Kingussie end eight-year wait for Camanachd Cup

Kingussie co-manager Russell Jones believes Saturday’s Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup victory is sweet payback for the pain of recent final defeats.

The Badenoch outfit sparkled in front of a 5,000-strong crowd in Invernness and possessed too much firepower for Glenurquhart, winning 4-0.

Jones couldn’t hide his delight at the victory, and the manner of it, as Kingussie players savoured the hugs and handshakes of their fans on the Bught Park tuft at the end.

That joy was made all the more special for the Dell players and supporters, knowing what they had been through in recent years.

“To be honest, we’ve been building towards this,” he said. “We have had a couple of near misses in 2010 and 2011 but what do you do?

“You have to go away, work harder and come back and that’s what we have done. I didn’t feel we had any failures on the day and, no disrespect to Glenurquhart, I felt we played the shinty. When our young boys get the confidence, they can really play.”

Glenurquhart took a large crowd with them and their red and black chequered flags provided a colourful backdrop to the 107th final.

They couldn’t convert the few early opportunities that came their way.

James Macpherson will feel he could have done better when, with the scoreline at 1-0, he let a ball evade his stick with the goal gaping.

Similarly, Fraser Heath could have made more of an opportunity he himself created just a few minutes later.

Glen were to rue that when Ronald Ross added to teenager Savio Genini’s 21st minute low strike, to make it 2-0 in 39 minutes.

The legendary striker proved he is still a class act; beating two defenders before clattering the ball past Stuart Mackintosh.

In the second half, Kingussie were never under concerted pressure and Genini made it 3-0 in 68 minutes.

Substitute James Falconer, only 16, ran bravely at the heart of the Glen defence, causing panic.

When the ball broke out of the goalmouth, Genini was in exactly the right place and shot firmly into the net.

Interestingly, Genini was a young mascot the last time Kingussie won the Camanachd Cup- back in Dunoon in 2006.

Who would have known his contribution, eight years later, would be so telling?

“It’s brilliant to be able to say I’ve won the cup now. I’ve grown up with Shinty all of my life and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it but nothing will ever compare to this, ever,” he beamed.

With only seven minutes to go, Ross made it 4-0. The ball squeezed through to him through a ruck of bodies and he cooly converted before gathering the Albert Smith medal for man-of-the-match.

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