The Camanachd Association Challenge Cup known as the Camanachd Cup (or less commonly the Scottish Cup) is the premier competition in the sport of shinty.[1] It is one of the five trophies considered to be part of the Grand Slam in the sport of shinty.[2]
The tournament
The tournament was first played in 1896 with Kingussie beating Glasgow Cowal 2–0 at Needlefield Park, Inverness.[3]
At present the tournament is contested by the eligible teams in North and South Division 1 (and from 2014, National Division One), together with the teams in the Premiership, who join the competition at the second round stage. There was formerly a Qualifying Cup.
Traditionally, the trophy was competed for on a North/South basis with the best team from the North facing the best team from the South only in the final. In 1983 the open draw was introduced which resulted in the first, and until 2012, only all-South final, between Kyles and Inveraray. 1984 saw the first ever All-North final and first ever final clash between heated rivals Kingussie and Newtonmore.
Four teams have won the trophy three times in a row, Newtonmore, Kingussie, Kyles Athletic and Fort William.
The highest margin of victory was in 1997 when Kingussie hammered Newtonmore 12–1. The highest scoring final, and the previous largest margin of victory was held by Newtonmore themselves, 11–3 with Furnace in 1907.
Only Furnace (1923) and Newtonmore (2013) have gone through the competition without conceding a goal.[citation needed]
In 2006, the Cup had its first ever televised draw on BBC Scotland sports programme Spòrs, with the final also being broadcast live.
In 2019 the Camanachd Association named former Fort William and Scotland captain, Gary Innes as the competition's first ambassador.[citation needed]
The trophy
The trophy itself was created after public donations in 1896 by Hamilton and Inches, Edinburgh. The player on the lid was modelled from Jock Dallas who played for Kingussie and whose great grandson, Ally Dallas, still plays for the same team.
In 2006, the trophy made its way to New York City for the Tartan Day celebrations, the first time it had ever left Scotland.
Celebrations of victorious teams have left the trophy in a fragile state. For example, it was left and then found in Somerled Square, Portree, after Skye Camanachd's 1990 victory, as everybody had assumed somebody else was looking after it. So the board of directors at the Camanachd Association decided to have the trophy renovated and a replica made for presentation after finals. The replica was to be ready for the centenary final in 2007 in Inverness but the cost was too great, and the original trophy is still being used.
The final
The final is usually played on a rotation system, with An Aird in Fort William, the Bught Park in Inverness and Mossfield Park in Oban hosting the final. In recent years the final has also been held at The Dell in Kingussie, Dunoon and at Old Anniesland in Glasgow. The 2022 Final was played at The Dell for the first time since 1999.
The 2011 final was the first ever to go to extra time; no final has ever required penalties.
Between the years of 1990 (when Skye defeated Newtonmore) and 2012 (When Kyles Athletic defeated Inveraray) there was not a final which did not feature either Kingussie or Fort William.[4]
Kyles Athletic won the Cup in 1994, the match refereed by John Henderson of Caol. Captain David Taylor received the trophy from Peter Cullen of sponsor Glenmorangie Distillery Co. Cullen died on 7 December 2011 in Edinburgh.[citation needed]
Oban Camanachd won the trophy in 1996, The Centennial Final, under the management of Colin MacDonald. Ron Millican (Kiltarlity) refereed. BBC Radio Scotland provided live coverage with commentary by Iain Anderson. This was a repeat of the 1993 final.
The 2009 final was held at Mossfield Park, Oban between Kyles Athletic and holders Fort William on 19 September. An exciting final[according to whom?] saw Fort William take a 3–0 lead before being pegged back to 3–3 by a Kyles comeback with 10 minutes to go. Fort William achieved a three-in-a-row streak, however, thanks to a late goal by James "Big Jim" Clark and won the game 4–3. The match was shown live on BBC 2 and BBC Alba. Ronnie Campbell refereed.[citation needed]
The 2010 final was played at the Bught Park on 18 September 2010[5] between holders Fort William and Kingussie, who had not won the trophy since 2006. Fort William won 3–2 with a goal in the last 15 seconds from Gary Innes. Billy Wotherspoon refereed.
The 2011 final was played at the Bught yet again as An Aird was undergoing repair work.[6] Newtonmore won the game 4–3 with an extra time goal. Derek Cameron refereed.
The 2012 final was played on 15 September at Mossfield Park, Oban. Kyles Athletic defeated Inveraray.[7] The match was televised on BBC Two with commentary from Gary Innes.[citation needed]
In 2013, Newtonmore lifted the trophy for the 30th time, without conceding a goal the whole tournament.
The 2014 Camanachd Cup Final saw Kingussie win it for the 23rd time. This win also marked 100 years since Kingussie won 6–1 against Kyles at Possil Park in Glasgow. Four-months after this final Britain declared war on Germany. By the end of 1918, six players of the winning team were dead; two had been shot and wounded and one had been badly gassed. To commemorate this, the 2014 winning team wore specially-made shirts which included a remembrance poppy and the names of the 1914 players, including those who gave their lives.
In the 2015 final Lovat's goalkeeper Stuart MacDonald was the winner of the Albert Smith Medal as his side went on to win 2–1.
The 2016 final saw Oban return to the show-piece occasion but in an uneventful game,[according to whom?] Newtonmore reclaimed the trophy for their 31st win.
The 2017 final saw both 2015 and 2016 Camanachd Cup champions face-off with Newtonmore retaining the title against a spirited Lovat side.[citation needed]
In 2021 Kinlochshiel defeated Lovat 3–1 in the Final held at Mossfield Park in Oban. A hat-trick from captain Keith MacRae ensured the Camanachd Cup would reside in Wester Ross for the first time in its 125-year history.
In 2022, the final was held in Kingussie (having been scheduled for play there in 2020, but being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). It was a win for Kingussie the home-side, winning 3–1 against Lovat.
