James Clark (shinty)

Last updated

James "Big Jim" Clark [1] (born 1973) is an ex-shinty player from Invergarry, Scotland. He gained fame from his last minute goals which secured a succession of Camanachd Cup triumphs for Fort William Shinty Club. [2]

Contents

Playing career

He was a half-back early in his career, when he started out playing for Glengarry but soon moved to the Fort (a regional colloquialism for Fort William Shinty Club) in 1993. [2] He was capped by Scotland at under-21 level and also graduated to the senior side. He once scored four goals in a MacTavish Cup final but still ended up on the losing side.

He won the Albert Smith Medal twice for his matchwinning performances in the Camanachd Cup final in 2007 and 2008. He is famed for going up to receive his medals with his children in his arms. [3]

In the 2011 season, Clark switched back to his original position in defence, as Fort played out a trophyless season for the first time since 2003. There was mounting speculation, fuelled by the player himself, that Clark might retire at the end of the season. [2] This was confirmed in November 2011 due to fitness and work issues. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shinty</span> Team sport with ball and sticks

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 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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oban Camanachd</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingussie Camanachd</span>

Kingussie Camanachd is a shinty team from Kingussie, Scotland and according to the Guinness Book of Records 2005, is 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 are current holders of the Camanachd Cup, the MacAulay Cup and the MacTavish Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtonmore Camanachd Club</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow Mid Argyll</span>

Glasgow Mid Argyll Shinty Club (GMA) is a shinty club from Glasgow, Scotland. It is the only senior side in Glasgow and was founded in 1928. They have two men's sides and two women's sides. All GMA teams play at Peterson Park.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beauly Shinty Club</span>

Beauly Shinty Club is a shinty club from Beauly, Scotland. The club was founded in 1892. The club has two sides, the first team competing in Marine Harvest National Division One and the second team in North Division One.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyles Athletic</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inverness Shinty Club</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Camanachd</span>

Lewis Camanachd (Scottish Gaelic: Comann Camanachd Leòdhais is the senior shinty team from the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. The club entered North Division Three 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 was only allowed in on trial and awaited a decision from the Camanachd Association as to whether this was to become a permanent arrangement. Lewis was granted entry on a permanent basis from 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort William Shinty Club</span>

Fort William Shinty Club is a shinty club from Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland. The club has two sides in the Shinty league system, a first team which was relegated from the Premiership in 2013 and a reserve side in North Division Two. 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. The club also has a vibrant youth system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinlochshiel</span>

Kinlochshiel Shinty Club is a shinty club based in 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.

Glengarry Shinty Club is a shinty team from Invergarry, Inverness-shire, Scotland. The club has played in its present form since 1976. There is one senior team, competing in North Division Two . The club also runs a highly successful women's team.

Ronald Ross, MBE is a retired Scottish shinty player who played for Kingussie Camanachd. He is a forward, the only man to have ever scored more than 1000 goals in the sport and who has broken several other records as an individual and as part of Kingussie's record-breaking first team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Innes</span>

Gary Innes is a Scottish musician, shinty player, composer and a broadcaster from Spean Bridge, Lochaber, Scotland.

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.

Norman "Brick" MacArthur is a retired shinty player and current president of Newtonmore Camanachd Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Smith Medal</span>

The Albert Smith Memorial Medal is the award given to the Man of the Match in the final of the Camanachd Cup, the blue riband trophy of the sport of shinty. It has been presented every year since 1972 by the Smith family of Fort William in honour of Albert Smith Sr. The widow of his only son, John Victor Smith, currently presents the medal. Albert Sr.'s grandson, Victor Smith is a former player for Fort William Shinty Club but never won the medal despite featuring as a key player in several Fort William wins. Victor Smith currently coaches Fort William Shinty Club along with his cousin Adi Robertson. Victor's son, John Victor Smith, plays full forward for the Fort.

Derek "Deek" Cameron is a shinty referee and ex-shinty player from Fort William, Scotland. As a player for Fort William Shinty Club, he holds the record for the fastest goal scored in the Camanachd Cup final, an effort within 7 seconds in Fort's 1992 victory..

References

  1. "The Squad". Fort Williams Shinty Club. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Shinty: Clark hints his time may be up as Fort William enter transition". The Scotsman . JPIMedia Publishing. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  3. "Fort William 3 - 1 Inverary". The Herald . Herald & Times Group. 24 September 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  4. "Fort William stalwart Clark decides it's time to call it a day". The Press and Journal . 25 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2021 via PressReader.