Oban Camanachd half forward Daniel MacVicar is this week’s star going under the Shinty Spotlight.
The 23-year-old describes some of the high and lows he’s experienced as a goal-hunter in Oban’s colours.
What is your earliest shinty memory?
I remember playing six-a-side shinty at St Columba’s Primary School (in Oban) where my dad ran the team. He brought me up playing shinty from when I was young.
There were a lot of primary teams back then and it was quite competitive.
Who was senior debut against and what was the result?
It was away to Bute in Rothesay. I think it was a (Glasgow) Celtic (Society) Cup tie and we were 2-0 up, but we conceded a couple of bad goals before scoring late on to win 3-2.
I maybe only came on for 10 minutes, but it was a really tight game.
What is your best moment in shinty so far?
We won the Celtic Cup two years in a row, in 2018 and 2019, and those would be the best moments for me.
I’ve been in the Macaulay Cup final twice and the Scottish Cup final twice and I would have preferred those to be my best moment, but we didn’t win those, so I’d have to say winning those Celtic Cups were my highlights.
And the worst?
We lost 5-1 against Newtonmore in the (2019) Scottish Cup final. We went into it believing we had a chance, but we got hammered. We were not even close, so that was my worst moment.
What is the worst injury you have suffered?
I broke my collarbone around five years ago in a league game right in the middle of the season, which was annoying because we had cup games still to play.
I missed a lot of important games and came back just for some league games towards the end of the season. My shoulder was still sore and we were out of the cups by the time I returned to the team.
Who is the joker in the team?
It would have to be Scott MacMillan. He’s the chief idiot in our team.
What is your favourite away ground?
The Eilan at Newtonmore. It’s not just because of the park, but we get on well with the Newtonmore boys after the game when we have a few drinks. It’s a good away day in general.
Who is the rival player you would have loved in your team and why?
Iain Robinson from Newtonmore. I played alongside him for Scotland under-17s in Ireland and we both play up front. I’m half forward and he’s full forward, so I think we’d work together and we get on well, so I’d go for Iain.
What is the favourite goal scored by you or a team-mate?
I scored what was a really good team goal this season against Lovat when we beat them 4-1 at Mossfield.
In the opening goal, which came quite early on, five of us all took one touch. I started it in the middle of the park and pushed forward, by which time, several first-time passes had been played forward.
It was played into me in the middle and I slotted it past the keeper from close in. It was a fast goal and one of the best I can remember.
Describe the sport in three words?
Fast, rough and tough.
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