David MacMaster, director of competitions, resigned on Wednesday, like others, saying that he could not continue to be party to taking the game in the direction it was going.

Extraordinarily, the president of the Association, Duncan Cameron, alleged that Hugh Dan MacLennan had 'pressurised' Mr MacMaster through the John Beattie radio show on the Saturday prior to his resignation.

In a letter to the other 'Herald', Mr MacLennan reacts angrily to this accusation saying that "For the record, Mr MacMaster informed me of his intention to resign.

"Mr Cameron makes a ludicrous claim which is demeaning to Mr MacMaster (who has made it clear in his letter to the association why he resigned) and also damaging to me, suggesting I abused my privilege as a sports commentator on the BBC.

"Mr MacMaster had been considering his position for some time and could not 'continue to be party to taking the game in the direction it was going.

"As to me being party to a conspiracy or campaign against the association or individuals, that is beginning to look like the product of an over-active imagination".

Mr MacLennan later described the current situation to the 'Strathy' as "pathetic".

Following Mr MacMaster's departure, the board of directors numbered only four – barely quorate – and that only because the co-opted voting director, Archie Robertson still remains, along with the president; director of communications, Donald Stewart and director of officials, Ian MacPhee.

The association AGM will be held this Friday in the Ben Nevis Hotel, Fort William, at 7.30pm, and the website asserts that 'everybody is welcome to attend'.

However, attempts to obtain details of the planned proceedings have met with a refusal and the statement that papers for the AGM only go out to clubs.

This is surely going to be a tense meeting and one that may prove more difficult to stage manage than in recent years.

One new director – Daniel MacIntyre, Oban Camanachd Secretary, is scheduled to be confirmed at the AGM following his unopposed election earlier.

But even more so given developments on Monday included the announcement that Richard Gall had been co-opted as competitions director, while the board had appointed the president as acting chief executive.

Mr Gall has vast experience and should be able to make a sound contribution to the work of the association, but this is not the point. That the president should be trawling round clubs seeking people willing to be co-opted is not the right way forward.

Many followers of the game believe that all in shinty should have been given a chance to re-nominate individuals for the vacant positions before resorting to co-option, which has an inevitable whiff of desperation.

Equally, it can hardly be seen as good governance to have the president take on the position of acting CEO – it will be interesting to see what reaction SportScotland might have to this latest twist.

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