Glen put a dent in Lovat's title hopes
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LOVAT’S quest to become Orion Premiership champions for the first time received a setback when a late goal by rivals Glenurquhart denied them both points.
Calum MacAulay opened the scoring in the 17th minute, but the Kiltarlity side failed to build on their early advantage and paid the penalty when Billy Urquhart hit the equaliser with just 13 minutes remaining.
League leaders Newtonmore remain on course for their fifth successive title following a hard-earned 3-2 win over Kinlochshiel at Kirkton.
Keith MacRae fired the home side ahead in the 20th minute, but the Badenoch side stormed back to post a 3-1 lead at the interval courtesy of a Steven MacDonald penalty conversion and a double by Evan Menzies.
Kinlochshiel battled hard after the interval, but Finlay MacRae’s counter in the final minute came too late and they remain in relegation trouble.
At the top, Newtonmore lead Lovat by three points with a game more played and the destination of the title could be decided when the teams face each other at Kiltarlity later in the month.
The battle to beat the drop has been reduced to a straight fight between ‘Shiel and Lochaber after Kyles Athletic’s 5-1 hammering of Kingussie at Tighnabruaich.
In the Marine Harvest National Division, the games went with the form book, although Caberfeidh gave title challengers Kilmallie an uncomfortable afternoon before losing 3-2 at Castle Leod.
Fort William maintained their unbeaten record in Rothesay with a 5-0 win over bottom club Bute, while in the all-south encounter at Dalmally, Glasgow Mid Argyll leapfrogged Caberfeidh into fifth place courtesy of a 3-1 victory against Glenorchy.
Meanwhile, Skye, beaten in the final of the RBS MacTavish Plate competition by Fort William, finally got their hands on some silverware when they lifted the Balliemore Cup at rain-sodden Taynuilt with a 3-2 extra-time triumph over Ballachulish.
A Shockie MacLennan goal in the fifth minute settled Skye, but failed to provide the platform for the islanders to go on to build a commanding lead.
Instead, the unfancied Jubilee Park side produced a backs-to-the-wall performance to deny Skye and on the hour mark Allan Clark forced home the equaliser.
The match went into extra time and within seven minutes of the first period, Skye were back in front with youngster Danny Morrison firing them ahead.
Three minutes after the restart, Clark hit his second to set up a nailbiting end to the match. With penalties looming, Jordan Murchison wrote his name into the annals of the club when he slotted home the winner just three minutes from time.
The match had been a fine advert for area league shinty and the clubs could meet again later in the season in a play-off to decide who wins promotion to next season’s Marine Harvest National Division.
Skye, who are unbeaten in the league, look to have a strong grip on the North Division One title after Strathglass saw their hopes of even finishing the season in the runners-up position fade following a 6-0 thumping by Beauly colts at Braeview.
Beauly added David Maclean to their squad, while the Strath were unchanged from last Saturday’s 4-1 win over Inverness.
MacLean and Ross Forbes each scored to give the Greens a deserved 2-0 interval lead, but they had to wait until the final 20 minutes to seal the points with MacLean and Forbes completing their doubles, while youngsters Calum Morrison and Robbie Brindle also got their names on the scoresheet.
Inverness were another senior side on the wrong side of a heavy beating from a reserve team when they crashed 7-0 to Lovat at Bught Park.
Rory Campbell was a hat-trick hero for the Kiltarlity side with his first coming in the opening minute and by the break Lovat had established a 3-0 lead with Campbell hitting his second in the 11th minute and Danny Kelly scoring on the stroke of half-time.
Campbell completed his treble with a penalty conversion in the 71st minute with Lovat’s other goals coming from veteran Jimmy MacKenzie and a double by Duncan Collings.
The defeat plunges Inverness into relegation territory and they trail Lovat on goal difference in bottom place on the four-point mark.
Glenurquhart’s game against Kingussie will be rescheduled after the Badenoch club called off citing team raising difficulties. Under the rules the match will be played at another time and Kingussie are also docked two points.
In North Division Two, Boleskine’s season is almost over, but their penultimate match ended in disappointment after they lost 2-0 at Lochcarron.
The race for the title is hotting up after league leaders Glengarry beat second place Fort William 2-1 at Craigard. The Invergarry side, with just three matches remaining, have opened up a three-point lead over their Great Glen rivals with Lochcarron still in the chase in third place.
In North Division Three, there was some cheer for Inverness when their reserve side held league leaders Caberfeidh to a 2-2 draw with both goals for the city side coming courtesy of Martin Davidson.
