The Shinty Round Up – Saturday 12 March 2022 | |
13 March 2022 The wet weather led to a number of call-offs but there was plenty of action in the games that did go ahead on Saturday 12 March 2022.
Mowi Premiership Caberfeidh 0 Kinlochshiel 2 Youngster Zander MacRae marked his first start in a Kinlochshiel shirt with both goals as Johnston Gill’s side bounced back from the previous week’s defeat to Newtonmore to beat Caberfeidh 2-0 at Castle Leod. Cabers’ Craig Morrison began a three-game ban following his red card against Kingussie the previous week but Connor MacGregor was free of his suspension and he started in defence. Finlay Coleman, Taylor Condon and Logan Beaton, who were all in the Caberfeidh under-17 side last season, started on the bench. Duncan Matheson returned to the ‘Shiel side and he replaced defender David Falconer who was out with a hamstring problem. Keith MacRae started on the bench and with Jordan Fraser unavailable, Zander MacRae and Archie MacRae started up front. The hosts started well but it was ‘Shiel who went in front on 14 minutes when John MacRae’s ball from the left caught out the Caberfeidh defence and Zander MacRae lost his marker to score from close range. ‘Shiel, with John MacRae spreading the ball about well, looked the more threatening side after the restart and Zander MacRae took advantage of a defensive mix-up to score a second on the hour. The Kinlochshiel defence, well marshalled as usual by Mowi National player of the year Finlay MacRae, were in no mood to give anything away and Zander MacRae’s double was enough to take both points. Both teams are not firing on all cylinders as yet but that will come in the weeks ahead.
Newtonmore 2 Glasgow Mid Argyll 0 Newtonmore are the early Mowi Premiership leaders after beating Glasgow Mid Argyll 2-0 at the Eilan. Injured pair Darrin Fowler and Iain Robinson missed out for ‘More but Michael Russell and Craig Ritchie returned to the starting side with Struan Ross returning to take a place on the bench. Michael Ritchie made a comeback to play in goal as Owen Fraser had a broken finger and Kenny Ross was resting a back problem. Newly promoted GMA are now managed by Scotland under-21 Head Coach and former Lovat boss Alan MacRae and he was already without injured attackers Ewen Fraser and Calum McLay so it was another blow when defenders Ryan Harrison and John Don MacKenzie were rule out. Michael Ritchie was called into action as GMA created an early chance. Former Caberfeidh player James MacLeod played a one-two before running into the D but Ritchie was smartly off his line to win the ball and clear the danger. The game remainder of the half was played at a good pace without either keeper being overly troubled. Indeed it looked as if the half would end goalless until ‘More skipper Drew MacDonald intervened on 43 minutes. Steven Macdonald played the ball out of defence and Drew MacDonald swept it on. Fraser MacKintosh battled to win possession in a central position before finding the on-rushing Drew MacDonald whose run up-field had taken him to the left of the penalty spot. MacDonald held off Jamie McFadyen before firing across keeper Jonathon Oates and into the net. Oates saved low to his left to deny Arran MacBean after the restart before Newtonmore doubled their lead on 66 minutes. Struan Ross, who had just come on for Duncan MacPherson, played the ball forward from midfield and Max Campbell managed to touch it on to Fraser MacKintosh on the right. MacKintosh sent the bouncing ball goalwards and his low shot went in off the far post as he notched his second goal in two games. Newtonmore finished the stronger with their superior fitness evident and Jonathon Oates saved well with his hand to deny Fraser MacKintosh his second goal of the afternoon. Steven Macdonald, who picked up a knock and moved from buckshee back to full back with Rory Kennedy going in the opposite direction, turned in a man of the match performance with his hitting and positional play a delight to watch.
Oban Camanachd P Fort William P The heavy overnight rain led to the postponement of Oban Camanachd’s match with Fort William at Mossfield. Oban Camanachd manager Gareth Evans said: “Going up to Mossfield early on Saturday morning, I thought we would be ok. However on closer inspection, the pitch was saturated in places and it was the correct decision to call it off. If the game had been 24 hours later, we would have been fine but that is just the way it goes. “We wanted to play so as to build some momentum following the win in Glasgow. Having said that, Daniel Sloss hurt his knee in training, Daniel Madej wouldn’t have been risked and we wouldn’t have had Garry Lord. Evan MacLellan had a hamstring tweak but he would have played. We’d still have had a good numbers with Lochside’s match also being postponed but the Fort William game being off means all these boys have an extra week to recover and they should all be fine for the trip to Kinlochshiel on Saturday. We’ll also have Scott MacMillan back for the next 3 weeks and we’ll need them all as we all know what a good season Kinlochshiel had last year and they will be a step up for us from the matches so far.”
Kilmallie P Kyles Athletic P The 3pm throw up between Kilmallie and Kyles Athletic at the Canal Parks was a Saturday morning postponement. The Kilmallie squad had already planned to attend the funeral of club Chieftain Hugh “Shep” MacIntyre ahead of the game as the club paid their respects to one of their stalwarts. The postponement now means Stuart Callison will serve the final game of his two-match ban at Kingussie on Saturday whilst Innes Blackhall now sits out the penultimate game of his suspension. Michael Rodger’s yellow card against Lovat means he misses Kilmallie’s next two games.
It was Kingussie’s Free Saturday which left Lovat without a fixture.
Mowi National Division Lochaber 3 Oban Celtic 1 Lochaber recorded their second successive win as they beat Oban Celtic 3-1 at Spean Bridge. Lochaber’s Barry MacDonald continued his suspension whilst Celtic’s Ross MacMillan began a three game ban after being sent off against Skye the previous Saturday. Andy MacDonald was free of suspension for the visitors and Craig MacMillan’s yellow card against Skye means he will miss Oban Celtic’s next two games. Ben Delaney returned for Lochaber with Bob MacIntyre again featuring for Celtic. Findlay Macdonald gave the hosts the lead on 11 minutes and Conor Sweeney, who is proving to be a key addition since his return from Tayforth, added a second on 19 minutes. Ewen Campbell gave Celtic hope with a goal on 55 minutes but when referee Des McNulty awarded Lochaber a penalty on 76 minutes, Conor Sweeney stepped up to score and wrap up both points.
Beauly 5 Strathglass 0 Beauly beat Strathglass 5-0 at Braeview Park to become the Mowi National Division’s early pace-setters. Robbie Brindle opened the scoring on 15 minutes with what was the only goal of the first half. The goals began to flow after the restart though and Sean Stewart scored his first on 53 minutes before completing his hat-trick with efforts on 70 and 89 minutes. Beauly had Jack MacDonald back in the squad and he rounded off the scoring at the death.
Glenurquhart 6 Aberdour 0 It has been a tough start to their first season in the Mowi Nation Division for Aberdour who followed up the previous week’s 9-0 defeat to Beauly with a 6-0 beating from Glenurquhart at Blairbeg. Glen hit the front through Charlie MacLeod on 11 minutes and Connor Golabek added a second on 15 minutes. A couple of late call-offs meant Aberdour travelled with just twelve players and disaster struck midway through the first half when Panda Fraser went down with a pulled hamstring. John Barr made it 3-0 at the break with a goal on the half hour and he got his second with 20 minutes remaining. Andrew Corrigan added a brace on 74 and 90 minutes to complete the 6-0 triumph.
Skye Camanachd P Inveraray P Heavy rain on Saturday morning left the pitch waterlogged, leading to the postponement of Skye Camanachd’s match with Inveraray at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree. Inveraray had already set off on their journey north and had reached Fort William before the call-off.
Mowi North Division 1 Glengarry 2 Skye Camanachd 0 Raymond Robertson scored twice in the first half to give Glengarry a 2-0 victory over the Skye Camanachd colts at Craigard. This was ‘Garry’s first appearance of the season and Skye started well but when the home side settled, they pinned the Islanders back for large periods of the first half. Raymond Robertson gave them a 17 minute lead, scoring from outside the D. Nick Dalgety found space before picking out Robertson who scored. Robertson added a second just a minute before the interval. There was a scramble in front of the Skye goal and the ball was pushed out as far as the penalty spot where Robertson ran onto it before finishing well. Skye came into it more in the second half and whilst Ally MacLeod, Raghnall Robertson and James Robertson went close, the visitors had to rely on keeper Calum Nicolson to make a couple of good saves near the end.
Kingussie 5 Lovat 5 The Kingussie second team fought back from four goals down to draw 5-5 with the Lovat second team in a pulsating Mowi North Division 1 match at the Dell. Both teams had opening day wins as the Kings beat Caberfeidh 2-0 whilst Lovat overcame Lochcarron 3-2. The heavy rain left the pitch very wet but playable. Lovat were Strathdearn Cup winners last season and were runners up in the HIS Sutherland Cup and they made a breath-taking start as they took a grip of the game to run up a 4-0 advantage within the first half-hour. Player / manager Raymond Rennie capitalised on a defensive slip to break free on 6 minutes. Rennie finishing calmly from the edge of the D with Kingussie keeper Craig Dawson coming off his line. Then, just a minute later, Sam Stubbs punished another mistake as he shot past keeper to make it 2-0. Graeme MacMillan made it 3-0 with a half-volley from the edge of the D on 15 minutes and Cammy MacMillan finished off a good move to add a fourth on 28 minutes. Kingussie had by now made changes to try and get back in the game. Dylan Borthwick, Cluanie Fraser and Mike Beroski all came off the bench with George Taylor Ramsay going from full centre to full back and Iain Fraser leaving the attack to go to centre. The changes settled Kingussie and Dylan Borthwick began to find space in the visiting defence and he finished well on 34 minutes and again on 42 minutes to make it 4-2. There was a touch of fortune about the Kings’ next goal a minute later as Pete Dickson’s lobbed ball into the D bounced over Lovat goalie Ronan MacMillan’s foot and into the net meaning Lovat’s lead was cut to a single goal by the interval. Raymond Rennie’s volley from the edge of the box on 63 minutes made it 5-3 but Kingussie went back on the attack and Dylan Borthwick completed his hat-trick on 70 minutes, sending the ball high into the net from a tight angle. Borthwick then saw another effort ruled out for offside by referee John Matheson. However Kingussie and Borthwick were not to be denied and, with just 4 minutes remaining, he smashed the ball home, just above head height, to net for the fourth time and earn his side a 5-5 draw and a share of the points. The Kingussie colts are off to Skye in league action on Saturday.
Fort William P Glenurquhart P The fixture between the Fort William second team and the Glenurquhart second team at An Aird was called off on Saturday morning due to the overnight rain.
Kinlochshiel P Caberfeidh P The Kinlochshiel reserves and the Caberfeidh reserves had a Saturday morning postponement due to a waterlogged pitch at Rèaraig.
Lochcarron P Newtonmore P Lochcarron game against the Newtonmore colts at Battery Park will be rescheduled because of covid restrictions.
Inverness were not allocated a fixture.
Mowi South Division 1 Glasgow Mid Argyll 1 Kyles Athletic 1 The Glasgow Mid Argyll juniors and the Kyles Athletic juniors drew 1-1 at Peterson Park. After a goalless first half, Connor Guidici gave GMA a 65 minute lead. However when referee Euan Pearson awarded Kyles a 69 minute penalty, Jamie MacLeod converted from the spot to make it 1-1. Kyles had David Zavaroni sent off.
Ballachulish P Lochside Rovers P Ballachulish were to play Lochside Rovers at the Jubilee Park but the game was called off earlier in the week when it became clear that the Jubilee Park would be unplayable.
Bute P Cruachanside P Bute and Cruachanside’s clash at the Meadows was postponed on Friday morning because of covid restrictions.
Tayforth P Col Glen P The meeting between Tayforth and Col Glen at Peffermill was a covid related postponement.
Mowi North Division 2 Inverness 4 Boleskine 0 The Inverness seconds beat Boleskine 4-0 at the Bught Park. James Cameron on 18 minutes and Ewan Neilson on 37 minutes made it 2-0 at the interval. A late quick-fire Finlay Calder double on 77 and 78 minutes made the final score 4-0.
Strathspey Camanachd 5 Lewis Camanachd 0 Strathspey Camanachd turned in a productive first half performance to beat Lewis Camanachd 5-0 in their 1.30pm throw up at Grantown Grammar School. Euan Dingwall hit a first half hat-trick with goals on 15, 22 and 45 minutes. Cal MacKintosh’s effort on 26 minutes made it 4-0 at the break. Cal MacKintosh got his second on 65 minutes to make the final score 5-0.
Kilmallie P - P Lochaber The reserve team derby between Kilmallie and Lochaber at the Canal Parks was postponed.
Strathglass P Beauly P The clash between the Strathglass seconds and the Beauly colts at Cannich was called off on Friday due to covid restrictions.
Aberdeen University were without a fixture.
Mowi South Division 2 Aberdour 0 Kilmory 2 Kilmory beat the Aberdour seconds 2-0 at Silversands. Kilmory played with the wind advantage in the first half and Alex Cunningham made the difference with a smart double on 24 and 26 minutes.
Strachur-Dunoon 0 Inveraray 4 The game between the Inveraray seconds and Strachur-Dunoon was reversed from the Winterton to the Dunoon Stadium. A more experienced Inveraray side ran out 4-0 winners and Allan MacDonald gave them a 30 minute lead with a shot from distance. Ewan Donnan added a second on 42 minutes after good work by Ryan Pugh and when Craig Taylor found space a minute later, he finished well to make it 3-0 at half-time. Allan Cameron added a fourth just 5 minutes from time. This was a first-ever competitive match for Strachur-Dunoon with a number of their players not having met eachother before throw up but they showed plenty of determination and will be difficult opponents for whoever they play.
Oban Celtic P Bute P The overnight rain left Ganavan unplayable so the clash between the Oban Celtic second team and the Bute second team was postponed.
Uddingston P Ardnamurchan P The game between Uddingston and Ardnamurchan was a postponed due to covid restrictions.
WCA Round Up There were three Women’s Camanachd Association Mowi National Division matches scheduled for Sunday 13 March 2022.
Mowi National Division Ardnamurchan 0 Badenoch 7 Badenoch were 7-0 winners over Ardnamurchan at Strontian. Megan Ralph grabbed a hat-trick, Zoe Reid scored twice whilst Eilidh Ross and Rhona McIntyre got the others.
Aberdour 1 Glasgow Mid Argyll 1 Aberdour and Glasgow Mid Argyll drew 1-1 in their noon throw up at Silversands. Lisa McColl scored for Aberdour with Claire Frances MacNeil on target for GMA.
Inverness P Lochaber P The 2pm throw up between Inverness and Lochaber at the Bught Park was a covid related postponement.
Mowi North Division 2 Glenurquhart 5 Kinlochshiel 0 Glenurquhart beat Kinlochshiel 5-0 at Blairbeg on Saturday 12 March 2022. Hazel Hunter scored twice with Abi Stoddart, Freya Gault and Rebecca Van Loon getting the others.
(All throw ups are at 2.30pm unless the match report states otherwise) |