BEAULY’S 102-year wait for a senior national trophy ended when they beat Glasgow Mid Argyll 5-3 in the Balliemore Cup final at Kingussie.
The club’s only previous triumph at national level came with the 1913 Camanachd Cup win, although there was sporadic success at junior level and in the area league competitions in the intervening years.
Saturday’s victory, in which forward Conor Ross scored four of the goals, was met by a wave of euphoria from the Beauly players and supporters but there was also an unmistakable sense of relief in the air.
Captain David MacLean, who put in a tremendous performance at full centre before limping off midway through the second half with a shin injury, said: “I am absolutely delighted but also very relieved that we finally got our hands on the trophy.
“It was tough game and I have to give credit to Mid Argyll who found something in the second half to come back at us.”
MacLean added “To win the trophy after losing in three finals feels special and I hope we can use this as a springboard to take the club forward.
“Kyles, Lochaber and Kinlochshiel each won the Balliemore and look where they are now – in the top flight and doing very well.We have a young squad and if they stay together I am optimistic for the future.”
The 6ftt 5in tall Ross, celebrating the very recent birth of a baby daughter, rarely put a foot wrong. He faded in the second half but his four goals in 25 first-half minutes put the match out of Mid Argyll’s reach.
Ross’s first came in the 11th minute when Mid Argyll keeper Jonathan Oates could only parry a fierce Marc MacLachlan strike, leaving Ross with a simple tap in.
The city side were coming under the severest of pressure as Beauly turned the screw in midfield but in the 20th minute Angus MacDonald squeezed in an equlaiser after a long range Miid Argyll free hit caused panic in the Beauly defence.
Beauly’s response was almost immediate as Ross sent a scorching shot high into the net The goals were coming thick and fast now and two minutes later Beauly extended their lead with Ross scoring a carbon copy of his first close-range effort.
The hard-working Sean Stewart added a fourth 10 minutes later before Ross continued his destructive spell with a fine strike in the 37th minute.
If the opening 45 minutes had proved a chastening experience for Mid Argyll, they somehow found the resolve after the interval to finally make a game of it.
John Don MacKenzie led the fightback with a close-range strike in the 52 nd minute but their effort fizzled out before a last minute penalty expertly converted by Craig Anderson put a gloss on the scoreline.
Elsewhere, only three matches were scheduled in the Marine Harvest Premiership and league leaders Newtonmore consolidated their position with a hard-fought 2-0 home win over Kinlochshiel.
The defeat allowed Lochaber to leapfrog Shiel into second place after the Spean Bridge side ended Glenurquhart’s four-match winning run with a 3-2 victory in Drumnadrochit.
In the all-south encounter Kyles Athletic’s 4-1 win over Argyllshire rivals Inveraray saw the Royal Burgh side sink deeper into relegation trouble.
Kyles began in explosive fashion with three goals in the opening half-hour with Roberto Zavaroni, Dunkie Kerr and Roddy MacDonald on target.
Zavaroni’s second a minute after the interval closed the door on any Inveraray fightback although Euan McMurdo scored a consolation nine minutes from time.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here