Lovat looking to end 37-year wait
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LOVAT are bidding to bridge a 37-year gap tomorrow when they take on Kilmallie in the semi-finals of the Co-operative MacTavish Cup.
It was in season 1975/76 that Lovat last contested the final, where they lost to Newtonmore following a replay.
It is not a statistic, however, that weighs too heavily on the youthful shoulders of the current captain Calum Cruden.
"It’s not something we have talked about too much as we have been focussing on the Kilmallie game and not getting ahead of ourselves," said the 22-year-old Scotland internationalist.
"The team spirit is fantastic just now and we are really delighted to have come this far. It is the first major semi-final for most of the lads and everyone is looking forward to it.
Although we have a decent record at Canal Parks, we will be giving them maximum respect and we expect as tough a match as we have had all season."
Lovat go into the match as favourites on the back of a 10-game unbeaten run in both cup and league matches.
While their strike partnership of Greg Matheson and Kevin Bartlett have grabbed most of the headlines, many of the Balgate faithful believe that the success is also down to a solid defence, which has conceded just six goals in eight Premiership matches.
Despite their refusal to look beyond the Kilmallie match, the Lovat camp know they have a better than even chance of emulating the class of ’75 and then they can begin to dream of becoming the first Lovat team since 1953 to lift the famous prize.
The prospect of a Glenurquhart versus Lovat final would have seemed fanciful as recently as three years ago, yet that dream could become a reality tomorrow with Glenurquhart also in the last four, but facing record winners Newtonmore at the Eilan.
This is a huge hurdle for the Glen, but their recent record against ‘More suggests that they are capable of overcoming the odds.
At the same stage last season they lost to Newtonmore on penalties at the end of a match that most neutrals agreed the Glen should have won.
Joint manager Drew MacNeil believes that Newtonmore can be beaten, but meeting them on their own ground makes the task even more formidable.
MacNeil and his fellow manager Fraser MacKenzie will be hoping that the Glen can reproduce the scoring form that underpinned a strong finish to last season which brought the MacAulay Cup and a best-ever finish in the Premiership.
In the Marine Harvest Leagues, it is second versus third as Beauly entertain Skye at Braeview. A win for the home side, who have Jack MacDonald available again, would see them leapfrog Kilmallie to take over top spot.
At the other end of the table, Strathglass face Inverness in Cannich with the Claret and Blues seeking their first league win of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Lovat are through to the second round of the Strathdearn Cup after the overcame Caberfeidh 5-0 on Wednesday.
TONIGHT’S general meeting of the Camanachd Association in Fort William will see clubs debate a motion from Skye Camanachd seeking to overturn plands for league reorganisation, which is set to be introduced at the start of the 2014 season.
Skye have a secondary motion that essentially directs the association to commence further consultations with the member clubs with a view to coming up with proposals that would be acceptable to all.
