Keep calm and carry on- we can all unite behind that.

 There are times when it gets to you- and you need to download some stuff into a sympathetic ear. The Wing Centre met one such sympathetic ear the other day.

“I wonder if the Glen will ever win another game?” the Wing Centre asked. The Listener with the Ear was patient and concerned for his interlocutor. “Of course they will,” he said “Of course they will”

“Thank goodness” said the Wing Centre.

Then came the telling comment from the Listener. “They will win again most certainly-it’s just that I don’t know when.”

And that is the whole problem- neither the Wing Centre nor the Listener actually know when a set of Glenurquhart forwards will score more goals than a set of Glenurquhart defenders will let in.

At least the youngsters and the women’s sides have been doing OK. For instance, the youngsters U-17 have progressed to the Semi of the MacTavish Juvenile Cup having beaten Beauly 4-0. They have also recorded wins over Kinlochshiel and Skye. Sadly, they lost out to the same Skye side in the semi of the MacTavish 2-1 in a tightly fought match at Reraig, Balmacara.

 There are of course two Under 17 teams and the second- the Development side have done OK too beating Glengarry by a comfortable score. They may have lost a game or so but doubtless that will be recorded elsewhere.

As for the girls (both sides) they are a success story- and even when they lose however narrowly - they actually win. So far, the top teams have been ahead of them but truthfully, they seem to be getting closer to the top sides in standard although as always it depends on what players are available.

This last week or two has been excellent for them. A 10-2 away win against Dunadd at Macrae Park in Lochgilphead - with the goals coming from Zoe Smith who fired home a double hat-trick and singles from Ishbel Barr, Freya Gault, Rowan Brockie and Sophie Power. A more recent outing saw them rack up a 9-0 victory over Inverness with Rowan Brockie hitting seven goals and youngster Daisy Ross scoring twice. It is simply great to see our youngsters getting among the goals.

Not only that they have progressed in the Valerie Fraser Camanachd Cup eventually getting past Aberdour at Silver Sands. With the teams all square at the end of the match (4-4) the Glen ran out on top (3-1) courtesy of penalties. Glen goals came from Ruby Fraser, Ishbel Barr, Zoe Smith and Hazel Hunter.

The most recent match saw them lose out by a single goal at home to one of the more fancied top teams Kinlochshiel. It was a top class game however, and an extremely tight one with goals being exchanged regularly until Kinlochshiel finally got the result with a fine finish from a narrow angle to clinch the match. The Glen scorers were Zoe Smith with a double, Hazel Hunter with a single and Rowan Brockie also with a solo effort.

Shiel were a good side and to survive the Glen centreline and defence had to put in big performances. Up front Zoe Smith worked hard in a pressure position and always had the sharpness required to fire the ball on target whenever the opportunity arose while the other front player Hazel Hunter put in a full shift and got her reward with a nicely taken goal.

That was outshone perhaps by Rowan Brockies goal, a cracking strike up into the roof of the net from outside the “D.”

Elsewhere, midfielder Yvonne Marshall had an excellent outing with her fitness allowing her to match ‘Shiel star Lorna Macrae with the Glen girl getting the edge over her in many tackles.  Ruby Fraser and Tara Maclelland held up the wings very well, on many occasions stopping the ball coming down the field and sending it straight back up again, with subs Grace Montague and Fiona Turnbull  coming on to keep things fresh on what was a warm day.

Rebecca Van Loon at full back did a solid job as did Ishbel Barr and of course one cannot forget the excellent Kirsty Smith who put in an outstanding shift with her pacy running being particularly important. On one occasion she sprinted from midfield to track Shiel’s Lorna Macrae who was in possession and on the point of converting a chance when Smith arrived in the nick of time to thwart Macrae at the last moment and prevent a goal.

In the end despite all the Glen’s efforts it was not quite enough. But that is not a note to end on. There is a togetherness in the team-indeed all the teams which has to bode well for the future. In the end the players gain from the experience of taking part and co-operating: it’s good to win but it’s better to encourage personal development even if all the girls and guys don’t realise you are doing it. This place as it grows - and it surely is growing fast- is a much more coherent community because of the shinty. Not only are we bound closer together- through it we also have links with many other Highland communities that are priceless. Other sports are available too of course - and they all have their merits but they are not really ours. Nothing truly comes near shinty and the sense of family and cultural belonging that it promotes. In fact, you have to feel sorry for other Highland villages that don’t have a shinty team. There … I’ve said it.

(Team photos from Glenurquhart Shinty Club Facebook-Individual ones courtesy of Phil Downie.)