Strictly come camanachd - Macaulay draw made

Thank God there's light at the end of the tunnel at last - with the first reminder of the new season coming just around the corner. 

Saturdays will soon no longer be about X-bleedin'-factor, Strictly Come Prancing or strange pastimes like DIY.

Life showed signs of returning to normal for shintyfans as the draw for the 2013 MacAulay Cup was made earlier today, live on Oban FM (103.3 or www.obanfm.net).

The draw is as follows:

Forget Strictly Come Dancing (above) 

SOUTH

Oban Celtic v Taynuilt

Inveraray v Glasgow Mid Argyll

Glen Orchy v Oban Camanachd

Bute v Kyles Athletic

Second round: 

Oban Celtic/Taynuilt v Inveraray/Glasgow Mid Argyll 

Glen Orchy/Oban Camanachd v Bute/Kyles Athletic

NORTH

Newtonmore v Lochaber

Fort William v Kilmallie

Kingussie v Kinlochshiel

Lovat v Glenurquhart

Second round:

Newtonmore/Lochaber v Fort William/Kilmallie

Kingussie/Kinlochshiel v Lovat/Glenurquhart

The final will be played at Mossfield Park, Oban on August 17 2013.

JOIN SHINTY'S SUCCESS STORY - Support Scotland

Pic courtesy of Sportsfile, Dublin

As you can read elsewhere on this site, shinty is riding the crest of a wave right now.

Never has there been such a buzz right across the country around both the traditional men's game and the up-and-coming women's shinty phenomenon.

And if you would like to be involved in sponsoring the Scotland sides, now's your chance. But you'd better move fast before someone else takes your place...
 
As the dust settled this week on a hugely successful Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup Final and yet another dramatic premier league climax, the Scotland men's senior and under-21 squads have been announced - along with the women's selection - for next month's clash with Ireland.


The squads are listed below, and Shintyfan would welcome any thoughts on selections, match prospects, venues or any other aspect of the international shinty/hurling series.

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 close in on title, remember...

Still chasing, but Kyles hopes are fading

In the wake of last weekend's huge Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup final in Oban, Newtonmore's success in the Orion Premiership seems almost to have been eclipsed.

But today - or maybe next week - the Badenoch side will claim the inaugural Orion Group-sponsored version of shinty's top league, and the third premier league crown on the trot.

Again this season Kyles pushed them hardest, and the Camanachd Cup champions might still nick the league from Newtonmore - but it's unlikely.

Drumnadrochit should witness the crowning of the new league winners as Newtonmore face Glenurquhart, but the home side, won't be in any mood to lie down while they are fighting to secure fourth spot in the league table - the best in the club's history and a nice achievement alongside the MacAulay Cup.