Annual New Year clash between shinty rivals Lovat and Beauly has been cancelled
THE annual Lovat Cup match between shinty rivals Lovat and Beauly has been called off for the second year in-a-row.
It has been confirmed that due to the Scottish Government restrictions, preventing more than 500 people attending outdoor events as well as social distancing needing to be in place, the match between the two clubs has been scrapped.
Lovat Shinty Club confirmed the cancellation of this year’s match which was due to take place on Monday at Balgate, with a statement on their social media sites.
They said: "Due to the recent Government announcement updating Covid guidelines both ourselves and Beauly have agreed that the Lovat Cup will not be able to be played in January.
"Both clubs are extremely disappointed but we feel that we have a responsibility to keep our communities safe."
Lovat have held the trophy since 2016 with Beauly only winning the cup twice in the last decade.
The trophy was first played in 1904 and regularly attracts a crowd of over 1000 fans, making it the biggest attended game outside the Camanachd Cup final.