Farr cling on to make it four in a row
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This year’s Guy Cup, played with enthusiasm at Farr High School Park on Saturday, was back on schedule as far as the season was concerned, having reverted to its normal early summer date slot, but with a 1pm kick-off, two hours later than the traditional time.
The action began with the six participating teams, Farr United (representing the old Bettyhill team of which the late "Guy" Mackay was a stalwart), Bettyhill, Tongue, Durness, Kinlochbervie and Melvich, each playing a series of short games in two leagues of three.
In the semi-finals, Melvich overcame Bettyhill 3-0 while Farr United knocked Tongue out 2-1. The bets were solidly on Melvich for the final but, as the late Hugh Macintosh, the Bard of Portskerra, observed in his poem on the world cup: "There’s aye a something on the ball, That’s always in the game."
And, despite the predictions, thanks to a goal from Angus "Loppy" Mackay and some very good defending, the old-timers, reinforced by some young blood, held on to this slender lead, at times by the skin of their teeth, and emerged victorious for the fourth year in succession to place them on par with Melvich which previously had the same number of successive wins.
The trophies were presented this year by Guy’s niece Shelley Mackay, formerly of Inverness but now living in Southampton.
Two trophies have been presented at the Guy Cup to date, the Guy Cup itself for the winning team, and the Richard Wood Trophy, presented to the Man of the Match in memory of the late Richard, the old Bettyhill team’s long-serving goalie, who died in 1990, and which went this year to Melvich player, Michael Smith of Thurso.
This year a new cup was added, to be presented to the best player in the veteran’s team, in memory of Marty Mackay of Durness, footballer, musician and boat-builder who died in 2010, and which was presented to Brian Davidson, also of Thurso, who happened to be in Bettyhill and was signed up by Farr United for the day.
The Guy Cup is usually something of a gala occasion which keeps the Top Place, Bettyhill Hotel’s bar, busy both during the matches and in the run-up to the annual dance in the Public Hall.
This year, Bettyhill Hotel having been closed for six months, there was some doubt whether a watering hole would be available at all but, on the day, two licences were operational, the hotel itself in its refurbished bar and the Ben Loyal Hotel, in a marquee on the pitch, both of which contributed to the carnival atmosphere on one of the warmest days of the summer so far.
