Lewis Camanachd
Encyclopedia
Lewis Camanachd AKA Comann Camanachd Leòdhais in Scots Gaelic, is the senior shinty
Shinty
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...
team from the Isle of Lewis, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The club entered North Division Three
North Division Three (shinty)
The North Division Three is a league for shinty teams. It is presently the only league in the fourth tier of the Shinty league system. The winners of the league are promoted to the North Division Two....
for the first time in 2011. This was the first time a team from the Western Isles was allowed to compete in league shinty. However, the club are awaiting a decision from the Camanachd Association as to whether this will become a permanent arrangement. Lewis are the current holders of the Mod Cup
Mod Cup
The Mod Cup is a trophy in the sport of shinty first competed for in 1969, traditionally played for by the two teams who are based closest to the host venue of the Royal National Mod. The current holders are Lewis Camanachd.-History:...
.
Early History
Although the Western Isles are one of the last bastions of Scottish Gaelic, shinty was not particularly common in recent times due to a steady decline in play from the beginning of the 20th century onwards and due to the growth in popularity of football which is very popular. Shinty was played at community level until at least the 1930s.Shinty in Lewis was re-introduced in 1995 by local enthusiasts. Clubs were set up in Back
Back
- People :* Adam Back, British cryptographer* Charles Back, South African winemaker* Chris Back , Australian politician* Ernst Emil Alexander Back , German physicist* Frédéric Back , Canadian animator...
, Sandwick
Sandwick
Sandwick may refer to:* Sandwick, Orkney, parish on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland* Sandwick, Shetland, settlement on the east coast of Mainland, Shetland, Scotland, south of Lerwick-See also:...
and Tong, Lewis. However, eventually Back Camanachd was the only club left playing. Back competed for the Mod Cup
Mod Cup
The Mod Cup is a trophy in the sport of shinty first competed for in 1969, traditionally played for by the two teams who are based closest to the host venue of the Royal National Mod. The current holders are Lewis Camanachd.-History:...
against Kyleakin
Kyleakin
The village of Kyleakin is situated on the east coast of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides, along the strait of Kyle Akin opposite the northwest Scottish mainland town of Kyle of Lochalsh...
in 2001.http://www.camanachdleodhais.com/history/
In the first senior game played by a whole Lewis team, Lewis lost to Uist Camanachd
Uist Camanachd
Uist Camanachd is a shinty team from the Western Isles, Scotland. The club is based in North Uist but draws its players from the whole archipelago from Berneray to Eriskay.-Roots of shinty in Uist:...
in the 2005 Mod Cup Final.
Re-constitution
The club was reconstituted in 2006 and entered cup competitions in 2007, the first club from the Outer HebridesOuter Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
to do so.http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/herald-the-glasgow-uk/mi_8039/is_20070216/return-shinty-puts-whack-lewis/ai_n46703289/. The club was drawn in its first competitive fixture with Glasgow Mid Argyll
Glasgow Mid Argyll
Glasgow Mid Argyll Shinty Club AKA GMA is a shinty club from Glasgow, Scotland. It is the only senior side in Glasgow and was founded in 1928. They currently play in the Premier Division as of 2010...
in the Sutherland Cup and Fort William
Fort William Shinty Club
Fort William Shinty Club is a shinty club from Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland. The first team were Camanachd Cup holders four times in succession, between 2007 and 2010 but were knocked out in the second round in 2011...
in the Strathdearn Cup. The club did not progress beyond these fixtures.
The Club established training facilities at the Stornoway Primary School
Stornoway primary school
Stornoway Primary School is the largest primary school on the Isle of Lewis.The school's Management Team is Head Teacher, Annette Murray, with Margaret Anne Murray and Gordon Macrae as Depute Head Teachers and Muriel Murray and Donald Macleod as Principal Teachers.There are around 300 pupils in the...
in Stornoway but due to no pitch in Stornoway being of the right standard for shinty, competitive "home" games were played on Lochbroom Camanachd's
Lochbroom Camanachd
Lochbroom Camanachd is a shinty club from Ullapool, Scotland. It was founded in 1992. It plays in Marine Harvest North Division 3. The club re-entered senior shinty in 2006 having gone into abeyance in 2000...
ground in Ullapool
Ullapool
Ullapool is a small town of around 1,300 inhabitants in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest settlement for many miles around, and is a major tourist destination of Scotland. The North Atlantic Drift passes by Ullapool, bringing moderate temperatures...
, a three hour ferry ride away on the mainland. In September 2009, the Scots Shinty Club
The Scots Shinty Club
The SCOTS is the only shinty team in the British Armed Forces. It was established in 1994 and the club originally played under the name of the Queen's Own Highlanders...
was the first mainland shinty team to travel to Lewis for a game against Lewis Camanachd at senior level.http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/sport/Caman-play-us-Lewis-shinty.5636915.jp
The club has two annual fixtures that it arranges or is involved in, the Cuach a' Chuain Sgith trophy with Lochbroom and the Hebcelt Trophy, which is played for at the time of the Hebridean Celtic Festival
Hebridean Celtic Festival
The Hebridean Celtic Festival is an international Celtic music festival, which takes place annually in Stornoway on Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The biggest headliners to date have been Runrig, The Waterboys, Proclaimers and Van Morrison...
.http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/sport/Heb-Celt-Shinty-match-pitches.3940008.jp
In 2008, the club had three players selected to represent Alba at shinty/hurling
Composite rules shinty-hurling
Composite rules shinty-hurling , sometimes known simply as shinty-hurling) is a hybrid sport which was developed to facilitate international matches between shinty players and hurling players....
.
In 2009, the club suffered a record defeat to Fort William
Fort William Shinty Club
Fort William Shinty Club is a shinty club from Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland. The first team were Camanachd Cup holders four times in succession, between 2007 and 2010 but were knocked out in the second round in 2011...
in the Strathdearn Cup
Strathdearn Cup
The Strathdearn Cup is a knock-out competition in the sport of shinty. The present holders are Newtonmore.It is played for by reserve-level teams from the North of Scotland, that is all teams playing in North Division Two and Three as well as non-league teams....
losing 20-1. The game did have one positive note for Lewis, it was the club's first goal in competitive shinty, scored by Alexander Mackenzie. http://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/4186/Twenty_s_plenty_for_the_garrison.html
In 2010, the club failed to progress in either of the competitions it entered, losing to both Inveraray and Skye. However, the club did win the Far North Six a-Side Competition http://www.skyecamanachd.com/default.aspx.locid-087new1vx.Lang-EN.htm and the Hebridean Celtic Festival Cup.http://www.shinty.com/news/camanchd-leodhais-win-the-hebridean-celtic-festival-cup/
Application to enter the league
In late 2010, Lewis applied to join the national leagues in time for the 2011 season.http://www.skyecamanachd.com/default.aspx.locid-087new2fy.Lang-EN.htm The Camanachd AssociationCamanachd Association
The Camanachd Association is the World governing body of the Scottish sport of shinty. The body is based in Inverness, Highland, and is in charge of the rules of the game...
announced on Wednesday 26th January that it would make a decision regarding admittance at their Board meeting on February 2 2011.http://www.shinty.com/news/camanachd-association-release-2011-fixture-list/ The club mounted a spirited campaign to make clear its case for entry, ensuring that concerns regarding the logistics of clubshttp://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2108499 travelling from the mainland are met.http://www.skyecamanachd.com/default.aspx.locid-087new2fy.Lang-EN.htm
On Thursday 3rd February, it was announced that Lewis had been granted permission to enter North Division Three on an initial one-year trial basis.http://www.shinty.com/news/marine-harvest-north-league-division-three/
On 26th March 2011, Lewis claimed their first points in competitive shinty with a draw away to Strathglass. May 14th 2011 was the historic day that Lewis played their first home game. This was against Lochbroom and the game resulted in a Lochbroom win.http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/sport/local-sport/great_day_for_lewis_shinty_1_1627586 However, Lewis secured their first ever competitive victory, winning 3-1 against Ardnamurchan, on June 11th 2011 at Shawbost.http://www.camanachdleodhais.com/lewis-3-1-ardnamurchan/ The club also got a boost with a win against Hebridean rivals Uist Camanachd in the HebCelt Cup. They also defeated the Uist club in the Mod Cup
Mod Cup
The Mod Cup is a trophy in the sport of shinty first competed for in 1969, traditionally played for by the two teams who are based closest to the host venue of the Royal National Mod. The current holders are Lewis Camanachd.-History:...
, the first time the club (or any team from Lewis) had won this trophy.
The club finished bottom of the league in their debut season but completed all their fixtures and gained 3 points. They received the Marine Harvest National Fairplay Award in October 2011. They now await the Camanachd Association's decision on league membership.
