Skye Camanachd’s Young Guns hope their Alvance BA Balliemore Cup triumph can fire them to further glory next year, including a return to the top flight.
The celebrations were loud and long in Portree after their 3-1 win over Beauly in an exciting final at Fort William.
Manager Kenny Macleod said: “This can be the springboard to big things if we put our minds to it.
“Our young side is still learning but there’s a great base for the future.
“They’ll take confidence from this to produce the consistency which can take us back to the Premier Division.
“Beauly were fantastic and I think we’ll be going toe to toe with them for promotion next season.”
Macleod added: “The ripple effect of our win following Kinlochshiel’s historic Camanachd Cup triumph may well be felt for years to come in the west.
“We drew with Kinlochshiel in the league early in the season and it would be a great attraction if we could play them again before the curtain rings down on the season at the end of the month.
“The two trophies could be on show on a great day for the west.”
The manager stressed the club’s third Balliemore victory was a team success, although he had special praise for under-17 player Taylor Matheson’s display as substitute for Sorley Macdonald, who pulled a hamstring in the first 10 minutes.
“Taylor stepped up brilliantly and is clearly one for the future,” said Macleod.
While Skye had the best of the opening 20 minutes, Beauly, with Ryan Mackay pulling the strings, began to turn the screw and only excellent work by the islanders’ back four of John Gillies, Willie MacKinnon, Martin Pringle and James Morrison in front of lively keeper Ryan Morrison kept the men in green at bay.
Ross Forbes had fired low to the keeper’s left hand to give Beauly an early lead but James Pringle turned things around with two goals in three minutes, firing the first through the keeper’s legs then lashing a 20 yarder into the roof of the net.
In the second half, Beauly battled hard but could not puncture a resolute rearguard and substitute Sam MacPhee raced from the centre line to score a solo effort and clinch victory in 88 minutes.
New fitness coach Ruth Gordon has played her part for Skye while Macleod and Dave Pringle have taken the training, with three sessions a week for the past month paying off as the men from the Misty Isle stayed strong to the delight of their big support.
Beauly’s new co-bosses Gregor McCormick and Niall Maclennan can be proud of their side, a mix of youngsters and Premier League experience, whose best seems also yet to come.
Semi-final success for Shiel
Kinlochshiel booked their passage in to the Cottages.Com MacTavish Cup Final at Inverness on October 23 against the winners of this weekend’s Fort William-Kingussie tie.
But Shiel had to fight all the way to edge courageous Caberfeidh 2-1 at Strathpeffer in a tight semi-final.
John MacRae gave them an interval lead which he stretched with his 49th minute second but Cabers kept fighting and Kevin Bartlett pulled one back in 87 minutes.
A stormy Mowi League local derby at Caol saw a double ordering off.
Stuart Callison, who moved from Lochaber to Kilmallie a couple of months ago, was involved in an off-the-ball incident and was red carded along with ex-team mate Barry MacDonald.
Kilmallie manager Martin Stewart said: “There wasn’t much in it and it was not worth red cards.
“But there were plenty of bookings and I was booked on the touchline for a remark actually made by an ex-player standing behind me.”
Michael Rodger, switched to the forward line for the first time this season, hit a hat-trick in the home side’s 3-2 win.
Stewart said: “Michael makes so much time on the ball for himself. Steven Stewart was superb for us and Aiden Love, from our under-17 team, was phenomenal at wing centre. This team is getting better and better and our forward prospects look really bright.”
Ben Delaney was always a threat for Lochaber and he and Conor Sweeney netted their goals. Kevin Toye was preferred to Shane Gillies in the Kilmallie goal.
Much more one-sided was the other senior league outing with Roddy Young, James Falconer, Savio Genini and Ruaridh Anderson putting Kingussie 4-0 up after only 17 minutes against Strathglass at Cannich.
Young got his second just after the interval and Barrie Dallas and Dylan Borthwick put the Badenoch men in seventh heaven.
Their second team, however, were beaten 2-0 by Lovat in the Strathdearn Cup semi final with Fraser Gallacher and Iain Nicolson on target.
Steven Bellshaw rattled in four goals for Inverness in their 8-0 home win over Lewis.
