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Skye Camanachd 5 Ballachulish 0 | |
04 November 2014 Skye Camanachd will play Marine Harvest National Division shinty next season after they beat Ballachulish 5-0 in their play-off match at Blairbeg on Saturday 1 November 2014. This 1.30pm throw up eventually brought together the Marine Harvest North & South Division 1 champions to decide who would win promotion to the Marine Harvest National Division. The game was originally to take place on Saturday 27 September 2014 but Ballachulish objected to the scheduling. The Camanachd Association did not accept their reasoning but did agree to delay the game until the end on the season because of a technicality which meant sides could be docked points for not fulfilling fixtures. Both teams were forced to make changes in goal with Iain MacLeod coming in for the injured Jamie Gannon between the sticks for Skye. Cameron Sutherland replaced the suspended David MacPhee for Balla’. Skye were otherwise at full strength with Steven Morrison recovering from a knock picked up with the Scotland squad. Ballachulish were without Scott Rodger who sustained a broken thumb in the closing minutes of the friendly meeting with Fort William a fortnight earlier. Darren Sutherland and Grant MacKenzie were also missing from their Balliemore Cup Final squad. Ballachulish’s day got off to a bad start when they arrived at Blairbeg with their strips still in the Jubilee Park Clubhouse. They made hasty arrangements to play in Glenurquhart’s strips. The rain which had affected large parts of the Highlands had stopped and the sides took the field on a crisp November day. Conditions were slightly greasy underfoot but Glenurquhart groundsman George Stewart had the pitch in terrific condition for the time of year and he put in several hours hard graft clearing the surface of the autumn leaves. Balla’ were shooting towards the “shop end” of the ground in the first half and they got the first shot at goal in the opening minute when David Grant collected a John MacDonald free-hit and played in top scorer Lorne Brown but his effort went well wide Iain MacLeod’s right post. Will Cowie conjured up Skye’s first shot when he put the ball just past the junction between post and bar on 4 minutes after lead up play from Iain Murray. Balla’ keeper Cameron Sutherland did well to save with his feet and clear the ball following a Danny Morrison effort on 6 minutes as Skye applied some good pressure. Skye came close to breaking the deadlock on 8 minutes. Steven Morrison set a long ball out of defence which found his brother Danny Morrison on the Skye right. Morrison fed the on-running Will Cowie who played the ball first time to Jordan Murchison but young Balla’ keeper Cameron Sutherland did well again as he came off his line to close down the angle and block Murchison’s effort. A goalmouth scramble followed but Ballachulish survived. Skye broke the deadlock on 13 minutes. Iain Murray won possession in midfield and played the ball to Jordan Murchison. Murchison spotted Allan MacKinnon in space on the Skye right. MacKinnon steadied himself before drilling the ball in on goal. His shot was saved with his feet by Cameron Sutherland but Shockie MacLennan and Danny Morrison prevented the Balla’ defence from clearing their lines and the ball broke to Jordan Murchison who shot low, past keeper Sutherland’s left foot, into the net to make it 1-0. Cameron Sutherland was by far the busier of the two keepers and he saved a Will Cowie shot from distance on 18 minutes and swept the ball away before Shockie MacLennan could reach the rebound. At the other end, Iain MacLeod came confidently off his line a minute later to clear a Donald Wilson shy from the right and he put the ball out for Balla’s first corner of the afternoon. Lorne Brown forced a second corner and Skye found themselves with some defending to do and Ally MacDonald made a timely clearance from the edge of the D after Lorne Brown had taken down a Scott Henderson ball. Skye went back on the attack and a Jordan Murchison shot fizzed in on the goal on 21 minutes but Cameron Sutherland saved and cleared the ball for a corner. Ballachulish thought they had a free-hit in an attacking position a minute later but the decision went Skye’s way. With Ball’ pushing up the field, Skye broke forward and Jordan Murchison, Will Cowie and Danny Morrison all combined but Cain MacPhee was able to clear the danger. Cameron Sutherland saved another Jordan Murchison effort at his left post on 23 minutes. Skye’s Steven Morrison was booked after another tussle with David Campbell but Balla’ were unable to make the set-piece opportunity count. Skye doubled their advantage on 28 minutes. Will Cowie won the ball from John MacDonald as the Scotland international tried to clear. Cowie found Danny Morrison and Shockie MacLennan came deep to collect Morrison’s pass. With his back to goal, and Alan Clark marking him, MacLennan made just half a yard of space before turning and sent a glorious back-hand drive across the keeper into the corner of the net to make it 2-0. Skye were on a high and they went 3-0 in front within 20 seconds of the restart. Allan MacKinnon won possession following the restart and some neat one-touch passing involving Jordan Murchison and Shockie MacLennan, who had moved out to the left, saw MacLennan flick the ball back infield to Murchison and he held off Cain MacPhee’s challenge before laying the ball off to Danny Morrison and, on his left side, Morrison crashed the ball into the top corner of the net and the Islanders had one foot in the Marine Harvest National Division. A scuffle in the Ballachulish goal area ahead on a Skye corner on 33 minutes saw referee Evan MacRae speak to both Shockie MacLennan and Michael Slezas. A minute later Shockie MacLennan was replaced by Kenny Campbell as Skye manager John MacLeod made the first change of the afternoon. A Jordan Murchison shot rose just over the bar on 35 minutes after he was played in by Will Cowie. The match threatened to boil over on 39 minutes. Skye were defending a spell of Ballachulish pressure when Will Cowie was hit off the ball in the midfield area. The Skye players were incensed with Balla’s Elliot Wilson the main subject of their anger. Referee Evan MacRae was unsighted and he consulted with a goal judge and linesman but as unable to act as no one had witnessed the incident. Cowie required treatment from Skye medics Dr Wilson Banks and Helen Gilpin and after a delay of three and half minutes, he was able to continue. With 30 seconds of the first half remaining, Will Cowie showed super control to take down an Iain Murray pass after Gilleasbuig MacDonald had won possession but Cowie’s effort went just past the keeper’s left post. Referee Evan MacRae brought the first half to a close after allowing a minute’s stoppage time with Skye on the attack and the Islanders took their 3-0 lead into the break. Skye stayed on the pitch during the half time break with Ballachulish heading for the changing rooms. Balla’ took Andrew MacDonald on in place of Duncan MacDonald at the interval and he found David Campbell with the first attack of the second half. Campbell’s ball, from a tight angle on the right, went right across the face of the Skye goal with none of his teammates able to apply a finishing touch. Skye went on the attack and Jordan Murchison found Will Cowie. His shot was blocked and Balla’ eventually cleared the danger following a goalmouth scramble. Another good save from Cameron Sutherland denied Jordan Murchison on 55 minutes. A 30 yard Gilleasbuig MacDonald shot from the left went just wide of goal a couple of minutes later. Will Cowie grabbed a deserved goal on 58 minutes when a superb passing move cut open the Balla’ defence. Will Cowie picked up possession in midfield and he played the ball short to Allan McKinnon. Skye pushed forward with MacKinnon passing to Kenny Campbell whose deft touch released Cowie and he dribbled the ball goalwards before slipping it past the advancing Cameron Sutherland into the net; taking a knock to the leg in the process. Both teams made changes with Shockie MacLennan returning to the field in place of Will Cowie in attack for Skye and Balla’s Duncan MacDonald coming back on for Elliot Wilson in midfield. Jordan Murchison got his second goal from the penalty spot when he put the ball high into the net with 61 minutes played. Referee Evan MacRae awarded the spot-hit when goal judge Billy MacLeod flagged for an infringement after an Iain Murray played ball into the goal area and Jordan Murchison and Kenny Campbell played a one-two before the foul with Balla’ defender Cain MacPhee booked for his part. Mark Wilson came on in defence for Michael Slezas for Ballachulish. Balla’ were finding Skye’s one-touch shinty difficult to defend and with 64 minutes played, Kenny Campbell turned a long ball from Gilleasbuig MacDonald into the path of Jordan Murchison who found Danny Morrison and his shot went just wide of target. Skye’s Kenny Campbell became the second player to be booked as he closed down an attempted clearance on 69 minutes with the Skye player protesting his innocence. Skye introduced Kenny MacLeod in place of Chris Rose on 74 minutes with Shockie MacLennan dropping back into defence and MacLeod going to full forward. Ally “Spod” MacLeod came on in attack when Kenny Campbell had to leave the field for treatment to a head cut. Balla’s John MacDonald collected a yellow car for persistent fouling. The game was effectively over and play continued in a similar vein until Evan MacRae’s final whistle. Iain Murray was magnificent in midfield for Skye and he and wing centres – the energetic Allan MacKinnon and the powerful Gilleasbuig MacDonald - dominated the centre line which allowed plenty ball for the Skye forwards. Ballachulish had keeper Cameron Sutherland to thank for some fine saves whilst John MacDonald was always in the thick of the action. The win ensures Skye first team finish a very good season ended on a high note. The victory over Ballachulish gives them promotion to next season’s the Marine Harvest National Division but Skye can also reflect on the Marine Harvest North Division 1 title, the Balliemore Cup, and runners up in the Co-operative MacTavish Plate competition. Skye Camanachd from: Iain MacLeod; Steven Morrison, Neil MacVicar, Ally MacDonald, Chris Rose; Allan MacKinnon, Iain Murray, Gilleasbuig MacDonald (captain); Will Cowie, Danny Morrison, Jordan Murchison, Shockie MacLennan; subs Kenny Campbell, Kenny MacLeod, Ally “Spod” MacLeod, David Grant, John MacKenzie Ballachulish from: Cameron Sutherland: Alan Clark, Cain MacPhee, Michael Slezas, John MacDonald; David Wilson, Elliot Wilson, Duncan MacDonald; Scott Henderson, David Grant, Lorne Brown, David Campbell; subs Andrew MacDonald, Mark Wilson, Glen Campbell, Jack MacLean, Craig McLauchlan Match Referee – Evan MacRae Goal Judges – Robert Morrison, Billy MacLeod Linesmen – George Stewart, Ron Fraser
(Picture courtesy of Iain Cochrane) |