Macdonald new ball game

Shinty: Former rugby player poised for Scotland debut against Ireland

From adversity comes opportunity and had he not dislocated his shoulder while playing for Highland Rugby Club, Charlie Macdonald would not be making his debut for Scotland against Ireland in the under-21 shinty-hurling match at Inverness on Saturday.

“Rugby was my first love and I enjoyed playing for Highland at youth level until the injury,” said the 20year-old hydro linesman.

“I started playing shinty to get fit again and really took to it, despite the fact none of my family had played the game.

“I got a chance at my local team, Inverness, and after going through the second team I foundmyself in the senior side and really relished it.”

Macdonald’s progress has been such he is the first player from the Bught Park club to wear Scotland colours in several years.

Macdonald gives much of the credit to Drew MacNeil, his manager and now co-manager at Inverness, and said: “Drew was absolutely first class with me and has given me great encouragement.

“Pulling on a Scotland shirt ismy way of repaying him.

“Drew was instrumental in Inverness applying to join the National Division a couple of years ago and that’s proved a great decision for us.

“Weplay at a higher standard and faster pace and our players much prefer this to the North First Division where we played mainly against second teams.

“The club has shown ambition with the move and it’s certainly helped me to improve significantly.”

Macdonald scored 15 goals for Inverness this season and deserves his berth in the international squad. “I’ve only ever seen an under-21 international on YouTube,” he joked. “But I’ve been studying hard on what’s required.

“If you had said to me in March that I’d make this team, I would have laughed. But now I’m keen to take my chance.

“The Irish hurlers play the ball at height and that’s difficult, but we can pose problems if we keep it on the ground and move it around well.”

Scotland’s new under-21 manager Allan MacRae said: “Charlie wasn’t really in the international picture.

“Then he caught the eye playing for North against South in the under- 21 match and when I invited him to our preparation sessions, he worked so hard and effectively that he made himself impossible to leave out.”

“He worked so hard that he made himself impossible to leave out”

Charlie Macdonald