THIS year’s Camanachd Cup final has put Kinlochshiel on the map. Just not literally. Anyone scanning an atlas eager to locate the Highland village that has provided a team for shinty’s showpiece occasion for the first time will find it a fruitless task. No such place exists.

Based instead close to the tiny hamlet of Kirkton near Kyle of Lochalsh in the north-west corner of Scotland, the club’s name stems from the 1958 amalgamation of three clubs – Kintail, Lochalsh and Glenshiel.

Representing the vast sprawling region of Wester Ross and beyond, Kinlochshiel have endured a tumultuous time of it over the subsequent half-century and beyond, glowing moments of success interspersed with extended fallow periods.

An appearance in the Camanachd final, however, continued to elude them until this year and this afternoon they will take on Lovat at Mossfield Park in Oban for the chance to finally get their hands on the cherished trophy.

A sizable contingent will make the six-hour return journey to watch, with the rest of the region glued anxiously to live coverage on BBC ALBA. This is undoubtedly the biggest day in the club’s history.

“We’ve been in other finals before and won other cups but this is the big one, no doubt,” says Finlay MacRae, Kinlochshiel veteran and talisman.

“This is the one you always watched from a young age and saw the legends of the game and hoped that might be you one day.

“It’s a massive day in the calendar for a lot of people in this area, even those who maybe don’t follow shinty that closely normally.

“People will either travel to the game or if they can’t make it they’ll watch on the telly with their mates with a couple of beers.

“Everyone has been talking about it in the community. Every time I’ve popped into the local shop I’ve been asked if I’m fit and how I’m feeling about the game! So the interest levels since we won the semi-final have been massive.

“Most of the boys in the team are from out west so there’s a real connection there. It’s an area with lots of little villages and you’re representing all of them.”

Many at Kinlochshiel have waited a long time for this moment, none more so than MacRae. Considered one of the finest players of his generation, the 37 year-old has been part of the first-team squad since he was just 13, the sort of career longevity that other athletes can only dream about.

Seasoned shinty observers felt it would have been a travesty had the former Scotland captain eventually hung up his caman without ever gracing the sport’s biggest stage and it was something that had gnawed at him too.

“I must admit I did have my doubts if I was ever going to get a shot at it,” admits MacRae. “I’ve been involved with the first team for more than 23 years now so it’s been a long wait.

“It’s just been years and years of plugging away and we’ve got steadily better. We started getting to other finals and won the league but the Camanachd seemed to always elude us.

“This is the one that everyone pines for so it’s almost a relief that we’ve got there. I’m getting on a bit but I’ve finally got my chance and I don’t want to blow it.

“Just getting to the final isn’t enough. We need to win it now. That’s something I’ll regret if it doesn’t happen before I call it a day.”

Shinty is traditionally a family affair and it is the same for MacRae who will have younger brothers, Keith and John, in the team alongside him. Finlay’s 10 year-old son, Jay, has also started playing in Inverness but knows where his loyalties lie.

“The thing that’s special about shiny is you play with your family and your best friends,” he reveals. “You’re training and playing each week after work so when you’re finished you get that craic with your mates and that’s a huge part of it.

“It’s quite a social sport and that helps generate a lot of community spirit. My boy is 10 and I’ve got girls who are eight and two so the elder two know what it’s all about and are looking forward to the final.

“My son has started playing for the under-14s in Inverness where we live but he’s still a Kinlochshiel fan too.”

Shinty is an amateur sport with the players unpaid – MacRae is an electrician to trade - and clubs survive through the hard work and sacrifices made by volunteers. Should Kinlochshiel triumph this afternoon, it will be a success shared among many.     

“The celebrations will be crazy if we win I’d imagine with a bit of relief in there too,” he adds. “There are so many people who work behind the scenes who’ve been involved with the club for decades. If we lift the trophy it’s for them as much as for the players. I just hope we can do it.”