Young Guns’ firepower too much for Golden Oldies

Oban Celtic Shinty Club’s annual boxing day game ended with the Young Guns winning 3-2 against the Old Crocks in a keenly contested game with 34 players taking part on the day and a good crowd gathered to join in the festive fun.

The game started with the Young Guns on the front foot applying early pressure and after 15 minutes the deadlock was broken with a blistering shot from Daniel MacMillan into the roof of the net.

With the game flowing from end-to-end, the Old Crocks rear guard of John McCormack, Lorne Robertson, Robert Gillies and David Hill were undone once more with a Lennon Campbell rocket from 30 yards.

The Old Crocks, with Donald MacKay and Damien MacIntyre leading the forward line, were beginning to make the Young Guns keeper work towards the end of the half but were unable to find the net and the half ended 2-0.

At the start of the second half, both teams made several changes, the most notable being first team manager Dougie Macintyre taking up position in the Old Crocks goal. And he went on to produce a string of great saves to keep his team in the game. Scott Burnett pulled a goal back for the Old Crocks who were now applying steady pressure on the Young Guns’ goal by way of Askew, Duffy, MacKay and Burnett.

The Young Guns pulled further ahead with a fast break away that perhaps the Old Crocks might have kept up with had they been 30 years younger.

The third goal came from Lewis McPhee.

The two youngest players on the park combined, with Duncan MacEwan playing a ball up the line to an even younger Iain Duffy who slipped the ball through to the on-rushing MacPhee and with the keeper coming out MacPhee calmly slotted the ball through MacIntyre’s legs for the third goal.

Ten minutes later the Old Crocks pulled a goal back through Allan Duffy with a well-taken shot from 20 yards out. This made for an exciting last 10 minutes with both teams pushing for the next goal but the game finished 3-2 o the Young Guns.

A sporting game was well refereed by Andrew Mackenzie.

At the prizegiving held in Oban’s Lodge 180 later in the evening Ross MacMillan picked up the Carnie and Pearson Memorial Trophy for the Young Guns from Jim and June Pearson and Catherine Carnie.

Lorne Robertson was voted man of the match.

The club thanks everyone involved for making the day possible.

Oban Celtic Shinty Club wishes everyone a Happy New Year.

Photographs: Kevin McGlynn. Oban Celtic’s Old Crocks and the Young Guns before their annual Boxing Day challenge match at Mossfield Stadium.

Little and large: young Daniel Duffy gets his shot on target despite the attention of the slightly larger John McCormick.

Murray ‘Elvis’ MacGregor enters into the fun of things.