Newtonmore captain Andy MacKintosh holds the Camanachd Cup after his side beat Lovat 3-0

Newtonmore secured a third straight Camanachd Cup with an emphatic 3-0 win over Lovat.

Evan Menzies scored either side of a Glen MacKintosh strike as two goals in the space of a minute before half-time cut Lovat adrift.

The Badenoch side comfortably saw out a scoreless second half to make it a record 33 Camanachd Cup wins.

They now need two Premiership points to wrap up a treble of trophies, having already won the MacTavish Cup.

These two old foes met in last year's final, and the early exchanges at Mossfield in Oban were an arm wrestle as both fought to get the upper hand.

The first chance fell to Newtonmore, Mike Russell finding space from 20 yards to fire a strike towards goal, but Lovat goalkeeper Stuart MacDonald, hero of their 2015 Camanachd Cup triumph, reacted brilliantly to tip the ball over.

Lovat captain Lewis Tawse, who postponed his honeymoon to play, then had a fierce effort blocked which looked destined for the net.

But as in last year's final, Newtonmore opened the scoring. Menzies was allowed to turn when dribbling away from goal and he unleashed a strike from the left that found the bottom corner.

Lovat's response was immediate. A cross into the box wasn't dealt with and Greg Matheson tucked the ball away, but to his dismay it was ruled out for offside.

It would get worse for the Kiltarlity side before half-time as two goals in a minute put Newtonmore clear.

First, MacKintosh steered the ball into the corner after a delightful touch freed him from his marker. Then MacKintosh turned provider for Menzies to add his second from distance, the ball squeezing past MacDonald at the near post.

Lovat came from two behind in last year's final but never looked likely to get back into the match in the second half.

Menzies twice came close to a hat-trick but was superbly denied by MacDonald and then flashed an effort over.

He did, though, pick up the Albert Smith medal for the man of the match as the tournament's most successful team coasted to another title.

'We were written off'- reaction

Newtonmore captain Andy MacKintosh: "We were written off at the start of the season, a lot of people said we were an ageing team and we were past it but that spurs us on to prove everyone wrong and hopefully we continue to do so.

"It's what you dream of, to captain Newtonmore in a Camanachd Cup final and to come away with a win, I can't describe it."

Man of the match and scorer Evan Menzies: "It feels good. When you get to this stage, with the expectation and the pressure, it's just relief rather than joy, but we're chuffed to bits.

"We treat every game the same. We're lucky that we've got experience in these kind of finals. It sounds funny but it's just another game to us."

Newtonmore: Ross, Campbell, Ritchie, Kennedy, A. MacKintosh (c), J. Robinson, S. MacDonald, MacLean, Menzies, Russell, L. Robinson, G. MacKintosh

Replacements: A. MacDonald, Fraser, Stewart, Mitchell, Richardson

Lovat: MacDonald, Howie, Greive, C. Mainland, Cruden, Tawse (c), L. MacKay, Kelly, Davidson, Matheson, MacMillan, MacLachlan

Replacements: Johnson, B. MacKay, Fraser, M. Mainland