The Shinty Round Up – Saturday 5 November 2011 | |
08 November 2011 The Scottish Hydro Premier Division title race took what could turn out to be a significant twist on Saturday 5 November 2011. Scottish Hydro Premier Division Kyles Athletic 3 Inveraray 3 Kyles Athletic switched their home match against Inveraray to Glasgow Mid Argyll’s Yoker pitch as maintenance work is being carried out on their Tighnabruaich ground. Kyles went into the game without the injured Grant Irvine who could be out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Inveraray were the only team to have beaten Kyles Athletic this season when they knocked them out of the Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup. The importance of this game for the Winterton side was emphasised when Russell MacKinlay made a rare away match appearance. The title challengers were stunned when Inveraray ran into a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Garry MacPherson on 14 minutes and Russell MacKinlay on 20 minutes. A Roddy MacDonald goal 5 minutes from the break got Kyles back in the game and a Robbie MacLeod effort on the hour mark made it 2-2. This was Inveraray’s last game of the season and they are fighting for their lives in a bottom of the table relegation battle with Lovat and Oban Camanachd. Inveraray regained the lead on 66 minutes when referee Ted MacDonald awarded them a penalty which Garry MacPherson duly converted. However newly crowned Marine Harvest National Player of the Year Roddy MacDonald hit his second goal of the afternoon on 71 minutes to make it 3-3 and earn his side a share of the points. Inveraray should now be safe in shinty’s top division unless Lovat and Oban Camanachd both beat Kilmallie in their final games, with Oban needing to win by several goals.
Kilmallie 0 Newtonmore 6 Scottish Hydro Premier Division reigning champions Newtonmore ran out 6-0 winners against Kilmallie in their penultimate game of the season. Kilmallie agreed to give up home advantage from a water-logged Canal Parks so the match was switched to the Dell, Kingussie. Kilmallie had Scottish international John Stewart back in their side following his broken thumb. Incredibly Stewart hasn’t missed a Kilmallie first team game since his injury against Kyles Athletic on Saturday 27 August 2011 as the Canal Parks as his side has not been in action since. However he has represented Scotland in the recent shinty / hurling double-header against Ireland. Michael Rodger was suspended and Martin Graham remained on the injury list. An early Glen MacKintosh brace on 6 and 20 minutes put ‘More two up. Marine Harvest National Manager of the Year Norman MacArthur was forced into a change 5 minutes later when defender Fraser MacKintosh had to come off. The big defender had been suffering from a back injured sustained in training and he was replaced by club captain Scott Campbell. Kilmallie had their best spell in the game for a 20 minute period at the start of the second half when they edged control of the centre line. However the Newtonmore defence was in excellent form, superbly marshalled by Scotland captain Norman Campbell, and they were in no mood to give anything away. David Cheyne came on in place of Ackie MacRae on 67 minutes and he seemed to spark the ‘More forward line back to life again. Newtonmore had to wait until 20 minutes from time before they scored the killer third goal when Steven MacDonald slammed the ball past Kevin Toye. Glen MacKintosh was always a threat, lurking around the edge of the D, and he continued his impressive scoring form when he completed his hat-trick to make it 4-0 on 73 minutes. A David Cheyne shot made it 5-0 on 77 minutes as Newtonmore turned the screw. Danny MacRae, who has been struggling to shake off the effects of a virus, scored on the stroke of full-time made it 6-0. The win means Newtonmore and Kyles Athletic are now level on goal difference. It remains to be seen if Newtonmore will rue not scoring one more goal as if two teams are level on points and goal difference at the end of the season, goals scored counts next and Kyles have the advantage here. Indeed Newtonmore would have taken a goal difference advantage over Kyles had it not been for some excellent goal keeping from Kilmallie’s Kevin Toye. Newtonmore now lead Kyles Athletic by a point at the top of the table. The men from the Eilan have played a game more and their final match is against Kyles Athletic. A win for either side will secure the title. A draw will leave Kyles trailing the reigning champions by a point going into their final game against Kingussie so a draw would give them the title on goals scored. The Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup is already in the Newtonmore trophy cabinet as are accolades from the recent Marine Harvest Annual Awards and the men from the Eilan would dearly like to finish the season with their second successive league title. However Kyles Athletic have already won the Artemis Macaulay Cup and the Glasgow Celtic Society Cup and they are just as determined to win their first national title so there is everything to play for when the sides meet on Saturday 19 November 2011. |