The following tribute was paid to the late Duncan MacVicar (a Camanachd Cup winning captain of Kyles Athletic in 1983) at the memorial service in Fintry on 20th November by his former team-mates.
Duncan MacVicar (1958 -2021)
Duncan started his shinty in Glendaruel and would go on to play for the recently reformed Colglen team, eventually playing alongside his younger brothers, Davie and Ronnie. Ronnie would later join Duncan to play for Kyles from 1985.
Unknown to many, Duncan also made a couple of ‘cameo’ appearances for Bute before realising that Kyles was the team for him.
Kyles Athletic Shinty Club was a big part of Duncan’s life. At the tender age of 19 he came ‘over the hill from the Glen’, with a full head of hair, in 1977 and continued playing until 1992, even after moving to Ballat 8 years earlier.
When Duncan came to the Kyles, he played forward and with his pace, skill and determination, was a prolific goal scorer, described then by some of his aging team-mates as a ‘breath of fresh air’. After a few years, Duncan moved into defence; he was a terrific man-marker, tenacious in the tackle. He relished the opportunity to outplay some of the so-called best forwards in the game at that time.
In those 15 years with Kyles, he won 2 Camanachd Cup Winners Medals, in 1980 and in 1983. 1983 was undoubtedly the pinnacle of Duncan’s career as he captained the winning team in the Camanachd Cup, receiving a silver mounted caman. His wife Jackie proudly wears the winner’s medal from that day.
Duncan also won 11 South League winner’s medals, 1 National League winner’s medal, 5 Celtic Cup winner’s medals and 2 Macaulay Cup winner’s medals. No small achievement.
Duncan and Jackie were very much a part of the Kyles, relishing the social side of the game; they liked nothing better than holding court in the wee Shinty Bar in the Royal Hotel. They enjoyed shinty trips up North and were the very best of company, making many friends in the shinty world.
Winding down his playing days of what had been a fantastic career, Duncan turned out for Strathclyde Police half a dozen times, and was also selected for Central Scotland for a representative match played in Tighnabruaich.