Top two Newtonmore & Kingussie win as Oban go third
- Published
Victories for the Mowi Premiership's two pacemakers created extra daylight at the top when leaders Newtonmore eclipsed Lochaber 7-0 at Spean Bridge while Kingussie won 3-1 at home to Kinlochshiel.
Oban Camanachd cashed in on the postponement of Fort William's game to go third with a 5-1 home defeat of Caberfeidh.
Lovat progressed to the final of the Ferguson Balliemore Cup, shinty's intermediate championship, with a 2-0 success over local rivals Beauly at Balgate. Inveraray reached the other semi-final when they defeated Bute 5-3 at the Winterton.
The quarter-finals of the HIS Sutherland Cup for the reserve team championship included a resounding 10-0 rout of visitors Bute by holders Fort William.
Struan Ross opened for Newtonmore in the first minute and Iain Robinson made it 2-0 soon after. However, there was a long wait for the rest of Newtonmore's goals until Ross added a second after 68 minutes before completing a hat-trick with a penalty. Robinson grabbed a second and there were singles from Declan Brannan and Euan Dingwall.
Ruaridh Anderson scored first for Kingussie, followed by Roddy Young. Dylan Borthwick got Kingussie's third in advance of Shiel's consolation from Ali Nixon in the final minute.
Doubles from Lewis Cameron then Daniel MacVicar had Oban Camanachd 4-0 up after 23 minutes. Ali Taylor pulled one back for Cabers early in the second half and Connor Howe wrapped it up for the home side.
The Balliemore tie at Kiltarlity was goalless almost into the final quarter hour until Graeme MacMillan struck for Lovat and Sergio Thomson confirmed their final spot five minutes later.
After almost a goalless hour in Inveraray, Coll MacKay hit a quick-fire hat-trick punctuated by a goal from Ross Montgomery suddenly to put Inveraray 4-0 up within 10 minutes. However, Bute hit back hard and within a further 10 minutes, a Scott Harvey double including a penalty and Robert Lowrie brought it back to 4-3. The outcome was then only settled late on by Montgomery's second.
A morning pitch inspection revealed that An Aird could only take one of the two games scheduled there and, with Bute already on their way, Fort William's reserve team's Sutherland Cup tie went ahead and their Premiership clash with Skye was postponed.
There, Jack Kearney scored four for the cupholders while John MacDonald grabbed two, with Murdo Shaw, Dan Nixon, Jase O'Hagan and Jay Brown taking Fort into double figures.
Jay MacRae scored four for Kinlochshiel, who progressed 6-4 against Newtonmore, whose evergreen veteran Glen MacIntosh got a hat-trick. Lewis Buchanan's late double rounded off a 5-0 home win over Skye for Lochside Rovers, Oban Camanachd's reserves.
