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.
The club was formed in 1874, being an amalgamation of London Northern Counties and London Scots. The club toured Scotland in 1909.[1] The club entered for the Camanachd Cup in 1896 and scratched to Glasgow Cowal as they could not afford the trip to Glasgow. In earlier times play was held at Wimbledon Common, Parliament Hill, Kodak Grounds (Harrow) and also at Stamford Bridge, the current ground of Chelsea F.C.[2][3] London Camanachd Club took part in a shinty circuit and played for trophies, along with teams from the north and midlands.[4] Between 1873 and 1915 regular play was held on Good Friday and Boxing Day at Wimbledon. Of all the London clubs only London Camanachd continued until the 1920s and 1930s. The club lost many players in the Great War and this is commemorated by a war memorial in Crown Court Church in Covent Garden London.
London Camanachd War Memorial
After a long period in abeyance it was re-formed in 1982 by Hugh O'Kane and Sean Reid, before folding again in 1992. Between 1982 and 1992 play was held at Northolt. The only trophy won was the Skeabost Horn in 1985. Semi finals of both the Balliemore and Bullough Cups were reached in 1984–85. Nine matches were played that year, more than in any other, and the Shinty Year Book Trophy was awarded for endeavour. As in its early years the club had the same difficulties in raising a team and finding money to travel to Scotland, local competitions were organised for such as Mr Macleod's Cup 1882, Inverness Association Cup (a silver-mounted ram's head) 1901, The Dewar Shield 1908, Young Cup 1913, London Challenge Cup donated by the chief, Mr R.T.S. Macpherson, in 1986. The club won this trophy for four years until 1990 when Fr. Murphy's G.A.A. won it. In 1991, Brian Boru, having entered every year, won it. The club's furthest advance in the Camanachd Cup was in 1984 when it lost to Skye in the quarter final. In 1989 the club donated the London Shield for the national juvenile play-off. Kilmory, Glasgow Highland and Scottish university teams have made the long trip to win the London Cup. There was some youth coaching done at Chipping Campden School in the 1970s and 1980s.
In October 2004 a group of passionate individuals, originally from both sides of the border, decided to reform the club with both a women's and men's teams. They competed in the Bullough Cup, recording their first competitive win since abeyance against Aberdour. In July 2006, in the Bullough Cup, they played a home match in London- the first competitive match in London in eighty years.[5] In 2007, the club won the Inverness 6s Rosedene Shield against Boleskine Camanachd. In 2008, the club entered both the Sutherland cup and the Bullough cup but in 2009 the team was not entered into competition. London entered the Bullough Cup in 2010 but did not fulfill their fixture.
March 2011 began a new chapter in the club's history [6] strengthened by the advent of the Cornwall Shinty Club in 2012 and Oxford Shinty Club in 2013. This has provided regular local opposition and allowed the contesting of the English Shinty Championships annually. The brief existence of teams in Northallerton and Nottingham provided further opportunities to play. London have entered the St. Andrews 6s and Edinburgh University 6s tournament annually as well as providing players to the English Shinty Team in the Bullough Cup each summer rather than enter their own team. They hold an open 12 a side tournament in London each year in the weeks following the Camanachd Cup final.
Although London is the traditional home for shinty in England, thanks to Highland exiles, and latterly Scottish university graduates basing themselves in the English capital, local oral history in Cornwall records the game being played amongst schoolchildren.[7]
The revival of the London club has sparked interest in Cornwall, and Cornwall were finally able to offer London some 'local' opposition in March 2012. London's success grew, and the side hosted a successful tournament in September 2011 featuring the hosts, Cornwall and the SCOTS Camanachd.[8] London have also played a composite rules game against Sean Treacy's GAA and Croydon Camogie Club and hope to continue fostering links with local opposition.[9] London Camanachd were also the unlikely stars of a sitcom pilot in December 2012.[10] The influence of the SCOTS and the tradition of England being run by Scottish university graduates has seen a resurrection of shinty in Northallerton as well under the name Northallerton Shinty Club.[11] London amalgamated with Northallerton and Cornwall as the "English Shinty Association" in order to enter the Bullough Cup in 2013, and were knocked out by Tayforth Camanachd in the first round. London made further history in playing a shinty match against Oxford in continental Europe, the match held in Brussels on 25 August 2018 saw London emerge victorious in a 12–1 victory.
Currently, London play in the English National Championship, the English League, the London Shinty Festival and various sixes competitions in both England and Scotland.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Strachur and District Shinty Club is a Shinty team from Strachur, Argyll, Scotland. The club re-entered league shinty in 2017 after a year at abeyance at senior level as of March 2016. The side was put back into abeyance in 2018 before returning in 2022 with a combined team of players based in Strachur, Dunoon and Glasgow under the banner of Strachur-Dunoon..
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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 Valerie Fraser Camanachd Cup also known as the Valerie Fraser Trophy or the Women's Camanachd Cup is the premier trophy in Women's shinty and is currently sponsored by Peter Gow. It is played on a knock-out basis by the teams in the National Division 1 League and is administered by the Women's Camanachd Association. The current holders are Skye Camanachd.
The Bullough Cup is a knock-out competition in the sport of shinty.
SCOTS Camanachd is the only shinty team in the British Armed Forces.
The Cornwall Shinty Club is a shinty club from Cornwall in the UK. Formed in 2012, it is one of few clubs outside the Scottish Highlands.
The English Shinty Association (ESA) is the main body for promoting and encouraging the sport of shinty in England and Wales.
Caithness Shinty Club is a shinty team from Caithness, Scotland. They are the most northerly club in Scotland, based primarily in Thurso but pulling players from across the county.
The Fingal Memorial Shield is a trophy in the sport of shinty. It is currently the trophy presented to the winners of the St Andrew's Sixes, an international six-a-side tournament.
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.
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