'More claim Premier Division title
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
NEWTONMORE confirmed their status as the top side in the country after snatching victory in their final game of the season to retain the Scottish Hydro Premier Division title.
Extra time also failed to produce a winner, but the Glen showed more composure to win the penalty shootout 3-0.
The Glen had to battle back after Oban took the lead through a Duncan MacDonald strike in the 32nd minute. Ewan Brady rescued the Glen with the equaliser in the 69th minute, but in a tense finale to the match there was no further scoring.
Glenurquhart had a much tougher battle against Oban Celtic, who had won through to the last four with a surprise win over the holders Lochaber.
Kinlochshiel stamped their authority against Fort William with a 4-1 win, Conal Fraser hitting all four goals for the Kirkton outfit. Mark Fraser netted for the An Aird side.
Meanwhile, the under-17 national championship for the London Shield will take place on Saturday at Balgate, Kiltarlity, and will feature Glenurquhart and Kinlochshiel after they both battled through tough semi-finals on Saturday.
Needing to win by seven clear goals, they had to settle for a 4-2 triumph meaning that they drop into area league shinty, while Inveraray stay in the top league, albeit only on goal difference.
Oban Camanachd were relegated from the top league for the first time when they fell short against Kilmallie.
Newtonmore’s success sees them become only the second team in history to retain the title, but they have some way to go to emulate Kingussie’s 13 title triumphs.
In a nervy second 45 minutes, Kyles had the bulk of the pressure, yet could not force their way through a resolute ’More defence.
Dunkie Kerr blasted Kyles into a first half lead with a strike in the 44th minute, but MacRae levelled matters five minutes after the restart.
A point would have handed Kyles a great opportunity, leaving them needing to draw at home to Kingussie in their final match this weekend to lift the title.
It was jubilation for ’More and despair for Kyles, who had led the title race since March and until Saturday had gone through the league unbeaten.
Saturday’s winner was arguably his most dramatic with the last hit of an intriguing, but occasionally, dull encounter.
Just over a year ago, he scored a sensational winner against Fort William in a title showdown at An Aird, while in September this year in Inverness it was MacRae’s extra-time strike in the Camanachd Cup final against Kingussie which took the blue riband trophy back to the Eilan for the first time in nearly quarter of a century.
MacRae’s capacity for scoring vital goals is remarkable and their success over the past two seasons has been built around the powerful striker.
And once again Danny MacRae was heralded as the ’More hero scoring the crucial goal after his side had launched a final assault on the Kyles goal.
Their victory in Saturday’s winner-takes-all encounter against Kyles Athletic could hardly have been more dramatic with the decisive goal coming deep into injury-time at the end of the match to seal a 2-1 victory.
