Cup fever swept through shinty’s heartlands as the W M Donald MacTavish Cup exploded into life with a flurry of goals, late drama, and a fair share of postponements.
Kilmallie were ruthless in their demolition of Strathglass, firing nine past their hosts in a dominant display.
Donji MacLeod opened the scoring before Calum MacDougall hit four and Lewis Birrell added two more in a blistering first-half.
Strathglass fought back through Donald Fraser’s late double, but it was Innes Blackhall and Jay MacLeod who sealed the 9-2 victory for the visitors.
Glenurquhart dispatched Skye 3-0 with John Cameron bagging a brace and Charlie MacLeod adding a third.
A gripping tie between Kingussie and Inverness ended 2-2 after extra time, with Kingussie edging through 2-0 on penalties.
Newtonmore and Beauly had to settle for postponement due to an unplayable pitch.
Lovat and Caberfeidh couldn’t be separated after a 3-3 draw, going the distance with Lovat holding their nerve to win 3-2 in the shootout.
In the Mowi Premiership, Oban Camanachd’s clash with Fort William was called off due to poor pitch conditions.
Newtonmore produced a masterclass to beat Glenurquhart 7-3 in a goal-laden thriller.
James Coyle’s hat-trick, Kyle Clark’s finish, and a brace from Glen MacKintosh put the game beyond doubt before Matthew Sloss added a seventh.
Glenurquhart struck through Glenn MacDonald, Seonaidh MacLeod, and Chris Mack but it wasn’t enough to halt the Newtonmore juggernaut.
The Mowi National Division was hit hard by the weather and player illness, with all matches postponed.
South Division 1 fared little better with Ardnamurchan and Bute fixtures postponed, and player illness affecting multiple teams including Inveraray and Col Glen.
Caberfeidh enjoyed a solid 4-0 win in North Division 2, with Ali Taylor grabbing a first-half hat-trick and Ruaraidh McCreadie sealing it late on.
Lochaber saw off their opponents 4-1 thanks to goals from David Langan, Mikey Gordon, Darris Riddle, and Innes Whyte.
Elsewhere, numerous ties across all leagues fell victim to unplayable fields or player availability issues.
In the Women’s Mowi National League, Strathglass and Aberdour played out a thrilling draw.
Isla Strachan and Rowena Wotherspoon found the net for Strathglass, while Kirsty Duff and Rowan Cooper kept Aberdour in contention.
Skye were too strong for Strathspey, running out 4-0 winners thanks to Elaine Cameron’s double.
Glengarry and Lochaber shared the points in an exciting 3-3 draw.
Inverness edged Lovat 2-1 in a tight encounter, with Kayla Hughes and Grace Bremner on target.
Strathspey were unable to field a side against Lovat in another setback for the North League schedule.
Bereavement and bad weather cast a shadow over the weekend with several fixtures needing to be rescheduled in both men’s and women’s competitions.
The caman may have clashed in thrilling encounters, but nature and misfortune had the final word in many corners of the country.
