I always thought that no one played shinty in the Western Isles.

Growing up, everyone played football, a small number played rugby and girls played hockey. There was no school shinty team and no shinty club in town. Shinty was one of those sports like Indian Kabbadi that only existed on television. Exotic names like Kingussie or Newtonmore. Mainland names.

I asked my Dad once why no one played shinty and he said, “because we’re not daft. Who wants to play a sport that requires an ambulance to take you home from hospital after every game?!?.”

It was this violent reputation that always made me think that shinty might be a good game to watch. Like seeing gladiators, or boxing, or golf, if it was a contact sport.

This year I was lucky enough to be invited through work to the final of the Cammanach Cup. It was great to finally see a match in action but also to learn that a cammanch is the stick the players use to hit the ball. And that health and safety had finally caught up with the game as players had to wear a metal grilled helmet to protect their head during games. Unless they were over 21, in which case it was optional. Not sure why turning 22 reduced the chance of a serious whack to the face or concussion but most players still used the helmet, even those over 21.

The game itself was easy to pick up and was a lot more skilful than expected. Well, I say skilful. If you combine cricket with the start of the new year sales, then you get an idea of the standard tactic. Hit ball long. Everyone run!

It was the last year of the original Cammanch Cup being used as the trophy. From next year, it will be kept in a museum in Inverness and a new trophy will be used. After the game, we were offered the chance to take a swig of whiskey from the cup, which showed that it wasn’t kept too safe in its final year, as it was passed round 100 people. I passed on the opportunity to drink from it. They might have thought it safe to pass the cup around, but with Covid back in the news, it felt less like an opportunity to celebrate with it, the end of an era, and more like the start of an outbreak.

Tickets for the cup final are available online and, if you get the chance to go to it, then I’d recommend you do.