Two Fort William players have tested positive for coronavirus and will miss the start of the season.
The An Aird club’s friendly with Oban Camanachd today has been cancelled and Fort’s opening league game at home to Kinlochshiel on June 5 is now extremely doubtful.
Club official Richard Gall said: “All those who were in contact with the two lads affected at training on Tuesday night have been instructed to self-isolate for 10 days.
“Our training has stopped till further notice and I doubt very much that we’ll be able to play our first competitive fixture on schedule.”
The club’s cases are among 20 positive tests in Fort William and Mr Gall said: “NHS Highland are setting up a mobile testing centre at An Aird and we’ve placed our facilities at their disposal.”
Sunny’s, the bar owned by club legend Ian ‘Sunny’ Rodger, has voluntarily closed after NHS Highland indicated that a large proportion of the cases had visited the premises on Saturday, May 22.
Neighbours Kilmallie already have first team players self-isolating following a number of positive tests in the team.
In addition, Newtonmore manager Orston Gardner said: “One of our players has been in contact with a positive case and has been advised to self-quarantine for 10 days, ruling him out of our league opener at Beauly.”
Camanachd Cup final host confirmed
Oban will host this autumn’s Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup final in place of Kingussie.
Oban has accepted an invitation to stage the showpiece at Mossfield Park, while the Camanachd Association has confirmed that The Dell, Kingussie, will now be next year’s venue.
Bught Park has been awarded the 2023 final at the request of Inverness shinty club.
Oban manager Steven Sloss said: “We were pencilled in to host next year’s final but bringing it forward is a real incentive for our team to try to ensure we’re playing in it.”
Bught Park has been awarded the 2023 final at the request of Inverness shinty club.
The Association said that the size and scale of the music festival Kingussie had arranged around the final had become “not feasible under current government event guidance”.
Steven MacKenzie, Association president, said: “We have significant support locally from Argyll and Bute and some incredible people that make Oban a great destination for this year’s final.”
The Association has begun work on its plans for the September 18 final and George Fraser, chief executive of sponsors Tulloch Homes, said: “The announcement of the next three finals demonstrates the planning that has taken place within the association and with local clubs and partners.”
