Shinty – Summer 2007
Summer holidays are here and for the ColGlen kids this means another rung up the shinty ladder. The boys and girls who come along on Thursday nights range from five to eleven years old. We can proudly say that ColGlen has some of the youngest players in Cowal.
We recently held two evening tournaments in Glendaruel where they could try out their swings on real opposition. Teams from Strachur, Kyles, Bute and Dunoon gave the supporting crowd a great evening of shinty. This stage of play is giving the players their first chance to put their own stamp on the game and express themselves whilst having to play as a team. Their enthusiasm and ability range make these evenings to remember.
In June, Jamie, Ewan, Liam, Struan, Cairn, Andrew, Evelyne and their mascot, Josh, went to Oban to participate in a Primary Tournament for children all over Scotland. They plated their best shinty ever. Despite not carrying off the cup our team are still ‘Stars in Our Eyes’.
A new venture for the twelve to 17 year olds is the amalgamation between ColGlen, Kyles, Strachur and Dunoon. This Controversial move is designed to ensure they can still play competitive shinty within their peer group. So far, Cowal U14 and U17 teams have shown all the commitment and skill required to make their presence felt.
For the senior ColGlen players in South Division II, the season got off to a very wet start. We have stuttered through the weeks often not knowing before the last minute whether games were on or off. This does little for general morale but there remains a great deal to do. With some new young players and the return of others who had been off round the world, we are hopeful for great things.
Joanna Sinclair
