Shinty - Lovat defeat Skye to win Ken MacMaster Cup in Inverness
Under-14 Ken MacMaster Cup final
Lovat 2
Skye 0
LOVAT celebrated winning the Under-14 Ken MacMaster Cup final with victory over Skye at Bught Park in Inverness.
The Kiltarlity outfit proved too good for their opponents with both goals coming in the second half, with Archie Bell breaking the deadlock in the 45th minute and Dougal Strang doubling their advantage eight minutes later.
The Ken MacMaster Cup final was held before the Camanachd Cup final where Newtonmore defeated Kingussie 3-2.
Coach Martin Bell praised his team for an outstanding performance both defensively and offensively to bring the title back to Balgate.
He said: “The kids have done such a great job of getting to the final. It sets them up for their future shinty careers. It is a huge thing for the club.”
Bell was also full of praise for Skye, saying Lovat had to dig deep to lift the trophy on Saturday.
He said: “It was too close in the first half and I was uncomfortable during a few points.
“We were skating on thin ice during a few moments.
“But we had our chances as well and it could have gone either way in the first half.
“We did manage to turn the screw in the second half and fortunately we got the goals to kick us on.
“We know that we can score, so once we got one goal we know that we could get more.
“We had to dig deep at the back, even at 2-0 up they were still pushing for a goal, it was a very close game.
“You can lose a goal from nothing in shinty, at 2-0, it doesn’t mean you are home and dry and we had to keep pushing for more.”
Despite their young age, a number of the youngsters have also played for Lovat 2nd’s team in North Division Two this season.
He thinks winning the Ken MacMaster Cup will inspire the youngsters to continue their shinty careers and one day play for the first team.
He said: “It is massive, we are a community club, these kids’ photo will be up at the clubhouse forever. This means a lot to the kids and supporters.
“Some are already playing in the second team, so the future is bright.”