Beauly'S Ewen MacHattie, who received a double red card in a north division three match against Inverness in November, has been banned from the game for life, with immediate effect. McHattie had been on the field for only minutes as a substitute when he was involved in an off-the-ball incident with Inverness full back Mike Beveridge which led to the Beauly player being red-carded for violent conduct and adopting a threatening manner by referee Bob Wilson of Skye.
As the game proceeded, McHattie ran on to the field again and interfered with play. Referee Wilson compiled a lengthy report on the incidents which has now been considered by Camanachd Association disciplinary committee.
This is the first time the sine die penalty has been imposed in shinty for more than 20 years. Beauly have not selected MacHattie since and have indicated that they would not have done so in the future in any case.
Meanwhile, moves to develop shinty within the Glasgow area are picking up pace, with the establishment of a new body to oversee an ambitious set of plans.
The Camanachd Association's annual area consultation meeting in Glasgow, to be held at Hillhead Sports Club, Hughenden on February 17 (7.30pm), will this year serve a dual purpose. Issues affecting South area clubs will be discussed and it will double as the inaugural meeting of the Glasgow Shinty Development Council (GSDC).
The new body is being set up following moves which arose directly from the area meeting at the same time last year when the Glasgow Celtic Society launched the Glasgow Shinty Initiative aimed at introducing the game on a wider scale to school-aged children in Glasgow and West Central Scotland.
The Glasgow Shinty Forum was formed to focus the activities of teachers, parents, administrators and others on organised shinty activity. The Forum's main achievement in the last six months has been to support existing participation centres, encouraging the formation of new centres, so that more children are enjoying playing shinty.
The association now want the Glasgow initiative to be an integral part of their five-year development plan for the sport and they have asked the Celtic Society to co-ordinate its implementation. Iain Cameron, secretary of the Celtic Society, has welcomed the co-operation.
He said: ''We have come a long way in a year. The formation of the GSDC to oversee implementation of the development plan in the Glasgow area providing strong links with the sport's governing body is the next crucial step.''
Twenty years ago the Celtic Society were embroiled in a wrangle with the association when the society pressed for changes but were met with a less-than-enthusiastic response. The crucial difference this time is that the association themselves are inviting the society to take the lead.
The formation of the GSDC is seen by some as the most important development in the game in Glasgow since the Celtic Society devised the first rules of play more than 120 years ago.
Cameron said: ''This is not just about meetings and committees. Our first competitive event, a First Shinty Tournament for young players, takes place at St Andrew College on February 21. The new council will be concerned with all aspects of development from the youngest age group through to adult clubs.''
The council will also seek to give shinty a higher profile.
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