Women’s Camanachd Cup Semi Final
Sunday June 10th
The Dell, Kingussie
Tir Conaill Harps Vs Forth Camanachd

Midday on Sunday June 10th saw two of the three southern teams facing each other in the semi finals of the women’s Camanachd Cup. Many would say these teams are fairly evenly matched but today one was going home and would be progressing on to the Camanachd Cup Final, the pinnacle of the Women’s national league shinty. In the lead up to the match, effectively an East Vs West derby; both teams were clearly psyched up for it and ready to give it their all at The Dell playing field, famous home of mens’ league champions Kingussie.

From the first whistle play was hard, fast and furious with each side battling to keep hold of possession. It is fair to say however that it was Forth who held the first half upper hand over their Glasgow counterparts with some impressive play making between midfields and forwards enabling huge and constant pressure on the Harps’ defence. And whilst some desperate defending kept the score-sheet clean for a short time it was not long until Forth were rewarded for their continuous pressure when a beautiful strike from captain Katy Smith evaded the Glasgow goal keeper to find the back of the net. The Forth ladies were upbeat and keen for another goal as they went in for half time.

The second half saw more great play from both teams, with huge efforts from every player reminding spectators that a much sought after place in the final was at stake. Forth expected the Harps to come back goal hungry and were wary of second half backlash from the Glasgow outfit. With this in mind an early goal from speedy forward Jo Gorniak was welcomed with cheers from both the team and its supporters, a 2-0 lead leaving everyone more confident. This being said, for Tir Conaill the match was far from over and their fiery comeback led by centre midfield and former player of the year, Hilda Dooley, started to exert huge pressure on the Forth defence. Despite strong defending by the Musselburgh based team a Harps’ goal soon followed and inspired them in the hunt for another.

The final minutes of the match saw determined play all over the field with both teams hungry for a goal; Forth for the winner, Tir Conaill for the equaliser and unfortunately for Forth it was the latter that occurred with the Harps equalising in the final minute. Whilst the Harps celebrated, both teams were well aware that another 20minutes of hard fought shinty awaited them and with a place in the final still beckoning, the game was anyone’s. It was clearly this that lifted both teams and made for great shinty throughout extra time despite the fact that players must have been exhausted after their normal time efforts. Play was consistently up and down the pitch with both defences consistently under pressure but simultaneously determined not to let anything pass them. And so extra time ended goal-less and the dreaded penalty shoot out followed as the decider. With five player selected from each teams and the goalkeepers ready the shoot-out commenced and whilst the Glasgow team started strongly it was the Forth outfit that finished stronger. Great saves from keeper Mickie Imrie coupled with beautiful strikes to the back of the net from Smith and MacKintosh saw Forth secure their place in the National Cup Finals, a brilliant achievement for the Lothian’s team.

Forth Camanachd Vs Glengarry
Sunday 27th May 2007

Forth put in another strong display of shinty this Sunday, this time at Peffermill and against strong opposition in the form of Glengarry. Always strong league and cup challengers, Glengarry started the game very positively with a brilliant strike from midfield hitting the back of the forth net and taking the team by surprise. Forth however did not let this lie and for the remainder of the first half were constantly applying pressure on the garry defence. Numerous shots were put in but some good saves from the keeper kept their scoresheet clean until a strike on goal by Gemma Strachan was beautifully finished by top speedy striker Jo Gorniak. This lifted the team even more and the pressure continued. The second half brought more of the same with some great shinty from both sides, the next goal however came from the home team as special guest player Strachan struck a low but powerful shot which evaded the goalie. With Forth sitting at 2-1 winners the home team were determined to record their first victory against the highland team and this was reflected by huge efforts from the solid defence. Unfortunately for Forth though, the visitors were also full of determination not to return home with a loss and a late flurry of constant pressure on the Forth goal line finally paid off with a sneaky shot leaving the final score at 2-2.
Despite being disappointed that they were so close to a victory, Forth left the field very satisfied with a great all round team effort and coupled with some sparkling individual performances. Such a great game leaves the team well and truly pumped for their next outing Vs Tir Conaill in the semis, sure to be an equally exciting game.

Highlights of the game:
Playing on a rugby pitch...so many more posts to hit for imaginary bonus points
Special guest appareances from Strachan and Harger...flying the flag for the London/Esseeex massseef.
Haggarts stella hangover and Orla's 'where are am I' hangover
Brenda: 'who are you?!' to everyone on the team
The picnic party that followed :-D

Forth Camanachd put on a fine display of women’s shinty this Sunday in a determined battle to stake their place in the semi final’s of the Valerie Fraser Cup. After narrowly missing out in the quarters last season Forth ladies seemed adamant that this season would see them back on the road to the final; the pinnacle of the women’s shinty calendar. Visitors Glenorchy however would be no pushover and the local team knew there was no doubt that a hard-fought game was on the cards.

Weather conditions of every variety and the custom gale force winds at the Levenhall pitch did not stop Forth from putting the Glenorchy defence under pressure from the very start. Within minutes the visitors were under immense pressure on their goal line which soon resulted in Jo Gorniak hitting the back of the net following some speedy footwork fooling their defence and leaving the goalkeeper with no hope. The early goal clearly lifted the already victory seeking Forth team and the next goal soon followed after some great playmaking in midfield left captain, Katy Smith with a clear and unstoppable shot on goal.

The game continued with Forth retaining most of the possession and a strong midfield line consistently feeding any potential attacking balls straight back on to the Glenorchy goal. On the rare occasion of a Glenorchy attack the Forth defence remained calm and in control, swiftly dealing with any potential danger and putting the ball back down the field. With so much possession and top quality teamwork amongst the midfield and forwards it was only a matter of time before another goal was scored, this time by Jenny Haggart capitalizing on a poor Glenorchy clearance. The same followed as Ruth 'Stacey' Bordoli was quick to react to an insufficient by-hit which on landing at her feet was superbly struck right back into the opposition’s goal net.

Whilst the second half brought an even stronger wind making play difficult, the local team surpassed themselves in retaining high quality play in the face off the opposition who returned from half time hungry for goals and determined not to let their place in the semis slip away easily. Unfortunately for Glenorchy, Forth kept up the pressure and any attempted attacks were quickly quelled by the defence. Superior play continued for the home team throughout the second half and they were rewarded with a final goal as Haggart reacted to a goalkeeper mistake, leaving the visitors no doubt as to which team were on their way to the cup semi finals.

Highlights of the game:
Forth's ability to injure own team members during warm up.
Lindsey Smith breaking the record for fastest ever self inflicted injury.
Cobes' keeping a cool head further winding up markers
Durkins accidental further harm to injured parties
The mutant hands
Baby Smith's shoe losing shinty stories