Shinty clubs ready for 2017 season
Last Saturday saw the start of the 2017 shinty season. Although the weekend’s fixture schedule was severely hampered by the weather, all the clubs and players are raring to kickstart their respective campaigns after a long winter without any action. Looking ahead to the coming season, we asked local clubs about their ambitions for the campaign.
Bute
ROTHESAY was the centre of some of the biggest news in the close season after the Camanachd Association announced that the club have withdrawn their entry to the National Division and will, instead, enter South Division 2.
Manager John MacCallum explains the decision: ‘With Skye and Strathglass now in the National Division, there were genuine fears that Bute would not be able to fulfil the season with two teams.’
As a result of voluntarily dropping down a division, Bute will start eight points in arrears before a stick is swung in anger. With an exciting crop of teenagers comprising the backbone of the squad this season, 2017 will be an intriguing year for Bute.
The second team will again be marshalled by David Kilpatrick and the coach is excited by the number of young players who will be at his disposal this year. Aided by some veterans, the young reserve side will hope to improve on their fifthplace finish in last year’s campaign.
Col Glen
IT WILL be up to a young Col Glen outfit once again to show their mettle in South Division 1 this season. Following recent successes for the club, and a mid-table finish last season, Col Glen will continue to look to the youth in the side to consolidate their position in South 1. The squad this year contains a number of players under 16 and club secretary Brian MacNaughton says: ‘This season, we are struggling for experience in the side. However, we are fortunate to have a good crop of youngsters who will hopefully form the core of the club in the future.’
Having had a successful spell as head coach, for which the club thanks him, James Edgar has decided to stand down for the coming season. The club have opted for the experience of Peter Kennedy, Ronnie MacVicar and Brian McNaughton to lead the young squad to the next level. Exciting times lie ahead at Col Glen Shinty Club.
Dunoon
HAVING made their senior shinty debut last year, Dunoon Camanachd are looking to build on this and climb off the bottom of the table this year. Club president Roddy Cairns explained: ‘We now have some fresh faces to add to the mainstays from last year as interest in the town grows and grows. This is why we set up the team – to either get people back into shinty or to give them a start in the sport.’
Despite finishing bottom of the league last year, Cairns says Dunoon should be able to push every team in the league. As was the case last year, the club wants to fulfil its fixture schedule and further prove its worth in the senior ranks. With a more settled squad this year and with all the hurdles of establishing a new club overcome, Dunoon are hoping to kick on with a fruitful 2017. The team will also be competing in the Bullough Cup.
Dunoon Camanachd kickstart their South Division 2 league campaign on March 11 with a crosscountry trip to face fellow strugglers from last year, Aberdour Camanachd.
Glenorchy
HAVING come close to relegation in the past two seasons, Glenorchy are looking to use this season to consolidate and establish themselves in South Division 1. The club are currently facing struggles in keep ing hold of players and maintaining a settled squad. Club secretary Duncan Smith said: ‘We have lost a few players to other clubs in the close season but that’s the nature with village shinty clubs, so we just get on with it.’
All in all, this season will be used as a platform for the club to propel themselves back into national league shinty in the near future.
The club want to be a collective force on the field while embedding more young players, like teenage prospect Arik MacKechnie, into the senior setup. With the aim to uphold their South Division 1 status this season, the club will hope for some success in the cup competitions and will be looking to progress in the Celtic Society Cup and the Balliemore Cup.
Inveraray
SIMILARLY to other village clubs in the area, Inveraray Shinty Club will be faced with the prospect of fielding two teams each week. The aim this year is to fulfil the fixtures schedule for both teams without any mishaps. Euan MacMurdo, the club chairman, is realistic about the team’s ambitions: ‘We have a small squad,’ he explained, ‘and face challenges of dealing with injuries and suspensions throughout the season as well as already having some players retiring.’ The first team has an unrecognisable squad from previous seasons, while the second team will be looking to prepare a few players for the first-team squad.
The club’s aim this year is ultimately to win promotion back to the Premiership but MacMurdo acknowledges that it will be extremely difficult to do, saying: ‘A lot will depend on how the squad reacts to the challenges but we hope to be back at the top tier sooner rather than later.’ The club will also want to maintain their lofty reputation in the cup competitions.
Kilmory
DUE TO Kilmory’s stellar performances last year in South Division 2, the Camanachd Association voted to promote the club to South Division 1 this year, despite not having won the South Division title. With Kilmory trouncing teams by up to 15 goals last year, the decision to voluntarily promote the club will mean the players will face a tougher test this season, while teams in South Division 2 will be breathing a sigh of relief.
Clearly, Kilmory will be looking to emulate last season’s success. Although pipped to the league title by Tayforth at the end of last season, the team will be confident they can compete at the top of South 1 and dominate teams at home in Lochgilphead as they did so convincingly in 2016. The team’s first game of the season on Saturday – one of the few matches to survive the weather – saw them slump to a 40 defeat at the hands of Taynuilt. Having added a couple of new names to a settled squad this season, Kilmory will want to get over that openingday defeat and look ahead positively.
Kyles Athletic
FINISHING runnerup in the Premiership and being crowned Celtic Cup champions amounted to a solid season for the Tighnabruaich side in 2016.
However, Kyles are tipped to be the closest challengers to Newtonmore this year in the title race and stand a good chance of wrestling the league title from the grasp of the Badenoch club. As such, many in the shinty world will be hoping for a strong league campaign for the Tighnabruaich men.
Club secretary Mick Atkinson is a bit more modest as he explains: ‘The aim this season is to avoid injury, take it a game at a time and see where it takes us. Our future aim is to keep improving and retain our place as one of shinty’s top clubs.’
James Perlich will take over as first team manager this season after Norman MacDonald stepped down from the role following a long stint at the helm. Peter Mobeck will continue to manage the second team, who will be competing in South Division 1. Atkinson said: ‘The club would like to thank Norman for all he has done and wish James and Peter all the best for the upcoming season.’
Strachur
STRACHUR make a welcome return to senior shinty in 2017 after a yearlong break from competing. Playing in South Division 2 this season, Strachur are rebuilding and developing for the future and hope to return to league competition fully rejuvenated after their absence.
Manager Alistair Mirlees simply states: ‘The ambition for this season is to field a team for every fixture with a longer term plan to stick together and continue to play and represent Strachur on the field.’
The introduction of young talent will be pivotal and will help freshen up the squad. With the likes of Sam Bulloch, Charlie Ferguson, Ethan Collier, Steven Thomson and Alex Macphail all stepping up to senior level, Strachur look to maintain a solid, consistent lineup each week. If they can do so, the team could be contenders for the South Division 2 title. As well as league duty, Strachur will compete in the Bullough Cup this year and will be eager to progress to the latter stages of the tournament.