Cup victory for Oban U17s
MacQuisten under-17 Cup Final Oban Camanachd 3 Col Glen 0 OBAN Camanachd under-17 shinty team retained the MacQuisten Cup against a welldrilled Col Glen side.
The more experienced Camanachd team started the match on Sunday September 3 as favourites and attacked from the off.
With conditions heavy on Inveraray’s Winterton pitch, it was never going to be an easy day for the forwards and this, coupled with wayward shooting, meant most of the Camanachd attacks came to nothing.
It was a speculative effort that broke the deadlock when a high, floated ball was not dealt with by the Cowal side’s defence and the goalkeeper turned it into his own net. Col Glen’s attacks were few, but when the ball did go forward they tried to move the defence using pace. A lack of physical presence allowed Camanachd to deal with the threat fairly comfortably.
The Oban side’s lead would have been doubled before half time were it not for a good save by the Col Glen keeper, who expertly palmed down a raking shot and turned it behind for a corner.
Col Glen put more pressure on Oban Camanachd in the second half but it always looked like the red and blacks were the favourites to score and they did when Lennon Campbell turned the ball into the Col Glen net 10 minutes into the second half. The Col Glen side kept pressing, but it was youngster Blair MacFarlane who put the tie beyond reach as he reacted to a rebound to seal the MacQuisten Cup win for Oban Camanachd.
Credit has to go to both teams for producing an exciting and competitive match on a soft pitch. Referee Des McNulty controlled the match well in trying conditions and Camanachd Association director Colin Cameron presented the medals and trophy to the winning captain Craig Easton.