Kyles Athletic will attempt to lift their 22nd Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup today against Lovat, abetted by a winning ingredient which has helped sustain them for decades.
Strategists suggest all great teams require togetherness, leadership and match winners but it is a more under-rated recipe which has kept Kyles trophy-hungry all these years: story telling.
Born and bred in Tighnabruaich, today’s captain and farmer, Callum Millar, has heard his fair share of tales in his 24 years. Working the land within eye-shot of the club’s Playing Field park, he is never far away from a word of advice or a blether over the gatepost about the club’s glory days. Indeed, due to the size of the village on the Kyles of Bute, it’s difficult to go for a pint of milk without stumbling into a club legend with several decorations to his name.
Rather than seeing this as a negative, though, Callum and his team mates have harnessed it as an inspiration to continue the shinty legacy in an area that eschews football for the smaller ball. After ending an 18-year wait for the sport’s lauded trophy back in 2012 against Inveraray, the present crop began to pen their own narrative in their personal, distinctive hand.
This afternoon’s clash with Lovat presents the possibility of another, colourful, chapter. “Growing up, we were always told about the stories of when the old legends brought the cup back home. We’ve been taught the songs and I think what keeps a club in an area this size successful is the work of the die-hards over the years, passing on their skills and training the young ones up to know how much it means to really want these cups,” says defender Callum, man-of-the-match in the semi final victory over Newtonmore at Taynuilt.
“Kyles, as a club, have been winning cups since the beginning. The young ones look at that, they hear the stories and they want to do that, too. They want to keep it going and the community gets around the club. We are a young team and it is good to be keeping up the club name. Before we won in 2012, it had been a long time since we’d lifted the Camanachd Cup.”
As well as the drive to ensure the Kyles name is synonymous with success and silverware, the community close-ness has helped foster a vital "in it together" attitude. For Callum, there is also an element of the team that farms together, wins together. The area’s economy has largely evolved around agriculture and tourism and many famous Kyles players down the years have been farmers and hillmen. Just over the way from Callum’s ground, team manager Norman MacDonald, also a farmer, is based.
“I work right next to the shinty pitch, which is handy for training and, if I need something, I’ll pop over to Norman’s,” says Callum. “We’ve got quite a lot of farmers around the shinty team. I think having such a close community is a good thing. Most of the boys grew up here or round about here. Everyone knows everyone.
"You are passing them on the way to the shop, seeing them at training, seeing them when you’re going to work. You are constantly talking about some aspect of the next game or shinty, or just general life. We’ve had a lot of people supporting us along the way.”
Kyles will take their noisy band of followers north to Oban, bedecked in royal blue and white. Each one of them will be hoping to return for a fulsome celebration with the sport’s crafted bowl at the Kames Hotel later. Lovat’s fans will travel south, eager to sample what Kyles did three years ago. If 18 years was a long time for Kyles to wait, the Lovat fans deserve to be anointed for patience.
Sixty-two whole years have passed since the side from Inverness-shire ushered this trophy home to Kiltarlity village hall. They will not see this trophy as out of reach now.
John MacRitchie’s men have been developing nicely as a team within the past three or four years. And whilst prone to the inconsistency that comes with youth, they are a dynamic bunch when in full stride. With two MacTavish Cup wins under the belt, they would have been tucked up in their Oban bolt-hole last night visualising victory.
“We feel we’ve been building up to this game for a few years now,” says 24-year-old captain, Daniel Grieve. “It has taken six or seven years for us to perfect the fast-flowing shinty game we play now but we hope the hard work pays off.”
Both sides have injury niggles they are careful to play down. When the whistle sounds, though, adrenaline will surely counteract everything.
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