Aberdour | |||
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Full name | Aberdour Shinty Club | ||
Gaelic name | Comann Camanachd Obar Dobhair | ||
Nickname | The Dour | ||
Founded | 2001 | ||
Ground | Silversand Park, Aberdour | ||
League | National Division | ||
|
Aberdour Ladies | |||
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Full name | Aberdour Shinty Club | ||
Gaelic name | Mnathan Obar Dobhair | ||
Ground | Silversand Park, Aberdour | ||
League | National Division One | ||
|
Aberdour Shinty Club is a shinty club which plays in Aberdour, Fife, Scotland. It is the only senior Shinty Club in Fife and was founded in 2001. In 2011, the club entered two teams into senior competition. Its first team competing in Marine Harvest National Division, and its second team in South Division Two.
Although shinty has an historical presence in Fife, it has not tended to be a hotbed of the game in recent times.
Jamieson records that the old name of shinty in Fife was "carrick", and that it was "still used in the eastern part of that county" [1] in 1825.
However, the sport was played in Glenrothes in the 1970s and early 1980s, in Dunfermline in the early 1990s and St. Andrews University has had a team made up of students since the late 1960s. However, Aberdour is the first club to take a longer-term view of the sport in the Kingdom and have developed a strong junior setup to support the development of the senior team.
It was established in 2001 as a junior side by local Sports Science student Lisa Norman as part of a project at University and within a few years had successful teams playing at all levels from Under 10 to Under 17. [2]
2005 saw their first entry into senior competition, playing in the Bullough Cup. In 2006 the decision was taken to make the step up to full-time competition, entering the senior leagues for the first time, although this was a challenge for a club with such a young squad.
The club finished bottom of South Division Two in its first season, 2006. The club recorded its first win in senior shinty with a 5–3 away win against Edinburgh East Lothian on 28 April 2007 but the club again finished bottom in its sophomore season. In June 2007, Aberdour's Under 17 team were runners up in the MacQuiston Cup.
2008 saw Aberdour begin to mature as a side and they recorded victories against Glasgow Mid Argyll and London Camanachd as well as having significantly improved performances against other teams in the league. [3] The club finished the league second bottom but within three points of third place.
The club won its first national trophies in 2008 at youth level, winning the under-14 development trophy 5–1 against Strathglass on 13 September 2008 in Fort William and the National U-12 Sixes in Drumnadrochit on 29 November 2008. [4]
In 2009, the club reached its first senior semi-final, in the Bullough Cup, where they lost 4–2 to South Division One Champions, Lochside Rovers.
The club's achievements since establishment have been rewarded with recognition of the most talented young players in the international set-up as well as various awards from local organisations.
In 2011, which will mark the club's tenth anniversary, the club will be running two teams, with the first team moving up into South Division One despite only finishing second in South Division Two and a second team taking its place in South Division Two. The club also competed in the Camanachd Cup for the first time.Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup 1st round draw « Shinty After a venue change from Cannich, the 'Dour succumbed 5–0 to their more experienced opponents but attracted a record crowd of 150 to Silversands. [5]
The club is now technically, in terms of teams entered into competition, the largest club in shinty. [6] The club held a gala day to celebrate 10 years of shinty in the village in 2011. [7] The club reached the Bullough Cup Final in 2011 but lost to Lochside Rovers 5–0 at Silversands. The final was hosted by Aberdour with the Oban side's agreement after the original venue in Rothesay, Bute was considered unplayable.
The club had an ignoble double of finishing bottom of both leagues it played in during the 2011 season. This may have had implications for the second team's existence as Aberdour's first team would have been relegated to South Division Two, with no place for the second team to go. However, Oban Camanachd was relegated from the Premier Division then its second team, Lochside Rovers, was relegated instead.
Aberdour's first team have begun to make progress in league and cup competitions. A now established team, they attract players with experience from other clubs who have settled in Edinburgh and Fife. Aberdour also won the Fingal Memorial Shield at the St. Andrew's Sixes in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and the Rosedearn Shield at the Inverness sixes in 2016. They will play their first senior finale in the South of Scotland plate in 2014.
In 2019 Aberdour won its first silverware, after topping the tables in South Division 1. This has led to its promotion to the National League and is unprecedented for a club of such a young age.
Aberdour had their own team ladies team, before a merger with Forth Camanachd resulted in the club expanding to two teams, with seasoned internationalists coming into the Aberdour set-up. The strengthened Aberdour first team reached the final of the Valerie Fraser Cup in 2011. In recent seasons the club has consolidated to one women's side. Ironically, despite setting up the club, Lisa Norman plays for Glasgow Mid-Argyll's ladies team.
Shinty is a team sport 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 in Scotland, and was even played in northern England into the second half of the 20th century and other areas in the world where Scottish Highlanders migrated.
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. Its main competitions are the Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup and the Mowi Premiership and the Mowi Valerie Fraser Camanachd Cup.
Skye Camanachd is a shinty team from the Isle of Skye, Highland, Scotland. It plays in the Premier Division and has a reserve team in North Division One, as well as a Ladies team in the WCA National Division One and a Ladies reserve team in the WCA Development League. The club is based at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree.
Oban Camanachd are a shinty team based in Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland who currently play in the MOWI Premiership. One of the oldest Camanachd clubs they were founded in 1889.
Glenorchy Camanachd is a shinty club from Dalmally, Scotland. In 2022, Glenorchy combined with Taynuilt at senior level to field a team as Cruachanside.
London Camanachd is a shinty club in England. They have historically been attached to the South District. They went into abeyance in 1992 but were reconstituted in 2005. They played the first officially recognised Shinty match outside Scotland in 80 years on Saturday 22 July 2006 against the Highlanders. Currently the club field men's and women's teams in English and Scottish competitions as well as exhibition matches in Europe, most recently in 2018 in Brussels.
Shinty was played in its original form throughout North and South America by Scottish settlers until the early 1900s when the practice died out. Shinty, and its close Irish relative hurling as well as the English bandy, are recognised as being the progenitors of ice hockey and are an important part of North America's modern sporting heritage.
Oban Celtic is a shinty team from Oban, Argyll, Scotland. The club won South Division One in 2016.
Bute Shinty Club is a shinty club from Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. It has a reserve team which is in South Division Two.
Kilmory Camanachd is a shinty club from Lochgilphead, Argyll, Scotland. The club was founded in 1977 in its present form. The club plays in South Division One and has a reserve side in the Bullough cup. The club is associated with Dunadd camanachd
Naver Athletic Camanachd Club was a shinty club based in Bettyhill, Sutherland, Scotland established in 2008. It was a select team drawing players from both Sutherland and Caithness. Naver competed in the Strathdearn and Sutherland Cups in 2008.
Taynuilt Shinty Club is a shinty team based in Taynuilt, Scotland. The club has existed in several different forms most recently in junior form but has reformed and won South Division Two in 2009.
Forth Camanachd was a women's shinty club based in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. The club was established in 2006 and won both the Valerie Fraser Cup and the Caledonian Canal Challenge Cup in its time in existence.
The Mod Cup, also known as the Aviemore Cup1995 - Royal National Mòd Programmes and fringe events > Royal National Mòd Programmes > [Mod / Mòd Naìseanta Rìoghail - An Comunn Gaidhealach - National Library of Scotland] 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 Aberdour.(2022)
The Bullough Cup is a knock-out competition in the sport of shinty.
The Shinty league system is a series of interconnected leagues for shinty in Scotland. It is administered by the Camanachd Association.
The South Division One is the third tier of the Shinty league system. League champions are awarded the Dunn Cup and play-off against the North Division One champions for promotion to the National Division.
SCOTS Camanachd is the only shinty team in the British Armed Forces.
Dunoon Camanachd is a shinty club, from Dunoon, Scotland. The team competed from 2016 to 2017 in South Division Two but its senior side went into abeyance in 2018.
The WCA National Division One is the top league for women in the sport of shinty, and is run by the Women's Camanachd Association. Below that from season 2016 there was a return to regional second level set-up with a WCA North Division 2 and WCA South Division 2. All three leagues are sponsored by Marine Harvest. This progression is evidence of the fact that women's shinty is the fastest growing section in Scotland's oldest sport.
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