Fort William crowned Division champions
Kinlochshiel 1 Newtonmore 0
Substitute Duncan ‘DA’ MacRae scored nine minutes from time to give Kinlochshiel a 1-0 win over Newtonmore in their match at Reraig.
Kinlochshiel defender Mark MacDonald returned, but Jordan Fraser was still unavailable. Promising U14 player Archie MacRae was given a place in attack and Andrew MacKenzie also started. Martin MacRae and Arron Jack joined Duncan ‘DA’ MacRae and Ali Nixon on the home bench.
Newtonmore’s Andy MacKintosh served a one-match ban for passing through the disciplinary points threshold, whilst injury ruled out Steven Macdonald, Iain Robinson and Glen MacKintosh. Ewen Fraser was also missing. Declan Brannan in defence and Andrew Buchan in midfield started for Newtonmore, whilst Fraser MacKintosh was their only substitute.
Referee Alex MacVicar gave the crowd a cheer when he took a tumble on the new Reraig pitch after five minutes, but he recovered well to have a good game.
It was an end-to-end opening 45 minutes, with Newtonmore having the better of the clear-cut chances. But they weren’t accurate enough in front of goal to profit. When they did find the target, they saw Josh Grant equal to their efforts. Kinlochshiel have undoubtedly found a suitable replacement in goals for retired veteran Scott Kennedy.
Kinlochshiel moved John MacRae from full forward to buckshee forward at the interval and he went on to have a more telling influence in the second half.
Duncan ‘DA’ MacRae replaced Archie MacRae at wing forward on 53 minutes and the youngster can be pleased with his contribution.
Kinlochshiel, with Finlay MacRae looking good in full centre, had the chance to take the lead a couple of minutes later. Kinlochshiel, playing away from the Kyle side of the ground, crossed a ball into the danger area from the right and when the goal judge flagged for a Craig Ritchie ‘kick’, referee Alex MacVicar pointed to the spot. John MacRae stepped up but his strike, half way up the goal, went past the left post of keeper Kenny Ross.
Fraser MacKintosh took over from David MacLean on 63 minutes and the contest remained scoreless until nine minutes from time when Kinlochshiel broke the deadlock. With sticks raised, a high ball from the left dropped into a crowded goal area and when it fell for Duncan ‘DA’ MacRae, he hammered a powerful drive over the keeper’s head into the net from three yards outside the ‘D’, slightly to the left of centre.
Kinlochshiel had the ball in the net for a second time on 85 minutes but the referee’s whistle had already gone for an infringement.
There was a late chance for the visitors when the ball was played to the right to Evan Menzies. His cross saw Jamie Robinson chase the ball out to the left and, with Josh Grant coming off his line to intervene, the keeper impeded Robinson, earning a yellow card. Evan Menzies had a good chance from close-in from the resultant free-hit but keeper Grant did enough to put him off and the ball went wide.
Kinlochshiel stay sixth in the league. They host Oban Camanachd in their final match of the season, scheduled for Saturday November 2.
Newtonmore play their penultimate match at Mossfield against Oban Camanachd this Saturday at noon. Newtonmore will hope to give some game time to Scottish internationals Steven Macdonald, who hasn’t played since suffering a shoulder injury in the Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup Final win over Oban Camanachd, and Iain Robinson, who has had the plaster removed from his hand following a broken finger, also sustained against the Oban side in the abandoned Scottish final.
Another Scottish international, Daniel Cameron, returns from suspension for Oban Camanachd, but Malcolm Clark is out with a broken finger.
Kyles Athletic 4 Caberfeidh 0
Kyles Athletic go third in shinty’s top flight after scoring two goals in each half to beat Caberfeidh 4-0 at Tighnabruaich.
Kyles Athletic’s Thomas Whyte was still missing, whilst manager Dunky Kerr also had to do without forwards Colin MacDonald and Conor Kennedy. The hosts fielded a forward line of Roddy MacDonald, Robbie MacLeod, Ross Macrae and George Thomson.
Caberfeidh’s Scott McLauchlan was banned, whilst Ally MacLennan, Ben MacDonald, Liam Symonds, Callum MacKinnon, Robbie Brindle, Kenneth MacKenzie and James MacLeod were all also missing.
Boss Jodi Gorski played, with Malcolm Morrison helping out at full forward.
Craig Morrison had scored in his last 20 successive matches but, with so many absentees, he started the match at full back.
Kyles had the chance to break the deadlock midway through the first half when referee Graham Fisher awarded them a penalty. Robbie MacLeod’s spot-hit came back off the post though and, with Paul MacArthur unable to turn the re-bound home, Caberfeidh got the ball out for a corner.
Kyles kept the pressure on and when Paul MacArthur played a second corner across on 23 minutes, Ross Macrae scrambled the ball over the line to make it 1-0.
The hosts were awarded a second penalty on 29 minutes when Robbie MacLeod was taken down inside the ‘D’. This time Roddy MacDonald hammered the ball home to make it 2-0.
The Kyles midfield of Paul MacArthur, Rupert Williamson and Innes MacDonald were playing plenty good balls forward and Scott MacDonald, who started the game in defence, made it 3-0 on 66 minutes, scoring from inside the ‘D’ from another Paul MacArthur corner.
Kyles Athletic defender Neil MacVicar was pushed up front and he made it 4-0 on 72 minutes with an effort which took a slight deflection on its way into the net.
Both teams reshuffled for the closing stages. Caberfeidh pushed Craig Morrison up front and Kyles immediately pulled Neil MacVicar back from his cameo appearance in attack to mark the Scotland forward.
Kyles also introduced Cairn Limbert for Innes MacDonald and Murdo MacRae for George Thomson.
Kyles maintained their winning margin though and whilst they now go third in the division, a second placed finish is well within their reach. They welcome Kingussie to Tighnabruaich this Saturday when Kingussie will be presented with the Mowi Premiership trophy.
The game completes Caberfeidh’s season. They finish seventh on 12 points, two points better off than last term.
Lochaber P Oban Camanachd P
Lochaber were unable to raise a team for their meeting with Oban Camanachd at Spean Bridge.
Lochaber, who only had ten players available on Friday evening, have been deducted two points as a result of not fulfilling the fixture which confirms their relegation to the Mowi National Division.
Lochaber, who don’t have a second team and whose last liaison was a 3-0 defeat to Kyles Athletic five weeks earlier, now drop below already relegated Inveraray to the bottom of the table with their match against Oban Camanachd rescheduled for Saturday November 16.