Camanachd Cup returns to regal Kingussie
Kingussie added to their already trophyladen season by beating Lovat 3-1 in front of a capacity crowd at the Dell to win the Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup for the 24th time.
Both keepers – Stuart MacDonald, for Lovat, and Kingussie’s Rory MacGregor – made excellent saves before Kingussie took the lead just short of the halfhour mark. Savio Genini, an injury doubt before the game with an Achilles problem, fired low across the keeper on his backhand to turn Ruaridh Anderson’s corner low into the net.
Lovat manager Jamie Matheson asked for more from his players at the interval and they responded when substitute Calum MacAulay sent a swerving shot high into the goal to level on 58 minutes.
The final was tousy at times with so much at stake and the outcome remained on a knife-edge until a couple of minutes from time.
Roddy Young went on a rampaging run forward from the middle of the park before slipping the ball to substitute James Falconer and Falconer, who was on crutches only 10 days ago as he recovered from a hairline fracture below his knee, drove the ball into the corner of the net to the keeper’s right side.
When Genini’s stoppage-time shot from the left was saved by Stuart MacDonald, Roddy Young was quickly in to lift the rebound high into the goal to make it 3-1 and seal the win.
Kingussie keeper Rory MacGregor made several super saves throughout, earning him the coveted Albert Smith Medal as man of the match.
Genini, who scored twice as a 17-yearold when Kingussie last lifted the trophy in 2014, raised the Camanachd Cup in front of a jubilant Kingussie support.
He said: “This means everything to us as a group of players and it’s pretty emotional, to be honest. ”
Kingussie manager John Gibson added: “It doesn’t get any better than winning the Camanachd Cup at the Dell. That’s just perfection.”
Having already won the Macaulay and MacTavish Cups, league leaders Kingussie are now just a Mowi Premiership title away from completing
their first Grand Slam since 2003 and very few would bet against them.