THE giants of shinty, Newtonmore and Kingussie, faced each other for a second time in a week at the weekend.
Following the abandonment of their match the week before due to torrential rain flooding the surface, the pitch at the Eilan was looking in superb condition and a fitting surface for the Macaulay Cup semi-final between the local rivals.
Kingussie were short of two or three regulars, including keeper Andrew Borthwick. What followed was no classic, but was a hard, no compromise battle of wills between two sides with a lot to prove.
From the start, the first half saw Newtonmore shade the first 15 minutes, though for the next 15, Kingussie had the lion's share of attacks as Newtonmore's midfield tended to drop back too much, so that cleared attacks were being picked up by the Kings' centreline and fired back upfield again.
The final 15 minutes of the first half were evenly balanced, but Kingussie stand-in keeper Craig Dawson pulled off a fine save above his head on 38 minutes from a rocket of a shot - the nearest to a goal that either side could claim in the opening half.
Into the second period and Kingussie had the first attack, but a minute later, a ground shot on target from Cameron Binnie for the blue and whites was saved with his feet by Dawson and popped out a yard or so, but he was quick to recover and touch the ball out for a corner just ahead of Ackie MacRae following up.
From the corner, the ball came to Binnie again, and his shot was saved again by keeper Dawson and put out for a second corner.
Kingussie, too were mounting attacks, but in the 61st minute, Stephen MacDonald on Newtonmore's right received the ball and feinted to turn back and inside as if to lay off a pass. He then dodged back to his right to open up a snap shot that screamed between two Kingussie defenders, leaving Dawson with a very late sight of the shot and no time at all to react as the ball flashed by him and nestled in the far back corner of the net to put 'More one up.
Just a couple of minutes later, the ball came to Binnie just left of centre on the edge of the D at just below shoulder height, and his superb volley rocketed into the net in the blink of an eye, but the goal judge ruled the strike offside for Binnie's left foot being just inside the area.
On 67 minutes, Binnie went in the referee's book for a retaliatory foul.
Four minutes later and another ground shot from Binnie was saved well with the feet by Dawson, but popped away from him and his clearance for a corner was just inches ahead of the advancing Danny MacRae as Newtonmore began to show by far the more possession.
In the 70th minute, after being hit on the foot by a Binnie swing, Kings' defender Ian Borthwick limped off in some pain with what turned out to be two broken bones in his foot.
On 77 minutes, yet another ground shot came in from Newtonmore and was well saved at Dawson's feet, cleared for a corner by the merest whisper from the advancing Glen MacKintosh.
On 80 minutes, at the other end, Ronald Ross had a shot well saved above his head by Michael Ritchie in the home goal, but three minutes later, Ritchie was given a straight red card for a wild swing on Kingussie's Fraser Munro.
John Mackenzie took his place in goal as 'More made some strategic changes to try to compensate, but this second long delay meant there was sure to be an extended period of injury time.
In the first minute of injury time, as Kingussie pressed to take advantage of the extra man, Danny MacRae popped up at the other end to break through the Kings' defence and slip the ball past the advancing Dawson to extend Newtonmore's lead. But in the sixth minute of injury time, Ronald Ross pulled one back to leave a few anxious minutes for the home support ahead of the final whistle after fully 12 minutes of injury time.
Newtonmore will now play Kyles Athletic in the final on August 20 at Mossfield Park, Oban, for a trophy not won by them in 25 years. Ritchie, however, will miss the Camanachd Cup semi-final as a result of his aberration.
