New Season- Old Challenges

All this happened-more or less. Of course, these games are not real life: that starts with the MacDonald Cup. Let’s hope it doesn’t stop there also.

The first encounter of the season was a 0-0 against Fort William at home - and it’s fair to say that our early rustiness could have told against us except that they were rusty too. I’m never really certain at my stage in life whether we ought to feel highly competitive in these games or not. I suppose it comes down to the fact if we take the lead then despite common sense – I want us desperately to win. If we go behind, we tend to say it’s only a friendly after all.

 Of course, against Fort William, a friendly match is a contradiction in terms - an oxymoron if you can remember the figure of speech from Mr McKell’s English Class- which of course you can’t. Whatever !!-  there were times when Referee MacPherson had his work cut out : I’m not sure but I think big Finlay got a row and I did see Scotty MacNeill rushing on to the field a couple of times and Mr Macdonald too but they are decent guys -passionate about the game and they swept out the dressing room afterwards which is not the state the Lochabermen left the dressing room in when they last came up here 300 years ago to steal cattle, so things are definitely moving in the right direction.

One particularly positive thing about the afternoon was that the Glen defence Lachie Smith, Tom Edwards, Sean Brown and Ali Maclean put in solid performances and managed to keep Fort from scoring although to be fair keeper Stuart Mackintosh played his part too. Disappointingly, though the Glen forwards were lively and mobile they could not find a way past Fort custodian Paul Mackay. On the plus side, Charlie Macleod performed well and Oliver Black in the centreline put in a good shift - and on the whole it was a good afternoon’s work.

On the same afternoon Farr Farr away from the warm side of the Loch, the Glen second team had a contest against Boleskine which Garry Marshall’s Glen side won 5-1. Though the youngsters were a little rusty all round and the pitch wasn’t in great shape it was actually was a good work out. Goals came from Glenn MacDonald, Brad Sneddon and John Barr who all hit singles while Mike Fraser fired home a brace. Most of the action took place in the first half with the Glen leading  4-0 at halftime and though there were a few chances missed after the break, the quieter part of the afternoon allowed Liam Patience, Abriachan’s Hugh Burnett and Chris Edwards to get their 2nd team debuts as subs and all performed well. So positives all round for the first games of the season.

The second friendly was against Kinlochshiel- and again this was a close fought game though ‘Shiel were a few bodies short. Despite this they edged the game 2-1 with goals from John Macrae and Jordan Fraser while Andrew Corrigan replied for the Glen.

Which is all I really know, since I spent the afternoon listening to Hugh Dan talking about Donald Mackay’s photographic journey through the ‘70s, ’80s and ‘90s. 

Donald of course had a strong Glen connection and there was a nice Glen turnout at the talk though some of us would perhaps have preferred to have been back in Drum at the ‘Shiel game. Why was it so early- It surely couldn’t have been the international rugby: but no-the shade of rugby-mad Charlie Smith has long gone from Plockton High School so the explanation must be that the ‘Shiel WAGs were hoping to have an afternoon shopping in M & S or wherever such ladies go nowadays.

However there was one bonus- “that” picture the Sports Pic of the Year (1978 Camanachd Cup Final-“Eyes on the Ball”) was unveiled as an oil painting created by Ballachulish player Dougie Rankine. What can you say?  Big John would be the first to say he was no oil-painting. Turns out he was wrong – and now he will be one forever.

Anyway, back to Blairbeg where there was a positive performance and attitude against Kinlochshiel though manager Iain Macleod felt disappointed in the result. What made that a little bit hard to take was that after ‘Shiel had lost a couple of players to injury they asked to borrow a sub. Glen gave them John Barr who can truly be said to be a Glen legend. Now it appears he’s well on the way to being a Shiel legend because he had a stormer and probably won the visitors the midfield battle.

There is no doubt the guy is a doughty competitor- He's only playing for 'Shiel as a guest and he gives it his all. Look at the way he is trying to stop young Alfie Macleod : that's a competitor for you. Double click on it and have a look for yourself.

Glen have not quite clicked up front yet but certainly created more chances compared to the Fort William game due to better distribution from midfield. Though no goals were produced both Daniel Maclean and Alfie Macleod hit the woodwork.
One disappointment is having to drop Ali Maclean back to defence but with Fergus on the sidelines for the opening few games there is no alternative at the moment and actually the back lines as structured have become a good solid unit that is hard to break down.

Other players who performed particularly strongly were Sean Brown who was superb in defence (See Charlene Macleod’s pictures), Liam Robertson who provided the side with energy, great hitting and fine shies in the middle of the park and the aforementioned youngster Alfie Macleod, who gave a tough match to ‘Shiel’s Donald Nixon which was no mean feat. 

 Donald is one of the best players in shinty and a Scotland international as well. Given that he is married to a girl from the Glen and his Mum is from Drum, it’s time he was coming home in a shinty sense as well. The transfer forms are here on Balmacaan Road - all it needs is a wee signature.  He’s halfway there already of course because no matter how much Cork wants to claim the goal, it was clearly Donald who glanced it past big Josh. He’s chalked up his first goal for the Glen already without even signing for us. Perhaps I should just pop the papers down the road to his mother-in-law’s mother.

Next we face up to the Glasaich in the Macdonald Cup and hopefully the Glen are on track to get back to where we once belonged, whisper it “The Premiership”– and with Gavin Heath, Steven Henderson and Fraser Heath in the backroom team then ….who knows?

Thanks to Charlene Macleod for the photos of the players and to The Camanachd Association (Jenna Calder, Inverness) for the pictures taken at Hugh Dan's event.

 

Signing off for this season ----and moving on to the next: whatever happens, the only winner will be Shinty.

Let’s face it we all love cliches-particularly the old one about the only winner being shinty. Not sure that shinty is ever really the winner especially in such changing times. Yet we still plug away in the hope that one day our lottery will come up trumps- just as we all hope that one day the Glen will again win a Sutherland or a Strathdearn.  The Camanachd ?  Well you never know though you do really. No matter. Like eager fishermen we look forward with hope- but we also have to acknowledge and reward what has been done.

In that spirit we can report that the Glen Shinty Club has held their dinner dance and not one but two awards presentations- and though a little time has passed it is as well for the sake of posterity to preserve in print the memory of these two events. Of course, it’s a busy time with the club having its eye firmly fixed on next year which means sorting out management teams for the new season. Not a particularly easy task it would appear.

However, to more pleasant duties-the Club Dinner Dance took place on Saturday November 29^th at the Clansman, a venue which we enjoy but one which is a little inconvenient for some because of the matter of transport back and fore.

 The meal was enjoyable – and the menu is noted because the house here is so filled with ephemera that one cannot really justify hanging on to another slip of paper no matter how useful it would be in the archive for the prompting of some shinty memories.

Between the courses Mr Mackintosh, the President of the Club, organised the handing out of the annual awards co-opting whoever caught his eye to hand over the treasures.

The awards were as follows:

Men’s First Team Player of the Year- Lachlan Smith

Men’s Second Team Player of the Year -Rory Maclean

Women’s First Team Player of the Year- Ishbel Barr

Women’s Second Team Player of the Year -Rowan Brockie (trophy accepted on her behalf by her brother Doug)

Young Male Player of the Year -Glenn MacDonald

Young Female Player of the Year -Ruby Fraser

The second set of awards took place a few days later on Thursday 4^th December at the Craigmonie Centre and unfortunately the Wing Centre missed out on these since he was out of the village.

There the awards were as follows:

Player of the Year U17 (M & F) Alfie Macleod & Rowan Brockie

Most Improved U17 -Hugh Burnett

U17 Development Player of the Year -Sophie Power

U17 Development (Most improved) -David Fraser

U14 Player of the Year -Kaleb Power

U14 Most Improved Player -Sam Jones

U14 Girl’s Player of the Year - Ava McConville

U14 Most Improved Player - Katie Edwards

A Special Award to Doug Brockie was made to mark his outstanding performance/ attendance/attitude throughout the year at U17 and First Team level- and well merited it was too. 

Moving on to the other matter which caught my eye it appears that in the new year Hugh Dan is going to deliver a talk on the photographic legacy of Donald Mackay. Fair play to HD; Donald Mackay has now slipped from the memories of shinty’s most recent generation and indeed over the years since his day the sport has been blessed with a large number of excellent photographers.  However, if you were to look at today’s newspapers, you might be forgiven for thinking that no-one is bothering to capture shinty chemically or even digitally any more.

Gone are the days when action pictures of games from Phil Downie and Neil Paterson appeared regularly in the national and local press. Pictures do appear-publicity shots of sponsors and the like distributed by the CA- but action shots from games, though they are still to be found on Facebook and the like – have largely disappeared from newspapers.

I did not really know Donald at all well but I certainly admired his photographic work. He did once produce the sporting pic of the year-taken against the back drop of Ben Nevis in a Camanachd Cup final. 

Nearer to home- and I assume HD knows this- he was related to Glen’s own Peter English and as such produced a pile of pictures in which he captured more or less everything about the Glen’s Centenary in 1985. From a personal point of view I guess that apart from one pic which appeared in the West Highland Free Press which I assume was taken by Willie Urquhart, Donald’s pics are the only action shots ever taken of the Wing Centre during his own playing career.

The relative absence from a range of newspapers of action photos of shinty is something that another Donald, the late Donald Stewart former Vice-President of the CA, would have had something to say about- and the thing about Donald is that he would have kept on saying it until something had been done about it-one way or another. Perhaps the pics would have come back, though the economics of newspapers may have precluded it or at least they would have been argued to have precluded it in the eyes of the bean counters in charge. The present doesn’t seem to be a good time to be in newspapers given the huge haemorrhage of readership- and then again you have to ask what are newspapers in Scotland for, given that most of the titles are diametrically opposed to the views of at least 49% of the population who basically no longer read them. Some of those that do tell me they only buy them for the crossword which they have been in the habit of doing over the years.

Anyway-back to Donald Stewart (pictured above in the London Camanachd team of the late 1980s) .I sometimes didn’t like being challenged by him over some of the newspaper pieces I had written but on reflection his position came out of fierce loyalty to the CA and in particular his support of the CA’s links with the GAA. Without out going into too much detail, that did not really pay off for him in the end and it may be that shinty as a whole missed out as a result. That’s one of the great “what ifs?” of Shinty history-but like all “what ifs of shinty history “ it will mean nothing to anyone who lives outwith the boundaries of the three shires and the three Islands.

Anyway, we all look forward to the season to come- with the Lovat Cup out of the way we are all allowed to anticipate the coming season. It will be as it always is a mixed bag. However, one thing will be strange- we are going into the new year without Andy Lloyd who has stepped down as Vice Chairman. 

Andy will be missed greatly for the wide range of work he undertook on behalf of the Club and the fact that he was a calming influence on the sidelines and at committee meetings. Let’s hope he doesn’t walk away too far.

Of course you can find all the above here 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CW_DUnwzEOx9qHmuYwpJaZ2reuF-psm8/view?usp=drive_web

Thanks to Glenurquhart Shinty Facebook for most of the pictures - and of course to Hi Life Highland for the Donald Mackay photo of Johnny Mackenzie; the other Donald Mackay photos belong to the Club. Thanks to Alister Chisholm for the picture of London Camanachd which includes the image of the late Donald Stewart. Finally, many thanks to our Club Secretary Laura Stoddart for creating the round up of the year.

That was the Season that was

 We are at a strange time of the year now in Shinty’s little Loch-side parish- after the end of the season but before the AGM and the Dinner Dance. If the Glen were like any other team, we would have a queue of potential managers knocking at the door looking to guide our side to glory. Are they out there?  Who can say? Time will tell - and as our supremo would tell you if he were here “It will be what it will be!”

So where did we end up? Well, the Wing Centre (one will have to come up with a more modern positional description that this - what about “ false 6” -a player who  can run between the lines or play in the pocket-as opposed to being in someone’s pocket- but more of that anon perhaps-or maybe not) produced an annual shinty report for the Glenurquhart Bulletin which gave a round up of the season up to the end of August. The assumption is that most of the folk reading this will have read that. As if !!

What has happened since then?

The main positive was that the Ladies second string won their league   by four points. To do this they won eight games and drew two recorded a massive goal difference with Rowan Brockie, top scorer by a mile with 30 goals to her credit. That feat was enough to win the Glen Ladies the trophy for the Team of the Year in their division at the Mowi Annual awards night with coaches Judi Crichton and Hugh Montague going down to the Fort to pick up the spoils.

Also at the MOWI Awards, Helen Maclennan our youth convenor won the Donella Crawford Trophy for Youth and Schools. Helen previously won this award in 2010, and has continued to work tirelessly for the following 15 years  to make a grand total of over 30 years service in the development  of young talent at Glen Urquhart Shinty Club.  

As an aside it was also good to see Strath’s Roddie Maclennan also picking up a well merited volunteering trophy.  Every club has folk like that- and a very good and necessary thing it is too.

The Glen under 17 team also had a successful season in comparison with all the other under-17 sides in Scotland bar one. They reached the finals of both the MacTavish Juvenile Cup and the London Shield but lost out in both to Newtonmore.

This is of course the third time in a  row they side have made it to the London Shield final which, considering they lost five players to the march of time is a considerable feat.

The Development Team made it to the final of the W J Cameron Cup once again but were unable to win it for a second time losing out to Bute despite defeating Inverness.

At the other end of the scale the first team though it had a disappointing season did manage to finish on a high of two away draws: 3-3 against Glasgow Mid Argyll and before that 1-1 at Inveraray. Yet both those games were chucked away from winning positions- and because our cup form was every bit as poor there were long gaps between matches. Indeed, by the end of the season we were down to one game a month. I do not think that is good enough and I’ll leave that suitably ambiguous.

The ladies’ top flight also had a tough season and the men’s seconds while ultimately without a trophy to their name had occasional high points. However, the loss of the Sutherland semi to Kinlochshiel at Invergarry will long haunt the club. This was a game that ought to have been won-indeed it was a game in which we went ahead in the third minute, slipped behind to a 2-1 deficit before Mike Fraser levelled on the hour mark- and then we gave away a cheap goal and that was that.

What was worse was that some weeks later we had to watch ‘Shiel play Fort William at Blairbeg- and despite the fact that it was an excellent game it has to be said that it was a very hard watch. The Wing Centre was trying hard to think of a comparison to that game – and an exemplar suddenly came to his mind when he was watching an episode of Highland Cops.

Now a lot happens in Highland Cops which must make us all thankful that, despite the over-generous pensions, we are none of us actual cops: it is a frustrating job that plays havoc with your emotions. Constable Dan is never going to catch anyone for shooting a buzzard; the traffic boys are always going to stop young men who overtake them; walkers are constantly wandering off and dying in and on the hills, while cars and motorbikes are always crashing on the A9, on the A82, even on the Bealach.

And what about Constabal Murdo who busts the drug cartels? Well, he is usually successful but then he only lives in Angus Peter’s books

However, the comparison that did come to mind was the “Raid of Ardvasar” (Creach Aird a‘Bhasair) which really should have a piece of Bardachd Baile to go with it. Sergeant Garry’s tooled up crew smashed down the front door only to find that the bad guys had escaped out the back door. Even Constabal Murdo would have surrounded the house even if he had to have brought along Angus Og and Lachie Mor. Still the lads captured the cannabis plants which unlike Triffids did not walk away or even eat the cops- and these plants are now doing time in Kyle. To be fair the Wing Centre had not seen actual growing cannabis plants before though to his eye they look very like the vegetation which is growing out of the guttering on the derelict Backpackers building at the far end of Eastgate in Inverness. Never mind, it was that similar mixture of bad luck and imperfect planning that made Kinlochshiel’s “Raid of Craigard” (Creach Creag Aird) such an annoying experience.

Still at the end of every season there are always positives to be savoured- the Mowi Awards was one. Hazel Hunter playing for Scotland in the International is another one- as was the fact that Dan Maclean, Doug Brockie and Alfie Macleod were with the under 17s in Ireland.

Meanwhile Charlie Macleod found himself a berth in Peter Ross's North Under 21 select which lifted the Caol Cup.

I rather thought Lachie Smith could have had a shout for the senior team for the Home International but I do not know if he was ever invited to a trial.

That plus a pile of other items including a fantastic charity event where we raised a great deal of cash for Mikeysline-the suicide prevention charity based in Inverness. The local representative for Mikey’s line Donna Brady was presented with a cheque for £16,000. However, let us not go on about them, just let the pictures speak for themselves. I guess though that this blog ought to have been a little more regular. Memo to self -Must write more often.

Thanks to Neil Paterson for all  his pictures and to the Club’s Facebook pages for the others 

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