Goals in the last 20 minutes from David Whitelaw, John McCallum and James Craig secured only Bute's second league win of the season - and though results elsewhere mean the islanders are still in the top flight drop zone, a patient performance on what could easily have been a deeply frustrating afternoon should give the islanders renewed hope that Premier League shinty will still be served up in Rothesay in 2009.

Bute enjoyed by far the greater share of possession throughout the match, Ali Carmichael getting in the first shot on goal in the seventh minute after some nice build-up play in midfield, only to see his effort parried by Oban keeper Gavin Stobbart.

Stevie MacKellar fired just over the bar after some excellent stick work by Carmichael, but Hector Whitelaw had the best chance of the game so far on 28 minutes with a ferocious shot which Stoddart touched over the bar for a corner.

Kevin Queen pulled off a good block to deny Andrew MacCuish as Oban gave notice they weren't just in Rothesay to make up the nuimbers, but Bute continued to make most of the running and Craig and McCallum both fired wide of goal after more good work in the centre of the park.
Scott MacMillan came within inches of giving Camanachd the lead in the last chance of the first half, with Kevin Queen decidedly relieved to see the Oban man's shot whistle only just over the bar.

MacKellar saw a fierce drive from wide on the left touched away by Stobbart in the opening moments of the second half, while at the other end MacMillan gave Bute another warning shot with a good effort from a free hit which scraped the outside of Queen's left hand post.

Still, though, the lion's share of the chances came at the other end of the park, with the younger Whitelaw brother coming close on three separate occasions, shooting wide of the near post before being denied on two occasions by some fine goalkeeping from Stobbart, who then went on to deny Craig after an intelligent free hit by Hector Whitelaw.

But it was the younger Whitelaw brother who finally made the breakthrough for Bute on 70 minutes with a long, looping shot from 40 yards which deceived Stobbart as it fell out of the sky and dropped into the net.

And in the best bus-queue tradition, having waited all afternoon for a first Bute goal, a second arrived almost straight away - the hosts won possession from the restart and went straight back up the park, a series of one-touch passes setting up McCallum for a sweet strike from 20 yards into the top corner of the net.

McCallum almost added a third a minute later, only to discover the angle was just too tight for his shot on goal, and Stobbart proved his worth with a good save to deny substitute Robert Walker - but there was nothing he could do ten minutes from the end when Brian Liddle's shy on the left created havoc in the Camanachd defence and Craig took full advantage to seal the points with a fine strike from 15 yards.

MacCuish thumped in a consolation for Oban from an injury-time corner but it was too little, too late for the visitors and the smiles were confined to the Bute camp when the final whistle blew seconds later.

* Bute's Scottish Hydro-Electric Camanachd Cup semi-final with Fort William on August 9 was given some added spice at the weekend when the Fort's flagging Premier League title hopes were all but killed off by a 5-3 defeat away to Kyles Athletic, leaving the 'Camanachd' as the An Aird side's only realistic route to silverware this season.

The club is organising a supporters' bus for the game - anyone who would like a seat should give their name to Jimmy Duncan or Barry Martin ASAP.

Bute have no game this Saturday, August 2, due to the Marine Harvest Festival at Spean Bridge.