Gary tries his hand at the loo roll challenge!
Take Gary Innes, a shinty stick and a precious toilet roll, add a bit of shinty skill and you have the recipe for a bit of Facebook fun, writes Mark Entwistle.
With the current lack of any shinty matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic, former Fort William and Scotland shinty champion, Gary, took to the hall of his home in Glasgow in a challenge to players across the world to see how long they could bounce one of the increasingly sought after toilet rolls using a shinty stick.
The choice of a soft toilet tissue came after Gary’s wife, Hannah, wouldn’t let him use a shinty ball in the house for fear of damage.
Undeterred, Gary launched a social media video, with a faultless performance, inviting others to hone their skills during their confinement at home.
This has not only gone viral among shinty teams, but has been picked up by other sports where ‘keepy up’ can be practiced indoors. Among those trying their hand are local players from Lochaber football clubs, including Mallaig FC, who have been videoing their own efforts at keepy up football-style.
A spokesperson for Mallaig FC told the Lochaber Times: ‘Having seen the trend going viral with lots of top professional footballers and clubs giving it a shot, we decided to have a go as well.
‘We saw it as a way of doing our small part reminding people of the reason behind it, to stay at home and listen to the advice at this time.
‘However, perhaps more importantly for us it was a way to give people a laugh and try and lift spirits in what has been a tough time for everyone and give ourselves something to do with having no football just now.’
A selection of the videos are now available on the Lochaber Times’ Facebook page.