The first two major shinty cup occasions to be staged on a Sunday will happen on successive weeks next month.
The Camanachd Association have revealed both Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup semi-finals will be played at Fort William.
Lovat will meet Kyles Athletic at An Aird on Saturday, August 6, while Kingussie will face Oban Camanachd on Sunday, August 14.
Oban will then host the Artemis Macaulay Cup Final on Sunday, August 21 – the first time a senior trophy has been decided on a Sunday.
The same four teams will contest the Macaulay Cup semi-finals a week on Saturday, with Kingussie facing Lovat, while Oban host Kyles.
Crowds and viewing figures will determine long-term prospects for Sunday clashes
Although some players are understood to have expressed concern about potential injuries suffered in Sunday matches preventing them from working on the Monday, the switch has not triggered major controversy.
Crowd attendances are likely to be a key factor in determining if Sunday action is to become a regular feature in the game’s calendar.
Association president Steven Mackenzie, of Beauly, made it clear that Sunday shinty is the price of live TV coverage, saying: “We realise that Sunday fixtures are something new in shinty, but, because of other commitments, MG Alba could not televise all the games on a Saturday.
“Our board agreed unanimously that it was important to maximise the number of games being televised, necessitating two Sunday games.”
Mackenzie stressed this agreement with the TV company is only for this season, adding: “A full review will be carried out to identify the positives and negatives of playing on a Sunday.”
The association’s competitions director Burton Morrison said: “TV coverage of major games is vitally important as it takes the sport into areas outwith traditional shinty communities.”
Meanwhile, the top women’s showpiece is also to be screened on TV.
The Mowi Valerie Fraser Camanachd Cup Final will be on Saturday, September 3, with Newtonmore selected as the venue.
The semi-finals see Badenoch host Aberdour, while Skye welcome Glasgow Mid Argyll.
