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.
The reserve team currently play in South Division One under the name Lochside Rovers.
History
Established in Oban, Argyll in 1889, the club has always enjoyed competition against its great local rival, Oban Celtic.
Past successes included winning the Camanachd Cup (Scottish Cup) in 1933. The score was Oban Camanachd 3, Newtonmore 2, at Keppoch, Lochaber, after a drawn game, 1–1, at Corpach, Fort William. They won the Cup again in 1938: Oban Camanachd 4, Inverness 2. at Oban.
The final of the Macauley Cup is played in Oban every year. The club has won it five times: 1952, 1954, 1957, 1993 and 1995.
The Celtic Society Cup is where Oban Camanachd have enjoyed the most success. It is the oldest competition in the sport: it was first played in 1879. It is one of the five trophies considered to be part of the Grand Slam in the sport of shinty. The club's most recent success was in 2005: they6 beat cup holders Inveraray 2–1 in the semi-final at Ballachullish. In the final Oban Camanachd beat Bute by 7–4. The club's other successes in the competition were in 1889, 1900, 1904, 1911, 1937, 1938, 1947, 1973, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2018 and 2019.
The Club have enjoyed regular success in the regional and national leagues and cups. Possibly the best Camanachd team was the 1970–80s team with quality players, including such internationalists[clarification needed] as Ian "Swally" MacIntyre, Bobby Galbraith, Dougie Macintyre, Neil MacDougal, Nigel Evans, Fraser Inglis and Chukie Clark, and were widely expected to lift the Camanachd Cup, but Kyles Athletic beat them four times. Chukie Clark was attacked and bitten by a dog during a game at Strachur. This Camanachd side failed to live up to their true potential and the club went through a lean patch until Chukie Clark restructured the second team, Lochside Rovers, producing quality players for the senior team like Nonnie MacInnes, Ally MacInnes, Andrew Inglis and Damian Laird.
Oban Camanachd have won the Camanachd Cup on several occasions, most recently with victory over Kingussie in the 1996 final. Nonnie Macinnes was captain on the day, but the game was most notable for the performance of Gordon MacIntyre, who had made a miraculous recovery from the loss of an eye that year to score the winning goal.
Recent years
The club is proactive in trying to maintain shinty as the main sport in Oban. In 2008 the club made attempts to alter the structure of youth shinty to allow their youths to compete against 'North' teams. This was turned down at the Camanachd AssociationAGM, but in late October 2008 secretary Daniel MacIntyre made his fears known to the press, saying that "If we get Camanachd Association support, in the next three to five years we could potentially grow into a club with three senior teams. If we don't, in the next three to five years we will be a one-team club".[1]
In 2009, Lochside Rovers won South Division One, defeating several first teams. Their reserve status meant that they could not be promoted to the Premier Division, where Oban Camanachd firsts play. This caused confusion regarding the ramifications for promotion and relegation to and from the Premier League. Glasgow Mid-Argyll were awarded the South's place in the Premier Division.
In 2010, the club president Nigel Evans slammed Argyll and Bute Council for their "unacceptable" increases in facility hire costs.[2] The club again started to hit the headlines in late 2010 as relegation to South Division One loomed, meaning a double relegation, as Lochside Rovers would then need to be relegated to South Division Two. Daniel Macintyre slammed the level of play in this league, painting a bleak picture for his own club.[3]
Salvation from relegation came on the last day of the 2010 season when a 2–1 win over Bute saw the island team relegated instead.[4]
Again in 2011, Oban were involved in the relegation battle and yet again the status of Lochside Rovers, despite another successful season which included the Bullough Cup, was uncertain due to the implications of the first team's relegation. This was confirmed on 19 November 2011 when Oban won their last game against Kilmallie but not by the required number of goals to overhaul Inveraray.[5] Oban had been ever present in the Premier Division since its creation.[5]
The club bounced back to the Premier at the first attempt in 2012. They also were runners-up in the Macaulay Cup.[6] However the club's stay in the Premier League was short-lived, and their 9th-placed finish in 2013 resulted in them competing in National Division One in 2014. They again bounced back at the first opportunity and finished a much improved sixth in the Premier in 2015 alongside a Celtic Society Cup Final appearance where they lost a tight game to Kyles Athletic.
The club reached the Camanachd Cup final in 2016 and 2019, but were defeated on both occasions by Newtonmore.
The club's most recent successes have been winning the Celtic Society Cup in 2018 and 2019 and runners-up in 2020. In 2019 they also finished 2nd in the Premier League, runners-up in the Macaulay Cup and runners-up in the Camanachd Cup.
Lochside Rovers won the Bullough Cup 2018, 2019 and runners-up in 2020. They also had national success winning the Sutherland Cup 2017 and 2019.
July 2022 saw permission given for a brand new 22,000 all-seater arena at "wee" Ganavan[clarification needed] to be constructed, with ground due to be broken early 2023 on the provisionally titled "Camarana stadium".
Season by Season record
*2010-present only *2012: National League not reinstated until 2014. Relegation to South Div 1
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