
Shinty: Super-sub helps Lovat into MacTavish Cup final - as Celtic Society Cup finalists also revealed
Greg Matheson came off the substitutes' bench to help send Lovat on their way to a 2-0 victory over Fort William and into shinty's WM Donald MacTavish Cup Final.
Matheson forced the ball home when he was on the ground after Craig Mainland's long ball forward and good play from Graeme Macmillan on the left.
Marc MacLachlan confirmed Lovat's MacTavish Cup victory on 70 minutes.
It is a first final for new Lovat boss Iain Nicolson, who said: 'Super-sub Greg scored within his first couple of touches – but the whole squad rose to the task and I couldn't have asked any more of them.
'We knew we were in for a hard game with the form Fort are in, so to get the win, a clean sheet and two goals is credit to the boys.'
Holders Kingussie are back in the MacTavish Cup final as Roddy Young's a low strike from a central position, and Savio Genini's lofted ball over the keeper from the left sealed their 2-0 win over Lochaber.
Manager Iain Borthwick said: 'Where do I start with that game…
'We lost Liam Borthwick and Fraser Munro with hamstring injuries so had to change our plans and struggled to get going.
'I thought we deserved our two quick goals in the second half, but we still relied on a couple of good Rory McGregor saves before the end.'
Scottish Sea Farms Glasgow Celtic Society Challenge Cup holders Oban Camanachd beat Glasgow Mid Argyll 2-1 to reach their final.
Calum McLay – playing at full centre – surged forward before shooting through a ruck of players to put GMA ahead.
But, following the first half water-break, the Oban side regrouped, finishing the half strongly with Ross Macmillan levelling after Daniel MacVicar's good run.
With five minutes remaining, substitute Malcolm Clark floated the ball to the back post and Gregor Macdonald ran forward to take the ball down and win the tie.
Oban assistant manager Iain MacMillan said: 'It could have gone either way during the final 10 minutes – and credit to GMA who are a good side and defended well – but we pressed at the end and got our reward.
'We weren't at our best quality-wise, but you can't fault the boys for their effort, application, fitness and attitude.'
Meanwhile, Kyles Athletic also came good during the final 10 minutes to force extra-time and reach the final after beating Inveraray 3-2.
Neil Campbell and Ruaraidh Graham had Inveraray 2-0 ahead before Luke Thornton countered for Kyles from a tight angle with just four minutes remaining.
In the final minute, Innes Macdonald's corner broke back to him. He took a touch to better the angle and his shot flew by the keeper off a defender's boot.
In extra-time, Will Cowie squared the ball across the D and James Pringle got across his marker to finish off the near post.
In Saturday's league business, Newtonmore beat Kinlochshiel 2-0 to go fourth in the Mowi Premiership.
Iain Robinson's early opener came from Matthew Sloss' free-hit, while his second from the right went in off keeper Josh Grant – who later redeemed himself with a brilliant save from the impressive Matthew Sloss, tipping the youngster's swerving shot over the bar.
More manager Peter Ross said: 'The whole team are contributing, and we have to keep it going and keep playing our shinty.
'I thought Matthew Sloss was outstanding and was only denied a goal by Josh's wonder-save.'
It's now four straight Newtonmore wins without conceding, and full-back Rory Kennedy added: 'Building a solid defence is massive for us. We know we've guys upfront who can score, so as long as we keep it tight at the back, we'll give ourselves every chance of winning games.'
Caberfeidh were without injured talisman Craig Morrison, but Kevin Bartlett, Logan Beaton and Kyles Grant earned a 3-0 win over Beauly.
Rory McDonald's brace and Scott Harvey's hat-trick helped Bute go third in the Mowi National Division after impressing 5-0 at Glenurquhart.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Susie Wolff's behind the scenes documentary to encourage women to take up race driving
Scots racing driver Susie Wolff has said she hopes her new Netflix series will pave the way for a woman to compete in Formula 1 for the first time in 50 years. The Oban-born professional teamed up with Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon 's production company to make F1: The Academy - a behind the scenes documentary on females trying to make the starting grid. She is the managing director of F1 Academy - a women-only racing league designed to develop and promote female talent in motorsport. The 42-year-old, who is married to Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Toto Wolff, was a development driver for Williams and drove for the team during practice sessions at F1 races before retiring in 2015. She wants the series, which has just launched on Netflix, to encourage more women to take up the sport and end the five decade wait for a female F1 driver. The mother-of-one said: 'The series is showing that the sport is no longer just a man's world because without Formula One, Formula One Academy wouldn't exist. 'We want to attract a new audience. We want to attract that next generation, the parents of the next generation, to challenge the idea that women can't be racing drivers, that it's an industry that's not really built for women. 'And I think by sharing these incredible human stories of these young drivers and their journeys, the challenges they faced, it really brings to life the fact that regardless of gender, there's an opportunity in the sport. 'Of course, I want to see a woman on the grid, and I think that will be inevitable when we get the building blocks in place that we know we have to do for long-term success and without a doubt, that will be a proud moment when we see a woman take to the grid. 'You know, there's only two spots in the grid per team, and it's very, very tough to get to Formula One, so we've got to make sure that we put the right steps in place that a woman has that chance in hopefully the not-too-distant future.' The docuseries is produced by Oscar-winning Ms Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine company and is hoping to replicate the success of Drive To Survive, the Netflix series which follows each F1 season. Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Ms Wolff added: 'I feel very privileged that I got to work with the Hello Sunshine team and the Netflix team. 'Obviously the Netflix team, they made Drive to Survive, they know what it takes to make a great docuseries. 'Hello Sunshine was versed in bringing women's stories to life. So it really was for me the perfect partnership, and it was a real privilege to be a part of that group because I think we've created something that I hope will challenge people's perception and bring these human stories to life. 'Even if we can have a smaller amount of success that Drive to Survive did, it will really shift the momentum of F1 Academy.' Lella Lombardi's appearance at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix was the last time a woman competed in an F1 race. The late Italian is only woman to score points in a race, scoring half a point at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix.


The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Susie Wolff: ‘F1 is not a man's world anymore'
From a coastal upbringing in the west Scottish town of Oban and first racing in a go-kart at the age of eight, Susie Wolff has, at 42, just about seen it all in motorsport. A racing CV that includes stints in Formula Renault, Formula Three, the sports car series DTM and a trailblazing F1 test drive at Williams have been bookended post-retirement with executive roles at Mercedes and the Formula E team Venturi. But her latest venture is her true passion; some might say her life's work. Wolff is now managing director at the all-female racing series F1 Academy, a competition tasked with finding the next generation of top-quality female racers. Ultimately, the target – by the end of the decade – is for a woman to land a full-time seat in F1. By next year, a woman will have not started an F1 race for half a century, with the last instance being Lella Lombardi's appearance at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix. When first launching F1 Academy, which now has the backing of all 10 teams and will race on the cards of seven different grands prix this year, Wolff said a woman on the grid was eight to 10 years away. Two years on, ahead of F1: The Academy launching on Netflix, she has not changed her forecast. 'I think about how much we've achieved in a short space of time,' Wolff tells The Independent, in Netflix's plush central London offices. 'The amount of young girls I see at karting tracks, the level we see in F1 Academy. It fills me with a lot of hope for the future. 'I know how tough Formula One is, it's 20 spots on the grid regardless of gender. It's tough. But you've got to hope that with the amount of female talent we're promoting, there has to be one girl that's good enough to be given the opportunity.' Wolff has fought this fight for some time. In 2014, with her appearance in a free practice session at the British Grand Prix, the Scot became the first woman to participate in an F1 weekend since 1992. She drove three more times in practice sessions over two years, and on one occasion, in Germany, recorded a time just two-tenths of a second off her teammate, the star Brazilian driver Felipe Massa. By the end of 2015, Wolff retired. She'd gone as far as she could go. But in the decade since, Wolff has seen a sport and a paddock keen to modernise. There are more women in F1 teams than ever before, whether in garages, communications or events. Support-wise, too, largely as a result of Netflix's Drive to Survive series, 42 per cent of the F1 fanbase is now female, with 18-24-year-old women being the fastest-growing demographic. 'I see the change, it's happening before my eyes,' Wolff says. 'The paddock has so many more women, in different roles and functions, but also because the world is changing – the sport has evolved with it. We can't rest on our laurels, but I do think we're heading in the right direction. 'If F1 Academy can inspire the next generation to realise that this is not a man's world anymore, we will have a lot of positive impact. I see how far we've come in a short space of time, we're challenging perceptions. We've got a lot of momentum.' Wolff exudes a relentless self-confidence in her words. Persuasive and articulate, she is married to Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff and is extremely well respected by her peers in the paddock. It is, after all, in the sport's best interests for a female driver to succeed and thrive in the years to come. However, as Wolff notes in the new docu-series with a powerful statement in the opening episode – 'we want to be more than just a moment, we want to be a movement' – a woman on the grid is not the be-all and end-all. 'Everyone presumes that our metric of success is if we get a girl to Formula One … no, that is not why we exist,' she explains. 'We want to open up the sport to challenge the perception that people think it is still a man's world. We've got the audience out there who are starting to engage with and love the sport. It's about just taking that momentum and creating long-term success.' Challenging the norm is the fulcrum of Wolff's vision. On International Women's Day in March, F1 Academy and Wolff (with a combined Instagram following close to two million) posted a powerful video of the drivers rallying back against misogyny and abuse online. 'It was made tongue in cheek, but it was a moment to realise how far we've come,' Wolff reflects, on a campaign suitably titled 'acclerating action.' 'For all you naysayers, all you that say women don't belong in sport, that women are not good enough as drivers... well, we're not just talking about it, we're doing it. Actions speak louder than words. It was more a way to challenge these outdated perceptions and views.' Wolff has overseen a transition from F1 Academy's opening weekend in 2023, which took place in front of a sparse crowd in Austria, to this year's season concluding on the streets of Las Vegas in November. Abbi Pulling, last year's dominant champion, is this year racing in the GB3 Championship – effectively a rung below F3 – in a fully funded drive. Wolff is watching the 22-year-old British driver's progress in 2025 with an optimistic eye. Yet, presently, all Wolff's goals are lasered in on the growth of women in motorsport, from karting all the way up to the single-seaters. The premiere of a Drive to Survive -esque docu-series on Netflix, with seven 45-minute-long episodes giving a behind-the-scenes look at those in the cockpit and beyond, is another feather in her cap. 'I knew it was going to be hugely important... to get that wider audience and change the perception of the sport,' she says. 'I live in a world that's very objective. Your race results, your business results, but when the first edits came through it was a very subjective conversation, because everyone's got an opinion and you can only really judge or put your opinion on the table. 'But I'm really proud of what we ended up with. I think we hit a very good balance between telling the story of the drivers, making it about the racing and not making it too flowery and girly, because it's still a tough environment – the sport is still tough.' Nobody, it seems, is better equipped to take on this sturdiest of challenges. 'I've spent my life in this sport, it's where my network is,' she says. 'I know what it's like to be an eight-year-old on a race-track and in an F1 car. 'I also know from a business perspective what this series needs to make it a success long-term. The results? They'll speak for themselves.'


Press and Journal
25-05-2025
- Press and Journal
Shinty: Oban Camanachd and Kingussie settle for a share of the spoils in entertaining draw
Mowi Premiership title contenders Oban Camanachd and Kingussie settled for a point apiece following their 1-1 draw. This was an entertaining game in front of a big Mossfield crowd and after a goalless first half, Roddy Young outmuscled a couple of defenders to put the league leaders ahead. However, with just 11 minutes remaining, Craig Macmillan's shot rebounded to Daniel MacVicar who half-hit the ball into the corner of the goal. Oban Camanachd assistant manager Iain MacMillan said: 'Kingussie keeper Rory McGregor kept them in it with some brilliant saves, particularly in the first half. 'Substitute Craig Macmillan made a terrific impact, and Daniel MacVicar deserved his goal as he's sacrificed himself for the team so often this season.' Kingussie boss Iain Borthwick added: 'Overall, I'm really happy with our performance and the point given the players we were missing. 'I was pleased to get in goalless at half-time, but we had a better grip of the game in the second half. 'It was good to give debuts to Svend Pedersen who started and Fionn Dempster and Robert Shiells from the bench.' Challengers Fort William were unable to capitalise on their rivals' dropped points, losing 2-0 to Skye. Dan MacDonald took the ball around the keeper to give the visitors the lead and Archie Millar won possession on 48 minutes before finding Dan MacDonald and his 15-yard rocket shot gave the keeper no chance for his second. Skye boss Kenny MacLeod said: 'We suffered a couple of blows as Ryan Harrison was working and William MacKinnon could only take a place on the bench due to injury, but all the boys were terrific. 'Ross Gordon played at full centre and that's the best game I've ever seen him play. 'It was a high-energy performance, but we didn't have it all our own way and our keeper Ryan Morrison made several incredible saves which, coupled with some last-ditch defending, kept us in front.' Newtonmore won for the fifth successive match and have now gone 468 minutes without conceding a goal, after beating Lovat 2-0. Substitute Euan Dingwall beat stand-in keeper Greg Matheson with a low strike following a corner on the hour, and on-form Matthew Sloss forced the ball home to claim 'More's second 11 minutes from time. Newtonmore missed youngster Joe Coyle who is in Ross County's squad for their crucial Scottish Premiership play-off second leg against Livingston in Dingwall on Monday evening. However, his younger brother James Coyle debuted as a late substitute and did well. More manager Peter Ross said: 'We went with the same starting 12, with Drew MacDonald returning to take a place on the bench and created chances in the first half without really threatening. 'The half-time message was to move the ball more quickly and we did that. 'Declan Brannan was excellent again.' Kinlochshiel and Caberfeidh shared the points following a goalless draw. Home manager Willie MacRae said: 'It was a hard battle between two good sides but just lacked that final touch.' Cabers boss Garry Reid added: 'We could have won it, and could have lost it, it was that sort of game.' Battling Beauly notched their first point of the season at the 11th time of asking, drawing 1-1 at Kyles Athletic. Roan MacVicar gave Kyles an early advantage but Iain Hunter, who joined Beauly from Inverness during the preseason, levelled to claim a point. South sides Bute and Col Glen stay in the Mowi National Division title race after weekend wins. Auryn Kerr gave second-placed Col Glen an early lead at Strathglass, but Ruairidh Todd levelled shortly after. However, Jamie MacVicar put the Glendaruel side back in front midway through the first half and Neily Mcnaughton made it 3-1 just before the break. There was no scoring in the second half. Scott Harvey's goal after just 6 minutes was enough to give Bute a 1-0 win over Glenurquhart, keeping them in third place.