Shinty, Shinty

Shinty is now played almost exclusively in the Highlands of Scotland, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities, but it was formerly more widespread, reaching as far as England.

In shinty, a player is allowed to play the ball in the air and is allowed to use both sides of the stick. The stick may also be used to block and to tackle, although a player may not come down on an opponent's stick, a practice called hacking. A player may tackle using the body as long as this is shoulder-to-shoulder as in football.

The old form of hurling played in the northern half of Ireland resembled shinty more closely than the standardised form of hurling of today. Like shinty it was commonly known as camnacht and was traditionally played in winter.

Despite opposition from the "Big Two", Kingussie and Newtonmore, and other small groups in the game, an EGM in November 2005 voted by an overwhelming majority (well over the required two thirds) to make summer shinty the basis upon which the game would proceed.

University Shinty is a popular section of the sport, with almost all Scotland's main universities possessing a team. Historically, Glasgow University, Aberdeen University and Edinburgh University have vied for supremacy but in recent years, Strathclyde University, Robert Gordon's College and Dundee University have risen to prominence. It is also played in the British Army with The Highlanders Shinty Club keeping alive the tradition of the game being played in the Forces.

They do not play league matches but do compete at present in the Bullough Cup. 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 22nd July 2006 against the Highlanders. Shinty was previously played widely in England in the 19th century and early 20th century and Nottingham Forest F.C. was established by Shinty Players.

Source: Wikipedia > Shinty