TEN YEARS AGO
Friday March 7, 2014
Pitch promises see celebrations kick-off across Mid Argyll
Argyll and Bute Council’s commitment to provide a 3G pitch in Lochgilphead will ensure the survival and development of many sports in Mid Argyll, a leading sportsman has said.
The news comes as the local authority confirmed it hopes to upgrade the town’s 2G pitch to a 3G surface in the summer.
Graham Whitefield, chairman of Lochgilphead Soccer centre, said the 3G pitch would secure the future of Red Star’s youth teams in the Dunbartonshire Development Football League.
Explaining questions had been asked about the club’s ability to fulfil match fixtures, Mr Whitefield said: ‘‘The 3G pitch will take away the uncertainty the soccer centre coaches and players live with every weekend, not knowing whether a game will go ahead and the disappointment when games are regularly postponed.
‘‘The football development of the youngsters can only improve with regular training and games on the same surface as they experience when they travel to tournaments and matches in the central belt.’
Meanwhile Inveraray Shinty Club will, for the first time in years, have somewhere to train in winter.
Euan McMurdo of Inveraray Shinty Club said: ‘‘This will make a big difference to us and how we train throughout the winter as at the moment we don’t have anywhere to do stick training. It’s a completely new facility for the club.’’
Alan Wright, rugby development officer for Argyll and Bute, said: ‘This [3G] is certainly safer for rugby. We will now be able to do some light contact training that we couldn’t do before. If it’s the same quality of 3G that they have in Oban it will be 10 times better than what’s here now.’
Peter Laing, the Lochgilphead referee who started a petition to get the 2G pitch upgraded, thanked the 1,400 people who signed the petition and local councillors for their support.
He said: ‘Argyll and Bute Council deserve praise for listening to the public on this matter and reaching this decision, which will improve the standard of sport in Mid Argyll.’
TWENTY YEARS AGO
Friday February 5, 2004
Mid Argyll swimmers turn the tide against cancer
A total of 117 swimmers took part in the latest Turn the Tide Against Cancer event held at Mid Argyll Swimming Pool on Saturday.
Organised by the Simpson family, Dr Mark and Kirsty and their daughter Iona, the event in aid of Cancer Research UK saw 8,355 lengths of the pool completed over the course of the day.
Two years ago this event raised an amazing £7,000. As The Argyllshire Advertiser went to press this week, £3,000 had been received and counted, with 80 per cent of sponsorship forms still to be returned by the swimmers.
Kirsty Simpson said: “It was a very enjoyable, successful day and everyone seemed to enjoy taking part.”
She explained that the participants swam more lengths than last time; there were more young people taking part this time and lots of helpers turned out to do their bit on the day.
The organisers thanked everyone who contributed by sponsoring the event, donating raffle prizes, taking part and helping out with lane-counting and other tasks on the day.
Richard Cowie of Cancer Research UK, who was on hand to give advice and information, said he thanked the Simpson family for its tremendous efforts and the community for supporting the event.
“It is a great day in Lochgilphead,” he added.
Among the swimmers was Derek Wallace, who swam 30 lengths and raised £250. Derek said he wanted to thank his work colleagues, friends and relatives for supporting him.
Swimming in the last hour of the event were Rona Young, Susan Cameron and Christine McRae, all members of Mid Argyll Cancer Support Group. Between them they raised £360 by completing 140 lengths of the 20 metre pool, all counted by fellow group member Sheila Cameron.
FORTY YEARS AGO
Friday March 2, 1984
Canal problems
A collapsed wall on a section of the Crinan Canal at Ardrishaig is to be repaired in the near future.
The canal walls date from the late 1700s and the collapse has been attributed to ‘old age and wear and tear’ by a British Waterways Board spokesperson.
There have been no other collapses as far as is known and this one was contributed to by heavy use of the path above it.
No damage to boats was reported and now the board is concentrating efforts on keeping inconvenience for boats using the 30-yard stretch of water to a minimum.
Craft are able to pass with care at the moment, but the board hopes to clear the debris from the bottom of the canal as soon as possible so that the water is completely clear.
Until the wall is repaired, however, there will be reduced mooring space and there may be difficulties if boat-owners want to take ropes around that side of the basin.
The board hopes the repairs will be complete by the start of the yachting season, but even if work is held up, it is confident the inconvenience to yachters will be negligible.
The canal will probably be cleared by using the drops in tide to drain the basin. As yet, the British Waterways Board hasn’t decided whether to use its own workforce or to put it with contractors.
As to cost, a spokesman estimated it would be ‘five figures rather than four’ which is small money in engineering terms.
SIXTY YEARS AGO
Tuesday March 3, 1964
Crinan Canal ‘captured’
Mid Argyll resounded with gunfire on Saturday when 300 men from a Scots regiment advanced on, fought for and finally ‘captured’ the Crinan Canal at Bellanoch.
For the men from the 1st Battalion the Scots Guards, the capture of the bridge meant the end of a 14-mile march and the first obstacle in a two-week training exercise in Scotland.
The men arrived at Machrihanish on Friday in one of the biggest peace-time airlifts. They came in Argosy and Beverley aircraft from the RAF airfield at Benson, Oxfordshire.
The Scottish training session is the start of intensive preparation for life in the jungle when the Guards move to Malaysia in September.
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