Six Beauly teenagers and one Inverness youngster named in Scotland Under-17s shinty squad for upcoming tour of Ireland
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Seven Inverness-area youngsters have been included in Scotland's under-17 shinty squad for the tour of Ireland next month.
The annual tour has been a fixture in the shinty calendar for over 20 years, pitting Scotland's elite shinty players against their Irish hurling counterparts in challenge matches.
Six Beauly players will be involved, with Charlie MacRae, Lennox Stewart, Callum MacIver, Torrin Cairns, Finlay Maclennan and Thomas MacKinnon all named in the squad.
They will be joined by Iain Hunter from Inverness for the trip, with Scotland travelling over to Ireland on Sunday, July 23 and returning on Wednesday, July 26.
Kirsty Deans, Camanachd Association Youth Director, said: "The Scotland shinty under-17 squad is a testament to the future of our sport.
"These young players have shown remarkable potential and skill, and it's incredible to see such dedication to shinty in our youth.
"We are excited to see what they bring to the field both this year and in the years to come after benefitting from this developmental experience."
National development manager Ronald Ross commented: "The selection process was highly competitive, and we are confident that our under-17 squad has what it takes to compete with their Irish counterparts.
"We have every confidence in their ability to have a successful tour."
This year's tour will be sponsored by Highlands-based mechanical and renewable business RI Cruden, whose director Callum Cruden said: "We're delighted to support shinty and the Camanachd Association’s commitment to developing the sport at grassroots level.
"This collaboration embodies a shared vision of empowering young people and a commitment to the local community which is reflected in RI Cruden's award winning renewable energy apprenticeship programme.
"I am proud to be partnering with the under-17s team and honoured to be able to give back after my own experiences and fond memories of trips to Ireland with the Scotland team for various youth and senior teams.
"We look forward to supporting the squad as they set their sights on achieving great things this July."
