Congratulations to Bute who were confirmed as Mowi South Division 1 Champions after a 4-1 victory over their nearest league rivals Glasgow Mid Argyll II. Rather than ecstatic jubilation there was a sense of job done as Bute clinched the title, something they had seemed destined to do for a couple of months.  There is an argument to be made that Bute had one of the best seasons in shinty in 2023 on a pound-for-pound basis in terms of their individual competitions, competitiveness in the cups against higher ranked opposition as well as their total domination of South Division 1, Bute have been as close to flawless as you could expect all year.

The league campaign has seen 11 games, 11 wins so far with one game still to play. Across those 11 games Bute have scored 76 goals and only conceded 6, as far as league campaigns are concerned, that is about as dominant as you can be and only bodes well for the islanders step up to the Mowi National next season as they will look to replicate the success that Col Glen had in the league above. Credit goes to James Craig for the work he’s done, and of course to the team themselves who took the disappointment of last year, introduced some of their second team players, reshaped their squad about and went about their business in a emphatic manner. Even outside of their league campaign Bute did well, they reached a Ferguson Transport & Shipping Balliemore Semi-Final, and were victorious over National Division opposition twice having defeated Strathglass and of course their massive 3-1 victory over Inveraray in the Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup. If they can replicate those kind of results next season they will be in good stead for a longer stay in the National Division than was the case in 2019.

Mowi Media Award winning journalist Cammy Middleton commented on Bute’s success saying: “Next season will be very interesting for them to see how they make the step up. Col-Glen coped very well and if it wasn’t for injuries and suspensions they could have been higher up the table. I’d argue Bute are in a better position for promotion that Col-Glen were last year, with a bigger and younger squad – meaning more depth in positions which is crucial for the step up.”