Glen go out on the Town

Last Friday night (18/9/09) the Glenners -Hendo’s crew and the first team plus assorted Wags and the Committee -had a big date in the Town House. A Civic Reception no less - for being, amongst other things, the Marine Harvest Team of the Year and winning a couple of Leagues as well. It was an auspicious and enjoyable occasion as some of the snaps will show. Of course, not everybody could make it : some had other engagements, notably Russ and Geordie who were off en route to Oban to set up the Shintyshop stall at Mossfield. Also absent was Captain “Boy” Macdonald who has headed off to new employment in France and Calum Smith was unable to get back from College in time.
Big Arran also missed out while Gary Mackintosh has been suffering the effects of a shinty injury which has caused him to be laid up for a week or so. Big Mike and wee Billy were also unavoidably absent- a pity because they would have enjoyed the crack.
The Wing Centre, the Treasurer and the Secretary were there as were the Chieftain and the Chairman. All of them seemed every bit at home in the marbled halls as they were on the sidelines at Blairbeg.
Having stepped off the bus at the Gellions in the High Street the party crossed the road and entered the Gilded Palace of the Gaidhealtachd by – and this was needlessly modest for the Team of the Year - a side door. But then up the marble staircase, past the painted portraits of Chiefs and Generals to the old Council Chamber where it appears that Lloyd George made an attempt to settle the Irish Question in 1921.
There the side were greeted by the affable Deputy Provost Alex Graham and were treated to a free bar - not a concession the Invergarry Hotel would offer to Glenners - and a very enjoyable half hour was spent in the company of some very congenial councillors who appeared to be well disposed towards the indigenous sport. In the Wing Centre’s company were old friends like Councillor Roddy Balfour, Councillor Ken Macleod (The historians amongst the readership will remember that Ken was on the old Burgh council pre -1975) and of course Councillor Roy Pedersen who for all that he is an Aberdonian has west coast roots and is of course the father-in-law of Inverness Shinty Club’s own “Dink” Fraser. Thanks are of course due to the Councillor who made it all possible Abriachan’s own Margaret Davidson - and given that the Glen club is home to Abriachan’s only internationalists (Barr the Older and Barr the Younger) it was a good night to come from the High Plains.
Town manager David Haas (it is hard for someone of the Wing Centre’s vintage to use the word “city” in the context of Inverness) indicated that it was time to move through to the dining room and at the direction of the Town Officer the group went through leaving the top table to enter with due ceremony.
What a delight it gave the lads to see their old music teacher Mrs Sheila Bruce pounding away at the old Joanna : Mrs B was not however fazed to see the Glenners though she did give a nod of recognition to her former star pupil that talented accordionist (and goalie) Stuart “Smack” Macintosh. If only “Smack “had remembered the box , then a rare old ceilidh would have been on the cards. The fact that the guys were shinty players did not impress Mrs B too much however. She had taught hundreds of them – Strathglassers too - and truth to tell, even big James Clark picked up the ability to sing in tune to “Flower of Scotland” in her classes in Fort Augustus.
Also on the stage beside Mrs Bruce were the trophies which had come into the possession of the Glen over the past year : there is absolutely no truth in the malicious rumour that amongst the line up was the “Westfield Challenge Cup” (for cut flowers)which Helen and her Mam had pinched from the Glen Horticultural Society Trophy Cabinet. Nor was Paul Mac’s Meiklie Fishing Cup included.
The Treasurer then gave a fine grace - the meal was served: the Deputy Provost paid tribute to the team and its achievements- and then the Chairman replied on behalf of the Club. He gave a fine speech paying tribute to the Teams, the Committee, the managers, the youth coaches, helpers - and alluded to the fact that the 2nd Team were also in with a chance of the League. He concluded with a joke, at the start of which old hands exchanged uneasy glances because one doesn’t always know where the Chairman’s jokes are going to go. This one however did go -indeed went down well- and on that happy note the Glenners parted from the Councillors with regret but swearing to be lifelong friends.
The bus journey home to the green Glen was a cheerful affair and by the time the crowd got off the transport at the Scotmid Shop they had quite forgotten it was the Council which had given it planning permission in the first place.
Now the Wing Centre would like to win the Camanachd Cup. That victory would surely precipitate another Civic Reception and that looks like it is the only way he will manage to get a snap of himself sitting in the Provost’s Chair. He was about to pose in it last Friday when the Town Officer moved everyone through. Pity



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Glen are New Kings on the Dell – and will the Camanachd go to the Old Forts?

North Division 2
Kingussie 1 Glenurquhart 7
In the week of the Camanachd Cup final, it is a little parochial to be celebrating this result. There’s no point in not being honest – the eyes of the shinty world were not on Hendo’s Heroes last weekend as they travelled through to the Dell to take on the might of the Kings number 2s. Even the guys on the field went there in full knowledge that the biggest game at their level was taking part at the Bught Park and that the real game of shinty was a week away.
Still with a number of youngsters on the field- Ewan Menzies, Calum Smith, Ross MacDiarmid, Ewan Brady and Sam Cumming to name but five- it was not a side stuffed with unnamed seniors who made the trip to the High Chaparral. At the end the result was highly satisfying though the price which was paid- a broken thumb with six weeks on the sidelines for Ross MacAulay- seems rather a high one given that Ben Hosie is off to the States, Gary Mackintosh is sidelined and Drew Maclennan has a serious ankle injury. Hendo must now be beginning to feel what Fort boss Drew MacNeil was feeling half way through the season when he had half his top side out with injury. At least Drew got the guys back in time for the final while Hendo certainly faces the prospect of playing Cabers, Glengarry and Newtonmore with a depleted squad.
Still let’s celebrate the achievement while we can - though if reports coming from the Dell are anything to go by it took the Glen a fair time to sew up the game. The Dell though received the highest of praise - for its top class playing surface – if only Blairbeg could be looked after with the care and attention that Michael Clarke bestows on the Dell – and despite the Wing Centre’s misgivings about the journey down the A9, the well kept grass seemed to suit the Glen.
The opening goal was down to a neat finish from Calum Fraser and Billy Urquhart bagged the second before the half way break. The disappointing thing for the management however was that there were many other chances, which went a-begging in the first half.
The second half followed a similar pattern but the Glen did double their tally through a nice goal from David Smart and yet another strike from Calum Fraser. Then hold the back page - Stuart Morrison -they have to start him by hand these days - came on to the field for the first time since the Sutherland semi and within 15 minutes he had smashed in a hat-trick of beauties. Davie Anderson – yes Superdave himself –was the Kingussie marksman. It is possible Kingussie were a little understrength given that they had to cover for Andrew Borthwick and James Hutchison in the top team but somehow I doubt if Craig Dawson would have kept the Glen score down.
The title dream remains alive however – and the only thing to do now is keep focused.

That is what Kyles have to do this week too. Who is going to win?
The Wing Centre is a great fence sitter – and this is no different though the snaps, which introduce this blog, have a Kyles theme. Why – because back in the day (1994 to be exact) when Kyles won the Scottish last, they scraped past the Glen in the semi after extra time and for those youngsters who have never played a Camanachd Semi - and that means all of you including Smack and Mr Barr - here are pics which show your two managers in the thick of the action that day at Mossfield. How the Glen lost that game the Wing Centre will never know but lose it Glen did.
The other Kyles link with a glorious Glen past was taken by photographer Donald Mackay-how did he get that red tinge in the sky- on Saturday 17th August 1985 when the Glen played Kyles in an exhibition match to mark the centenary of the founding of Glenurquhart Shinty Club. Kenny Macdonald, Kyles’ goalie, is still between the posts, which might give you an idea of how slow time moves in Tighnabruaich. The presence of Stuart Morrison hat-trick hero of last week might equally say the same about the Glen - though the presence of his dad Graham in the same team also says a lot for the continuity of the game.
This was of course not the game in Tighnabruaich in 1979 where DP lost his contact lens occasioning a search of the end nearest the road. Two teams on their knees conducting a forensic search was a sight to behold and perhaps forget. Sadly, the lens was unfound - it remained unfound two years ago when for old times sake a few of that squad had a wee search for the lens. Then to complete the link the Glen took Davie MacVicar on to its books and he stayed for a wee while before going off to Skye in search of midgies more like the ones he left behind in Cowal.
Besides those deep links with Kyles, the only connection with Fort William is that the Wing Centre once saw Jock Sneddon buying chips down at the Drum Chippy- and it’s hard to build a relationship on that basis alone.
Who does the Wing Centre tip to win? The Fort that’s who. Why?
They have the injured guys and the suspended guys back at the right time - though how sharp Clark is there is no telling - and more importantly if the D didn’t back the Fort, then there would be no chance of Gary Innes coming up to play the box at the Hogmanay do. In the interests of Glen community solidarity it has to be An Gearasdan.



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Glen keep Oban at bay

Glenurquhart 4 Oban Camanachd 2
It was twenty past four and the Wing Centre was heading to the pavilion at the end of a match which the Glen appeared to have won convincingly, when he met another of the old timers coming down the steps of the stand.
“How did that happen?” said the aged plumber, for it was he. There was no easy reply though it did bring to mind the old days of Oban Camanachd and the great “Pongo” Macmillan when the Glen used to play the Seasiders in “The John Collie Cup.” No doubt Colin Clarke or somebody had looked up the North League table and selected the Glen as opponents who were likely to put up a good fight but then lose : the problem was that it never worked out like that. No matter how crap a team the Glen put out or how many kids were willing to travel down to Ganavan (no Mossfield for the likes of the Glen) as long as we kept wee Billy in goal and more importantly put big Ron up on the dust, then it didn’t matter how pretty the Oban shinty was, the Glen simply banged the ball upfield where the story was always the same four words. Ron shoots: Ron scores. Except that is when one day Dougie Maclean shot and scored a winner from miles out.
Then there was the Camanachd Cup semi-final in Fort William in the early summer of 1988. Same story once again.
Not that Saturday's match was like that completely but it had its moments. Oban played well enough and certainly impressed but “Its goals that count “as Nigel himself said- and given that they had pinched two points in the reverse fixture at the start of the season then justice was served .
As usual the Glen opened brightly and within 5 minutes Neale Reid, who was to have an excellent game, fired in a snap shot but it flew over the bar. The evidence was though at this point that Oban were more solid and looked sharper up front. Big David Devine looked lively and Aidan Macintyre was extremely sharp- he crashed a ball into the net in 24 minutes only to have it ruled off-side but then two minutes later he put the visitors ahead with a sharp low strike past Glen keeper Stuart Mackintosh. It was just as well for the Glen that this happened for it seemed to wake the side up and almost immediately there was a meaningful clash of camans between Glen full forward Gregor McCormack and the Oban full back which was dealt with by referee Deke Cameron.
Within a few minutes Billy Urquhart had a chance to level but was crowded off the ball by the committed and determined Oban defence and then Eddie Tembo had a drive which flashed past the post. The breakthrough came in 38 minutes when Neale Reid latched on a ball out on the left , swivelled and fired a low drive on goal which was parried by Oban keeper Robert Dunnings. His push out however fell to the inrushing Billy Urquhart who snapped up the chance from close range to level the tie.
The rest of the half showed increased Glen activity but no further goals though that was not to last long when the second period got under way. Again it was Neale Reid who pushed a ball on the Oban goals and once more Billy Urquhart was on hand to fire it home from the edge of the D.
The next twenty minutes was seesaw stuff and the going for the Glen in the centreline began to get tough. Oban had their share up front at this point too but most of what came through on the goals to Smack was on the ground and tricky enough to clear but not the sort of thing to really bother a keeper of his class. He does the straightforward business so well –the balls are cleared upfield so far and so firmly- that it is too easy to take him for granted. Also on the money were John Barr-the Wing Centre’s view is that he has been the player of the season- and Stuart Reid who had an equally sound game and so well did these guys play that while Oban ran and hunted in the midfield Andy Corrigan and “Dixon” Maclennan generally stopped them playing effectively enough to make any difference to the score line.
The Glen finally got a winning grip on the game when Lewis Maclennan scored a trademark distance special from the centreline. It’s not like he does it occasionally-he pulled the same thing against Newtonmore the previous week- and over the years there has been no-one at the Club who has his natural accuracy with a stick. Playing further back, his strike ratio has fallen from a few years ago but if he gets on the ball then if he plays it simple and long, the keeper is always forced into action.
The Glen then brought on Calum Miller and it wasn’t long before the big forward sealed the game. Once again it was Neale Reid who made the chance but the finish from Miller was top drawer-he controlled the ball, turned inside and drilled it low past Dunnings to make it number 4 with 20 minutes to go.
There were other chances but Oban were in determined mood and a fierce strike from the left by Scott Macmillan pulled one back for them. However, as it turned out it was, to recoin a cliché, too little too late and the Glen were content to hang on bringing on Iain Macdonald to shore up the defence. The big man did the business- and the Glen finished their Premier League season at Blairbeg with a win.
Yet there was unease at the end. The Glen did not appear to play all that well as a team despite some excellent individual displays. One of those individuals who put in a performance was Mr Reid (the senior junior) though his mam would have liked the snap better if he had taken out his mouth guard.



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