SAILORS in Mid Argyll are looking forward to trying out a new community slipway in Ardrishaig.

STAR stretched their unbeaten run to 11 games last Saturday as they traveled to face Paisley Reid Kerr and picked up another three points with a 3- 0 victory.

THE OPENING muster of the Tarbert Loch Fyne Yacht Club took place last Saturday on a breezy day with plenty of sunshine.

Members and cadets gathered to do some boat maintenance and hope that the wind lessened so they could get out on the water.

Tarbert Toppers are up and running again with the advanced sailing on Tuesday nights and the beginners on Thursday nights.

Tarbert Loch Fyne Yacht Club will be hosting one of the Scottish Topper Traveller events at the end of August as well as other exciting events during the coming season.

A full size jig being built by the youngsters at the club is now taking shape under the supervision of Adam Way at the boatyard in Lochgilphead.

The youngsters have been helping with planking and rivoting of the skiff prior to it returning to the yacht club for work to carry on.  For more information on the club see www.tarbertlfyc.org.uk

LAST Saturday Red Star hosted Shawlands at the Ropework Park and were hoping to keep up their fantastic run with another win.

CLUB records were set by members of the newly formed Loch Fyne Sea Angling Club at the first club outing on Loch Etive at the weekend.

LOCHGILPHEAD Bowling Club got its season underway last Saturday when founding member and honorary club president Maimie Catto threw the first jack of the year.

MOANING about the rain and mud in Argyll is certainly something one local businessman will not do because Stewart Miller, the creator of Swamp Soccer, has found the ideal venue for this new and exciting sport - Strachur.

WHILE Zack Johnston, the reigning Masters champion was struggling to retain his green jacket at Augusta National, Donald Johnston was finding it a lot easier to win the Sargent Cancer medal at Lochgilphead.

SATURDAY, May 10 will see the second running of the Kintyre Way Relay, a long distance race along the Tarbert to Campbeltown section of the Kintyre Way, the scenic walking route which opened in August 2006.

Lochgilphead Wanderers 1

Campbeltown United 0

Lochgilphead Wanderers got back to winning ways with a narrow win over their Campbeltown rivals at the New Joint Campus pitch last Friday night.

Ardrishaig Bowling Club president, Margaret Annan, cast the first jack of the summer season last Saturday. The first West Argyll league match will take place at the club’s grounds on Saturday April 26.

TARBERT earned a creditable point in Glasgow on Saturday with a hard fought draw at Nether Pollock.

LOCHGILPHEAD Soccer Centre recently completed its winter session with the presentation of prizes for the winter leagues and a training session led by Total Soccer Experience from Paisley.

TARBERT travelled to Battery Park last Saturday knowing a victory would push them up the table to sixth in the SAFL Division One.

LOCHGILPHEAD Red Star welcomed Kings Park Rangers to the Ropework Park on Saturday.

With manager Moore away on a spying mission to Glasgow, assistant Weir was left in charge of this game.

THE WORLD Cup is coming to Strachur this year with one major difference. Filthy footwork and swampy skills will replace professional play, as thousands of sports fanatics descend on Argyll to take part in the Swamp Soccer New World Championships.

TWELVE-year-old Fabienne Renfrew, from Oakfield Estate, Lochgilphead has been jumping for joy after grabbing a first place in point-to-point steeplechase.

TWO goals apiece from Tarbert’s James Prentice and Nikki McDougall helped the team on their way to victory in their first home match of the year.

Decisive finishing in the first half on Saturday saw the West Loch Shores/Islay Frigate-sponsored side lead 4-1 at half-time.

LOCHGILPHEAD Red Star welcomed league one rivals Eaglesham to the Ropework park on Saturday, where the home side recorded a resounding 5-0 victory.

Assistant manager Weir made one change due to Asen missing through work commitments, with young Colin Weir starting wide left.

Last Saturday, after a break of three weeks due to poor weather, Star were back in action as they faced Cambria AFC at the Ropework Park. It was Cambria who inflicted Star’s only defeat of the season in the away fixture, beating them 3-1. As Manager Moore was on holiday, team duties were left with Alan Weir, who had a strong squad of 15 to choose from with only Naisby absent through suspension.

As the game kicked off the A&D Watt-sponsored side were looking fresh and playing some exciting attacking football with the playing surface not holding them back at all. The only thing missing from their play was an end product as several chances just went wide with Russell and D. Campbell coming close in the opening twenty minutes.

A MIXED set of results last Sunday saw Lochgilphead Soccer Centre Under 11’s move up to fourth place in the Oban Express Primary Football League.

A group of 37 young athletes representing Argyll swept the boards at Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh at the end of January. The Argyll teams were competing in the South of Scotland final of Sportshall Athletics and ended the day winning all four sections.

ALL-WEATHER football is underway at the new Lochgilphead Joint Campus, with the Lochgilphead Soccer centre using the outdoor synthetic pitch for Saturday morning coaching sessions and midweek team training.

Whilst the need to cancel sessions as a result of poor weather has reduced, the ability to hold sessions in otherwise unplayable conditions has meant that the youngsters’ exposure to the elements has increased.

MANY people, when they think of 4x4 vehicles, picture ‘Chelsea tractors’ blocking the road on the school run. For West Argyll 4x4 Adventure, it’s all about taking these high-powered beasts to their intended home – off the road.

The group have been taking enthusiasts into Kilmichael Forest for the last six years. No membership fee is required and all are welcome. For £25 a day you can put your Landrover to the test in an appropriate and challenging environment – with people who share an interest in diff. locks and big tyres.

WITH only five weeks to go to the Lochgilphead Golf clubs Winter league play off, Ross Sinclair’s win took his total points for the 15 weeks played to over the 100 point mark and he is on track to break the record for the most points achieved during the league phase of the competition.

In second place was Bill Dick who played brilliantly on the back nine holes and beat two other players on a count back. Bill who is our links golf specialist used most of the features of the course, the road, the wall but not the burn and is adapting well to winter league golf.

FOOTBALLER Cammy MacDonald has enjoyed more success recently with his club, Livingston FC.

The 18-year-old from Lochgilphead has made the transition from under-19 Captain, to claim a starting place in the first team, making his début in the recent 6-1 home win again Morton, quickly followed by further games in the League and Scottish Cup.

Having spent several weeks in the doldrums in Lochgilphead Golf Club’s Winter League (Keith has actually been there), David Sinclair finally got his game together and managed to complete eighteen holes without anything serious going wrong. Even then he tied on 38 stableford points with his cousin Ross who has been making all the headlines with his great scoring. However, David won on the day by virtue of a count back over the last six holes and needs the points.

Last Saturday, Red Star played their first competitive fixture for a month, as they hosted Rosehill Star. This was a must-win game for the home side as it would close the gap at the top to six points with Red Star still to play two games in hand. Manager Moore had a strong squad to choose from with nineteen players available for selection.

The Lochgilphead and District Angling Club dinner and presentation of prizes for 2007 was held in the Argyll Arms in Ardrishaig last month.

The club captain and winner of the Roy Clark Cup was Dugald MacGilp. Neil Ward was runner-up and winner of the Ronnie Reid Cup with Murdo McDonald in third place.

Lochgilphead Red Star`s game at home to Paisley Reid Kerr was called off on Saturday due to the pitch being waterlogged.

This week the D Macdonald Builders and Hire a Joiner-sponsored Red Star are again at home in a tough match with Rosehill Star. Rosehill have also started the season well, enjoying good runs in the West and Scottish Cups.

For the third straight week Alec MacAulay was victorious in Lochgilphead golf club’s Winter League.

He has climbed up to third place overall in the league and is a very good bet to retain his trophy.

THERE was success for Mid Argyll athletes in the Argyll final of Sports Hall Athletics in Oban in a competition dominated by athletes from Mull, winning four out of the ten titles.

117 young athletes entered the competition held at Atlantis Leisure in Oban on Saturday, December 15.

IT’S been a bumper year for Mid Argyll’s first family of motocross as the trophies stacked up over the season.

Douglas Campbell, aged 12, and his brothers Lewis, 9, and Harris, 6, have spent their weekends travelling across Scotland for competitions with occasional forays south of the border.

Star faced another tough away game last week as they travelled to face second place Kings Park Rangers aiming to close the gap further on leaders St. Patricks.

With the tie being cancelled the previous week, it was moved to Glasgow Green and Star travelled without C. Houston, Broderick, MacDougall and Asen.

TARBERT Loch Fyne Yacht Club has drawn to a close with another busy year’s sailing.

Last Saturday Star played their first league fixture since October 12 as they travelled to take on Division one pace-setters St. Patricks. Saints are currently sitting at the top of the table and went into this game with a 100 per cent record with 10 games played and a massive 45 goals scored. Red Star was without the services of C.Houston, Broderick and Asen with injuries and bans respectively.

Despite the harsh conditions the game was played in, Star seemed determined to come away with the three points and opened the scoring inside three minutes.

A CAIRNBAAN teenager has bowled over the opposition at a recent competition in Helensburgh, winning the trophy for the second year running.

Claire MacIndoe, aged 15, won the John Langan Trophy and the Junior Knockout Shield earlier this month, taking maximum points in the former competition.

MID ARGYLL Athletic Club hosted their first competition in the games hall of the new joint campus school in Lochgilphead last Sunday.

The Sports Hall Athletics contest for the Mid Argyll area is being held this Sunday, November 18, in the games hall of the new joint campus school in Lochgilphead. This indoor athletics competition is promoted by Mid Argyll Athletic Club and Argyll & Bute Local Athletics Partnership.

Specialist equipment is used for various running, jumping and throwing events in the indoor arena and the organisers are hopeful that schools in the Mid Argyll area will encourage youngsters to take part on Sunday.

Playing their first competitive match for three weeks, Tarbert secured their first home win of the season to climb off the bottom of the league.

In doing so, the West Loch Shores-sponsored side played some good football, attacking the visiting team at every opportunity. Port’s goalkeeper somehow remained unbeaten at half-time with his defence fortunate not to concede several goals. Tarbert created clear-cut chances but couldn’t score with Guy, Harris and McDougall almost breaking the deadlock.

LAST week Star finally played their second round West of Scottish Cup tie against Kilmarnock amateurs. With heavy rain forecast last week the decision was taken to move the tie to an away game for Star as the Ropework Park would be unplayable for the fourth week running.

Star travelled with only thirteen players as nine of the regular squad could not make it, with Connor Crawford and Lewis Peacock making their Red Star debuts after a successful summer with the Lochgilphead Wanderers.

FORTY-FOUR runners turned out to Ormsary Estate, Ormsary, on Sunday 4th November for the inaugural staging of the ‘Tin Farm 5’. The race took runners on a challenging 5-mile loop covering some tough off road sections, where the going was steep and muddy in places. The overall winner of the event went to Ardrishaig runner Stephen Whiston in a fantastic time of 34mins 37secs. Local Ormsary athlete Andy Bevis took second in 36.28 and third went to John Rea of Inverinan in 37.04.

INVERARAY were beaten 6-0 by Kingussie on Saturday as the Highland side regained the Marine Harvest league Silver Salver, a trophy that they have held for 21 of the competition’s 22 years.

With only one loss in their 18-match league programme, Kingussie have shown doubters that they are still very much the team to beat if you aim to be successful.

SENSHI Do Karate hosted its fourth annual tournament at the Mid Argyll Sports Centre in Lochgilphead on Sunday October 23 for Junior members. There were five different categories taking into account various ages & grades with children from all over Argyll competing for titles & trophies.

Senshi Do Karate would like to thank Stuart MacDonald Builders of Tarbert & Howden’s Joinery of Campbeltown for their kind sponsorship of the trophies.

Last Saturday, Star were back in league action as they travelled to Stepps to face Cambria. They travelled with an almost full squad with only Asen absent through work commitments. This was to be a tough game for Star and their first defeat in five league matches.

The home side mainly relied on long ball tactics, hitting the big men upfront and feeding off the second ball, and although the game was pretty tight in the opening quarter it was Star who lost the first goal.

Sunday saw the start of another new season for Tarbert Gun Club when they held their annual trophy shoot at Barmore – 28 competitors trying to add another cup or shield to their display cabinet.

Poor light made the targets hard to see resulting in only four maximum scores in the three matches. John Paton was the only one in the first competition, there were none in the second and three in the third – Paul Williams, Brian Baird and young Jamie Corkindale.

GOLF captains Iain McLeod and Kathleen Young treated fellow members to a wonderful sociable afternoon’s golf and refreshments on Sunday 30 September to celebrate the end of the golfing season at Lochgilphead Golf Club.

ON SATURDAY Red Star played host to local rivals Tarbert in the first derby match of the season. Star were almost at full strength with only MacDougall absent after picking up a thigh injury in Star’s last outing. The home side were looking for their fourth straight win and to keep up their unbeaten record.

SUNDAY, September 23, saw the biggest individual field in the MacQueen Bros. Mid Argyll Triathlon’s history. With 82 triathletes and 13 local teams, the scene was set for some great racing last Sunday.

As a further challenge for the triathlon, the weather played its part, with dry, sunny, but very blustery conditions due to the strong south-westerly winds ensuring that competitors had to battle even harder to complete the 12 mile cycle and four mile run.

A THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD from Bellanoch has shown that skill can sometimes match experience with an impressive performance at a world sailing event.

IT WAS honours even in Ardrishaig as Athletic and Wanderers shared six goals. This was a game of two halves with the young Lochgilphead side in control throughout the first 45 minutes.

The Wanderers had a strong penalty claim turned down early on before Athletic’s Craig Samborek gave them a scare firing a wicked swerving shot just wide.

LOCHGILPHEAD golf club held their gents club championship at the end of August with three competitions rolled into one. The Downhill trophy is played for during the first round by members who are 50 and over and the young gun of this pack, John Downie, picked it up with a great nett 61. The nett trophy like the gross is over four rounds.

MID ARGYLL welcomed league new boys Arran RFC to the Mushroom Field and in spite of a sprited comeback in the last quarter ended up on the wrong side of a 5 to 2 try count.

The game was fairly even for the first 20 minutes although with the visitors having the better scoring opportunities. Arran should have gone ahead after a two man overlap was wasted when the winger dropped the ball with the line gaping.

MID ARGYLL Cricket Club traveled to the Stirlingshire village of Gargunnock last Sunday in their last full match of the season. After some recent poor weather, sun greeted the players for this 40 overs per side match.

RED STAR played host to newly promoted and division 2 champions Carlton YM last Saturday.

The home side were almost at full strength with only MacMillan, Craig and Iain Houston missing through suspensions. With this being the first home game of the new season Star were looking to build on last week’s performance and come away with another three points.

ON SUNDAY August 12 Red Star played host to Paisley Amateurs in what was their last game of their pre-season. With the game against Oban Saints cancelled the day before this game was always in doubt but went ahead despite the conditions. Star were almost at full strength with only Asen, A Morrison and E Macdonald unavailable

LOCHGAIR rider Gillian Green and her horse Glenmarcus have continued their recent run of success at British Dressage.

First they attended Ladyleys BD show where they won all of their six classes with the highest score of the weekend of 82 per cent.

THE Autocross Club, in a bid to increase the attendance of competitors and spectators this month, changes their event from a Saturday to a Sunday afternoon.

This move saw an increase in the number of spectators but unfortunately a decrease in the number of competitors.

AFTER an 11 year break, five junior members of the members clubs of the West Argyll Bowling Association met at Lochgilphead Bowling Club on Sunday 22 July to play for The John Cherry Plate in perfect bowling conditions.

SEVENTEEN-year-old Lochgilphead footballer Cameron (Cammy) MacDonald has made good progress at the start of his second season with Livingston F.C.

KINGUSSIE went 10 points clear at the top of the Premier division thanks to two second-half Ronald Ross goals at Inveraray - in a match that the home side dominated for long periods but failed to take their chances.

With Russell Dallas switched to a defensive role to mark Inveraray play-maker Gary MacPherson, Kingussie found themselves on the back foot for most of the first-half with Inveraray’s centre line ensuring that Ronald Ross and Fraser Inglis saw little of the ball.

LOCHGILPHEAD’S Andy Hetherington has been on target over the last few weeks, shooting 100/298 in the Home International on July 13, gaining third place in the Scottish team. The team overall were third out of five in very wet and windy conditions on the Friday.

INVERARAY played host, yet again, to a confident Bute side looking for revenge from their cup final defeat two weeks ago. At stake this time was a place in the Hydro Electric Camanachd Cup semi final and neither team relished the thought of being ejected at this stage of the competition.

CLAIRE Cameron from Lochgilphead got quite a surprise when she landed a Loch Fyne Herring during a mackerel trip on Sunday afternoon, July 15.

THE battle for league points continued on a sunny Saturday June 30 when the Mid Argyll Car Club took part in three and a half hours of racing at the halfway stage in this years league.