Take the floor!
SCANDINAVIANS flock to games in their thousands each week, while top players are frequent targets for autograph hunters in Poland, Czech Republic and Switzerland.
But forget football, golf or tennis, for this sport still has little more than a cult following when it comes to Scotland.
Often compared to ice hockey without the skates, floorball involves teams of six playing on an indoor rink with lightweight sticks and a light, plastic ball which ensures matches are fought out at a ferocious pace.
While the sport is still waiting to capture the imagination of the United Kingdom, a group of dedicated friends are helping to put Linlithgow on its ever-expanding map.
RBS Linlithgow were established by coach and chairman Nick Gold-finch and friends after having initially played as an alternative way of keeping fit at Linlithgow's Low Port Centre.
As interest grew so, too, did the group's desire to take the team to the next stage and last year they were duly inducted into the Great British Floorball Federation Northern League.
It's a move which has seen Nick's team pit their wits against the cream of Scotland's floorball talent and now he's urging others to open their eyes to the sport which has taken many countries in Europe by storm.
He said: "It's a great sport to play and we just started playing for a laugh and saw it as a different way of keeping fit but now the team has grown so much that we have around 20 people coming to training.
"Although most of the team is aged between 18-30, we actually have players ranging from 13-48 and both males and females.
"That's the great thing about it, anybody can play, and RBS Linlithgow will always be about fun first and foremost.
"Some of the other teams take it really seriously but even though we're a little bit more organised now since we joined the league, things haven't changed all that much."
He added: "It's a growing sport. It's absolutely huge in Scandinavia and Sweden are the present world champions.
"They have two professional leagues and attract big crowds.
"It is also now being shown on Eurosport Two on television and is gradually getting bigger in the UK.
"It's fantastic to be involved in the Scottish league.
"There's a real team spirit and we're all proud of the fact that we've established Lin-lithgow's first floorball team."
Despite their inexperience, they surprisingly avoided propping up the table in their maiden Northern League season, finishing sixth out of seven.
Playing, on average, three games in a single day once a month, teams from Hawick, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy and Dundee fought out an entertaining season with Glenrothes Grrrowl pipping Kirkcaldy's Chapel, who boast Scotland captain Ross McEwan in their ranks, by just two points.
But while RBS may be some way off from competing for the title, Nick admits that the bar has been raised slightly for next season, starting in September, with bragging rights also at stake thanks to a new addition to the league — from Bo'ness!
He said: "The league will now have nine teams rather than seven and I guess our aim this season is just to finish slightly higher.
"British Nationals are held in Perth at the end of each season and ultimately, it would be fantastic to do well in that.
"The guys from Bo'ness are mates of ours who we've played with lots of times, so it's not a grudge match but it'll certainly be hard fought!"
* If you are interested in joining or sponsoring RBS Linlithgow, contact Nick on nickgoldfinch@hotmail.com.
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Weather for Boness
Tuesday 22 May 2012
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Temperature: 8 C to 19 C
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