Hold the Back Page! Games are coming thick and fast.

Strange how shinty goes: last season we could not buy a win; this year, like buses three come along at once. We have survived two rounds of the Camanachd Cup by the skin of our teeth as a result of 2-1 home wins against Bute and Col-Glen- and a week after having got through in extra time against Col-Glen we managed to defeat Strathglass 5-1 at Blairbeg to help us climb up the table.

The Col-Glen match was a tricky manoeuvre and was undertaken in the absence of brothers Stuart and Ali Mackintosh-away in Ireland at former player Stuart Reid’s wedding. However, it started in great style with an excellent goal for the Glen which hit the net inside the opening minute. Alfie Macleod who had dropped quickly back to the middle of the field fired a quick ball up the middle to full-forward Finlay Robertson. He did the simple thing- met the ball first and played it forward and across to where Charlie Macleod gathered it and fired it past Col-Glen keeper Whyte for the opener.

However, despite that early flash of class, Glenurquhart failed to press home their advantage and gradually the Argyllshire Glen came back into the picture – and to be fair to them they had their chances – a number of which were thwarted by Glenurquhart keeper Iain Macleod. It was too much to hope that Glen would hold on to the end without loss and that was eventually proved to be true when Scott MacVicar evened the match with an equaliser on 60 minutes.

The match stayed tied until the end and then the nail-biting period of the game occurred. Glen did have the edge however and in the end a Daniel Maclean strike in the 106th minute saw the northern Glen progress to the next round of the Camanachd Cup where they will face Newtonmore away at the Eilean.

A well contested game nevertheless and – a worthy win for the Glen made more notable by the fact that keeper Iain Macleod played alongside his two sons Charlie and Alfie for the first time in the Glen first team.

Our Strathdearn experience was not quite so positive though as our second team squad lost out 2-1 to visitors Lovat. Lovat 2nds have in recent years had the upperhand and this was no different with them going into an early 2-0 lead.

 A fine strike by youngster Daniel Van Loon put the Glen back in with a chance but despite a great deal of effort from everyone in a red & black shirt Glen didn’t have enough fire power- and good fortune- to get an equaliser and once more chance the lottery of extra-time.

This brings us to Strathglass in the MOWI National Division. Now the Glasaich are never an easy proposition if only for the fact that they possess a top full back in Josh Fraser and an excellent front man in Penri Jones. Some of their other lads are not bad either- and this week for the first time this season they welcomed back Thomas Maclean at wing-back. Thomas has been away in New Zealand – and the way he played and bolstered up the Strath defence the Glen Treasurer was tempted to break the bank and purchase a ticket to send him back to the Land of the Long White Cloud.

The first quarter of the match was pretty even – and indeed it appeared at times as if Strath were going to get a grip in the midfield because the harder the Glen pushed the more it seemed that the loose balls were breaking to Strath- and the absence of Liam Robertson in the centreline-out with injury-made this scribe for one worry.  He needn’t have bothered: the Glen gradually got to grips with the game and after twenty patient minutes the ball was slipped through to Glen wing-forward Daniel Maclean – and he ran in one on one with Strath keeper Adam Todd and cooly slipped it past the Strath custodian (I can hardly believe I’m writing such cliches) to open the scoring. Ten minutes later Glen full-forward Finlay Robertson doubled the Glen’s advantage (I know-I know. I’ll stop this mangling of the sportswriter’s idiom now). However, let me just say Finlay’s goal was an old fashioned full-forward’s goal-he gathered the ball in turned and fire it past Todd to put the Glen in at half time with a clear but insecure lead.

The second half was memorable and will remain so because of because of a fine hat-trick by Charlie Macleod. Each strike was excellent and with all due respect to Strath keeper Adam Todd there was no way he was getting any of them.

The strikers first goal came courtesy of a low hard corner from Ali Mackintosh- back in the side after a trip to Ireland and showing, so far as this writer could see no ill effects. The ball was quickly controlled and powerfully struck low and hard  into the far corner hitting the post as it passed the helpless keeper.
His second goal saw him drag his defender across the danger zone where he showed  nice skill to turn his opponent creating space and time enough to place a high accurate shot into the top corner.
His third goal followed an excellent ball played across the front of the D. A quick burst of pace left his marker floundering behind him allowing him to strike the ball first time on his back hand into the net for number five.

This success however was based on a sound performance from the rest of the squad particularly the Glen defence and midfield who settled to their task midway through the opening half. By the second half Ally Maclean, Doug Brockie and Sean Brown managed to get on top of their opponents while Alfie Macleod caused damage and created damage every time he got the ball.

In defence Lachie Smith was immense- we expect nothing less-as was Fergus Robertson who plays with understated precision. Tom Edwards continues to impress as does Daniel Maclean who works hard for the full 90.
Unfortunately Glen lost a late goal after Lachie Smith and Doug Brockie were subbed for well deserved rests- but a cameo performance in the final moments of the game from John Barr went down well in the home stand.

 To give some balance it must be said that an injury to Strath defender Sam Cooper-he took a blow on the hand-did not help the visitor’s cause particularly when it forced Strath boss Donald Fraser to pull top scorer Penri Jones back to bolster the defence.

Meanwhile earlier in the day up at the High School pitch the Glen Ladies second string had a 9-0 win over a Kinlochshiel side-albeit one weakened by the fact that several of the Shiel players could not travel though because of a prior engagement.

Glen went in at half time five nil up, Rowan Brockie claiming four strikes and youngster Daisy Ross a single.

The second half saw Amanda MacLennan -returning from injury for her first game of the season-notch up her first goal of the season along with Jessica Crichton while Rowan Brockie netted a further two to bring the full-time score to 9-0. Amanda Maclennan deserves a special mention: she can usually be  found in goals for Glen ladies 1st team and true to form she put in the first half between the sticks on Saturday before moving up front for the second period. Welcome back Amanda though we are not sure that Shiel would fully agree.

 

The under 14s started off with a fine 8-0 win over Newtonmore with goals coming from Liam Patience, Sam Jones, Kaleb Power (2) and David Fraser (4). This was followed up with a 6-2 win away at Beauly with David Fraser again hitting four goals on the night. 

Let’s hope they keep up this level of performance.

Meanwhile the Under 17 squads continue to do well with wins over Inverness (3-2)-scorers Finlay Fraser, Sophie Power and Liam Patience; Strathglass (3-2)- goals Sophie Power and Kaleb Power and Glengarry (4-2)-goals David Fraser and Liam Patience for the Development squad.

The main under 17 squad, current holders of the London Shield, won 4-1 over Kingussie, courtesy of a hat-trick from David Hart and a single for Glenn MacDonald. They followed this up with a  3-0 victory over Lovat with scorers Alfie Macleod and Glenn MacDonald. They then defeated Fort William 6-0 with goals once more from Alfie Macleod and Glenn MacDonald with Caleb Power also on the score sheet.

So far so good-it’s all about taking part in the competitions, isn’t it? Certainly that’s true for the youngsters- but it’s good to win too. Long may it continue.

Thanks for the pics to Julie Macleod, Doddsy’s Photos & Glen Urquhart Shinty Club Facebook page

 

 

Lovat just keep getting in the way

Not sure that the Wing Centre cares very much for Clan Chiefs. He always remembers what his fellow clansman A.W. MacKenzie , erstwhile Councillor for the Glen, used to say about our neighbours over the hill-perhaps not all of them, but at least some of them. They were in thrall to their chiefs. You know the ones who lived once upon a time in a large castle on the banks of the river at Beaufort.

If ever Alastair W found out whilst in the shop on a Saturday morning that we were due to play those of a black and white persuasion he would say scornfully “Clear the way for Lovat” (always pronounced in those days as “L-o-w-v-a-t” not, as is the fashion now, ”L-o-v-e-a-t”) which is what he claimed a flunky was employed to say as he directed the car/shooting brake/gig/carriage of the Chief of all the Frasers along its chosen route or into its appointed parking place or stable.

Now the Wing Centre does not believe that this story really refers to our crofting neighbours over the hill- they are too much like us to behave in that fashion. Rather it strikes me as a Beauly story more suited to the inhabitants of that urban centre than to the honest men and women of Balgate. You can see here how well Ronan and Billy get on get on- but then they are both goalies and that possibly explains the bond!  

Be that as it may, a youngish Glen team were unable to stand in the way of a competent Lovat squad as they pushed past them clearing the way for a MacTavish semi-final clash against Fort William. Not that the Glen did not put in a performance-they certainly did but better finishing, more strength and experience were enough to carry the visitors over the line.

In fact they looked a little behind in the opening exchanges and a little careless ness at the back resulting in a poor clearance presented Lovat’s Marc Maclachlan with a free shot at goal which he accepted gratefully to put his side into the lead within five minutes of the start.

After that unfortunate start the Glen settled down and an intriguing contest took place – and with the return of Lachie Smith to the back line out of necessity (he had not started because of injury) the Glen looked a more solid unit.

 Play swung back and forth with Ally Mackintosh playing well at the back and Ally Maclean holding the centre though for Lovat Craig Mainland looked in commanding presence in defence for the visitors.

Lovat doubled their lead in the 39th minute when young Mr Maclachlan finished from inside the D after the ball had been allowed to run across to him on the far side. Despite the set back Glen continued to compete but despite having territory and possession could not manage to accurately place their shots on target. Any that did come through were competently dealt with by Lovat keeper Ronan Macmillan.

Glen got back into the hunt with a nice goal in 57 minutes when a ball fired  through by Sean Brown was knocked home from close range by Charlie Macleod with Daniel Maclean in such close attendance that he was credited with the strike.

Unfortunately, the Glen were not able to maintain the single goal difference for more than three minutes when an opportunist goal from Lewis Tawse brought the score to 3-1. His strike is worth noting because it was so well taken- a drive from Maclachlan was blocked and when Greg Matheson’s follow up shot was saved by Stuart MacKintosh, Tawse was on hand to take the ball in the air with the heel of his club and finally settle the match. Glen had a number of chances after that including one super shot from Alfie Macleod which Macmillan tipped over the bar- but then if you don’t put the ball in the net, you inevitably find that you lose the game.

A tight game then and one that the Glen competed in well- a 2-1 would have looked better in the record books but it all comes down to the same in the end.

Glenurquhart’s name will not be on the cup this year- and Lovats might still be, though as their manager Iain Nicholson knows only too well there will be sterner tests to come.

Speaking of sterner tests, the Women’s 1st Team headed to Skye for their only Saturday away game in the league. After losing 4-2 to Skye in the first game of the season, the team were hungry for a chance at redemption.
Unfortunately Caitlin Maclean getting Skye’s first goal within five minutes set the tone for the first half with Skye having most of the advantage. Despite a couple of good attempts from Rowan Brockie the Glen were unable to score and another two goals from Maclean saw the first half finish 3-0.

The second half was a lot more even with both teams strong in attack and defence. Emily Van Loon, came on at half time and had an excellent game at wing back. Two goals from Skye late in the game saw the match finish 5-0 in favour of the home side.
Aside from the score there was plenty of positives to take from the game. The girls fought with tenacity and positivity right to the end and many played in new positions throughout the game. With each of the subs getting on it was a great chance for some of the less experienced girls to show what they were capable of.  The only real disappointment for the Glen was the fact that with all their numerous subs on the sidelines the Islanders could have reasonably agreed to play a 12 a side match-this is what the W.C.A would like to hope the game is moving towards-and it is a pity that Skye were unwilling to do that.

Hunting for positives is what we all must do- and we had to continue with them against Fort William. An early injury to Andrew Corrigan-a muscle tear-plus injury to Ben Mackenzie meant the Glen had to work hard to keep in the hunt. However, Chris Edwards and Murphy Ross gave a good account of themselves as did Antonio Dann.

As always Brad Sneddon had an excellent afternoon but it wasnt quite enough. A couple of defensive slips -one by the boss and a dodgy penalty (that's what young Mr Brown told me anyway) saw Fort William 3-0 up at the break. 

Despite the direness of the straits the heads did not go down and the side stuck together and managed to complete a competitive second half in which they only shipped one more goal. Unfortunately, the youngsters up front such as Glenn Macdonald and David Hart, because of the fact the defence and midfield are under such pressure, are not able to get much in the way of quality ball- and without Seonaidh Macleod who has been unwell the side struggles to find the net.

However, the experience of such games has been a positive one (that word again) because this midweek at under 17 level both Glenn and David were in amongst the goals with young Mr Hart bagging a hat-trick. I hope he got the ball to take home.

Only one other pic to add today- the Treasurer and that other Mr Mackenzie /Mackenzie-Roy from Strathglass. Now you might think that the Treasurer would have the money- and the green bag might suggest he does-but in fact it is Roy who really has the capital and he probably has the Business Solutions too. The question is would you actually accept a Cookie from this guy?

If you would then https://mackenziebusinesssolutions.co.uk/ is the place to go-apparently.*

* message to Roy-the invoice is already in the post.

Thanks for the photos to Tina Marshall, Fort William Face Book and T.W. Maclean.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

 It might well be that a picture is worth a thousand words-and an ancient Japanese philosopher claimed it was - or was it an American advertising man? Whatever might be the truth, we’re just a few weeks into the new shinty season so far and already the Wing Centre has begun to let his regular programme of blogging slip just a little. And, to make things worse , he’s struggling for pictures.

The really big miss is that the club doesn't have a dedicated photographer- so we have to rely on folk from other teams to capture our memories. However, throughout this blog I’ll pop in pics showing how the club has helped to support the Community over the years- you’ll find out why at the end.

So what has been happening on the field?

Last Saturday saw action in the MOWI at Blairbeg between the Glenurquhart Women’s 2^nd Team and Skye which resulted in a 3-0 win for the red and blacks. With the pitch bone dry after two weeks of sunshine, the dry and fast surface perfectly suited the free-running game of the young Glenurquhart forwards and right from the start they put the Skye defence under pressure. The visiting keeper had to look lively on several occasions to keep the Glen at bay but eventually a neat pass in from the wing via Daisy Ross found its way to full forward Rowan Brockie and she fired home the opener.

Skye fought back well but found that they were quite unable to make any headway against an excellent Glen back line where both Rebecca Van Loon and her sister Emily each gave a solid display of defensive shinty- anticipating the play, snuffing out the danger and firing the ball up to the centreline where Roisa Brown and the rest of the midfield were on hand to bring the forwards into play. The wing forwards, in particular Jessica Crichton and Sophie Power helped by the dry conditions kept the Glen on the offensive - and by the end of the match this superiority had yielded two further goals. The second also came from Rowan Brockie who latched on to a ball crossed over by Sophie Power and despite being forced wide the team’s top scorer still managed to find the net from a tight angle.

The Glen’s final counter came courtesy of some quick thinking by Hayley Ross who followed up a strike which was stopped by the Skye keeper and swept the rebound into the net to make the score 3-0 in favour of the Glen.

Meanwhile the Men’s first team has been doing OK too despite a slip up to Col-Glen (let’s draw a veil over that). Wins against Strathglass and Inveraray, a draw with Kilmallie and a narrow 2-1 victory over Bute in the Camanachd will have to do for just now.

However,the narrow 1-0 loss to Lochaber though did cause a little confusion in the Glen not that a Lochaber win was unbelievable.

You have to picture the scene. The scoreline comes through. The spectator asks

“Its 1-0. Who scored for them?”

“Delaney.”

“What! Mike Delaney - he’s not playing at his age is he?”

“Don’t be daft.”

“Don’t tell me it was Kirsty”

Now you never know if some people are trying to wind you up or not-or is it simply down to the fact that both Michael and Kirsty are much better known in the Glen than Ben is.

The good thing is that some of our own young lads are starting to get goals but they will be tested this week against Lovat in the MacTavish. 

The seconds have had some hard tests too – though truthfully in their league results will to some extent be determined by whether their opponents have their first team playing away  or not.

They have in fact run Inverness first team close twice and the defeat to Newtonmore saw a loss of four goals late in the game after the Glen being up 3-1 in the first half.

Still a 10 -0 win over Inverness’s 2^nd team in the Highland Industrial Supplies Sutherland Cup cheered everyone up particularly Oliver Black who bagged five goals all to himself.

Sadly for Ollie, the Treasurer was so mean he wouldn’t allow him keep the match ball. Other scorers on the day were Glenn Macdonald (2) Seonaidh Macleod (2) Andrew Corrigan and Jamie Maclennan.

However, away from the action on the field for a moment it’s worth taking a moment to celebrate how the club integrates into the community.

 

It has long been the Wing Centre’s belief that Glenurquhart Shinty Club is one of the corner stones of the Glen community but of course without the wider community there would be no Shinty Club.

Bearing this in mind  the Shinty Club has always been  keen to put something back which is why this picture from 2007 shows the then Glenurquhart and Scotland under-17 international Neale Reid down at the Glen Care Centre handing over a cheque for £100 which had been donated by the Club to help with the old folk’s Christmas Party.

Accepting the cheque on behalf of the Care Centre is Mrs Agnes Morrison whose son Burton Morrison was also a Scotland shinty internationalist and turned out over many years for Glenurquhart , Aberdeen University and Glasgow Mid Argyll. Time has moved on- and now Agnes’s son Burton is the  President of the Camanachd Association.

A lovely picture then which shows how the indigenous sport can reach across the generations and unite the community - and it is also perhaps a reminder of how important it is both for the Club and for those outside it to reflect on what a community is.

Of course this is not the only aspect of village life which the club has supported. The Pavilion at Blairbeg was also built and entirely funded by the Shinty Club - without any Council help. It is also there for the use of the Glenurquhart Highland Games on its big day as well as being available to other local organisations.

Beyond that, Glenurquhart Shinty Club regularly gives back to the community in another way not everyone realises. In fact every year since 2013 Glenurquhart Shinty Club has handed over to the Glenurquhart Care Project a generous portion share of their Annual Christmas Raffle (aka the Swinndle).

This year was no different and on Saturday past, the day of the Daffodil Tea held in the Care Centre, the Treasurer handed over a cheque for £770 to Val  Cooper, chair of the Friends of the Care Centre.

As you can see from all the pictures of cheques being presented over the years there’s a little bit of theatre involved in the presentation. This year the Treasurer and Val tried to harmonise their cos-play- and its doesn’t look too bad. They both blend in with the planter -more or less – which was apparently the intention.

 Enjoy the pics- and remember all these old friends who are in some cases no longer with us.

Cork Scores a "Worldie" at ‘Shiel

At least that’s what Cork himself told the Wing Centre. The Wing Centre of course was not actually at the game. Word to the wise-it’s far easier to write about a game if you weren’t there at all- that way you don’t let the facts get in the way of the prose. How does the Wing Centre know that?  He learned that from the best in the business. If Alasdair Bruce were here, he would tell you himself.

Back in the day, when shinty was a thing in the papers and the Camanachd Cup was a big occasion with genuine doubt about who might win it, Alasdair, the Wing Centre, Dave Calder, Kenny Stephen, Charles Bannerman and Bill MacAllister would sit in the stand and carefully note every move that happened on the field. Halfway through the first half at the Bught, Mossfield ,Old Anniesland or wherever, a gentleman would arrive in the stand. He dressed like a gentleman, spoke like a gentleman, and remained unflustered despite having missed a goodly part of the action. This was Richard Bath now re-incarnated as Editor of the Scottish Field: then he was a freelancer of some merit with the Sunday Herald and presumably because of his patrician interest in field sports and general aspects of Highland culture, he was occasionally sent north or west to cover Teuch-Fest or Shinty’s Big Day Out as some liked to call it. 

At half time he would disappear for a period, reappearing later in the second half to take up where he had left off- dispensing bon-mots and affable charm to the rest of us. Next day, his copy would appear. It was always perfect-he had crafted a narrative with all the right scorers in all the right order. Basically, that ,along with an anecdote or two - “colour” to those in the know-is all that is required to cut whatever mustard requires a touch of the sgian-dubh,

So now to Cork- the player whom we older citizens still dare to call “Young Cork”- and, of course,  his “worldie.”  Well, it wasn’t the first goal of the afternoon. The honour of scoring the first goal for the Glen in the 2025 MOWI North 1 Season went to  Seonaidh Macleod. The youngster grabbed his goal on the 10-minute mark when, like any natural striker, he followed in on a goal-bound shot which was blocked by the defence leaving the loose ball close enough to be flicked over the line for the opener. Later on in the match the young man could have doubled his tally when he was offered a penalty after a ‘Shiel defender dropped his club inside the D. However, Seonaidh just failed to convert this with his well hit shot whizzing just wide of the post.

‘Shiel managed to keep in the game with a quick reply though Rory Barclay before Mr Corrigan found the net. The formal title hints at respect-the venerable veteran has of course scored a few times before- and, though the youngsters don’t know it, he has pulled on the blue international jersey of his country on more than one previous occasion.

This time, Jamie Maclennan, returning for his first outing of the season, played a long ball up over the top to the wing forward position. Mr C ran on to it, got the ball under control, turned tightly on to his back hand and with his direct opponent languishing on the ground, fired the ball across the keeper in to the top of the net. A worldie? Defo. Is Cork the G.O.A.T.? Probably not. Probably not even the best player that has come out of Balnain School.

But still he put us on the way - though Shiel youngster Jay Macrae hit two second half goals, Glen toughed it out for the victory in what was a tight game on a heavy pitch. They rode their luck at times but superb stick work by keeper Shalom Brown made the difference on at least two second half occasions when he kept out accurate, powerful shots from the home attackers.

Daniel Van Loon got Glen’s third goal after a nice move where he finished from the edge of the D after the ball had been switched across the field by Seonaidh Macleod.

The winner came courtesy of a last minute penalty awarded for a kick on the ball by a ‘Shiel defender. It was a tough call for referee Andrew Mackenzie to make against a home team but whatever the pressure young forward Glenn Macdonald felt, he did not let it get to him. He stepped forward and smashed it into the top corner. No-one could have hit it better.

An excellent start for the seconds then and let’s hope there is more of this to come. Further worldies would be welcome.

An equally exciting game took place at Blairbeg to herald the new women’s premier league. After a little early Skye pressure was seen off by the Glen backline, Rowan Brockie opened the scoring for the home side in the first ten minutes but Skye equalised shortly afterwards. Glen once again took the lead shortly afterwards, this time thanks to a low driving finish in 26 minutes from Hazel Hunter but once again Skye fought back hard to level the score shortly before half time.

 A tense second half followed with both sides having lots of pressure with Skye edging ahead with 10 minutes to go. Glen fought back but luck was against them when the visitors were awarded a penalty minutes from the end when Rebecca Van Loon to the amazement of the spectators was judged to have kicked the ball inside the D.

Glen keeper Freddi Gilbert got her body to the strike but the ball managed to slip past her to see Skye claim the victory. An unfortunate result in the end despite a fine performance from all the players. Still, this was a Skye team that a year or so ago would have been more convincing victors- so all is progress.

The second women’s team meanwhile made a strong start to the Women's North Div. 2 season with a good away win against Lochaber. Truthfully it was Lochaber who made the early running in this fixture and as a result were 2-1 up at half-time.

Glen came back strongly after the break and in the end ran out victors by five goals to three. Rowan Brockie was the goal star of the show and was top scorer of the day with four goals with youngster Sophie Power grabbing the other Glen strike.

Meanwhile, talking of a game of two halves the National League clash at Blairbeg against Kilmallie was very much just such a Jekyll and Hyde clash. 

Glen started well taking an early lead through an Alfie Macleod strike from close range and then they seemed to do the “Hyde” bit which saw them finish the half behind to two excellent strikes. The first came from Calum MacDougall who brought down the ball a bit out from the D, shook off his marker Fergus Robertson and smashed the ball home to bring ‘Mallie level.

Glen were up against it at this point and had to work hard to hold on. They were helped in some measure when MacDougall missed a chance from close range but matters did not look good when a fine strike from Ben Mackinnon let the visitors take a deserved lead.

The second half saw Glenurquhart make a couple of changes with Ali Mackintosh going off with a muscle strain and Liam Robertson coming on along with Oliver Black.

Glenurquhart appeared to have found some self-belief with excellent centreline displays from Ally Maclean and in particular Sean Brown who began to have the edge on his experienced opponent in the excellent Lewis Birrell.

Alfie Macleod got the Glen level in 61 minutes with a fine strike but though young frontmen Daniel Maclean, Doug Brockie and Charlie Macleod pushed hard for the winner they were thwarted by a determined Kilmallie backline with young keeper Alexander MacNiven playing his part with at least two superb saves in the latter stages.

In the end it was not to be but it’s been a while since we’ve seen such a tightly contested game of shinty IMHO- and they were without Innes Blackhall too.  Never mind, it’s early days yet but let’s hope that it’s a sign of what’s to come.

 

Pictures- they are scarce. Some old ones -one or two taken after the Kilmallie  game after Saturday. We’ll have to sort this out sometime. Thanks to Mark Macpherson, and Peter Jackson at Kilmallie for additional analysis.

 

 

 

Strathglass and the MacDonald Cup: The Art of the Steal

It’s always satisfying to call it as it is- Strathglass managed to finesse their way to a win in Saturday’s MacDonald Cup fixture. (I know -finesse is not the word that comes first to mind when talking of a Strathglass victory, but there you have it)  

It was as anyone could observe, a very tight game on the heaviest of pitches but the Strath just about managed to win – and though it sticks in the writer’s throat to say it, the result made so many of the Glasaich and the almost-Glasaich so happy that no-one could begrudge them their victory - apart from that is, everyone in Glen Urquhart.

The problem with the report however is that whenever you go up to Strathglass you spend so much time walking round blethering to the natives and queueing for tea - a whole skill set in itself - that you never see the actual game for any length of time. As a consequence, I had to go to the YouTube production of the game filmed, produced and narrated by Eoghan the Bard and though its production values and costs are not as flashy as those of “An t-Eilean” (faodaidh tu sin a ghoogladh), the confession is that like all shinty addicts the Wing Centre is an avid watcher of the poet’s productions.

So what did the Wing Centre learn? Well for one thing that the two Frasers that Strath had at the back (and front) Josh and Donald are pretty powerful performers .

Josh in particular at full back gave a very convincing impression of King Canute holding back the tide while Donald is simply a proper shinty player and a role model for any youngster watching. He blocks well (fortunately), hits well and always keeps a calm perspective on events. Everyone in the Highlands knows that when it comes to clans the Frasers are the best at shinty- that is apart from Macdonalds, Macleans, Macraes, Mackintoshes and Macleods.  Mackenzies? Not so much. They are of variable quality on the field -much better at the paperwork, handling the money and foretelling the future. Being all descended from the Tutor of Kintail or the Brahan Seer they are much more effective at coming up with business solutions to deal with the problems inherent in the indigenous sport as it struggles to absorb the tides of incomers who pour north to tempt us to worship at the altar of false sports.

“There will come a day,” said the Seer, "when competition between the Glens and Straths will be restricted to the sports of pickleball and disc golf. On that day, Kerrow Brae will crumble and Beauly get into a Camanachd Final once again.”

So to the game. The opening exchanges were tight enough with the sides fairly even while both sets of legs were fresh. It was Strathglass who made the early running Glenurquhart surviving an early scare thanks to quick thinking by Glen keeper Stuart Mackintosh. However he was helpless a few minutes later when a long shy from the far side by centre Seth Jones was poorly dealt with by the Glen backline only for the ball to fall to Strath skipper Penri Jones who made no mistake from just outside the D.  Jones , the current North Division 1 player of the year is no stranger to MacDonald Cup Glory having scored a hat-trick in the same fixture in 2021 when his side last picked up the cup.

That really was the end of the Strathglass threat: the Glen piled forward but despite Alfie Macleod hitting the woodwork were unable to convert before half-time. After the break things became more frustrating for the Glen and for the rest of the game, particularly in the last half hour of the contest it was one way traffic.

However, through a mixture of bad luck, careless shooting and last ditch ‘Glass defensive efforts, the black and reds were unable to snatch the equalising goal that would have allowed them to retain the trophy. The one consolation for the Glen was that the man-of-the match trophy -the Shewglie Trophy - was picked up by Glen youngster Alfie Macleod.

Alfie is one of a trio of London Shield under-17s to have made the Glen first team forward line for this season’s MacDonald Cup encounter, the others being Doug Brockie and Daniel Maclean. Joining them in the squad were wing back  Tom Edwards and Murphy Ross on the bench so the future does indeed look good. The positives for the Glen are that all the young guys performed well as did Sean Brown in the centre, the Robertson brothers, the Mackintosh brothers and not forgetting the other Macleod brother who worthily took his place as the final front man.

Of course, as was expected the Glen won both of the other matches on the day: the women’s game and the Ali Ban.

 First off in the morning on the pitch behind the school were the girls’ side who had a comfortable 4-0 win over their maroon clad opponents. This game provided Glen shinty club with a couple of firsts - not the result and not the venue but the fact that the girls were able to use the Church of Scotland Hall to change. The other first was the trophy the girls were awarded at the conclusion of the game. The Maclennan Quaich was not up for contention on the day but another mysterious trophy appeared on the day of which more later.

 In the absence of regular first team manager Freddi Gilbert, her assistant , Rory Maclean took charge of the side, aided and abetted for the day, by second team manager Judi Crichton.

This was ,in fact,  an extremely competitive game, though the Glen dominated the opening 35 minutes. Hazel Hunter opened the scoring with a neat finish into the roof of the net which capitalised on a slip up in the Strath backline before following it up with the strike of the match. This came about when Fiona Turnbull played the ball square to youngster Rowan Brockie. Rowan moved the ball quickly on to Hunter and the Glen’s free scoring front girl turned past two defenders before firing the ball low into the Strath net. Rowan Brockie added a third before the break to basically seal the match- and though the second half remained competitive the Glen management duo used the time to give all their youngsters on the bench some game time. Rowan Brockie grabbed her second to make it 4-0 and the game then levelled out with both sides having lots of attacking opportunities, though no further goals were scored.

Player of the match-probably would have to be Ruby Fraser but special mention must go to Samantha Moon at full centre who give an excellent performance on her debut for the Glen.

The trophy? In the absence of the real Maclennan Quaich-which surely must be played for on some not to distant occasion- the trophy up for grabs was the Completely Different Quaich. It should have been christened the Corrimony Chanty. Presented to a local plumber by the Wallace family of Corrimony it was once no doubt used by the noted artist and illustrator H Frank Wallace and doubtless by a few other artists as well.

Later in the morning the Ali Ban took place at Blairbeg – and this time the young Glen side, bolstered by the returning Ali Maclean took command from the start of the match but did not immediately take the chances they were offered. Andrew Corrigan found himself early on one on one with Strath keeper but failed to convert. This set a bad example for youngster Glenn MacDonald who also passed up a chance which he will definitely convert on another occasion. To be fair though Strath keeper Ali MacAdam made a number of good saves. The break-through eventually came when Corrigan opened the scoring from close range. Ali Maclean then doubled the scoreline in favour of the Glen with Seonaidh Macleod adding a third quickly after that. The game then got somewhat bogged up  with the pitch hampering the Glen’s forward play.

The second half saw the Glen resume their advances with Glenn Macdonald firing home a brace and John Cameron finishing off the afternoon with a superb strike from about 35 yards to make the score 6-0. Hats off to a young Strath side for keeping the game competitive and particularly to Strath goalie Ali MacAdam who had more than a half-dozen excellent saves.

After the match Glen captain Shalom Brown picked up the cup on behalf of his team while the man of the match trophy-in memory of the late Russell Cameron- went to Ali Maclean.

Thanks to Neil Paterson for the excellent photos but such a shame the Glen did not get a pic taken at Strathglass. Why?  Glass were happy to pose in Drum. At the very least we’d have a memento for Murphy, Tom and the other young guys of their first appearance in a MacDonald Cup. Just as well the Wing Centre kept the team lines!!

And was that Mr Macleod in shorts in the Strath team at Blairbeg ? It surely was.

All in all then a good day’s shinty with both sides having a great deal to feel good about. 

At least Roddie’s mood lifted in the course of the day-look at him after the MacDonald Cup win at the top of the blog- now look at him in the Ali Ban Man of the Match pic.Double click on the pic if you like, Chalk and cheese-no wonder. That image-the top one- should be on the front cover of this years Year Book. Are you listening Aaron? Well done , Mr Maclennan

 The title of the blog? Homage to Mr Trump and of course to the Glasaich-for they surely did half-inch the match. Even Penri will tell you if you ask him. Fair play to them.