Hat-trick of consecutive cottages.com MacTavish Cups for Kingussie

On June 8^th, Kingussie defeated Fort William 3-1 to lift the cottages.com MacTavish Cup for the third year running.

The cottages.com MacTavish Cup Final took a break from its usual venue as The Eilan, Newtonmore played host to the competition for the first time due to renovation works at Bught Park, Inverness. On the way to the final though, Fort William would spoil the hosts party by knocking them out in the Semi-Final of the competition 4-3, while holders Kingussie defeated Skye 3-0. Despite the disappointment of not being in the final, Newtonmore rallied their volunteers and had The Eilan in spectacular condition ahead of the big game. The one gripe, mainly from spectators, was that the summer season had thrown up a game played in 6 degrees with a vicious wind and rain ‘showers’ that saw the Fort William team emerge from the bus for the BBC cameras – only to scramble back to safe refuge when the filming had finished.

The rain had died down considerably by the time Graeme Irvine threw the ball up to start the final and there was no sign that the cold had slowed up the players muscles as Kingussie’s Dylan Borthwick fashioned the first chance of the game just 90 seconds in, dragging his shot wide on this occasion. Just a few minutes later and it would be a breakthrough for the National Division side as Lewis Clark played a diagonal ball into the left edge of the D finding Fort Captain Victor Smith, while his first push was blocked, the ball worked its way back to him without leaving the D and he swept in the opener. Kingussie were behind for less than a minute though as immediately from the restart, 7 moved the ball out to Savio Genini on the left flank, his shot dropping at the feet of Liam Borthwick who put the ball beyond Paul MacKay in the Fort William goal.

Any fears of that goal opening the floodgates were misguided though as although Kingussie were getting shots away, Fort were limiting them to quarter chances or hits from distance in the most part. In fact, it was Fort William who would go closest in the remainder of the first half, a short free hit from Cam Stephen to Lachie Shaw was drilled towards goal with venom – Kings keeper, Bob McGregor forced into a smart stop with his feet before clearing the ball out of the path of the onrushing Smith. That chance seemed to breathe new life into Fort William who were probably frustrated to hear the half-time whistle at a time they were beginning to look their most dangerous.

One minute into the second half and MacKay was called into action for Fort – a dangerous ball by Ruaridh Anderson came into Genini, his shot deflected into the path of Liam Borthwick who darted round the keeper and looked all but certain to fire into the empty net, however, Mackay threw himself back towards the shot and got the tip of his club on it, pushing it behind for a corner in what is one of the all time great saves. Two minutes later and again he would deny a Borthwick, this time Dylan as the Kingussie forward’s powerful drive was stopped well with the stick. They say good things come in threes and for the purposes of cramming that adage into this article we are counting MacKay’s double save just four minutes later as one. First stopping smartly with his feet from goal scorer Borthwick before repeating the trick from even closer range against Anderson.

On 60 minutes, MacKay’s resolve would finally be broken, and it was a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man as Thomas Borthwick floated a delightful ball from left to right, it landed at the feet of Genini who feigned one way then struck the other, the ball nestling low in the bottom left.  Seven minutes later and it was 3-1, a free hit inside the Kingussie half was put onto Genini’s club, he used his body smartly to turn his man and drove down the right flank, firing just as he approached the edge of the D and putting the ball in the exact same place that he had for his first.

The rest of the match was not without chances, however, it proved too much of a mountain to climb for the National Division side and the game was brought to a close at 3-1 for the holders. For what was an outstanding game, Paul MacKay was awarded the Tom MacKenzie Man of the Match Medal but it was up to Kingussie Captain, Calum Grant to receive the acclaim of the fans as he lifted the cottages.com MacTavish Cup (adorned with toy otter in a touching tribute to the late Calum MacKintosh) high into the air.