Crowning glory for Kingussie in Highland Industrial Supplies Sutherland Cup Final

14^th September saw the return of the Highland Industrial Supplies Sutherland Cup Final as Blairbeg Park once again played host to the competition with the most teams entering in shinty. Garry Mackintosh and Highland Industrial Supplies invited all participating clubs to attend the final, asking them to give their ‘unsung heroes’ the opportunity to enjoy a day of hospitality and celebration of shinty. The teams contesting the final were Mowi North Division 2 champions Kingussie and 2023 runners up from the league above, Skye. Due to the league differences, Kingussie probably came into the final as underdogs, albeit they had eliminated holders Newtonmore in the previous round. Skye were enjoying another good season in Mowi North Division 1, sitting 2^nd in the league and having eliminated Fort William in the semi-finals.

The weather in Drumnadrochit was neither here nor there as bouts of wind and rain were interrupted by glorious sunshine. It was, however, the former that was on display as Lachie Wood threw the ball into the air to start the match and it didn’t take long for the score to be opened. Skye working the ball forward well to Jordan Murchison, his shot from long distance looping in the wind and crashing off the crossbar, however, John Archie Tuncay was on hand to fire home the rebound and put Skye 1-0 up in the final.

Kingussie dealt with the early setback well though and while Skye continued to have the majority of the territory Kingussie looked dangerous in the forward line, Toby Thain showing some nice flicks and passes in an attempt to penetrate the Skye backline. On the brink of halftime, Thain’s great cross field ball was taken up by Michael Slimon  who was in turn able to feed Roddy Young, the 2022 Mowi Player of the Year working a yard of space before rifling a low shot beyond the Skye keeper to level the score.

Skye again were fast out of the blocks and had regained their lead within 14 minutes of the restart, Murchsion and Tuncay working the ball well in the forward line but the Kingussie defence were quick to get their blocks in. However, when the ball broke to Murchison at the back of the pack, no one in red and blue could stop his rocketed shot from finding the corner of the net.

Again, Kingussie could’ve crumbled losing against a team from the division above, but, once again they rallied well. This time really taking the initiative and trying to impose themselves on the game in an attacking sense. That led to Ally MacDonald having to make a number of impressive saves, with stick, body and feet to keep Skye ahead. His resolve though, was eventually broken 5 minutes from time as Jack Nelson picked the ball up on the right wing and played a lovely ball for Slimon to run on to, he touched the ball inside the D and slipped his shot past the onrushing MacDonald.

With that the game seemed to be heading into Extra-Time, that was until Slimon stole the ball from a loose shy and fed the ball in field to Young, the experienced forward took once touch before hitting a daisy cutter down the throat of the goals, the shot having enough venom to whistle past MacDonald and win the game for Kingussie. Skye goalkeeper Ally MacDonald was named the Man of the Match and presented with the trophy by Dr Hugh Dan MacLennan, but the ultimate spoils would go to Kingussie and Sam Thain stepped up to receive the Highland Industrial Supplies Sutherland Cup from Garry Mackintosh.

For Skye, a frustrating end to an afternoon in which they did a lot of things right, but for Kings the culmination of a year’s hard work, North Division 2 and the Sutherland Cup is more than anyone would have hoped for at the start of the season and to do it in such dramatic fashion will ensure it lives long in the memory.

Images courtesy of Neil G Paterson.