The Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup gets serious on Saturday with the arrival of the Premier League teams in the second round.
Also involved will be the six clubs who have made it through from the regional divisions, with Lochaber, at home to Bute, looking to have the best chance of progressing. They are the surprise package of the season, having already claimed the scalp of Premier side Kingussie in the MacTavish Cup, and will have gained confidence from having beaten Bute in a pre-season friendly.
One man who feels cup competitions are much less predictable these days is Norman MacArthur, manager of trophy holders Newtonmore.
"Any team is capable of beating anyone else on the day depending on the players they have available," said MacArthur, whose side were eliminated from the MacAulay Cup by Premier League new boys Kinlochshiel. "A few injuries or a suspension can seriously damage your chances because most sides work off small squads. We are due to play Beauly at home and we will treat them with respect like we do every team. Our top scorer Danny Macrae has picked up an injury which may see him out, so that's a problem we may have to deal with."
One of the ties of the round is likely to be the Kilmallie v Fort William derby at Canal Park. While both sides have shown indifferent league form, it's not long since they faced one another in the Camanachd final. Fort William are rebuilding after the break-up of their five-in-a-row cup-winning side and without the inspirational Gary Innes, who has curtailed his appearances due to musical commitments, they may be vulnerable on the day.
Another match where there could be an upset is at Kinlochshiel where Kingussie are the visitors. The newly-promoted side have already beaten Saturday's opponents in the Premier League, and although a Ronald Ross hat-trick did help his team gain revenge in the MacTavish Cup, Ross is not the talismanic figure he once was and the door is open for Kinlochshiel to cause an upset.
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