Inveraray tied in league top spot after hard-fought win
Marine Harvest National Division Inverness 2 Inveraray 3
Inveraray are one of three shinty teams tied on top of the Marine Harvest National Division after a battling 3-2 win over Inverness at the Bught Park.
With Allan MacLeod unavailable, Somhairle MacDonald was in goal for Inverness as he continues to be hampered by a hamstring injury.
Inveraray travelled without Nicholas Crawford and Ally Munro.
Garry MacPherson and Allan MacDonald were free to play but both will miss next weekend’s Camanachd Cup second round tie against Beauly at Braeview Park as their bookings against Glasgow Mid Argyll the previous weekend mean they must serve one-match bans for passing the disciplinary points threshold.
MacDonald started on the bench alongside Lewis MacNicol and player/manager Ruaraidh Graham.
John Kennedy and Grant Griffin, however, returned for the visitors.
Referee Evan MacRae, officiating in his second match of the day, awarded Inveraray a penalty on seven minutes when Grant Griffin was upended in the D.
Youngster Fraser Watt coolly slotted the spot-hit into the roof of the net, giving Somhairle MacDonald no chance.
Despite being a goal down, Inverness had started well and the powerful James Cameron and teenager Charlie MacDonald were causing problems for the Inveraray back line.
Inveraray’s David Robertson played the first 45 minutes but left at half-time to attend a wedding and Allan MacDonald took his place.
Inveraray went 2-0 ahead four minutes after the restart when Grant Griffin pounced to score following a corner.
Inverness halved the deficit on 59 minutes when Inveraray keeper Scott MacLachlan saved well from a low drive, and James Cameron was quickest to the rebound to slot the ball into the net and make it 2-1.
Young Scott MacLachlan, in the Inveraray goal, was the busier of the two keepers but Griffin eased the pressure – scoring his second and Inveraray’s third goal with 15 minutes remaining from a well-worked free hit.
Again Inverness came back through a well-taken Charlie MacDonald goal.
The home side kept pressing but Inveraray held out and they will be delighted to have headed back down the A9 with both points on a day when they weren’t at their best.
Marine Harvest South Division 1 Inveraray 1 Lochside Rovers 1
The Inveraray second team and Lochside Rovers shared the points in a 1-1 draw in their Friday night meeting at the Winterton.
Inveraray showed their intent straight from the start of this 7pm throw up as Fraser Watt put them in front in the opening minute.
Andrew Fraser collected a ball forward and played a through pass to Watt, before the youngster struck the ball across the keeper to make it 1-0.
Lochside Rovers drew level on 63 minutes when Niall MacFarlane scored following a stramash around the home goal.
Postponed
The Gregor Cameron Consultancy Glasgow Celtic Society Cup semi-final between Oban Camanachd and Kyles Athletic was postponed due to a waterlogged Mossfield pitch. The tie has been rescheduled for Saturday June 4, so Inveraray will have to wait a bit longer to learn their final opponents.
Heavy Saturday morning rain showers also put paid to matches between Kyles seconds and Glenorchy in south division one, and Kilmory and Tayforth in division two.