Season's greetings from the Oban sporting community - Part one

Oban Saints Football Club

A mixed first half of the 2024/25 season has seen Oban Saints exit the Scottish Amateur Cup at the second round stage at the hands of 2016 cup runners-up Leven United and fall well off the pace in the race for the Scottish Premier Amateur Football Association Premiership title.

On a more positive note, Saints grabbed a West of Scotland Amateur Cup lifeline handed to them when second round conquerors Strathclyde University were eliminated for fielding an ineligible player.

Despite throwing away a three-goal lead in the third round encounter with Third Lanark at Glencruitten, Saints
held their nerve to emerge victorious from the penalty shoot-out and secure a fourth round away tie against Drumchapel United.

The management, committee and players of Oban Saints extend warm season’s greetings and best wishes to our generous sponsors D&K Lafferty Contractors, MKM Oban Building Supplies and Aulay’s Bar without whose financial backing the club could not survive.

The club also wishes our loyal supporters a very merry Christmas and happy and prosperous new year and thank
them all for their valued support during the past 12 months.

#monthesaints

Oban Shotokan Karate Club

What an awesome and successful year for Oban Shotokan Karate athletes.

We entered three major tournaments this year. Two were held in Dundee’s Regional Performance Centre - the World United Karate Do Federation (WUKF) Scottish Karate Championships in June and the Kanzen Scottish International Karate Cup in September.

The final event - the Scottish Highland Association’s Karate Championships - was held in November at Culloden Academy, Inverness. 

There were epic performances at the events with four Oban Individual WUKF Scottish Champions – Sensei Rab Neil, Sensei Alex Fenyes, Rhys Neil and Euan Dodds plus Scottish Veterans Team Champions, four silver and one bronze.

Success was also achieved at the Kanzen International where Oban members won five silver and four bronze places.

The highlight was in Inverness where Oban’s young athletes took the tournament by storm gaining 10 gold Scottish Highland titles, eight silver and one bronze.

Highland Karate Champions - Juniors: Mara Gemmell-Black, Cole Gilles, Louis McLuckie, Armin Fenyes, Oliver Gillies, Seoras Neil and coach Rab Neil.

Recently, the juniors took their belt exam grading where their ability in technique, kata performance, assertive body movement against an opponent was examined by head coach Rab Neil and Alex Fenyes.

Techniques and applications had to reach a certain benchmark which also involved how they focused and showed control during movement. They all did extremely well.

Oban Shotokan is looking forward to an exciting new year and to continuing to participate in national and international events.

We train weekly at Atlantis Leisure Centre, Oban, and Dunollie Scout Hall. Email obanshotokan@gmail.com for more information.

We wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year.