Newtonmore confident despite Kingussie draw

SHINTY: Newtonmore manager Norman MacArthur believes his men can retain Shinty's MacTavish Cup despite drawing rivals Kingussie in the quarter-final.

The Eilean club hammered Lovat 5-1 on Saturday thanks largely to a Danny McRae hat-trick. They have now been handed a re-run of last year's final in the next round, with Kingussie scraping through 3-2 against Glenurquhart.

The match will provide a tough examination of Newtonmore's ability to go on and repeat their 2009 triumph, when they won the final 5-4. However, MacArthur said: "Last year was a great final and a great advert for shinty. We never seem to get easy draws, but in saying that I am confident. I can't see any reason for us not to go on and win the trophy again."

Hat-trick hero McRae was equally upbeat. "It was nice to get the goals and it looks as if we're going to have to do it the hard way if we are to get to the final again. We know we will have to be at our best to beat Kingussie, but we are capable," he said.