In a nice easy start to proceedings, we are delighted that Boleskine will be returning to shinty action in 2022 after spending last year in abeyance. Boleskine are looking for any keen players whether new to the sport or returning after some time away – the club play just outside Inverness and offer a welcoming environment to enjoy playing shinty!

Strachur Dunoon is one of two mergers we are going to talk about in this article. We were delighted to hear the two clubs working together to ensure shinty continues to be played in the area.

Roddy Cairns, Dunoon President said:

“After a few seasons where neither Dunoon nor Strachur had a team, the two clubs got together and decided to try something a little bit different – pooling our resources to field a joint team at senior level. We’ll be splitting our home matches between Strachurmore and Dunoon Stadium, two of the finest venues in Argyll but both of which have sadly only hosted occasional games in the last few years. We are really looking forward to getting stuck in to South Division 2, a league that many of the squad have previously played in, but that will be new to some others. Above all, we’re looking forward to representing our two communities, and to giving a platform to the many young players in the area to progress to senior shinty.

If you are interested in playing for Strachur-Dunoon, please email dunooncamanachd@gmail.com or contact Roddy Cairns on 07759 339 614″.

Strachur-Dunoon play host to Uddingston on Saturday at 14:30 who we will talk about later in this article.

Strachur-Dunoon was not the only merger for the 2022 season, although the name Cruachanside perhaps makes it less obvious. Cruachanside came about through a merger between Taynuilt and Glenorchy and they will compete in MOWI South Division 1 this year. Once again, we are pleased to see that clubs are forward thinking in deciding to merge rather than let the sport dissipate in the community so kudos to them for working together.

Cruachanside play host to Ballachulish on Saturday at 14:30.

Uddingston

Uddingston will be entering the MOWI leagues for the first time this year, which needless to say is a very exciting step for the club.

Club President, Lee Thomson explains:

“This is a big year for us as a club. After forming officially and then going straight into lockdown, we have not had the start that we wanted. However this year we will be entering both men’s and women’s senior leagues for the first time which is exciting for us as a newly emerging club which has been built on the successful engagement of pupils at our local schools and members of the community. The players themselves are looking forward to having regular games and for many their first experience of senior shinty, we hope this year that we can continue to grow our numbers as well as welcome new and returning players to the sport.

If you are interested in playing/volunteering for Uddingston Shinty Club then please contact us at uddingstonshinty@gmail.com.

As mentioned earlier, Uddingston travel to Strachur-Dunoon on Saturday at 14:30.