NEWTONMORE manager Norman Macarthur has confessed that Saturday's result was all the sweeter as he played in his side's last Camanachd Cup final in 1997 when they were hammered 12-1 by the Kings.
And the man at the helm of bringing back the sport's greatest trophy to Newtonmore after 25 years, predicted that the celebrations would still be continuing in the village for the rest of the week.
A delighted Macarthur said: "It was a very close game, as I thought it would be, a great match.
"Kingussie came back at us really hard, but it was the right result in the end. We have had 25 years of waiting and I suspect the celebrations will go on all week.
"The game was refereed perfectly, and I seldom agree with that. Too often the Camanachd Association and some of the hierarchy try to change the rules of shinty but this game showed there is no need.
"It was an old fashioned, physical, hard game, but that's what shinty is all about, and the crowd really loved it.
"It was a massive occasion for Newtonmore, a brilliant day."
He added: "All the players played their part in our success; they were all excellent.
"When Kingussie made it 3-3 I thought they might sneak a win. If that had happened in the last 10 minutes of normal time it would have been heartbreaking for us.
"However, once we got to extra time I thought we could handle them because we had to play extra time to win the cup semi-final.
"I thought that even if they scored in extra time we could score again.
"But I was just starting to plan for penalties when we got the winning goal."
Newtonmore defender Norman Campbell, who took a hefty blow when his keeper Ritchie cleared the ball and hit him in the head from just ten feet, won the man of the match and the Albert Smith Gold Medal.
He said: "I am over the moon - the team's performance was outstanding. I knew we were capable of winning but we all know how good Kingussie are with players like Ronald Ross in their team.
"I was pretty confident during the game although not so much when Kingussie equalised.
"I knew both sides were capable of scoring goals in extra time and it was a question of who would get a chance to score. Fortunately for us, it fell to Danny Macrae, who was incredible the whole day, and he knocked it in."
Campbell, who like his manager, had played in the humiliating defeat to Kingussie in 1997, added: "I am glad the game finished in extra time as if it had gone to penalties it would have been really hard to take for whoever lost.
"It was one of the best games of shinty from a neutral's point of view, with fantastic effort shown by both sides. The game was played in a great spirit, there was no real malice in it.
"I played Ronald Ross in the first half but they moved him off me in the second so I could bring the ball up the field. It was all about winning the ball first and keeping Kingussie out."
Campbell added: "This has been a long time coming. It was absolutely tremendous to bring the cup back to the Newtonmore."
Kingussie boss Stevie Borthwick said both teams had played exceptionally well on the day. "You could have flipped a coin as to who could have won it.
"Unfortunately for us it wasn't to be.
"We had Newtonmore on the run when we got it back to 3-3 but we didn't press it home.
"We had them reeling, but then Norman Campbell needed treatment after he got hit with the ball and by the time the game resumed they had got their game back together."
He added: "I honestly believe that if there hadn't been that break we would have gone on to win.
However, the game was a great advert for the sport of shinty and good luck to Newtonmore.
"We will be back, there's nothing surer than that."
Read the match report in this week's 'Strathy'.
