John Barr is assistant manager and a “utility” player at Glen Urquhart – and he’s next under our Shinty Spotlight.
Here, the 39-year-old, who most recently plays up front, describes his ups and downs in the sport he loves.
What is your earliest shinty memory?
I was given my first shinty stick by my grandfather and I played out in the back garden with my dad. My grandfather carved it from a bit of hazel.
Who was senior debut against and what was the result?
I got called up from the under-14s squad to play against Strathglass in the Ali Ban Cup, which was my second team game.
My first team debut was away to Oban in the Premier League. I can’t remember the result, but I think we lost and, on the back of that result, we were relegated that season. That was a good number of years ago.
What is your best moment in shinty so far?
Winning the first major trophy for Glen Urquhart (in 2012) was a milestone and a monkey off our backs. That was the Macaulay Cup down in Oban, and (a 6-0 win) against Oban, so that was a good one.
The pinnacle of my career was captaining Scotland and winning against Ireland (in 2015). You have the country and the home crowd behind you – it’s such a good atmosphere.
And the worst?
Losing to Kingussie in the (2014) Camanachd Cup final was the low point for me. We underperformed and we knew that as players.
Kingussie were deserved winners, but we just didn’t compete to the level we would have hoped to in order to win that game.
What is the worst injury you have suffered?
I fractured my pelvis and needed surgery, which kept me out of shinty for half a season. Even on my return, I struggled to get back to full fitness.
It was actually not as a result of playing shinty – it was a stress fracture from doing the running section of an ironman competition.
Who is the joker in the team?
We have a few clowns in the team, but probably top of the list is Connor Golabek. You have to keep your eyes on him.
What is your favourite away ground?
Certainly, The Dell at Kingussie is a great surface to play on, but also you can’t beat the Bught (in Inverness) on a finals day. There is always some atmosphere and both sets of supporters give as good as they get on a cup final or an international day at the Bught.
Who is the rival player you would have loved in your team and why?
I’ve had some really good tussles through the years against James Clark from Fort William and Glen MacKintosh from Newtonmore, who knows how to find the back of the net and has a great desire to compete.
However, the most prolific goalscorer was Ronald Ross. If he was playing for Glen Urquhart, he would certainly have helped us succeed in winning far more silverware. He’s the man I’d pick to have in my team.
What is the favourite goal scored by you or a team-mate?
From my own point of view, it would have to be scoring points in the international to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
When we’ve been in finals, the players who have taken the opportunities to score are always important. It’s difficult to pin down a specific goal throughout the years.
I’ve been a defender 95% of my career, so I’ve been at the other end, trying to prevent goals against us.
Describe the sport in three words?
If I was describing shinty to a tourist I would say skillful, competitive and community.
To describe it to a shinty colleague I’d say community, passion and friendships. You build up fantastic friendships over the years, and when playing opponents, all over Scotland.
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