Focus falls on cup ties
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THE battle for two of shinty’s oldest trophies begins in earnest tomorrow with preliminary round action in the Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup and 11 ties in the first round of the Aberdein Considine Sir William Sutherland Cup.
Inverness and Caberfeidh lock horns at Bught Park in one of two preliminary ties in the Camanachd Cup with the outcome almost too close to call.
The Highland Capital club have yet to win a game this season, but their form has been encouraging and last Saturday they showed their fighting qualities after falling 4-1 behind to Glenurquhart from the Premier Division with a dogged second half display that saw them reduce the leeway to 4-2.
Inverness hope to have strikers Sorley MacDonald and James Cameron available for selection with the latter free of suspension after serving a two-match ban.
Caberfeidh have had no time to find their feet this season so far with just three games played, each with distinctly different outcomes. A 4-3 home loss to Skye in the league was followed by an excellent performance in a 1-1 draw against Beauly, but then came the 8-1 hammering from Fort William in the first round of the MacTavish Cup.
This mixed form has prevented joint managers Stewart MacLennan and Graeme MacGregor from deciding on their best line-up with the main conundrum of where to play star players Ally MacLennan and Kevin Bartlett.
The winner of this tie will travel to Portree to play Skye in the first round proper.
In the other tie, Oban Camanachd entertain Glenorchy with the winner facing Glasgow Mid Argyll in the first round.
Tomorrow, the national flavour of the Sutherland Cup is fully illustrated with teams travelling vast distances to decide who proceeds into the second round.
Lochbroom make the long journey from Ullapool to Tighnabruaich, while Boleskine are also in deepest Argyllshire to play Col Glen in Glendaruel. Strathglass entertain Inveraray, while Perth-based Tayforth head up the A9 to face Beauly at Braeview.
The tie of the first round sees the holders Kingussie take on Lochside Rovers, currently sitting with a 100 per cent record in South Division Two.
Meanwhile, Inverness and Lovat meet in one of the few local derbies with Inverness struggling in North Division Three and Lovat, winners in 2010, expected to progress into round two.
Competition favourites Newtonmore face a tricky match in Aberdeen with the students looking to make a mark in a competition where they boast a distinguished record.
There is also a full programme in the Orion Group Premiership with Lovat putting their unbeaten league record on the line for the visit of Kingussie.
Lovat’s momentum stalled last Saturday when they were knocked out the Co-operative MacTavish Cup by Beauly and manager Allan MacRae needs to rediscover the winning formula after a loss and a draw in the last two matches. James MacPherson was unavailable last Saturday and may miss out again tomorrow.
Kingussie bounced back to their best last weekend in a Ronald Ross-inspired 6-2 win over Kinlochshiel. Ross, however, is nursing a persistent ankle injury and his availability on a weekly basis is not yet certain.
Glenurquhart face Bute at Blairbeg as their run of home matches — now extending to five in a row — continues. The Glen’s early season form has disappointed and with the Premiership looking more competitive than ever, they need to start putting points on the board.
In other matches, Fort William put their unbeaten record on the line at Inveraray, while Kinlochshiel look to consolidate their top four position with Kyles the visitors to Kirkton. League leaders Newtonmore should be too strong for a struggling Kilmallie side.
In the match of the day in North Division One, Beauly are home to Lochaber with both teams unbeaten and setting the early season pace. In stark contrast, Strathglass and Lochcarron clash at Cannich each looking to record their first wins of the campaign.
