Wins for Kingussie & Fort William as Lochaber score nine

Mowi Premiership champions Kingussie reduced Newtonmore’s lead to four points with a 6-0 defeat of Skye in Portree in one of their two games in hand, while Fort William returned to third place, seeing off Caberfeidh 5-2 in Strathpeffer.

Kyles Athletic’s miserable season took another plunge with a 9-3 roasting by Lochaber, with Stuart Callison scoring six at Tighnabruich.

The Ferguson Balliemore Cup final on 25 July for shinty’s intermediate championship will match Kilmallie and Lovat in an all-north clash after KIlmallie edged Inveraray 2-1 at Taynuilt.

Kingussie’s rich supply of scorers saw them through, with no fewer than five players on target. Dylan Borthwick’s double, which included a penalty, was supporterd by Lee Bain’s opener then Calum McLay, George Taylor Ramsay and Ruaridh Anderson.

Alexander MacMillan opened the scoring for Fort William in advance of a Victor Smith double. Gavin McLaughlin pulled one back for Cabers before half-time and Smith advanced to a hat-trick with Fort’s fourth. Seumas Henderson got another for Caberfeidh and Fort’s Archie MacKinnon wrapped it up in the penultimate minute.

Ben Delaney added a hat-trick to Callison’s spree, with Kyles’ replies coming from Luke Thornton and a Scott MacDonald double. After seven games, Kyles remain pointless, having conceded 40 goals and scored six.

Kinlochshiel’s home game against Col Glen was postponed amid a deepening drainage crisis at their Rearaig pitch which has only been able to host a single first team game this season, alongside seven postponements.

The Camanachd Association have confirmed that Shiel will be obliged, if necessary, to complete their programme at other venues.

The odds reduced yet further on Premiership returns for National Division pace-setters Glenurquhart and Lovat.

Leaders Glen were hard pressed away to third placed Beauly but emerged 3-2 winners. Following an early Ali MacKintosh red card, Alfie MacLeod and Neale Reid put Glen 2-0 up at half-time and although Connor Ross and David MacLean pulled it back to 2-2 soon after the interval, MacLeod completed his double with the winner.

Lovat remain four points behind Glen with two games in hand after overwhelming Oban Celtic 10-0 at Ganavan. Marc MacLachlan led with a hat-trick and there were doubles for Graeme MacMillan and Danny Kelly alongside singles from Sergio Thomson and Joe Embledon and a David Hill own goal. This leaves Celtic pointless, having scored just three goals and conceded 54 in seven games.

Inveraray took the lead after just 11 minutes through Ross Montgomery and it was into the second half before Martin Stewart and Shane O’Rua grabbed Kilmallie’s Balliemore final berth.