GARY INNES’S vocation has taken him to the furthest reaches of the earth but when holders Fort William lock sticks with Kingussie in the 101st Camanachd Cup final on Saturday, he’ll be coming home. Live broadcasts of Scotland’s oldest native sport on terrestrial TV coupled with internet video streaming, have done much to smooth misconceptions of shinty as a rough-house pursuit for backward highlanders. Indeed, you would struggle to find today a more skilful practitioner of any sport, or a more cosmopolitan individual, than Fort William wing centre, Innes.

The 27-year-old juggles a love of the sport with a continent-hopping existence as a musician. A month ago, he was performing in front of Jordanian royalty and 7,000 spectators in Amman at the World Peace Concert — the largest festival ever hosted in the Middle East. This placed him on the same stage as the London Philharmonic Orchestra and in the same hotel as the Dalai Lama.

What always brings him back home, though, is his love of the “bounding game”. The chance to retain the coveted Camanachd Cup is as important an assignment as any transatlantic soiree. “The final is the World Cup of shinty. Everyone who plays wants to be there. This is as big a gig as you’ll get,” says the Scotland internationalist.

Innes grew up in Spean Bridge, off the A82. “There was little to do except play shinty,” he said. “The thing is I was rubbish at the game at school. My brother, Chris, was an under-16 player of the year and my younger brother, Hughie, plays for Lochaber now. It wasn’t until I started growing that I was any use.”

Innes already has two Camanachd Cup winner’s medals and a title trinket from 2006. Still, for a man accustomed to performing on major stages, familiarity won’t dull the prospect of trying to get the better of the reigning Premier League champions next week. “You appreciate it more. The first time I played in a Camanachd Cup final, I couldn’t sleep for a week. Now I cope better.”

On the odd occasion, Innes’s dual passions have collided, forcing manager Drew McNeil to score him off the team sheet. McNeil will be delighted to hear Innes is engagement-free next Friday night. If the yellow and black are to prevail, he will need a good night’s sleep — and his passport locked in a drawer.