Glen hope cup win will bring more success
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GLENURQUHART’S triumphant MacAulay Cup squad have a day off tomorrow as the annual Highland Games takes centre stage at Blairbeg Park.
As sober reflection sets in after a tumultuous week in the wake of their magnificent triumph, there is a growing appreciation of the scale of the Glen’s achievement.
The players have been energised by winning one of the sport’s majors and there appears to be a steely determination throughout the squad that they will not be remembered as one-hit wonders and will go onto to challenge for further honours next season.
The players take huge credit for overturning a century-and-a-quarter of history, but they will be first to acknowledge the influence of joint managers Drew MacNeil and Fraser Mackenzie, and also the part played by Steven Henderson, who has a key role on match days.
MacNeil and Mackenzie inherited a talented squad many of whom they had worked with at international level. That group, including the likes of Eddie Tembo, John Barr, Andy Corrigan and Stuart MacKintosh, were the backbone of the squad when MacNeil and MacKenzie took over at the beginning of the season, but their achievement has been to enthuse another group of highly talented players whose commitment at times in the past had been open to question.
MacNeil and Mackenzie have also embraced British Cycling’s mantra of the "aggregation of marginal gains" and have placed huge emphasis on encouraging individual players to improve on their key skills.
This attention to detail is clearly paying off, but the test for the club will be to carry that forward to the 2013 season where they hope to be challenging for further honours.
Meanwhile, the club await confirmation of the date and venue for the rearranged Sutherland Cup final where they will face Kingussie.
As the season builds towards its climax with the Camanachd Cup final just four weeks away, favourable weather across the shinty playing areas means that the fixtures are, with some notable exceptions, up-to-date with the majority of promotion and relegation issues settled.
The Premiership title race looks like going to the wire, however, and has been reduced to a two-horse race with Kyles and Newtonmore set to battle it out to the final day.
The relegation of Bute and Kilmallie has been confirmed, but who will replace them next season is still in the balance.
A win for Oban Camanachd over town rivals Celtic in tomorrow’s derby will see them promoted after just season out of the top flight but in the North the Division One title race is far from over with Skye and Lochaber locked in a titanic struggle, although Lochaber are narrow favourites.
Tomorrow’s Premiership card has been labelled derby day, although Inveraray would dispute that as they embark on the long journey to meet Kinlochshiel for a noon start.
Elsewhere, the emphasis is on local rivalry and the pick of the action is at the Eilan where Newtonmore face Kingussie.
The Kings will be trying to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat as their season has unravelled spectacularly with their latest reverse a 6-1 pasting by Kinlochshiel.
Newtonmore will be guarding against complacency as they set out on a crucial series of matches where they need to win three of their four remaining matches to bag a three in a row sequence of title successes.
In the other matches, Fort William face Kilmallie while Kyles Athletic take on Bute.
In North Division One, Strathglass, anchored at the bottom of the league, face a home match against Lochaber with Robert Geddes’ side already assured of lifting the wooden spoon.
Skye are away to Caberfeidh in what will be a difficult assignment for the islanders, while Beauly entertain Lochcarron with the sides enjoying a win apiece against each other in the league this season.
In North Division Three, champions Beauly face Boleskine, who are striving to book the runners-up spot ahead of Lochbroom.
