Shinty 'throws in' to the Caithness sporting scene
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CAITHNESS is hoping to make a mark in the shinty world in 2015 as the county’s only club enters a tournament for the first time.
Caithness Shinty Club will take part in the Strathdearn Cup in the spring, playing alongside premier division reserve teams and clubs in the lower reaches of the national set-up.
The club has come a long way in the last 12 months when it played just one 12-a-side fixture against a Sutherland select and also mini six-a-side tournaments in St Andrews and Inverness.
This year, they are preparing to make a real drive to promote the sport in the county, which will start with a pre-season encounter against Kinlochbervie at the artificial pitch at Naver playing fields in Thurso tomorrow.
Club captain Alan MacDonald, one of the driving forces behind the growth of the sport in the county, said it has plans to establish Caithness on the shinty scene.
“2015 is a year when the sport is set to make a real drive in the county,” he said.
“We are starting to ramp it up this year in comparison to previous years, when Caithness only played one game a year.
“Twelve months ago our major aim was being able to take part in a six-a-side tournament. At the time we were thinking we would struggle to get six players as we only had four or five training on a regular basis.
“But now we are getting 22 players turning up to training during the close season. If we only get 18 at training, that’s a bad night.
“Our previous match was five months ago and we are still getting good numbers turning up now, so it is encouraging to see.”
Previously shinty was considered to be a one-off spectacle in Caithness, consigned to the annual Kenny “Nostie” Macleod Memorial Cup match between Caithness and Sutherland, played in the wake of the death in April 2012 of former Thurso Free Church minister Kenny Macleod, who played for Kinlochshiel and Lochcarron.
Mr Macleod introduced the sport to youngsters in Thurso and Halkirk and also established Naver Athletic, made up of players from Farr, Kinlochbervie and Thurso who played for the Mod Cup during the staging of the national Gaelic festival in Caithness in 2010.
Mr MacDonald said the sport has caught the public’s imagination.
“It’s something different and a lot of people don’t know that much about it, but when we played at the St Andrew Sixes last summer, it got round the county and people told their friends,” said the 26-year-old.
“There is no other game like it in Caithness with everyone starting off on a level playing field.
“It’s not like football where some people are gifted and rugby where you need the physicality. In shinty, it doesn’t matter what size you are, how fit you are, there’s a place for everyone on the team.”
The club received funding from Dounreay Site Restoration Limited to purchase helmets which cost around £60 each.
The big target for the club is to one day enter the national leagues. The sport’s governing body the Camanachd Association has given discount rates to the club to enter cup competitions.
Mr MacDonald said 2015 will prove if the club has what it takes to realise its ambitions.
“At the moment we have the required numbers of players to join the national league – we just have to gauge if the commitment is there,” he said.
“Turning up to training in Thurso on a Tuesday night is fair enough, but we need to find out which players are prepared to go away to the likes of Fort William on a Saturday morning.
“This year is all about finding out how big the commitment is in Caithness for shinty, but there is no reason why we can’t enter a team in the national divisions.”
Spectators are welcome at tomorrow’s match which starts at noon.
