Host of familiar faces to feature in new BBC shinty documentary
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FANS missing their usual shinty fix will be able to watch a new BBC Scotland documentary.
'Giving it Stick' follows the fortunes of Kingussie and Newtonmore throughout the remarkable 2022 season.
The documentary has fly-on-the-wall access to both Badenoch clubs and celebrates the people who keep the game of shinty alive.
Without wanting to give any spoilers, it will follow what was a hugely successful season for Badenoch on the nation’s shinty pitches.
The Kings claimed a record seventh grand slam – securing the Premier Division, the Camanachd Cup, the MacAulay Cup and the MacTavish Cup while Newtonmore’s second team was unstoppable.
Director and producer Greg Clark hopes that the documentary will get a good following in the strath which is at the centre of the attention.
He told the Strathy: "It is important to the community and the teams that they get to see it – although I am sure that most know about the documentary.
"I wanted to make 'Giving it Stick' about shinty in general and to make bigger points about what the sport means to the communities and how important the game is to their well-being.
"I think that there might even be some people in the Central Belt who do not even know what shinty is nevermind what an important part it is of Highland culture.
"I was wanting to do a service for the villages and towns and the Highlands as a whole."
Kingussie Camanachd's Russell Jones, Savio Genini and James Falconer – following his story from heartache to jubilation – all have leading roles in the documentary.
It also of course captures the joy of winning the Camanachd Cup on home soil with Falconer scoring the last gasp winner, and the celebrations which ensued.
Mr Clark said: "The Final Fling followed preparations by Russell Jones, John Robertson and others after they decided three years earlier they would put on a bit of ceilidh after the Camanachd Cup Final and it turned into this massive event.
"It was amazing that such a small Highland community managed to pull off this huge celebration.
"They put out a call to the town and got scores of volunteers and I do not think that is something that you would have got in Glasgow – people volunteering to help and give up their weekends to stage a community event.
"They put out the appeal one day and there were 60 odd people turning out to the following meeting to help.
Mr Clark did warn that there is a fair bit of 'industrial language' in the documentary.
Giving it Stick is a visceral and access-all-areas documentary showcasing the rough and tough of the game.
Mr Clark has already earned a great reputation on the back of the gritty 2019 BAFTA winning Real Kashmir FC and Return to Real Kashmir FC.
The two documentaries followed ex-Aberdeen and Rangers star Davie Robertson after he left everything behind and moved to India to manage Real Kashmir FC in one of the most dangerous parts of the world.
Giving it Stick, a Tern Television production, is available to watch on BBC iPlayer
