Ritchie set to miss final game of season

NEWTONMORE goalkeeper Michael Ritchie is set to miss their final league game at Fort William on October 2 in which his side could win its first national Premier Division title.

The Eilean men swept aside the potential tripwire of Inveraray on Saturday to cruise to a 4-0 win to give themselves a great championship opportunity. But manager Norman MacArthur said Ritchie, an outstanding keeper, could be missing.

“Michael had booked a holiday abroad on the basis that we’d be finished, but this is a delayed fixture," said MacArthur.

“It’s a real shame to be without him for such a big game, but we’re working on him to see if anything can be done to get him between the sticks that day.”

Ritchie has been a pivot of a Newtonmore rearguard which has conceded only 10 league goals all season and which produced another shutout at Winterton Park, with 18-year-old Rory Kennedy outstanding in defence.

Fort William now have to win at Kingussie on Saturday week to give themselves a chance, although Newtonmore are steadily building up a goal-difference advantage.

Fort stayed in the title hunt with a 3-1 win against Oban Camanachd at Mossfield Park in the Saturday night match. Oban’s survival now hinges on winning their final game at Bute, who went down 3-1 to Glenurquhart at Drumnadrochit.

Kingussie, who face Fort in the Camanachd Cup final this Saturday, gave themselves a boost by beating Lovat 6-1 at Kiltarlity with Ronald Ross completing his hat-trick in the final minute.

Kelvin Mackenzie steered Glenurquhart to success in the Strathdearn Cup final at Beauly with a goal in each half to give Glen a 2-1 win to avenge their Sutherland Cup final defeat from Lovat, who pulled one back through Craig Ferguson but found Glen too hot to handle.