Newtonmore and Kyles set for title showdown
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NEWTONMORE are poised to retain the Scottish Hydro Premier Division tomorrow as they face Kyles Athletic in their final match of the season.
Norman MacArthur’s men have already lifted the Camanachd Cup and retaining the league trophy would confirm their status as the sport’s top team.
They are currently in a rich vein of form, scoring 11 without reply in their last two matches.
MacArthur has a full squad at his disposal for what has been described a winner-takes-all contest.
Kyles, unbeaten all season, will win the title for the first time if they come out on top tomorrow and become the first team from the sport’s south area to win the national title since it was introduced in 1995.
They have the advantage of playing at home, but given the recent problems with their Tighnabruaich pitch there is every possibility that the match will be transferred to a playable venue.
In midweek the Camanachd Association issued instructions that would see the match moved to the stadium pitch in Dunoon, venue of the 2006 Camanachd Cup final, if Tighnabruaich failed to pass an inspection. The second back-up pitch is Bught Park, Inverness.
The match is finely poised and Kyles have had the upper hand this season with a draw in the league at the Eilan and a 2-1 triumph in the MacAulay Cup final.
Kyles have injury concerns over defender Donald Irvine, while his brother Grant misses out after picking up a knee injury in the recent shinty/hurling international in Ireland.
A draw would leave Kyles needing just a point in their final match of the campaign, which is at home to Kingussie.
Tomorrow promises to be a dramatic day with Oban Camanachd on the brink of relegation for the first time in the history of the national Premier Division.
Along with Kingussie, Newtonmore and Fort William, Oban have been an ever-present in the league, but tomorrow they need to beat Kilmallie by seven clear goals to send Inveraray plunging into area league shinty next season.
Whatever the outcome at Mossfield, the Camanachd Association will be left to deal with a tricky problem for next season.
If Oban go down, under the rule which says that two teams from the same club cannot play in the same league, their reserve side Lochside Rovers would be relegated to South Division Two, despite finishing third in Division One this season.
But if Oban survive tomorrow, Inveraray would drop down along with Glenorchy — an outcome that would see South Division One expand to 11 teams, which is considered to be an unwieldy number.
