Lewis Camanachd wing/full-forward Ally Lamont is the latest player to give us an insight into their sporting highs and lows in Shinty Spotlight.
The 30-year-old, who plays for the Mowi North Division Two side, will travel to Fort William for the quarter-finals of the Strathdearn Cup this Saturday.
What is your earliest shinty memory?
Years before we had a properly established club, we would train every Saturday in Stornoway, coached by Boyd Mackenzie.
Who was your senior debut against and can you recall the result?
I didn’t play until 2013, having stopped when I was 14. I am fairly sure it was Lochbroom away and we lost 4-3.
What is your best moment in the sport so far?
Beating Beauly 3-1 in the Sutherland Cup in April. We have taken our medicine against teams from the division above us over the years and tried to learn from it, so it was a massive day for us and should serve as a mentality-shifter in regards to what we consider ourselves capable of.
And the worst?
An odd one that sticks out for me is losing on penalties to Oban Lorn in 2016 in the first round of the Sutherland Cup.
We played well on a flooded Ganavan and would have been a great day out had we got the victory down south our play deserved.
What is the worst injury you have suffered in shinty?
Sorest at the time was breaking my foot in the Heb Celt Cup. My brother Innes would be the one to talk to about injuries!
Innes is as brave as they come and he has had a fair few A&E trips over the years. Just last week, my partner Alison and her sister Joanne were carting him away from Caberfeidh during the game to get his knee stitched up.
Who is the joker in your team?
Peter Gomez, the man is constantly looking for ways to make the team miss the ferry, so we can have more mainland nights out.
What is your favourite away ground and why?
There is something about Caberfeidh’s Castle Leod I really like. I have good memories there and love the look of the pavilion. I even love the touch of having the letter C on the nets.
Who is the rival player you would love to have in your team and why?
Stuart MacDonald’s reflex saves are always great to watch. Having said that Paddy Wilson and Tyson Campbell have been class for us in goal. From our own league, I would say Finlay Calder, of Inverness – the guy doesn’t need a second invite to find the net.
What is the favourite goal scored by you or a team-mate?
It would have to be a young Daniel Harrison scoring a late equaliser away to Kilmallie in September 2018. It felt like an indication we were going in the right direction with our youth.
The goal itself was just a nice composed finish from a rebound off the goalkeeper. My brother Donald scored a lovely solo effort goal earlier in the game.
But the fact that Daniel was only 14 and that it was in the dying minutes made it special.
I know the equaliser meant a lot to our then manager John Macaskill as his father, a former Fort William manager, was on the sidelines with him that day.
Describe shinty in three words?
Community, culture, commitment.
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