Can Lochaber stop leaders' early charge?
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LOVAT aim to maintain their 100 per cent record in the Orion Group Premiership when they visit Spean Bridge where Lochaber are their hosts this Saturday.
Lovat have had an excellent start to their campaign and, as runners-up to Newtonmore last year, are living up to the pre-season forecasts of being the major threat to ’More’s bid to become champions for a fifth successive season.
Lochaber have yet to take to the field this year and, with five pre-season and league postponements on consecutive Saturdays, they will find the going tough against a confident Lovat side intent on adding further silverware to the MacTavish Cup won last year.
Kyles Athletic, by contrast to Lovat have suffered two losses in their opening two matches and, whilst these defeats were against the teams that finished in the top two places last year, Tighnabruaich bosses Norman MacDonald and James Perlich will be conscious of the fact that a third successive defeat would place them in a very perilous season position albeit early in the season.
Glenurquhart are Kyles’ visitors on Saturday and the Drumnadrochit team will travel with confidence having posted a fine 4-0 opening day win at home to Kinlochshiel.
With the Tighnabruaich pitch often struggling to cope with inclement weather, this fixture may end up being switched to Glen’s Blairbeg Park.
Newtonmore have home advantage over Inveraray and it will be a major shock if ’More’s free-scoring forward line fails to net the goals to ensure victory and accumulate two vital points towards retaining their title.
Kinlochshiel and Kingussie meet at Kirkton, with both teams looking to break their points duck in the second league fixture for them both.
’Shiel are tricky opponents on their own tight pitch and victory for Colin Fraser’s Wester Ross outfit should be regarded as more than a distinct possibility.
Kilmallie got their Marine Harvest National Division One title assault under way with a bang last week and will look to continue in that same vein when they face Caberfeidh
Cabers were unfortunate not to take anything from their opening day clash with Oban Camanachd losing to a last-minute goal and will hope to make life difficult for their visitors, one of the pre-season favourites to win promotion to the Premiership.
Beauly and Oban Camanachd go head-to-head at Braeview Park and, with Beauly having come out on top when they faced each other in last season’s Camanachd Cup, manager Roger Cormack will look for a repeat performance to maintain his team’s interest in what could be a very interesting title race.
Fort William and Bute are two teams yet to play a competitive fixture this year, and both will be hopeful that a third consecutive postponement will not be experienced this weekend.
With home advantage, Fort should have the edge to take the points.
The remaining National Division fixture, an all-South Area affair between Glasgow Mid Argyll and Glenorchy, is scheduled to take place at Yoker. With Glenorchy being the other team without a competitive fixture under their belts, GMA will start as slight favourites.
Strathglass take on Newtonmore reserves at Cannich in North Division One’s top match.
’More have had an explosive start to the season with 6-1 and 8-1 routs over Inverness and Kingussie reserves respectively making them the early season pacesetters.
Strath themselves cruised to an 8-1 win over Lovat on opening day.
However, Newtonmore are likely to be considerably more formidable opponents.
Skye will be expected to be too strong for Glenurquhart reserves, who they meet at Drumnadrochit.
The same can be said of Inverness when they take on Beauly’s reserve team at the Bught.
Lovat reserves are likely to be up against it again when their Kingussie counterparts pay a visit to Balgate.
