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Skye Camanachd Ladies Clinch Marine Harvest North Division 2 Title - Skye Camanachd Ladies 4 Lochaber Ladies 2 | |
21 October 2013 Skye Camanachd Ladies clinched the WCA Marine Harvest North Division 2 title with thrilling a 4-2 play-off win over Lochaber Ladies at Kirkton on Saturday 19 October 2013. This 2pm throw up was to decide the WCA Marine Harvest North Division 2 title after the sides finished level on points at the top of the table. Both teams had gone through the league campaign unbeaten with the exception of away defeats to eachother. Skye ran out 2-1 winners when the sides met at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree but a 6-2 success at Spean saw Lochaber cut that two point advantage. Skye Camanachd Head Coach Sarah Corrigall was without North U18 captain Ilana Paterson who was unavailable for the game and the injured Katie Lamond also missed out. However Catriona Gibb and Caitlin MacLean returned for this 10-a-side match after missing the win over Strathglass in the team’s last outing. Lochaber had Katie Dougin in goal in place of Lyndsay Donaldson and Zoe Smith, who missed the meeting between the sides in Portree, started the game in attack. Despite this being a second division match, there were four players from Stuart Reid’s Scotland women’s international squad on show – Kirsty Delaney and Kathleen Cameron for Lochaber and the potent strike force of Jenna Beaton and Lorna MacRae for Skye Camanachd. A large crowd gathered for the game with the Skye support lining-up down the Kyle side of the pitch and the Lochaber fans drawing their battle-line on the opposing side of the field. The overnight rain had cleared and the Kirkton pitch was in good condition given the time of year and the recent west coast weather and credit for this must go to their groundsman Albert Loades. Skye showed that they were up for the game from the throw up and the closest they came was after 7 minutes when Katie Dougin saved well with her legs from Lorna MacRae and Christy MacIntyre cleared the danger. However it was Lochaber who took the lead on 10 minutes when Zoe Smith got on the end of a cross from the left and she finished low into the net from the edge of the D to make it 1-0. Skye responded immediately and Lorna MacRae took a pass from Jenna Beaton but her shot rose just over the bar. Skye levelled on 15 minutes when Jenna Beaton pounced onto a rebound and she slammed the ball low into the net to make it 1-1. The sides continued to exchange attacks and Zoe Smith fired wide of target on 18 minutes. Lorna MacRae then went twice went close to giving the Islanders the lead. First she shot into the side-netting on 22 minutes and then, just 3 minutes later, she saw a shot from distance saved by Katie Dougin. Skye grabbed the initiative in the closing minutes of the first half and Jenna Beaton held off a challenge before shooting wide on 28 minutes. Just seconds later a Lorna MacRae effort whistled just the wrong side of the post. Skye went in front with just seconds of the first half remaining. The Lochaber backline cleared the ball from a Skye attack but Lorna MacRae picked up possession around 20 yards from goal on the Skye left. MacRae’s shot was low and firm and although Katie Dougin got a foot to the ball, she couldn’t keep it out of the net and Skye led for the first time with 34 minutes played. Indeed the Islanders almost increased their lead from the restart but Lochaber full back Kirsty Delaney brilliantly pulled a Lorna MacRae thunder-bolt out of the air and Jenna Beaton put the rebound into the side netting. Skye were shooting down the Kirkton slope in the second half and they hit Lochaber with a hammer-blow within a minute of the restart. Lorna MacRae broke down the Skye left and she crossed the ball into the goal area. Jenna Beaton and Anna MacDonald then combined before Jenna Beaton dribbled the ball in on goal and stroked it over the line to record her second goal of the afternoon which made it 3-1. A 30 yard shot from Lorna MacRae was turned away by Katie Dougin a couple of minutes later and Anna MacDonald, who had been a constant threat to the Lochaber defence all afternoon, just failed to get on the end of a rebound and the ball was turned away for a corner. The game was now swinging from end to end and Lochaber came close to pulling a goal back on 39 minutes as Zoe Smith cut through the Skye defence but her shot went wide. Lochaber did reduce the deficit on the hour mark when Zoe Smith burst down the Lochaber right and crashed an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net to make it 3-2 and notch her second goal of the game. Skye responded in the best possible way and they restored their two goal advantage just a minute later. Jenna Beaton made a great run towards the Lochaber goal before cutting the ball back to Lorna MacRae and her bullet shot, her second of the match, ripped into the Lochaber net to make it 4-2. Lochaber, prompted by the excellent Kathleen Cameron and captain Kelly O’Neill in midfield, threw everything at the Skye defence in the closing stages of the game. Fortunately for the Skye support, the Skye defence was well marshalled by captain Roz Lamond and the superb Caitlin MacLean who was arguably the best player on the field. When Lochaber did break through the Skye rear-guard, keeper Sarah Corrigall oozed calmness whether it was clearing the ball to safety inside the D or palming away an effort on her goal. Lochaber were awarded a controversial penalty 4 minutes from time. Sarah Corrigall had made a save with her foot at her right post and as play raged on, the goal judge flagged to alert referee Evan MacRae’s attention. Play was stopped and after a long consultation, referee MacRae pointed to the penalty spot and Lochaber full back Kirsty Delaney raced forward to take the penalty. There was a hush around the ground but Delaney got a fraction too much under the ball and it went just over the bar. Referee Evan MacRae’s final whistle signalled celebrations on the Skye touchline as the team clinched the title, and promotion to the national top division, in what is only their second season in competitive shinty. Skye captain Roz Lamond was presented with the Marine Harvest North Division 2 trophy by Karen Cameron from the Women’s Camanachd Association and all the Skye players were presented with their medals before the after-match celebrations began. Skye Camanachd Ladies from: Sarah Corrigall, Roz Lamond (captain), Catriona Gibb, Caitlin MacLean, Izzy Law, Helen Lamond, Kristen MacBeth, Anna MacDonald, Jenna Beaton, Lorna MacRae, subs Emma Gordon, Fiona Lamond, Nicole MacRae, Korri Henderson Lochaber Ladies from: Katie Dougin, Kirsty Delaney, Christy MacIntyre, Shannon MacDonald, Kelly O’Neill (captain), Kathleen Cameron, Laura MacIntyre, Rebecca Stafford, Zoe Smith, Kirsty MacDonald, subs Codi Williamson Laura Forbes, Stephanie Walsh Match Referee - Evan MacRae Picture of Skye Camanachd Ladies captain Roz Lamond with the Marine Harvest North Division 2 Trophy – Courtesy of www.tinamarshall.co.uk |