The Grand Slam in shinty consists of a club winning all four major trophies for which it is eligible. These being at present, the Premier Division, the Camanachd Cup, the MacAulay Cup and either the MacTavish Cup or the Glasgow Celtic Society Cup, according to whether a club is from the North or South District.
Whenever the term "Grand Slam" was first used in relation to shinty is unsure, the term was first used for Golf in the 1930s. The MacAulay Cup was first played for in 1947 and this can be gauged as the beginning of the Grand Slam era.
Although both Ballachulish and Lovat have won the Glasgow Celtic Society and MacTavish Cups respectively, this was outside a Grand Slam season, (indeed Balla's win was before the advent of the MacAulay Cup) although Lovat won the first Grand Slam two years later in 1953. [1]
Kingussie won 3 Grand Slams in a row in the late 1990s.
The trophies involved in winning the Grand Slam have developed with the advent of the national Premier Division replacing the South Division One and the North Division One.
A Club Slam is when a club has secured all the trophies in the sport for which they eligible to compete. Kinlochshiel achieved this in 2021 when they added the Camanachd and MacTavish to their 2016 & 2018 MacAulay and 2017 Premiership wins.
Due to the district division of shinty in Scotland into North and South, a "National Slam" has only been achieved by Lovat who have won all 5 major trophies - the Camanachd, the MacAulay, the MacTavish and the MacGillvray League (North One) when this functioned as the tier one league as well as the Glasgow Celtic Society as an invited club. Lovat has never won the Tier One league in the era of national shinty however. Ballachulish have likewise won the MacTavish Cup, but this was in 1952, after the invention of the MacAulay Cup - five years earlier this may have qualified them for a Club Slam.
Club | Total | Years |
---|---|---|
Kingussie | 7 | 1984, 1988, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2022 |
Kyles Athletic | 1 | 1966 |
Newtonmore | 3 | 1972, 1975, 1985 |
Lovat | 1 | 1953 |
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 is a shinty team based in Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland who currently play in the MOWI Premiership. Founded in 1889, they are one of the oldest Camanachd clubs.
Kingussie Camanachd is a shinty team from Kingussie, Scotland and according to the Guinness Book of Records 2005, is the world sport's most successful sporting team of all time, winning 20 consecutive leagues and going 4 years unbeaten at one stage in the early 1990s. The club is currently holder of the Camanachd Cup, the MacAulay Cup, and the MacTavish Cup.
Newtonmore Camanachd Club is a shinty club from Newtonmore, Badenoch, Scotland. It is historically the most successful side in the history of Shinty, having won the Camanachd Cup a record 34 times. They won the Marine Harvest Premier Division seven years in a row beginning in 2010.
The Camanachd Association Challenge Cup known as the Camanachd Cup is the premier competition in the sport of shinty. It is one of the five trophies considered to be part of the Grand Slam in the sport of shinty.
Glenurquhart Shinty Club is a shinty team which plays in Drumnadrochit on the banks of Loch Ness, Scotland. It draws its players from the part of the Great Glen which encompasses Drumnadrochit, Lewiston and Glenurquhart. The club has been existence since 1885. They won their first senior trophy, the MacAulay Cup in 2012. After 2013 and 2014 saw them lose two successive MacTavish Cups, they are currently the holders as of 2015.
Kyles Athletic Shinty Club is a shinty team from Tighnabruaich, Argyll, Scotland. It is one of the sport's most illustrious names, presently playing in the Marine Harvest Premiership with their second team is playing in South Division one.
Inverness Shinty Club is a shinty club from Inverness, Scotland. The first team competes in North Division One and the second team in North Division Three. Founded in 1887 as Inverness Town and County Shinty Club to distinguish from other clubs in Inverness such as Clachnacuddin, Inverness moved to the Bught Park in 1934. Inverness won the Camanachd Cup in 1952. The club struggles to compete for players with the wide proliferation of football clubs in Inverness, in particular Inverness Caledonian Thistle but still manages to put out two teams.
Lovat Shinty Club is a shinty club from Kiltarlity, Inverness-shire, Scotland. The club was formed in 1888 and takes its name from the area within which it plays in. The club won the Camanachd Cup in 2015.
Kinlochshiel Shinty Club is a shinty club based in Rèaraig, Balmacara, near Kyle of Lochalsh, Lochalsh, Scotland. The club has two sides, a senior team which competes in the Mowi Premiership and a reserve team in North Division One.
The Macaulay Association Camanachd Cup is a trophy in the Scottish sport of shinty. It is competed for by the eight highest-placed league teams from the north and south areas of Scotland at the end of the previous season. The first winner of the cup, in 1947, was Newtonmore.
The MacTavish Cup is a knock-out cup competition in the sport of shinty. It is competed for by senior teams from the North of Scotland district. It is one of the five trophies considered to be part of the Grand Slam in the sport of shinty. The current holders are Newtonmore. The competition is currently sponsored by cottages.com.
The Glasgow Celtic Society Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the Scottish Sea Farms Celtic Society Cup since 2018, is a knock-out cup competition in the sport of shinty. Entry is open to all senior teams from the South District playing in the Premier Division and South Division One. It is the oldest competition in the sport, first being played for in 1879. It is one of the five trophies considered to be part of the Grand Slam in the sport of shinty.
The Bullough Cup is a knock-out competition in the sport of shinty.
The Premier Division is the premier division in shinty. Based in Scotland and formed in 1996, the league is the top tier of the Shinty league system. Set-up in order to create a Scotland-wide league for the first time, it constitutes as one of the five trophies considered to be part of the Grand Slam of shinty.
The Shinty league system is a series of interconnected leagues for shinty in Scotland. It is administered by the Camanachd Association.
The 2017 Marine Harvest Premiership was the 21st season of the Premier Division, the highest division in Shinty. The season began on 4 March 2017 consisting of 10 teams from across Scotland. The 3rd season with Marine Harvest as title sponsors saw reigning champions Newtonmore challenging for their 8th Premiership title in a row.
The 2017 Marine Harvest National Division was the 4th season of the National Division since its reinstatement in 2014. The National Division is the 2nd tier in Shinty. The season begun on 4 March 2017 consisting of 8 teams from across Scotland.
The 2018 Marine Harvest Premiership is the 22nd season of the Premier Division, the highest division in Shinty. The season began on 3 March 2018 consisting of 10 teams from across Scotland. The 4th season with Marine Harvest as title sponsors saw the reigning champions Kinlochshiel challenging for their 2nd Premiership title. 2018 Marine Harvest Premiership champions were Newtonmore Camanachd Club.