Shinty: Newtonmore eye cup and title double

Newtonmore marksman John ­MacKenzie believes the Eilan outfit are three wins from four titles in a row but wants the Camanachd Cup as well.

The champions thumped Oban 7-0 on Saturday and are now five points clear of Lovat with a game in hand.

With matches running out, it is hard to conceive of anyone knocking the Badenoch side off course.

Not only do they have a potential championship to celebrate, they also have a televised Camanachd Cup semi-final against Fort William to look forward to on 10 August.

MacKenzie, who scored the final goal on Saturday, knows the chances are there for another memorable campaign. “I think, personally, another three wins should do it and I don’t think Lovat can drop any points at all.

“We are in the way of winning, which is a great habit to have and we don’t want to lose any games. With the semi-final of the Camanachd Cup also on the horizon, it could certainly be a great end to the campaign.

“But Fort William have a really good tradition in the competition. All they have to play for in the league is survival so they’ll be geared up for the semi.”

Lovat kept up their challenge with a 2-1 home win over Kingussie, who face Kyles in the other Camanachd Cup semi-final next weekend.