Newtonmore Camanachd Club
Encyclopedia
Newtonmore Camanachd Club is a shinty
club from Newtonmore
, Badenoch
, Scotland
and current holders of the Camanachd Cup
. It is historically one of the game's most successful sides, having won the Camanachd Cup a record 29 times, most recently in 2011 and won the Marine Harvest Premier Division in 2010 and 2011http://www.shinty.com/leagues/scottish-hydro-premier-division/. There is also a reserve team who play in North Division Two.
in 1895. One of their greatest early players was Dr. John Cattanach
, the sole shinty player in the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
.http://www.sshf.co.uk/inductees/show/15
Since then, the club have won the Camanachd Cup
28 times - a record unmatched by any other team in the game. The club's last victory was in 1986 and in the intervening time Kingussie have held the whip hand. In Newtonmore's last final appearance before 2011, they lost a record 12-1 to their rivals.
Two of the greatest names in shinty history, goalkeeper Hugh Chisholm
and David "Tarzan" Ritchie
jointly hold the Newtonmore club record of twelve Camanachd Cup
winners medals each. The club has also won the MacTavish Cup
a record thirty seven times, together with a string of other honours. The club won the MacTavish Cup in 2009 5-4 against Kingussie at the Bught Park, Inverness on the 13th June 2009.http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/motorsport-news/2009/06/15/al-s-agony-as-gene-genius-upsets-audi-86908-21441921/ The game was broadcast live on BBC Alba
. Players such as Paul MacArthur
, Danny MacRae
and Michael Ritchie
are the sons and nephews of famous Newtonmore players and the club has a long dynastic tradition.
Many clubs throughout Scotland have long and friendly rivalries with Newtonmore - notably, Kyles Athletic
who they met frequently in Camanachd Cup
Finals in the 1970s. However the keenest rivalry, and certainly least friendly is with near neighbours, Kingussie. In recent times, Kingussie have enjoyed unparalleled success, whilst Newtonmore have been forced to rebuild as they have not won the league since 1985http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Shinty-Fort-William-set-up.6551534.jp and have been unfortunate to lose several promising players to work or study commitments further afield. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/04/03/shinty-star-s-28-hour-round-trip-to-turn-out-for-hometown-team-86908-20370974/
The Club field and pavilion at Eilean Bheannchair AKA The Eilan (built in 1993) are both owned by the Club.
The club are now working closely with Kingussie to help revitalise the grassroots game in the area, whose poor state has been masked by the continued success of the Kingussie senior side. http://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/2158/Ancient_rivalries_subsumed_to_game's_need.html
Although the club had finished second in the Premier Division in 2008, 2009 saw Newtonmore finish in the same position but edged out of the title position by Kingussie in their final match. The next few seasons do promise a lot for 'More with a young squad doing well over the last few years. 2010 saw them go into the last game of the season against Fort William
with the chance of winning the league by only needing to avoid defeat.http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Shinty-Fort-William-set-up.6551534.jp In the end, 'More won the league outright with a goal from Danny MacRae
with 10 minutes to go. This was Newtonmore's first league title in 25 years.http://www.shinty.com/leagues/scottish-hydro-premier-division/
In 2011, Newtonmore overcame Inveraray 5-2 after extra-time to book their first Camanachd Cup final appearance since their humiliation in 1997 by Kingussie, going on to win the final at the Bught Park in Inverness 4-3 against Kingussie.
The first team also retained the Premier Division in 2011 with a last minute goal from Danny MacRae
in the final match of the season in a winner takes all match against Kyles Athletic
.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/15808004.stm This sealed a season with both teams at the club winning their respective leagues and also a cup, the second team winning the Strathdearn Cup
.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/15808004.stm it was Newtonmore's first double since 1985.http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2525600/
Shinty
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, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...
club from Newtonmore
Newtonmore
Newtonmore is a village in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of about 1000. The village is only a few miles from a location that is claimed to be the exact geographical centre of Scotland...
, Badenoch
Badenoch
Badenoch is a traditional district which today forms part of Badenoch and Strathspey, an area of Highland Council, in Scotland, bounded on the north by the Monadhliath Mountains, on the east by the Cairngorms and Braemar, on the south by Atholl and the Grampians, and on the west by Lochaber...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and current holders of the Camanachd Cup
Camanachd Cup
The Camanachd Association Challenge Cup AKA the Camanachd Cup or Scottish Cup is the premier prize in the sport of shinty...
. It is historically one of the game's most successful sides, having won the Camanachd Cup a record 29 times, most recently in 2011 and won the Marine Harvest Premier Division in 2010 and 2011http://www.shinty.com/leagues/scottish-hydro-premier-division/. There is also a reserve team who play in North Division Two.
History
Shinty has been played in the Newtonmore area for centuries, but more recently, there are records of shinty being played at the Eilan since 1877, and the club was formally re-constituted under the auspices of the newly formed Camanachd AssociationCamanachd Association
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...
in 1895. One of their greatest early players was Dr. John Cattanach
John Cattanach (shinty)
Dr. John Cattanach was a shinty player for Newtonmore in the 1900s. He is the only shinty player inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame-Biography:...
, the sole shinty player in the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is the national sports hall of fame in Scotland, initiated on St Andrew's Day 2001. It is a joint project organised by sportscotland, the national governmental body for Scottish sport, and the National Museums of Scotland. It is also funded by BBC Scotland and...
.http://www.sshf.co.uk/inductees/show/15
Since then, the club have won the Camanachd Cup
Camanachd Cup
The Camanachd Association Challenge Cup AKA the Camanachd Cup or Scottish Cup is the premier prize in the sport of shinty...
28 times - a record unmatched by any other team in the game. The club's last victory was in 1986 and in the intervening time Kingussie have held the whip hand. In Newtonmore's last final appearance before 2011, they lost a record 12-1 to their rivals.
Two of the greatest names in shinty history, goalkeeper Hugh Chisholm
Hugh Chisholm
Hugh Chisholm was a British journalist, and editor of the 11th and 12th editions of the Encyclopædia Britannica....
and David "Tarzan" Ritchie
David "Tarzan" Ritchie
David "Tarzan" Ritchie is a former shinty player from Newtonmore, Scotland. He is notable for having won 12 Camanachd Cup medals, a record he held alongside fellow Newtonmore player Hugh Chisholm for many years.-Playing career:...
jointly hold the Newtonmore club record of twelve Camanachd Cup
Camanachd Cup
The Camanachd Association Challenge Cup AKA the Camanachd Cup or Scottish Cup is the premier prize in the sport of shinty...
winners medals each. The club has also won the MacTavish Cup
MacTavish Cup
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...
a record thirty seven times, together with a string of other honours. The club won the MacTavish Cup in 2009 5-4 against Kingussie at the Bught Park, Inverness on the 13th June 2009.http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/motorsport-news/2009/06/15/al-s-agony-as-gene-genius-upsets-audi-86908-21441921/ The game was broadcast live on BBC Alba
BBC Alba
BBC Gàidhlig is the department of BBC Scotland that produces Scottish Gaelic language programming. This includes TV programmes for BBC Alba and BBC Two Scotland, the BBC Radio nan Gàidheal radio station and the BBC Alba website.-Television:...
. Players such as Paul MacArthur
Paul MacArthur
Paul "Ginge" MacArthur is a shinty player for Newtonmore. He has alos played for Scotland at shinty/hurling.-Playing Career:The son of Newtonmore legend and current Newtonmore manager, Norman "Brick" MacArthur, Paul is a strong physical presence in the resurgent Newtonmore team of the late...
, Danny MacRae
Danny MacRae
Daniel Pirrie MacRae better known as Danny MacRae is a Scottish shinty player from Newtonmore, Scotland. He plays for Newtonmore Camanachd Club...
and Michael Ritchie
Michael Ritchie (shinty)
Michael Ritchie is a shinty player for Newtonmore Camanachd Club. He is a goalkeeper and is the son of the legendary David "Tarzan" Ritchie.-Playing Career:...
are the sons and nephews of famous Newtonmore players and the club has a long dynastic tradition.
Many clubs throughout Scotland have long and friendly rivalries with Newtonmore - notably, Kyles Athletic
Kyles Athletic
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 Premier Division after recently being outwith the top flight of Scottish Shinty.-History:...
who they met frequently in Camanachd Cup
Camanachd Cup
The Camanachd Association Challenge Cup AKA the Camanachd Cup or Scottish Cup is the premier prize in the sport of shinty...
Finals in the 1970s. However the keenest rivalry, and certainly least friendly is with near neighbours, Kingussie. In recent times, Kingussie have enjoyed unparalleled success, whilst Newtonmore have been forced to rebuild as they have not won the league since 1985http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Shinty-Fort-William-set-up.6551534.jp and have been unfortunate to lose several promising players to work or study commitments further afield. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/04/03/shinty-star-s-28-hour-round-trip-to-turn-out-for-hometown-team-86908-20370974/
The Club field and pavilion at Eilean Bheannchair AKA The Eilan (built in 1993) are both owned by the Club.
The club are now working closely with Kingussie to help revitalise the grassroots game in the area, whose poor state has been masked by the continued success of the Kingussie senior side. http://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/2158/Ancient_rivalries_subsumed_to_game's_need.html
Although the club had finished second in the Premier Division in 2008, 2009 saw Newtonmore finish in the same position but edged out of the title position by Kingussie in their final match. The next few seasons do promise a lot for 'More with a young squad doing well over the last few years. 2010 saw them go into the last game of the season against Fort William
Fort William Shinty Club
Fort William Shinty Club is a shinty club from Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland. 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...
with the chance of winning the league by only needing to avoid defeat.http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Shinty-Fort-William-set-up.6551534.jp In the end, 'More won the league outright with a goal from Danny MacRae
Danny MacRae
Daniel Pirrie MacRae better known as Danny MacRae is a Scottish shinty player from Newtonmore, Scotland. He plays for Newtonmore Camanachd Club...
with 10 minutes to go. This was Newtonmore's first league title in 25 years.http://www.shinty.com/leagues/scottish-hydro-premier-division/
In 2011, Newtonmore overcame Inveraray 5-2 after extra-time to book their first Camanachd Cup final appearance since their humiliation in 1997 by Kingussie, going on to win the final at the Bught Park in Inverness 4-3 against Kingussie.
The first team also retained the Premier Division in 2011 with a last minute goal from Danny MacRae
Danny MacRae
Daniel Pirrie MacRae better known as Danny MacRae is a Scottish shinty player from Newtonmore, Scotland. He plays for Newtonmore Camanachd Club...
in the final match of the season in a winner takes all match against Kyles Athletic
Kyles Athletic
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 Premier Division after recently being outwith the top flight of Scottish Shinty.-History:...
.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/15808004.stm This sealed a season with both teams at the club winning their respective leagues and also a cup, the second team winning the Strathdearn Cup
Strathdearn Cup
The Strathdearn Cup is a knock-out competition in the sport of shinty. The present holders are Newtonmore.It is played for by reserve-level teams from the North of Scotland, that is all teams playing in North Division Two and Three as well as non-league teams....
.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/15808004.stm it was Newtonmore's first double since 1985.http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2525600/