Brian Davis, Shinty Referee | |
11 November 2017 Shinty lost one of its refereeing stalwarts when Brian Davies passed away on Friday 10 November 2017. Brian Davis was a much-respected match official who took up refereeing in the 1980s. At that time, Ballachulish were playing their home games in Kinlochleven where Brian lived as the famous Jubilee Park was under reconstruction. Brian – an excellent football referee - was a regular spectator at Ballachulish matches and the late Willie MacDonald, Ballachulish, a Patron of the Camanachd Association who was also a member of both the Camanachd Association’s Disciplinary Committee and the Camanachd Referees’ Association for many years, approached him to see if he would be interested in refereeing shinty matches. Willie MacDonald’s son, Camanachd Association Director Willie MacDonald, takes up the story, “My father approached Brian about refereeing shinty matches at work in the BA factory as they were looking for shinty referees at the time. Brian asked my dad for a rule book and accepted the challenge soon after. He turned out to be a top class official for someone that never played the game.” The highlights of Brian’s shinty refereeing career came in both 1986 and in 1993 when he was the man in the middle for two Camanachd Cup Finals. The 1986 Final was between Newtonmore and Oban Camanachd in Glasgow when ‘More won 5-1 and Brian returned to the big stage seven years later when Kingussie defeated Oban Camanachd 4-0 in Fort William. After hanging up his whistle, Brian joined Willie Cameron as goal judges for Grade 1 referee Graham Cameron, accompanying him at games across the country when they were always ready for shinty chat, before, after and indeed sometimes during matches. In a message to the Camanachd Association, Brian’s daughter Claire said, “It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I write this. My dad Brian Davies passed away peacefully after his long battle with cancer. Shinty has been my dad’s life for the last 35 plus years; travelling up and down the country, refereeing and enjoying many drams with the boys. I remember attending the first Camanachd Cup game with him in 1986 when he was referee what a proud moment that was for my dad and his family. Latterly, when he was too ill to referee, he wouldn’t give up, he still attended every game as a goal judge until it became too much. He was a fighter until the end. I would like to thank the shinty family for giving us so much happy memories - you will always be in our hearts. Thank you from all his family.” Camanachd Association President-elect Keith Loades added his condolences, saying, “I’m sad to hear this news as will Brian’s many, many friends in the shinty world.” |