Kingussie shinty legend Ronald Ross was surprised by Hall of Fame invite
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Kingussie shinty goalscorer extraordinaire has reacted with typical modesty after entering Scotland's sporting hall of fame.
It is an elite club which includes sporting giants such as Denis Law, Kenny Dalglish, Ken Buchanan, Jock Stein, Liz McColgan, Sir Jackie Stewart and Sir Chris Hoye.
Ex-Kingussie forward Ross was inducted as the 101st member for his incredible goalscoring exploits.
Established by sportscotland in 2002 to recognise and honour the many great champions Scotland has produced, the hall of fame celebrates the country’s most iconic sports men and women with the aim of inspiring future generations.
An independent selection panel, consisting of experts from across the sporting spectrum, considers every nomination received to decide which sporting heroes are inducted.
Ronald Ross was never one to get ahead of himself and, reflecting on this latest award, he said: “It was a huge surprise when the email came through and it certainly wasn’t something I expected.
"To be honest, I didn’t know a great deal about the Hall of Fame beforehand but there are some major sporting figures included, covering a range of different sports.
“I’ve always set out to be the best I can be but I’m not a person to look for individual awards.
"Shinty is a team sport and my dad always told me that I was lucky to play at a time when Kingussie had so many great players throughout the team.
"They all played their part, from goalie, the defence, the midfield and the other forwards: there were so many quality players which is why we dominated the game for so long.
"It was my job to score goals and the goalscorers always seem to get the credit.
“My dad was totally driven and shinty has always meant everything to him. When he played, Newtonmore, Kilmallie and Glasgow Mid Argyll all had really good sides.
"He started off coaching the primary team before I was born and then moved up the age groups. He was a big part of our success.
“Many of the youths he coached played for the Kingussie first team of course but others went on to play university shinty, so shinty became an outlet socially for students as they settled into their new life.
“He set standards and training went from one night a week to several nights a week when he took charge.
"The more we trained the better we became. He had us so well prepared as a team and he was the catalyst for all that we achieved. I have so much to thank him for.”
“By the time the 2014 final came around, the time was right to retire but it was nice to go out on top.
"Injuries catch up with you as you get older and shinty was a lot more physical when I played than it is today, so you took a lot more punishment.
"Players are better protected these days and rightly so.”
