The Shinty Spotlight this week shines on Strachur-Dunoon wing centre Roddy Cairns.
The 35-year-old plays for the South Division 2 side, who are away to Inveraray at The Winterton this Saturday.
What is your earliest shinty memory?
My wee brother Greg was involved in shinty long before I was, so I think my first memory was of him playing in a youth shinty/hurling tournament in Dunoon. He swapped his stick for a wee hurl and we still have it at home.
Who was your senior debut against and can you recall the result?
Even though I’m from Dunoon, I only got properly into shinty when I was at university.
My senior debut was for Glasgow University against Aberdeen. I played wing forward and scored a tap-in early on. It was a great start to my shinty career, we won 2-0 I think and I was totally hooked.
What is your best moment in the sport so far?
There are a couple of them that were pretty awesome.
Winning the university league in my final year at Glasgow Uni was brilliant. I had such good times with those lads and it was great to beat Strathclyde twice and finish top of the league.
We also won the Bullough Plate in my time at Glenorchy. It is probably the least impressive feat in shinty, but it’s the only club success I have had to date and I was delighted.
However, probably the best of them all was scoring for Dunoon Camanachd in a 4-0 win away to Aberdour.
We had put so much work in to getting a senior team going in the town (there had been a junior team for ages) and it just meant so much to be representing my home town and seeing all that work come to fruition.
The final batch of Earlybird Tickets for the 2023 Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup Final have been released.
33% off for a limited time only.
Thank you for supporting shinty, the ticket sales are at unprecedented levels and it is set to be an amazing day!https://t.co/xbBUiW87Tv pic.twitter.com/RG9j6HHv78
— Shinty (@camanachd) March 30, 2023
And the worst?
After a strong start with the Dunoon senior team, two years in it became clear we just didn’t have enough senior players to keep going.
Making that decision really hurt, not only because we had put so much work in but also because we knew there were so many good young players just on the cusp of pushing through and we now didn’t have a senior pathway for them.
Fortunately now with Strachur-Dunoon, we have that pathway again, which is great for the future of shinty in Cowal.
What is the worst injury you have suffered in shinty?
Touch wood, I have been pretty lucky with injuries. I have chronic tendonitis in my knee, so that tends to get pretty painful at times, but it’s manageable.
I also wear a helmet, so I haven’t had any of the facial disasters some of my team-mates have.
Who is the joker in your team?
It’s got to be our gaffer, Ross MacDonald. He is never shy of a put-down.
He’ll praise the boys when we do well, but as soon as anyone gets ahead of themselves, he’s there to slag them off.
If any shinty player (male or female) would like to answer 10 quickfire questions to star in Shinty Spotlight this season, just send your contact details please to paul.chalk@pressandjournal.co.uk – @camanachd @PandJSport @pressjournal https://t.co/H646ugEEDu
— Paul Chalk (@PaulChalk4) March 27, 2023
What is your favourite away ground and why?
Probably Spean Bridge where Lochaber play. It is a gorgeous location and they keep the pitch so well maintained.
A close second is probably the Jubilee in Ballachulish, I love that it’s right at the centre of the village.
Hopefully Balla can get through their current issues (in terms of fielding a team) as they’re a great club.
Who is the rival player you would love to have in your team and why?
Andrew King from Kyles just reads the game so well and has been a huge part of their success over the years.
We were in the same year at school together and I remember being marked by him in a Celtic Cup match when I was at Glenorchy. It was probably not the toughest afternoon he’s ever had!
What is the favourite goal scored by you or a team-mate?
In my first club season at Col-Glen, I scored against Kyles in a 2-1 win – my first Col-Glen goal.
It was the first time the Glen had beaten any Kyles team in years and years and we were absolutely buzzing. It was a roasting hot day and we all ended up in the River Ruel drinking cans of Tennents – what a day!
Describe shinty in three words please?
Bùrach, bùrach, bùrach.
(Bùrach is a Gaelic word for a mess, but it’s also used in shinty. Bùraching” is like scrapping, ‘digging in’, so a player like me who isn’t that skilful, but is good at digging in, would be referred to as a bùracher).
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