Dunky double puts Kyles back on top
Kyles Athletics are back top of the Premier League after sweeping aside Kilmallie 6-3 at the Canal Parks.
Kyles, who are chasing their first ever Premier title, took a huge step towards lifting the championship after last week's Macaulay cup hero Roddie MacDonald banged a hat-trick - followed by a Dunky Kerr double, then topped-up by Robbie Macleod.
Kilmallie did respond through Michael Rodgers, Peter MacIntyre, and Liam MacDonald, but it wasn't enough to faze the front runnners.
Both teams lined up a little lighter than they would have hoped, while Fort started the livelier of the two.
This start was quickly deflated when 'More's' Danny MacRae found the opener against the run of play.
Glen Macintosh then made it two after his initial shot took a deflection to find it's way past Fort's Paul MacKay.
Fort continued to press 'More's robust however mobile defence with youngster, Rory Kennedy, repeatedly mopping up time and time again.
Fort did manage to find the net on the stroke of half time when, Daniel Stewart, played a perfectly weighted ball to myself to slip the ball past Michael Ritchie.
This was to be the last goal of the game, which confirmed the league title chase was now a two horse race between last year's champions Newtonmore, and Kyles Athletic.
Inveraray's relegation battle took a huge leap forward when they banged a staggering seven goals past Kingussie.
A hat-trick apiece from Grant Griffin and Russell MacKinlay did most of the damage against the Badenoch giants, with Neil Campbell adding the finishing touch.
Ronald Ross also bagged himself a hat-trick, followed by goals from Paul Gow, while Lee Bain scored the last and final goal for Kings on 85 minutes.
This was the last strike in this staggering 12-goal thriller to see Inveraray take both points with a 7-5 win.
Glenorchy's fixture against Lovat was postponed on Saturday morning to be rescheduled for another time.
With Kyles now firmly back top of the league and Newtonmore chasing closely behind, do you think they have what it takes to lift their first ever league title?
At the other end of the table it seems impossible to call who will go down. If you were a betting man who would you put your money on?
Congratulations to South Division One winners Bute, who won promotion after beating GMA 3-1.
They will now join the Premier Division next season alongside North Division One champions Kinlochshiel.
Looking ahead to this weekend's league fixtures, Glenorchy take on Inveraray, while Kilmallie host Lovat.
The Camanachd Cup final gets a trial run when Kingussie meet Newtonmore at the Dell.
This tie will present opportunity for both managers to size up their rivals ahead of the shinty showdown, but Kingussie may rest key players ahead of the Camanachd final, as they are not in the hunt for the league.
Newtonmore must win this game if they are to keep the pressure on Kyles for top spot.
Fort William travel down to Tighnabruaich for their penultimate league fixture to face Kyles Athletic.
Fort will be travelling a little lighter than hoped with John MacDonald running the Ben Nevis race, while I head for Azerbaijan for a concert.
This will give manager, Peter Macintyre, an opportunity to try some younger players, whilst also giving them the opportunity to take part in one of Shinty's largest pub crawls.
If it's anything like last year, there's a good possibility some of the players may end up 'missing in action' until tuesday.
Safe travels to all clubs and supporters.
My name is Gary Innes and I play shinty for Fort William and Scotland. When not swinging my caman on the field, I play traditional music for a living and travel widely up and down the country to accommodate both passions. I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts, and hearing from you on Scotland's oldest and wildest sport: shinty.
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