Lochaber High School win MacPherson Cup
HOSTED at the Dell, this year’s MacPherson Cup was contested by Kingussie, Dunoon and Lochaber.
Lochaber and Kingussie opened the tournament with a hard-fought encounter. Lewis Clark gave Lochaber an early lead when he dribbled through the home defence before finishing in the corner. Clark doubled the lead with a low driven shot to make it 2- 0 before Lachie Shaw ran on to a fine through ball to make it 3- 0 at half time.
The second half was an even contest, but Clark completed his hat-trick to complete the scoring and give Lochaber a 4- 0 win.
In the second match, Dunoon, making their first appearance for several years, took on Kingussie.
In an evenly contested match, there was nothing between the teams until Dunoon struck mid-way through the first half, with an excellent long range shot to take a 1- 0 lead, which they held until half time.
Kingussie mounted a series of attacks in the second half to try to get back into the match but the Dunoon defence, and some outstanding goalkeeping, kept them out while the Dunoon attack looked capable of adding to their lead. In the end, it finished 1- 0 to Dunoon who then faced Lochaber in the final.
In a frantic opening, Dunoon spurned a good chance to take an early lead before Ryan Andrews in the Lochaber goal produced a fine save to keep his team level.
Lochaber began to grow in confidence as Ryan Boyle, Lachie Shaw and Jamie Duncan took control of the midfield and play switched to the Dunoon end. It was Duncan who opened Lochaber’s account by firing a low drive under the goalkeeper.
This was closely followed by Cameron Whyte using his boxer’s reflexes to react quickest to a loose ball to put Lochaber 2- 0 ahead.
Lochaber High were now playing with confidence, playing a strong passing game and it was no surprise when Lachie Shaw finished a fine run with a low shot just inside the post to make it 3- 0.
As half time approached, Victor Smith met a long ball on the volley to put Lochaber 4- 0 and on course to regain the trophy. Despite the score, Dunoon kept on playing until the final whistle with Johnny Forster, Cam Clark and Alistair MacRae having to be at their best to keep a clean sheet and ensure victory.
At the end of the match, Ronald Ross thanked the referee Alexander Michie for his excellent role in ensuring the smooth running of the tournament.
Referee Michie presented the MacPherson Cup to Lochaber captain Ryan Boyle.
Lochaber High dedicated their win to the memory of 2002 winning captain Duncan Rodger and to Donald Lamont who played in the Banavie School team which won the cup in 1960.