Strathspey Camanachd facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Strathspey |
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| Full name | Strathspey Camanachd Club | |
| Gaelic name | Comann Camanachd Shrath Spè | |
| Nickname | Strath Cam | |
| Founded | 2011 | |
| Ground | Grantown Grammar School | |
| Manager | Peter Tinney | |
| League | North Division Two | |
| 2018 | 6th | |
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Strathspey Camanachd is a shinty club from Grantown-on-Spey, a town in Strathspey, Scotland. Shinty is a fast-paced team sport played with sticks and a ball, similar to field hockey. The club currently plays in the Marine Harvest North Division Two.
The club was started in 2011. It joined the main shinty league for the 2012 season. This brought competitive shinty back to Strathspey after many years.
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Shinty's Past in Strathspey
Shinty was very popular in the Badenoch and Strathspey area in the late 1800s. About twelve shinty clubs were active then. This shows how important the sport was to local people.
Grantown-on-Spey formed its first shinty club in 1892. Other towns like Nethy Bridge, Boat of Garten, and Carrbridge also started clubs soon after.
Over time, fewer players joined the Strathspey clubs. Shinty stayed stronger in nearby Badenoch. Famous teams like Kingussie Camanachd and Newtonmore Camanachd Club became very dominant there. Strathspey teams often had to stop playing for periods.
Even with fewer players, Strathspey clubs had some success. Duthil-Carrbridge won the Strathdearn Cup in 1914. Grantown Camanachd Club, also known as the Grantown Butchers, won the same trophy in 1921. They beat Glenurquhart Shinty Club 7–1 in the final game.
By the 1940s, no shinty clubs were left in Strathspey. This was due to football becoming more popular and World War II. Players from Strathspey sometimes joined clubs like Kincraig Camanachd or Boleskine Camanachd.
Strathspey Camanachd: The Modern Club
In 2011, a group of local shinty fans started a new club in Grantown-on-Spey. This club was called Strathspey Camanachd. They joined the Camanachd Association's Development League North that same year.
Strathspey played their first game against Ardnamurchan Camanachd on February 12, 2011. They finished first in the Development League.
The club then joined the Marine Harvest North Division Three for the 2012 season. This was the first time competitive shinty had been played in Strathspey in over 60 years. Their first league game was a 3–1 loss to Strathglass Shinty Club on March 3, 2012. That season, they won five games and drew two, finishing 7th.
In 2013, Strathspey played in the Sir William Sutherland Cup for the first time. They lost to Glengarry Shinty Club. In the league, they finished 7th again, just missing 6th place.
On October 19, 2013, "Strath Cam" played its first ever under-17 match. This was against Kingussie Camanachd at The Dell (Kingussie). It was the first time a youth team represented a club from Strathspey. They also played in the WJ Cameron Trophy, finishing 3rd.
The club improved in 2014, finishing 3rd in the league. They also reached the semi-final of the Strathdearn Cup, losing to Skye Camanachd. Andrew Hay, who was new to shinty in 2011, won the Marine Harvest Player of the Year Award for North Division Three.
In 2015, Strathspey started the league well. However, they ended up at the bottom of the league.
Strathspey Camanachd Ladies
In March 2014, Strathspey Camanachd began to form a women's shinty team. Jane Nicol, a former player for Badenoch and Strathspey Ladies Shinty Club and Scotland, helped a lot. Many women in the area became interested in the sport.
Strathspey Camanachd Ladies joined the Women's Camanachd Association league in 2015. They played their first game against Strathglass Shinty Club in March 2015.
Home Ground
In late 2011, the club found a home ground called Freuchie Park. This park is near Castle Grant. It is named after the original village that became Grantown, which was called 'Castleton of Freuchie'.
There was some confusion in December 2011. A newspaper wrongly reported that Craig Whyte, who owned Castle Grant, had given the club use of the park. However, a local farmer had actually given permission for the club to use it.
The club played at Freuchie Park during the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
On January 6, 2014, it was announced that Strathspey would move. They would play their home games at Grantown Grammar School. The first shinty match there was a friendly against Newtonmore Camanachd Club on February 22, 2014. Newtonmore won the game 6–2.
When they cannot train at Grantown Grammar School, the club uses an all-weather facility in Aviemore during winter. In the summer, they train at the Boat of Garten football pitch.
Images for kids
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The club's crest.
