TANERA'S CAMAN HOME

The entrepreneurial Alan MacPherson (right) in action for Lovat    Photo: Neil Paterson

A HIGHLAND shinty player is bringing a well known shinty brand back to Scotland.  

Enterprising joiner Alan MacPherson has purchased Tanera Camans from TS Hattersley and Son in Manchester and will begin making shinty sticks near Inverness in the early spring.  

Tanera Camans was started by Billy MacLean in Fort William in the 1980s, with Phillip Nolan and his son Colin taking over in the mid 90s. 

Tanera Camans was sold to Eccles-based TS Hattersley and Son, a business manufacturing lacrosse sticks in 2005. At peak production, Hattersley is believed to have been responsible around two-thirds of all the shinty sticks manufactured in the UK.

The shinty stick side of the operation was put up for sale in October last year on the retirement of master craftsman Thomas Beckett after 50 years of service. Caman production stopped at the Lancashire business in December. 

As Tanera Camans was offered for sale, Hattersley's company director Matthew Rigby said: "The shinty business is a small but profitable business and we are making around 1,000 sticks per annum. But I believe the market opportunity is bigger than this."

Alan MacPherson spotted just such an opportunity  - and plans to build on his work developing modern one-piece ash camans. His sticks are currently being used by a number of players in shinty's top tier - the Marine Harvest Premiership. 

Alan said: "I am grateful for the privilege of continuing the Tanera story and feel that this is the next step for me and it will complement my joinery business. 

"I will make the existing design of Tanera sticks as well as further developing my own for players who are looking for a lighter, bespoke caman."

Torquil MacLeod, CEO of the Camanachd Association, said "I am very pleased that Alan has taken the initiative to help to secure the supply of sticks for our great game of shinty."