Seven-goal Mechanics up and motoring
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FORRES Mechanics picked up their first Highland League win of the season in style by thrashing Strathspey Thistle.
The Cans, who lost their first three league games, got off the mark with a 7-1 success over their Grantown opponents.
Alan Macphee notched a hat-trick, scoring the first two with Andy MacRae adding a third before half-time.
Stuart Soane tapped in number four, Calum Howarth made it 5-0 before a long range Scott Morrison effort got one back for Jags.
Macrae and MacPhee completed the Forres tally for their first three points of the campaign.
Nairn County caused the shock of the day, defeating title favourites Brora Rangers 1-0 to preserve their own 100 per cent record after four games.
Max Ewan's first half strike meant Nairn are one of five clubs sitting on 12 points behind leaders Fraserburgh.
League table P W D L F A Pts
Fraserburgh 5 5 0 0 22 5 15
Brora Rangers 5 4 0 1 19 2 12
Formartine Utd 5 4 0 1 20 4 12
Inverurie Locos 5 4 0 1 16 6 12
Buckie Thistle 5 4 0 1 16 8 12
Nairn County 4 4 0 0 9 4 12
Rothes 5 3 1 1 13 6 10
Keith 5 3 0 2 9 17 9
Strathspey Thistle 5 2 0 3 7 12 6
Deveronvale 4 1 1 2 7 8 4
Turriff United 5 1 1 3 7 14 4
Wick Academy 5 1 1 3 5 15 4
Forres Mechanics 4 1 0 3 10 11 3
Lossiemouth 4 1 0 3 1 12 3
Huntly 4 0 0 4 4 12 0
Clachnacuddin 5 0 0 5 5 19 0
Fort William 5 0 0 5 4 19 0
The Buchan side clocked up their fifth straight victory though bottom side Fort William managed three goals at Bellslea Park.
Hat-tricks by Sean Butcher and Paul Campbell saw Broch home to a 6-3 success.
Rothes bounced back from their surprise North Cup defeat against Fort to win 3-1 at Huntly.
The scoring was opened by an own goal from Elgin City loan defender Askley Ballam, who was on Rothes's books last term but has now been farmed out to Huntly.
Chris Herd equalised immediately for Huntly before Jack Maley's superb finish had the Speysiders in front at the break.
Steven Anderson added a third to seal the Rothes win.
Buckie Thistle are also firmly in the chasing pack as they came from behind to win at Wick Academy.
Richard Macadie gave the Caithness side an early advantage but Andy MacAskill equalised and former Brora man Scott Graham netted Buckie's late winner.
Keith also turned around a first half deficit to register their third league win of the season, a 2-1 victory over Turriff United.
Ex-Maroon Mike Ewan scored from the spot to give Turriff the lead on the half hour.
But two supersubs won it for the home team with Grant Thomson equalising with his first goal for the club and youngster Scott Gray plundering the winner on 78 minutes.
Lossiemouth held Inverurie Locos at 0-0 for an hour before the visitors struck two goals in three minutes through Mark Souter and Sam Burnett for a 2-0 win.
Formartine United are third after beating Clach 5-1, helped by Scott Lisle's treble.
