This week sees the first competitive match between Beauly and Lovat for a number of years as the two sides have been drawn together in the Artemis Macaulay Cup 1st Round. Read below interview with Beauly’s Colin MacDonald, with another interview from Lovat’s Marc MacLachlan available here.

How has the team been preparing for the Macaulay Cup game against Lovat?

The boys have been training extremely well this year so it’ll be business as usual this week. A good win against Skye on Saturday past after a couple of poor results has certainly boosted our morale again so we’ll be looking to build on that performance.

It’s been a decent start to the season for Beauly so far – what do you think this side can achieve this year?

I think the main aim for us this season is to stay in the premier league, which we think we’re certainly capable of. If we get some good cup runs as well then that’s always a bonus.

What kind of challenge are you expecting from Lovat?

Lovat are an experienced side with a lot of good players who can definitely hurt us so we’re expecting a tough challenge on Saturday.

It’s been a number of years since Beauly have met Lovat in a competitive fixture, what do think the atmosphere will be like? 

It’s definitely a well anticipated match as it’s been a good number of years since we’ve played in a competitive match, especially a cup competition. The Lovat Cup didn’t go ahead this year either, so I think there will definitely be a big crowd on Saturday which will make for a great atmosphere.

Lovat have a lot of big match experience, do you think that could be the difference? 

Lovat have definitely proven themselves in the last few years reaching numerous Camanachd Cup Finals, so they’ll definitely use that experience to their advantage. However, it’s a local derby in a cup – so anything can happen.