The California Chronicle Day – 14: Sunday 6 September 2009. | |
10 September 2009 Skye Camanachd’s Cuairt gu Day 2 of the games and this time we don’t play mixed sides, but have a hard fought match between NCCC and Skye. This time we get a much harder game as our hosts get stuck hard in using techniques they have blatantly copied from our stars Steven, Aonghas, Palmer etc. They learn fast – which is what you would perhaps expect from a team consisting mainly of particle physicists, earthquake analysts, stockbrokers and information architects with an armful of PhDs. After the games comes the closing ceremony where we arranged to make a gift of a genuine ‘cromag’ to the Chief of the Highland Games, Alan Purves. This turns out to be an ideal choice of gift as he does not have one. At this stage the crowd really is 25,000 and Donnie says he’d rather do another Skydive than take the microphone. But he does, and he makes a fine speech - first in Gaelic and then translated into English. Donnie introduces Skitkit CEO, Managing Director and founder Campbell Grant to make the presentation to Alan Purves. The cromag, which is a genuine crofters crook used on the Cuillins (Neil MacLean’s favourite), is offered in friendship to the Caledonian Society of San Francisco from the Chieftain of the Isle of Skye Highland Games Tommy Mackenzie, with an invitation to all present to visit the Skye Games where they will receive a warm welcome. Donnie leaves the stage to a huge cheer. |