Newtonmore - three years the best

Action from - arguably - the decisive league match in July

Congratulations to Newtonmore, who yesterday clinched the inaugural Orion Group Premiership title in their final league tie away to Glenurquhart.

After weeks of teetering on the edge of winning the league, the Badenoch side wasted no time in wrapping things up, with two goals in the first 20 minutes from Danny Macrae and Chris Sellar.

The 2-0 final score meant left Kyles Athletic unable to catch Newtonmore, regardless of what happens in Kyles' own last game of the season - a Camanachd Cup Final re-match versus Inveraray.

Newtonmore manager Norman 'Brick' MacArthur intends to stand down after a highly successful spell in charge, during which the Newtonmore lads shifted the balance of Badenoch power a few miles along the road from Kingussie, where it had rested for around quarter of a century.
With yesterday's win, MacArthur in his time as manager has now led his blue and white charges to three premier league titles on the bounce along with a Camanachd Cup triumph last season which ended a 25-year drought for the most famous name in the competition's history.

Casting an eye over the current premier season, Kyles will look back on two league games that would ultimately play a big part in stalling their league challenge.

On March 31, Newtonmore and Kyles fought out an entertaining 3-3 draw at the Eilan. The following week, Kyles travelled to recently-promoted Kinlochshiel and lost 4-0. The management of the Cowal side at the time could barely conceal their frustration at the result, but it wasn't fatal for their title challenge.

The way in which Newtonmore's players celebrated after a match at Tighnabruaich later in the season suggested they believed it would prove crucial. They had just beaten Kyles 5-2, and by this time, July 21, the season was reaching the business end. Kyles felt slightly hard done by that day, with an own goal and two penalties among the 'More scores, but to win at the Kyles is never to be sniffed at.

This, arguably, was the day Kyles Athletic's title challenge stumbled, and the league was won and lost.

Not that this will worry the Kyles too much. A long-awaited Camanachd Cup triumph offers plenty of consolation.

So, Newtonmore are, for the third year running, the best team in Scotland over the season. League placings don't lie.

Kyles are getting closer, older and more experienced all the time, and the recent Camanachd win - and particularly the way in which they won it against a very capable Inveraray side - suggests they will be there or thereabouts challenging for the major honours for a few seasons yet.




July 21
April 7
March 31