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Boleskine 1971

Boleskine Camanachd 1971 winners of Dewars Shield and Morrison Cup

Back Row L to R; Hendry Macpherson, Brian Stoddart, Alla Macgruer, Sandy Steel.

 Middle Row L to R Jock Kennedy, David Anderson, Joey Smith, Billy Stoddart, Hamish Fraser, Alli Rybak .

Front Row L to R; Jimmy Jack,  Alfie Fraser, John Murray, Leslie Stoddart (captain), Willie Jack, Kenny Ross.

These were the first trophy's won by the club since the heady days of the mid sixties and the resulting closure of the BA factory which caused the club to be unable to field a team in 67-68 season and also in season 69-70 .

The season 70-71 saw Boleskine lose out during extra time in the final of the Strathdearn cup to Balachullish on 21 May, by three goals to one in a replay at Spean-bridge, after a drawn game two all, a couple of weeks prior at the same location.

The Dewars Shield presented by the whisky distillers John Dewars and Sons of  Perth was first played for in 1969-70.   It  was originally confined to clubs north of the Caledonian Canal and the final was played at Lochcarron who were its first winner. This senior competition was generally played over the final months of the season, with the final generally played in July.

In 70-71 season the criteria for entering the cup must have been relaxed because Boleskine (a junior club south of the Caledonian Canal) was  allowed entry and had a bye in the first round. In the second round they played the winners of the first round tie Glenurquhart v Lovat, Glenurquhart at Foyers. Boleskine were leading  2-1 at half time thanks to goals from Kenny Ross and Billy Mackay. Early in the second period K Ross scored again only for the Glen to counter with a goal from R Fraser, John Murray scored to restore the two goal cushion . But Glenurquhart were far from finished and R Fraser scored twice to level the game, it looked as if the game was heading for a replay or extra time then John Murray scored in the closing minutes to make the score Boleskine 5 Glenurquhart 4 and his team through to meet Beauly in the semi final.

Boleskine met Beauly on 24 July at Ferry Park Beauly, in the semi final they had a much easier passage in this game, opening the scoring in thirty seconds and by half time leading by four goals to one . In the second half Beauly hit back, but Boleskine had the better of the exchanges and run out winners by seven goals to three to reach the final . The goal scorers were K Ross 2, J Murray 2, G Rybak, L Stoddart, D Fraser.

The Final was played on Saturday night 31 July at Lochcarron amid a thunder & lightening storm , Boleskine's opponents were Kinlochshiel also a junior team based in Dornie with a player base from Shielbridge through to Kyle of Lochalsh. Kinlochshiel drew first blood with a goal in eight minutes, Boleskine drew level with a goal in fourteen minutes by G Rybak and by half time Boleskine were leading 2-1 courtesy of a K Ross goal .  On resumption of play K Ross was again on target but Kinlochshiel pulled one back from a penalty spot, K Ross completed his hat trick along with a J Jack goal, to put the issue beyond doubt and with a final score of five goals to three in Boleskine's favour the shield headed eastwards. The team that played in the Final was  Billy Stoddart Hamish Fraser, Leslie Stoddart, Joey Smith, Ali Rybak, Brian Stoddart, George Rybak, John Murray, Charlie Kennedy, Willie Jack, David Anderson, Kenny Ross. Subs Sandy Steel & Jimmy Jack.

On the 28th Aug 1971 in the Morrison Cup a six a side competition run by the Beauly Club,  Boleskine won the trophy for the first time. Following a bye in the first round they beat Lochcarron two goals to one in the second round, in the semi final Glenurquhart were overcome by three goals to one. Against the home club Beauly in the final, Boleskine lifted the cup in a no scoring draw by two corners to Beauly's one .     The winning six were Leslie Stoddart, Joey Smith, Alister Forbes, Brian Stoddart, Willie Jack & Charlie Kennedy.

In early September 71  Boleskine reached the final of the Isle of Skye British Legion six a side trophy, beating Kingussie two goals to one and Skye by two corners to nil in a no scoring game . In the final against Glenurquhart, they went down by four goals to one. The team that day was Leslie Stoddart, Joey Smith, Brian Stoddart, Willie Jack, Ali Rybak and Kenny Ross.

BOLESKINE taken at Portree six a sides  Sep 1971      Back Row L to R;  Brian Stoddart, Charlie Maclaren, Billy Stoddart,       John Murray, Joey Smith.      Front Row L to R; Ali Rybak, Willie Jack, Leslie Stoddart (captain) ,       Kenny Ross.

In this period their were several brothers playing for the team:-  The Stoddart's Billy, Leslie and Brian whose uncles Ian and Willie John Campbell  had played in the Camanachd cup final for Boleskine. Both Billy and Leslie played in goals in the Sutherland cup winning teams, Leslie retired from playing in the early eighties but still answers the call in the veterans challenge games, Billy retired in the early seventies . Brian up to his untimely death in 1983, had played continuously for the club and was a Morrison cup winner in 1975 as well.     The Frasers, Alfie, Donnie & Hamish  cousins of the Stoddarts , both Alfie and Donnie played in Sutherland cup winning sides also. Alfie retired from playing in eighty six and Donnie & Hamish a couple of seasons before that.  The Jacks, Willie and Jimmy who came from Fort Augustus were the grandsons of (the old Swallow) James Fraser from Foyers, played for the team till it folded for one year in 75-76 season . The Rybak's George & Ali, George a member of the sixty two juvenile Strathdearn Cup winning team did not play for the team during the Sutherland cup winning era but returned to play in the season 66-67 and played till up to the early seventies. Ali played for the team around the same period.

BOLESKINE taken at Morrison six a sides Beauly  23 Aug 1975  Back Row L to R; Billy Mackay, Joey Smith., Alister Forbes, Jimmy Mackintosh.  Front Row L to R; Brian Stoddart, Hugh Fraser.

Boleskine also won the Morrison cup on one other occasion in August 1975 with the bare six players, including Jimmy Mackintosh (Glenurquhart & Strathglass) guesting for them in goal . In the first round they beat Skye by two goals to one,  the second round they progressed through at the expense of Beauly B by the same score. Their semi final opponents were Lovat whom they defeated again by the same score of two goals to one, to reach the final against Glenurquhart . Boleskine lifted the cup on three corners to two against Glenurquhart in a drawn one all game.

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