Captain Robert Stoddart bows out of shinty after over 20 years

The links between the two clubs have become stronger as l will be replaced as club secretary by Lieutenant Lawrie Wotherspoon of Strathglass Shinty club.

My time with the club has given me some wonderful sporting memories and memorable minibus journeys. On the sporting front, being able to sustain a team and win the Bullough Cup whilst based in Germany will always be special. As was playing the Irish Defence Force at shinty-hurling and the recent commemorative weekend in Skye.

Having Hector MacKenzie and Ian Munro, both ex-Skye players, in our team brought home the strong military links that the Isle of Skye and Skye Camanachd retain to this day. One of the key achievements was getting the British Forces Broadcasting Corporation to regularly broadcast the Camanachd Cup final across the world.

The club has evolved over the last two decades and is now truly representative of the armed forces. The team now has a strong and talented RAF contingent with the experience and playing ability of Michael Cooper, John Morrison and Chris Munro helping to develop both the club and players.

The Royal Navy and Royal Marines are very under represented in the club but the army numbers are starting to pick up with Colin Irving being key to player recruitment and now taking on a lot of the administrative burden not least doing the planning for our six-a-side team to travel to San Francisco next week.

The club has a squad of 20 players but there are now a large number of young players who are reducing the average age of the team, increasing the fitness and skill levels. The short-term future of the club is assured both on and off the pitch but player recruitment is key to the club’s sustainability and longevity.

As l leave the Army, l would like to say that it has been a privilege to support armed forces shinty in its many guises and to meet so many people who are passionate about shinty and care about its future.