Final round of primary school indoor shinty
ON SUNDAY February 5 At- lantis Leisure hosted the final round of primary shinty games which act as qualifiers for the national finals on February 25 in Fort William.
Games got started at noon with the primary three and under section getting us started. The six competing sides comprised teams from Taynuilt, Park, Rockfield and Kilmory who played round robin games five minutes in length.
The aim of this section is to introduce the children to competitive shinty at an earlier age and promote participation in the sport.
It was clear to see that the standard of play has increased since the introduction of this age group and it was Park school’s Dunollie Dragons who eventually pipped the Rockfield Rapids to first place.
Centre stage
Next up the primary five and under section took place with seven teams from across Oban and Lochgilphead taking centre stage.
The quality of shinty was fantastic throughout which was epitomised by the standard set by the Rockfield Rockets, who came through a tough section and will represent the Oban area at the national finals. Finally, the primary seven section was up. Taynuilt were the strongest team in this section and were all but secure of qualifying before play started.
Nonetheless, the league was competitive throughout and were delighted to welcome back a St Columba’s team who have been absent from the primary shinty scene for a couple of years.
Additionally, the Oban Area Development Group was delighted to announce it has secured a £ 5,000 grant from the Heart of the Community Trust. The cash grant from Scottish Sea Farms will be released over a five-year period to help secure the future of primary tournaments and the hire of venues.
The group were also able to provide two player of the tournament awards. The primary five player of the tournament was Rockfield’s James Muir and the shield was donated by Munro’s of Oban. The senior player of the tournament award, the Ryan MacPhail Memorial Quaich, was presented to Taynuilt’s Innis Jackson.