Listen: Best of Balls & Whistles 2021 Part Two – Jamie Dobie makes Scotland debut, Inverness Tennis and Squash Club host Scottish Squash Open, Tom Stoltman becomes World's Strongest Man and more!
As the hours tick down in 2021, it is time to look back on the second half of the year at some of the sporting highlights we've featured on Balls & Whistles! In this one there was plenty of history made and titles won, not in the least by Invergordon's Tom Stoltman, who became the World's Strongest Man!
Stoltman will now be looking to win it again, but he cannot hope to have the kind of longevity golfer Alistair Risk has had after he competed in his 50th consecutive Brora Five Day Open earlier this year. That was not the only highlight coming out of Brora though, as Steven Mackay stood down as manager of the football club after a shock 6-2 defeat to Fraserburgh.
Ross County Cricket Club had a historic year, winning two trophies including the Senior Cup for the first time in 21 years, while Inverness Harriers Megan Keith and Kirsty Law continued to make their mark on the international athletes scene.
There is no bigger stage in international sport than the Olympic Games, and Strathpeffer boasted a double Paralympic medalist thanks to cyclist Fin Graham's exploits in Tokyo, and it was also a huge year for Kinlochshiel Shinty Club who won their first ever Camanachd Cup – and then backed it up with the MacTavish Cup to complete the set of senior trophies.
Inverness played host to the Scottish Squash Open in a landmark moment for the sport in the Highlands, meanwhile in rugby union, Jamie Dobie made his Scotland debut after impressing for Glasgow Warriors and being on the fringes of the squad for most of 2021, and Ross Sutherland launched a women's team for the first time.
We then wrap up this episode with a look back at our Rainbow Laces special episode, hearing from LEAP Sport Scotland and Football v Homophobia's Sirri Topping about the campaign that ran earlier this month.
Get in touch with the show (Balls_Whistles), Will (@HNM_WClark) or Andrew (ahenderson96) on Twitter, or email us at ballsandwhistles@hnmedia.co.uk.