Published: Thursday, 29th November, 2007 9:25am

Top shinty award for Lisa

by Simon Harris

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ABERDOUR shinty coach Lisa Norman won an award at the sport's annual award ceremony in Inverness on Saturday night.

Lisa picked up a new award for youth, schools and club volunteer of the year at the Camanachd Association bash.

The 28-year-old from Kincardine started Aberdour Shinty Club from scratch in 2001 and the club now boasts upwards of 80 kids and a national profile previously unheard of for an area so far removed from shinty's traditional Highland heartland.

She says in that time the club's "gone crazy" as, alongside under-eight and under-10 teams, it currently fields three at under-12 level, two at under-14 and two under-17 sides.

The under-17s won the South of Scotland sixes and reached the 12-a-side cup final this year and Lisa told Press Sport, "The reward at the weekend tops off the year.

"I was quite taken aback that I had even been nominated.

"I do it because I enjoy doing it but it's quite nice every now and again to get the recognition. You don't do it to expect that so when it does happen it's a nice thank-you."

The weekend was typically busy for Lisa, who combines her job as a sports development officer in Paisley with running the Aberdour club, playing representative shinty and her role as the international co-ordinator for the Women's Camanachd Association.

She represented the South of Scotland in a shinty festival held in Inverness that rounds off the year before attending the awards ceremony in the evening.

Then on Sunday she took a group of 30 Aberdour kids to a Central Scotland Winter League match in Milngavie, before taking them for a Christmas meal, returning home around midnight.