Marine Harvest North Division 1
Lovat 4 Strathglass 8
STRATHGLASS extended their lead at the top of the table with an 8- 4 win over Lovat’s second team at Balgate.
Lovat were without keeper Ronan MacMillan so James Gallacher played between the sticks. There were starting places for Fraser Gallacher and Greg Matheson and Martin Mainland who are on their way back from injury.
Strathglass had keeper Adam Todd back as well as Steven Hyslop, Ryan Balharry and Michael Stokes who all missed the previous weekend’s win over the Skye reserves in Portree. Donald Fraser and Jono Price were missing.
Lovat made a good start but it was the Cannich side which went ahead on eight minutes when wing centre Seth Jones sent a great 30-yard shot into the net.
The visitors doubled their lead straight from the re-start when Scott Douglas scored from close range.
Keeper Gallacher got his stick to the ball but he couldn’t keep it out of the net.
Scott Douglas got his second on 23 minutes and substitute Barry John Phimister, who had replaced Steven Hyslop after he took a head knock, made it 4- 0 just a couple of minutes later.
The Strath centre line of Ross Balharry, Michael Stokes and Seth Jones were dominating and they added to their tally a minute later through Darren Reid.
Reid then turned provider as he showed good skills on the right before crossing for Scott Douglas to score from the edge of the ‘D’ to complete his hattrick with half an hour played.
With Strathglass now 6- 0 ahead, Lovat pulled a goal back a minute before the break when full forward Fraser Gallacher jostled with full back Ally MacAdams and Gallacher’s strike beat the keeper at his left post.
Fraser Gallacher scored a similar goal with a 20-yard shot four minutes into the second half and he almost repeated the feat a minute later but this time the ball went just the wrong side of the post.
Referee Neil Ferguson awarded Strathglass a penalty on 58 minutes when Sam Ferguson was penalised for kicking the ball inside the ‘D’. James Gallacher saved Scott Douglas’ spot-hit, high above his head with his caman.
The Lovat fight-back continued and they made it 6-3 on 63 minutes. Adam Todd saved a Fraser Gallacher shot with his hand but Greg Matheson knocked the dropping ball home.
It was Strathglass who would score next though as Steven Hyslop, back on the field, made it 7-3 and then Michael Stokes, with a peach of a goal, sent a 35-yard waist-high rasping shot into the net to make 8-3 with 67 minutes played.
There was consolation for Lovat when Greg Matheson scored his second goal of the afternoon a couple of minutes from time.
The ball came out to Matheson off a Strathglass defender and he just managed to steady himself enough to scoop the ball into the net to make it 8- 4.
Strathglass are now four points ahead of the Newtonmore reserves who have a couple of games in hand.
Kingussie 3 Kinlochshiel 2
KINGUSSIE’S reserves beat the Kinlochshiel second team 3-2 at the Dell.
Kevin Thain gave Kingussie a two-goal advantage with strikes on 12 and 39 minutes but ’Shiel pulled a goal back a minute later through Scotland U17 player Jonnie MacAskill.
John Gibson restored Kingussie’s two-goal advantage on 74 minutes and it was an important score as Duncan ‘Ach’ MacRae pulled another goal back for ’Shiel with just eight minutes remaining.
Third-placed Kingussie are now just three points behind their Newtonmore rivals.
Beauly 0 Skye Camanachd 3
SKYE Camanachd’s colts collected two valuable points with a 3- 0 win over the Beauly colts at Braeview Park.
Beauly second team manager Neil Brindle was without Oran MacDonald who was suspended for passing through the disciplinary points threshold. Kieran MacTavish, Craig Rankin, Iain Rankin and Marc MacLachlan were with the Beauly senior side.
Skye boss Davie Pringle made four changes to the squad which lost to Strathglass in their league meeting in Portree a week earlier. Captain David Grant and keeper Iain MacLeod were unavailable and defender Neil John Campbell and full centre Ally ‘ Cleodi’ MacLeod were called up by the first team.
John Angus MacInnes was back from holiday and Thomas Wilson and youngsters Martin Pringle and Sam MacPhee were added to the squad. Ryan Morrison took over in goal.
Ross Gordon was given a start for Skye after scoring his first goal at second team level against Strathglass a week earlier and he repaid his manager’s faith with a goal after 18 minutes.
Another youngster, Ruaraidh MacLeod, made it 2- 0 on 40 minutes.
But it was older head John Angus MacInnes who sealed the win with a goal after 72 minutes.
The win lifts Skye a couple of places to sixth in the table.