Portree Taste Mackay Cup Victory After 31-Year Wait

Portree 2-1 Oban

Portree Primary School`s 31-year wait for a second Mackay Cup success is over after the Skye team beat Park Primary 2-1 in an exciting final at Mossfeild Park in Oban.

Portree reached the final by beating Glenurquart 8-2 at Portree and beating one of the favourites of the competition, Inverlochy 3-2 after being 2-0 down in the first half. Portree then faced Newtonmore who knocked them out 5-4 last year. However this year Portree got revenge, beating Newtonmore 6-1 at Invergarry.

Now Portree were in the North of Scotland Final facing Beauly. The score was 1-1 at half time, 2-2 at full time. Then in extra time Portree went 5-2 up in a few minutes. In the second half of extra time Beauly scored 2 goals to make it 5-4 but Portree held on and won the game 5-4. Portree had made it, the National Final, the big one, for the first time in 31 years.

The Final was played at a wet Mossfield in Oban. There was no score at half time. Within a few minutes of the restart Park went 1-0 up and were still attacking but somehow it gave Portree a lift, then out of nowhere the Portree Captain Ewen Donaldson shot from the half way and lobbed the Park keeper and scored the goal Portree needed to level the match. A few minutes later Ewen again shot from distance and the ball bounced in front of the Parks keeper and shot straight over his stick. Portree were 2-1 up.

Park kept pushing and attacking till full time but the Portree goal keeper Mark Smith made two or three amazing saves. When the whistle blew for full time the Portree crowd swarmed onto the pitch and the celebrations began.

Both teams enjoyed a meal at a restaurant beside the pitch.

When the Portree team returned home they did a convoy with all of the cars though the town to loud applause byfrom the locals and visitors alike. Stuart Grant put his car's cd-player at full volume and played “We Are The Champions”. After that the team drove up to the Skye Camanachd Clubhouse where they received a huge reception and most of the players partied all night.

Martin Bruce P7

Players and Coaches Left to Right:

Back Row:

Iain Grant, Martin Bruce, Willie Mason, John Gillies, Ewen Donaldson, Magnus Bird, Ronan MacCabe, Mr John Finlayson(Coach), Willie Cowie (Coach)

Front Row:

Calum Gibb, Myles Welford, Angie Macpherson, Mark Smith, (Wee) Willie Cowie, Jordan Murchison