At the start of the game, even the apprehensive Kyles knew this was going to be a tough game, but by the time the final whistle came, the Kings' extraordinary unbeaten run in the league had come to a shuddering halt as an impressive Kyles side won by four goals to three.

In the early stages, Kyles began brightly, creating more of the chances, and in the eighth minute, Tom Whyte struck a well taken shot from the left side to make it 1-0 and to make up for a somewhat easier missed chance a couple of minutes earlier.

In the minutes that followed, Kyles forced a couple of good saves from Borthwick in the Kingussie goal, but in the 17th minute, Ronald Ross equalised from a tight angle on the left side of goal.

The game was by now moving rapidly from end to end, and Kyles' speed and exceptional clean first time hitting was giving the Kingussie midfield more than a little trouble.

In the 33rd minute, Whyte went very close with an absolute screamer, then in the 35th minute, a typical quick Kingussie break saw Ross net his second with a neat slip past Kenny MacDonald in the Kyles' goal for Kingussie to take the lead.

A minute later, and Ross fired wide after a corner. But just as the crowd were beginning to think that perhaps Kingussie had wrestled control of the game from the visitors, Duncan Kerr was on hand to run the ball into the back of the net after a quick Kyles break.

Almost immediately, Kingussie were back on the offensive as Ross forced a good save out of the evergreen MacDonald. Kingussie always seem to be at their most dangerous as half time approaches, but this time, it was Grant Irvine, for the visitors, who scrambled the ball home after a goalmouth melee to give Kyles a half time 3-2 lead.

The second half began with Kingussie looking to take advantage of the three-quarter wind advantage and Ross went close in the first couple of minutes from the left side before MacDonald was once again called on to look lively. Then Kevin Thain, on as sub for Paul Gow, also went close.

Kingussie's Russell Dallas gets ahead of Kyles' Matthew McColl during their match at the Dell on Saturday.

The second half was proving to be much less of a thriller than the first, and if anything it seemed likely that Kingussie would grind out the equaliser and probably go on to win. But, in the 70th minute, Kyles' Donald MacLeod sustained an injury that would need stitches and was replaced by John Whyte.

His first touch of the game was to lash home from fourteen yards to extend Kyles' lead. In the 80th minute, though, with Kingussie still pressing hard and Kyles starting to look decidedly ragged, Thain blasted wide after his own hard work had created a chance.

Then, in the 82nd minute, Paul Gow slotted home from tight on the left to give the Kings renewed hope that they might at least scrape a draw. But time ran out with Kyles under severe pressure, and Kingussie suffering their first defeat in the league since 2007.

If there was to be any consolation for Kingussie, it was that, down at Spean Bridge, Lochaber were doing the honours and upsetting the Fort William applecart. Zander Ferguson gave the home side an early lead in eight minutes and Hughie Innes added a second a minute later.

John MacDonald pulled one back for Fort William on the 25 minute mark, but there was to be no more scoring on the heavy ground as Lochaber went on to celebrate a famous victory over their local rivals. Oban Camanachd were also winners, against Inveraray, who had taken an early lead at Mossfield Park through Neil Campbell in ten minutes, but Iain MacMillan levelled for the home side on the half hour mark and David Devine grabbed the winner in 75 minutes.

The results mean that, without lifting a caman, Newtonmore remain top of the table with Kingussie, Kyles, Oban Camanachd and Lochaber all on the same two point mark, but inferior goal difference.

And next week's fixtures take on huge significance, even in only the third week of the season, with the impressive Kyles squad entertaining Fort William at Tighnabruaich, and Newtonmore taking on Kingussie at the Eilan.

The Kings will be without Russell Dallas and Ian Borthwick for the game, both serving suspensions and 'More will be looking to seize what they will see as a golden opportunity to establish early clear water, while for Fort William, a second defeat on the run would leave their challenge for the title in tatters.

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