In many ways, there is no sport so quintessentially Scottish as shinty. It is only in the last 15 years or so that clubs have begun to pop up across England and other countries, but for a long time it has particularly been associated with the Scottish Highlands, where the sport remains the lifeblood of …
For some, there is a particular moment in their life that they can pinpoint as being when they decided to speak out about what they were passionate about, and what they believe in. For Jonathan MacBride, it was the exact opposite. Organising and advocating only ever seemed like a natural progression. Much of what MacBride …
The Olympic Games have been a chance to celebrate sport over the last few weeks. Records have been broken, medals have been won, and countries around the world have revelled in their top athletes' successes. One week before the opening ceremony, however, one of the UK's groundbreaking gymnasts put his Olympic dream behind him as …
It is the nature of inclusive clubs that had Richard Gilbert ahead of many other newcomers when he first joined the Glasgow Raptors by virtue of purely being a fan of rugby. Of course, he never felt like that was the case. By his own admission, he did not know what he was doing the …
It has been a particularly strange year for Glasgow Raptors chair Luke Harding. Taking over the role after the pandemic had already started, to call it a baptism of fire might be being generous. He has had to deal with matches and tournaments being cancelled, being unable to train for long spells and the risk …
Hailey Davidson hit the headlines in May for becoming the first trans woman to win a professional golf tournament in the United States, but she was no overnight success story. She won a mini-tour event in Polk County, Florida that was the culmination of a six-year journey to return to golf. Even long before she …
It should not be a surprise that Chris Young is a rugby player. Growing up in Larne, his dad – a life-long member of the local rugby club – had him playing touch and tag ruby from an early age. He was not allowed to play football at school, where rugby dominated in the form …
The summer of 2021 feels like it will be a fresh start in many ways for the Glasgow Raptors. Based in the part of Scotland hit by the most consistently severe restrictions during the pandemic, their recent return to training has been most welcome after being out of action since summer turned to autumn last …
For Hattie, discovering and joining the Birmingham Unicorns has given her a new lease of life. By her own admission, Hattie "lives and breathes" cricket, but despite that it was not always an easy journey to the Midlands side. Playing in her slightly younger days, she was on her way to becoming a promising all-rounder …
In many ways, Jay Timmins typifies what inclusive clubs are all about. For a variety of reasons, they never felt able to take part in sport before coming across the Birmingham Unicorns, but now they are slowly taking their first steps in cricket – and loving every minute. Suffering from chronic pain, a condition they …
Continue reading Jay Timmins: “I feel part of something that’s got momentum, which is important.”
