of the game. Captain Caley MacLean went on a surging run beating four Beauly players before setting up Peter Gordon whose shot cannoned back off the post. Andy MacLean also sent a good strike just past the post whilst Willie MacKinnon also went close. The closest Beauly came was a Ewen MacColl shot which went just wide narrowly wide of target. Skye took the lead on 38 minutes. Willie MacKinnon cleverly scooped a free hit from the right across goal to Willie Cowie on the edge to the D and he buried the ball into the back of the net. Beauly suffered another blow when full back Davie Symon took his protests to referee Sandy Skinner too far and he was ordered off. Skye Camanachd manager Ross Cowie seemed to revitalise this troops at the break and it was a transformed Island team which took the field at the start of the second half. A brilliant solo run and finish from Willie MacKinnon made it 2-0 on 48 minutes and he was showing himself to be a player on form. A classy Willie Cowie backhand drive from a Peter Gordon free hit made it 3-0 on 57 minutes. Peter Gordon made it 4-0 on the hour mark when he sent a blistering 30 yard drive into the Beauly net. Skye took Davie Pringle and John Angus Gillies on in place of Andy MacLean and John MacRae. John Angus Gillies was involved in the action straight away and he put a super 35 yard drive just past the post. A crisp Peter Gordon drive rose just over the crossbar as Skye looked to increase their lead. Another Gordon shot from distance on 77 minutes took a wicked bounce in front of Beauly keeper Gary MacDonald and flew into the net to make it 5-0. It was turning into an eventful afternoon for Gordon who was booked for taking his protests to referee Sandy Skinner too far. Gordon appeared not to realise that the decision had actually gone in his favour. A low Davie Pringle drive from the right made it 6-0 on 87 minutes. Beauly needed to win to avoid playing in the following seasons Camanachd Cup Qualifying Competition and their defeat benefited Newtonmore who picked up the automatic spot. Beauly faced a Skye onslaught a man short in the second half but keeper MacDonald and Roger Cormack, Ian MacLean, James Cruickshank and Alan Bain all served them well. Skye were good to watch in the second period and they certainly made the most of their one man advantage. However they were also well aware that they would have to be on the top of their game for the full 90 minutes in the Camanachd Cup Final against Newtonmore which was only 7 days away. Skye finished the season in second place in North Division 1, a single point behind champions Kingussie. It was an incredibly tight campaign in which one more goal against Kingussie in Portree would have secured the title and a defeat to Lovat at Balgate proved extremely costly. |