NEWTONMORE meet Kyles Athletic at Taynuilt in the remaining SSE Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup semi-final with the winners due to face Lovat in Oban on September 19 to decide the fate of shinty’s most important trophy.
Given that both sides have superb records in this competition – Newtonmore have won it 30 times and Kyles 21 – since they first met in a final back in 1905, today’s clash was always going to be one to savour.
What gives it a special edge this season is that both sides are still in contention for the Marine Harvest Premiership title as well as continuing to retain an interest in the Camanachd Cup.
Newtonmore will go into the tie slight favourites on the grounds that when the sides met on league business in mid-season the Badenoch side squeaked home 3-2 though they were behind for a large part of the match and had to rely on two late goals to snatch the win.
Not that Newtonmore co-manager Iain Mackintosh has any illusions about the nature of the challenge his side faces.
“Kyles have been going very well recently and their forwards have been scoring freely. Their goals are not all coming from one man but they are spread around their front men so we will have to deal with that.
“For our part, we are happy to have some of our injured players back especially Paul MacArthur who has been out with a hamstring problem. Scott Chisholm and Fraser Mackintosh are also fit to go but we will miss defender Michael Russell who is serving a one game suspension.”
The test for Newtonmore is not only how their defence will cope with the experienced Kyles forwards but also how well their centreline can handle the pacy Kyles midfield on the large Taynuilt pitch. If Newtonmore, who have a physical edge in the centre of the park, can establish some dominance there, then Kyles forwards like Roddy Macdonald and Grant Irvine will be forced to come deep to forage for the ball which might blunt their cutting edge up front.
Kyles’ manager James Perlich will also want his own centreline to produce a high-tempo performance and test to the limit Newtonmore midfielders like MacArthur who, having suffered injuries earlier in the season, may wane the longer the game goes on.
Perlich is aware that the absence of half-back Donald Irvine, a doctor who has just taken up an appointment in Australia, leaves his side with a defensive hole to fill against opponents who have, in Glen Mackintosh, shinty’s top Premiership marksman this season.
“We have established players who can cover for Donald and his absence also gives an opportunity for younger players to come in, but in the end the result will be decided by how we play.
“With our history the Camanachd Cup is the one we always aim for and this year will be no different.”
Elsewhere, there are thee ties in the Marine Harvest Premiership with the most important being at Inveraray where the home side face bottom club Oban Camanachd.
Inveraray who are placed just above Oban cannot afford to drop both points or they will find themselves at the foot of the table and in danger of automatic relegation.
However, injuries picked up by Alan Munro and player manager Gary Macpherson in last week’s Camanachd Cup semi-final may leave them short on the day.
Oban under new manager Ian Hay are still without suspended forward Scott Macmillan but will need to win to have any realistic chance of Premiership survival, despite having three games in hand on their rivals.
In the other two matches Lovat travel to Drumnadrochit to face Glenurquhart while Fort William welcome Lochaber to An Aird for a derby clash.
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