The Shinty Round Up – Saturday 2 July 2022 | |
03 July 2022 There were important league wins for Glasgow Mid Argyll, Kingussie, Kinlochshiel, Oban Camanachd and Kyles Athletic whilst Inveraray reached the Ferguson Transport & Shipping Balliemore Cup Final following the shinty action on Saturday 2 July 2022
Mowi Premiership Fort William 0 Oban Camanachd 1 Daniel MacVicar’s goal after just 5 minutes was enough to give Oban Camanachd a 1-0 win against Fort William as the sides met in the league for the second successive Saturday, this time in a 3pm throw up at An Aird. Arran MacPhee missed out for the Fort with a knee injury but Victor Smith returned to take a place on the bench. Alexander MacMillan was also missing. Oban Camanachd manager Gareth Evans made one changing to the starting twelve which beat Fort William 3-0 the previous week as Scott Robertson was listed in place of Scott MacMillan who was on the bench along with Innes Jackson and David Cameron. Daniel Madej was on holiday. There was a minute’s silence before referee Des McNulty got the match underway as those present marked the passing of Charlie Smith. The An Aird pitch was in great condition but the constant rain during the early stages made the surface slippery for the players. The Oban side started well and Daniel MacVicar gave them a 5 minute lead. Evan MacLellan launched a hit-in from the right and Johnny Forster was penalised as he challenged Daniel MacVicar for the high ball. Malcolm Clark played a short free-hit back to Daniel MacVicar who swept the ball into the net, just inside keeper Paul MacKay’s right post. It was another important goal from MacVicar who is in a rich vein of form, scoring in five of Oban Camanachd’s last six matches. The rain eased but the surface was left splashy in places and despite some marauding runs down the right wing by Evan MacLellan, Oban Camanachd were unable to add a second goal. There were late chances at both ends with and Fort William might have snatched a point at the end when Scott McKillop, who had a good game throughout, slipped on the greasy surface so Lewis Morrison’s ball forward found Victor Smith but his strike was saved with his feet and the cleared by Cammy Sutherland. Oban Camanachd finished on the attack and following a pacey Connor Howe run forward, it took a fine Ali MacRae block to prevent a shot goalwards as substitutes David Cameron and Innes Jackson combined. The match was tousy and referee Des McNulty had his work cut out at times but he did well to keep proceedings under control.
Kinlochshiel 4 Caberfeidh 0 Kinlochshiel scored twice in each half to see off Caberfeidh 4-0 in their noon throw up at Rèaraig. Archie MacRae’s back injury made him ‘Shiel’s only significant absentee whilst Caberfeidh’s Kevin Bartlett returned to the starting line-up but work commitments ruled out Ben MacDonald. ‘Shiel, playing towards the Kyle end of the ground, attacked from the throw up but Caberfeidh created a great chance when Craig Morrison’s ball from the left was played on by Ally MacLennan to Kevin Bartlett, who host his marker on the right, but Bartlett got under the ball and sent his shot over the bar. A dangerous ball from Mark MacDonald, who took time off from marking Craig Morrison, dropped into the D but Caberfeidh keeper Iain McCall stretched low to sweep the ball away for a corner with his hand. Another Caberfeidh attack saw Craig Morrison blast a ball from the right goalwards but Josh Grant saved well. However ‘Shiel hit the front on 25 minutes when a wonderful diagonal pass from John MacRae picked out Jordan Fraser’s run at the heart of the defence and he lifted the ball by the keeper to make it 1-0. ‘Shiel doubled their lead a couple of minutes later. This time Keith MacRae sent John MacRae bursting goalwards and when keeper McCall came off his line, he missed the chance to clear allowing John MacRae to roll the ball into the net. The home side almost added a third when Ali Nixon did well to win the possession from Blair Morrison on the right and he fed Jordan Fraser but Iain McCall made a great save, turning the ball away for a corner. Iain McCall then made a great diving save to his right to foil John MacRae before getting in the way to thwart Ali Nixon from the rebound so it remained 2-0 at the break. However Kinlochshiel, with full centre Donald Nixon excellent throughout, got the third goal they craved on 62 minutes when Jordan Fraser swept a ball from the right into the net from the front of the D. Caberfeidh were forced into a reshuffle when full back Ryan Symonds limped off injured. Iain McCall was again in action when he blocked a point-blank effort from substitute David Falconer, who had replaced Duncan “WD” MacRae from the start of the second half On 71 minutes, Iain McCall made a good stop by his left post to keep out Jordan Fraser’s shot but John MacRae was on hand and his emphatic finish made it 4-0. There was a flashpoint for referee Calum Girvan to deal with when John MacRae appeared to swipe towards a grounded Connor MacGregor. MacRae escaped with a yellow card and was substituted shortly after. Caberfeidh had their moments in the game but showed a reluctance to shoot at times whilst they also found the Kinlochshiel backline to be at the top of their game.
Kingussie 6 Lovat 3 Kingussie displayed their title credentials when a powerful first half performance sent them on the way to a 6-3 victory over fellow title challengers Lovat at the Dell. Kingussie welcomed James Falconer back into their starting line-up, joining Ruaridh Young, Roddy Young and Savio Genini in a formidable forward line. Changes were required in defence with Alexander Michie, Calum Grant and Lee Bain missing so Robert Mabon and Rory MacKeachan were joined by Liam Borthwick and Kieran MacPherson. Louis Munro, James Hutchison and Cameron Bremner lined up across the midfield. Lovat have missed Lorne MacKay and Callum Cruden over recent weeks and they were again absent as was Martin Mainland, who picked up an injury against Kinlochshiel the previous week, so Chris Johnston started. Duncan Davidson returned to take a place on the bench with Angus Mearns and Sam Stubbs. The Kingussie forward line’s movement was described as akin to a swarm of bees and it was Lovat who were stung on no fewer than five occasions during a devastating first half performance. The hosts wasted no time hitting the front as Ruairidh Anderson gave them a 4 minute lead. Roddy Young squared the ball across from the left wing and it bounced between players before reaching Ruaridh Anderson just beside the penalty spot. With his back to goal, Anderson quickly touched the ball one way and then the other before turning and shooting high into the net. Roddy Young added a second on 11 minutes, The ball came in to Young’s feet and he let it run through his legs before turning and running through one-on-one with keeper Stuart MacDonald. Young held his nerve as he touched the ball around the Scotland number one before tapping it into an empty net. The home support could hardly believe what they were seeing as James Falconer made it 3-0 on 18 minutes. Drew Howie tried to clear his lines on the edge of the D. Falconer quickly closed him down, tackling and then taking the ball from the Lovat defender before turning on his backhand and dispatching the ball onto the bottom corner of the net. James Hutchison came off midway through the first half feeling his hamstring. Louis Munro went to full centre with George Taylor Ramsay coming off the bench to take over from Munro at wing centre. The pattern of play remained the same with Lovat unable to cope with Kingussie’s movement in attack and when a ball from the left came across to James Falconer on 28 minutes, he played it on and Ruairidh Anderson made a run from deep before scoring at the near post. The Lovat defence were getting little support from their midfield as they were being run ragged by wave after wave of Kingussie attack. Lovat danger-man Fraser Heath was well-policed by Kingussie’s Kieran MacPherson but he did manage to pull a goal back on the half-hour. However, just 3 minutes later, Roddy Young got his second as he knocked a rebound into the net after Savio Genini had hit the post from the edge of the box. Kingussie took their 5-1 lead into the break and could afford the luxury of replacing James Falconer just after the hour. Ryan Borthwick made a welcome return in his place. Greg Matheson struck on 73 and 84 minutes to reduce the deficit to 5-3 but the damage was already done and the game was beyond Lovat. Roddy Young had the final say as he made it 6-3 on with just 3 minutes remaining. Ruaridh Anderson played a long ball to the edge of the box. The ball was about to run out of play but Young didn’t give up on it and, one-handed, he swung from a tight angle on the left, sending the ball through Stuart MacDonald’s legs and into the net. It was a third successive hat-trick from Young; a scoring ratio not witnessed by the Kingussie support since you-know-who back in the day. This was a first league defeat for Lovat but they could have no complaints and Kingussie go seven points clear at the top of the table although second placed Kinlochshiel have played a game fewer.
Glasgow Mid Argyll 2 Newtonmore 0 Scottish Sea Farms Glasgow Celtic Society Cup winners Glasgow Mid Argyll moved out of the relegation zone, securing their first league win of the season with a 2-0 victory over Newtonmore in their noon throw up at Peterson Park, Yoker. GMA’s Ewen Fraser missed the chance to play against his former club whilst Ally McKerracher was also injured and Oliver MacRae was unavailable. Newtonmore’s Max Campbell served the final match of his two-game ban whilst Kenny Ross started in goal. Rory Kennedy had been ill through the week so he was only able to take a place on the bench. Steven Macdonald went to full back with Craig Ritchie at buckshee back. Ritchie Irvine was given a first start at wing back with Duncan MacPherson on the other side. Iain Robinson and Struan Ross both made their return from injury in attack. John McNulty was GMA’s hero with a cup winning goal the previous week and he put his side in front on 23 minutes. McNulty lost his marker to find space outside the D and he found the bottom corner of the net. Rory Kennedy came on during the closing stages with Steven Macdonald pushed up front but Newtonmore couldn’t get the goal they wanted. McNulty got his and his side’s second with just 6 minutes remaining, Brian Slattery dribbled the ball into the D before it was slipped to the former Glenorchy man who touched it by ‘More keeper Kenny Ross to make it 2-0. ‘More’s cause wasn’t helped by the loss of Fraser MacKintosh who was hit below the knee cap early in the game. Ryan Harrison and John Don MacKenzie were again effective in the GMA defence.
Kyles Athletic 2 Kilmallie 0 Kyles Athletic moved clear of the four teams battling relegation as they beat Kilmallie 2-0 at Tighnabruaich. Roddy MacDonald and Andrew King returned for Kyles after missing the previous week’s Scottish Sea Farms Glasgow Celtic Society Cup Final defeat to Glasgow Mid Argyll. However manager Robert Baxter only had twelve available players so he listed himself as their only substitute. Kilmallie were missing the suspended Sandy Corrigan whilst they also travelled without regulars Robbie McFadyen, Innes Blackhall, Stuart Callison, Ben MacKinnon, Aidan Love and Jay MacLeod. Calum MacDougall made a welcome return from injury. Robbie MacLeod gave Kyles a 7 minute lead, turning home a rebound after Kevin Toye had saved with his feet. Finan Kennedy made it 2-0 on 65 minutes. There was a scramble around the penalty spot and Sorley Thomson slipped the ball wide where Finan Kennedy sent it goalwards. The ball seemed to get stuck between the keeper’s legs before spinning into the net. Robert Baxter came off the bench to make a cameo appearance for the final 15 minutes, taking over from Sorley Thomson who suffered a painful injury.
Ferguson Transport & Shipping Balliemore Cup - Semi Final Inveraray 3 Strathglass 2 Inveraray won through to the Ferguson Transport & Shipping Balliemore Cup Final after beating Strathglass 3-2 in their 3pm throw up at the Jubilee Park, Ballachulish. Allan MacDonald played in Fraser Watt to give Inveraray a 7 minute lead with a quick-fire double from Lewis MacNicol on 36 minutes and another from Fraser Watt just sixty seconds later making it 3-0. Allan MacDonald was again the supplier for MacNicol’s goal whilst Watt’s second was an effort from distance. Strathglass fought back after the restart a brilliant volley from Ruaraidh Strachan made it 3-1 on 54 minutes with Penri Jones cutting the deficit to a single goal with 15 minutes remaining. Inveraray stayed in front though and they will now sit tight to find out their final opponents with Beauly and Skye scheduled to meet in the quarter-finals on Saturday 16 July 2022 and Col Glen awaiting the winners in the semi-finals. The final was scheduled to take place on Saturday 23 July 2022 but will be delayed.
Mowi North Division 1 Kinlochshiel 3 Glengarry 2 The Kinlochshiel second team climb above Glengarry into second place in the table after beating the Craigard side 3-2 in their 3pm throw up at Rèaraig. There were some good match-ups all over the pitch as ‘Shiel deployed Duncan Matheson, who played for the seniors earlier in the day, directly against ‘Garry danger-man Shaun Nicolson. Arran Jack picked up Rhuairaidh MacDonald whilst Colin MacDiarmid and Steven Cameron clashed in a no-holds-barred tussle in the middle of the park. ‘Garry keeper Gordon MacDonald was unavailable so Martin Cameron took over in goal. ‘Garry started well and ‘Shiel keeper Calum MacMillan saved well from Rhuairaidh MacDonald at the expense of a corner. It was then ‘Shiel’s turn to attack and some tidy goalkeeping from Martin Cameron kept them at bay until 16 minutes when Iain MacDonald scored with a low effort from outside the D on the right following a corner from the left. ‘Garry levelled on 27 minutes as Nick Dalgety’s 20 yard shot from the right seemed to take a deflection on the way into the net. Glengarry continued to press but when ‘Shiel broke forward on 37 minutes, they regained the lead and it was Iain MacDonald who struck again, relishing in his role in attack. MacDonald finished with a turn and shot, low into the far corner of the goal from the left of the D following a move down the left wing. Straight from the restart, ‘Shiel went back on the attack and Iain MacDonald completed his hat-trick to make it 3-1 at the turnaround. Nick Dalgety notched his second just 7 minutes from time but ‘Shiel stayed in front to take the points.
Lochcarron 3 Caberfeidh 0 Father and son combo Gregor Cushnie and Kenny Cushnie made the difference once again as Lochcarron beat the Caberfeidh second team 3-0 in their 2pm throw up at Battery Park. Gregor Cushnie scored on 10 minutes and again on the hour, either side of a Kenny Cushnie effort on the half-hour mark.
Lovat 1 Skye Camanachd 6 The Skye Camanachd colts leapfrog the Lovat colts in the table after winning 6-1 in their clash at Balgate. Cameron MacMillan scored for the home side but a hat-trick from Angus Gilpin and efforts from Archie Millar, Alastair Macleod and Connor Gilpin gave Skye both points.
Glenurquhart P Newtonmore P Heavy rain ahead of throw up resulted in the postponement of the second team encounter between Glenurquhart and Newtonmore at Blairbeg.
Fort William P Inverness P The noon throw up between the Fort William second team and Inverness first team at An Aird was a covid related postponement.
Mowi South Division 1 Ballachulish 5 Cruachanside 2 Ballachulish beat Cruachanside for the third time this season, winning 5-2 at the Jubilee Park on Wednesday 29 June 2022. Cruachanside included new signings Scott Livingstone, Robbie Brown and 41-year old Gary Innes with Camanachd Cup winner Innes scoring twice from the full forward position. Balla’ were missing John MacDonald but they had Lorne Brown back and David Grant’s double and a hat-trick from the impressive Pat MacLean gave them victory.
Col Glen 5 Kyles Athletic 0 Col Glen remain top of the division after defeating the Kyles Athletic juniors 5-0 in their derby at Glendaruel. Andrew MacVicar broke the deadlock on 33 minutes and the hosts put themselves in a match-winning position late in the half. First, on 43 minutes, referee Craig Scott awarded Col-Glen a penalty and Christopher Blair stepped up to score from the spot against his former club. Then, just a minute later, Christopher Blair got his second goal of the game to make it 3-1 at the break. Neily McNaughton on 67 minutes and Sandy Paterson on 76 minutes made the final score 5-0.
Cruachanside 4 Lochside Rovers 4 Cruachanside and Lochside Rovers enjoyed a ding-dong battle before eventually sharing the points in a 4-4 draw at the Taynuilt Sports Field. Gary Innes showed no ill-effects from his outing earlier in the week when he gave Cruachanside a 3 minute lead but Lewis Buchanan is proving a real asset to Lochside Rovers since his return from football and he levelled a couple of minutes later. Jordan Kerr gave Lochside a 20 minute lead but Gary Innes notched his second on 28 minutes to make it 2-2. However Conor Sartain scored on 41 minutes to give Cruachanside a 3-2 advantage at half-time. Lochside drew level for a second time though Lewis Buchanan a minute after the restart and Buchanan completed his hat-trick to put the Oban side back in front on 52 minutes. The end-to-end nature of the contest continued as Conor Sartain got his second just 3 minutes later to make it 4-4. Perhaps the only surprise was that there was no further scoring during the final 35 minutes.
Glasgow Mid Argyll 2 Bute 2 The Glasgow Mid Argyll second team and the Bute first team drew 2-2 in their 3pm throw up at Peterson Park. The Islanders took the lead through Josh Cowan on 8 minutes but Ross Brown on 37 minutes and Cailean MacInnes on 41 minutes turned the game GMA’s way. Bute’s Marcus Planck made it 2-2 on 61 minutes and that’s the way it stayed until referee Alex MacVicar blew for time. GMA stay second in the league, two points ahead of the Islanders who have three games in hand.
Mowi North Division 2 Boleskine 1 Aberdeen University 3 Second placed Aberdeen University were 3-1 winners against bottom side Boleskine at Smith Park. The visitors took a 3 minute lead through former Lovat player Jamie Buchan and Jebby Remegio made it 2-0 on 40 minutes. Jebby Remegio got his second on 65 minutes and although Sean Fraser pulled a goal back 20 minutes from time, the Students took the points.
Lewis Camanachd 4 Inverness 2 Lewis Camanachd had to twice come from behind to climb to fifth in the league after beating the Inverness second team 4-2 at Shawbost. Iain Hunter gave the Highland Capital side a 5 minute lead but Donnie MacRae equalised with a debut goal on 10 minutes. Findlay Calder put Inverness back in front on 23 minutes before Lewis stalwart Paul Duke took centre stage and he rattled in a hat-trick with goals on 54, 57 and 66 minutes to make it 4-2.
Strathspey Camanachd 1 Lochaber 0 Strathspey Camanachd beat the Lochaber seconds 1-0 at Grantown Grammar School. Strathspey’s Calum MacKintosh scored the only goal of the game on 75 minutes.
Mowi South Division 2 Oban Celtic 5 Inveraray 1 The Oban Celtic second team were 5-1 winners in their match against the Inveraray second team at Mossfield on Friday 30 June 2022. The 7pm throw up was just a couple of minutes old when Lennon Campbell found space to score from 10 yards out to give the hosts the lead. Pearce MacBeth added a second on 7 minutes and Oban Celtic’s quick passing continued to create chances with Lennon Campbell completing his hat-trick with efforts on 11 and 32 minutes. Inveraray’s Euan Donnan scored his fifth goal over the last four matches on 67 minutes but Joe MacVicar’s deflected effort 3 minutes from time made the final score 5-1.
Bute 2 Strachur-Dunoon 1 The Bute juniors came from behind to beat Strachur-Dunoon 2-1 at the Meadows. Ian McLennan netted on 19 minutes to put Strachur-Dunoon ahead but goals before the break from Neil McKirdy on 39 minutes and William Boag a couple of minutes later mean the Islanders stay fourth in the league.
Uddingston P Oban Celtic P Uddingston’s match with the Oban Celtic second team will be rescheduled.
(All throw ups were at 2.30pm unless the match report states differently)
WCA Round Up The Women’s Camanachd Association 3-day Residential Shinty Camp took place at Kilgraston School, Bridge of Earn last weekend so there were no league or cup fixtures. |