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SCOTS Camanachd is the only
shinty Shinty ( gd, camanachd, iomain) 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 in Scotland, an ...
team in the
British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...
.


History

It was established in 1994 by
Fraser MacKenzie Fraser MacKenzie (born 1973) is a shinty player and manager from Lochcarron, Scotland. He originally played for Lochcarron Camanachd and was also Scotland manager. He is currently co manager of Glenurquhart. Playing career Fraser MacKenzie was ...
and the club originally played under the name of the
Queen's Own Highlanders The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons), officially abbreviated "QO HLDRS," was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. It was in existence from 1961 to 1994. History 1961–1970 The regiment was f ...
. They continued as the Highlanders Shinty Club representing
the Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Prior to 28 March 2006, the Highlanders was an infantry regiment in its own right; The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordon ...
regiment which in 2006 was amalgamated into the
Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two Army Reserve (United ...
as the 4th Battalion is an infantry battalion of the British Army. The club narrowly lost out in 2003 in South Division 2 to
Glasgow University Shinty Club Glasgow University Shinty Club is a shinty club from Glasgow, Scotland. Although formally a University Shinty team, representing the University of Glasgow, it has a long history of competition in national competition. History Founded in 1901 ...
. Due to the 4th Battalion's regular placements abroad, the team at present only plays in cup matches and friendlies. In 2006, the club played the first competitive Shinty game outside Scotland for 80 years, losing to
London Camanachd London Camanachd is a shinty club in England. 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 Scotlan ...
1-0 in the Bullough Cup, although they won the tie 9-1 on aggregate. They then progressed to the final where they defeated Lochside Rovers 3-1 to win their first ever national trophy of the competition on 23 September 2006, two months after returning from
Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...
. The club did not enter competition in 2007 or 2008 due to operational reasons and re-emerged under the name, the SCOTS Shinty Club in 2009. The SCOTS is an abbreviation of the
Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two Army Reserve (United ...
. The club re-entered competition in 2009 under its new name and competed in the Sutherland and Bullough Cups once again. The team lost 2-1 to Kinlochshiel in the Sutherland Cup in 2009. The club was hit by tragedy when player
Scott Bain Scott Bain (born 22 November 1991) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Celtic. He has previously played for Aberdeen, Elgin City, Alloa Athletic and Dundee. Club career Aberdeen Bain began his footballing career ...
died in a tragic accident whilst on leave on 20 July 2009. The club undertook a tour of the
Hebrides The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebrid ...
in 2009. In January 2010, they started marketing themselves to servicemen throughout the British Armed Forces and to veterans. Whilst the club draws many of its players from Shinty playing parts of the Highlands, in particular the 4th Battalion (The Highlanders) but also the 5th Battalion (
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...
), the club also look to encourage the sport throughout the British armed forces. With an increasingly wide range of armed forces personnel a rebranding exercise was undertaken and the club renamed SCOTS Camanachd for 2012. Thanks to a deal struck between the Camanachd Association and
British Forces Broadcasting Service The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for His Majesty's Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. Editorial control is independent of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces themselv ...
, the players of the SCOTS had the opportunity to watch the
Camanachd Cup 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. It is one of the five trophies considered to be part of the Grand Slam in the sport of shin ...
Final broadcast live across the World on their bases. The Scots played the
Irish Defence Force The Defence Forces ( ga, Fórsaí Cosanta, officially styled ) derives its origins from the Irish Volunteers. Whilst the Irish for ''Defence Forces'' is , as Ó Cearúil (1999) points out, the Defence Forces are officially styled . is used in ...
Hurling team in the first ever international between the two countries. They were outclassed by a team with many inter-county players but it was a very successful occasion and may be repeated. The Scots also played in several sixes in 2012 including the St. Andrew's Sixes and the first ever London shinty festival, which they won, defeating
London Camanachd London Camanachd is a shinty club in England. 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 Scotlan ...
and Cornwall Shinty Club. The Scots celebrated the start of their 20th anniversary season with an appearance in the final of the St. Andrew's Sixes in 2014. They were defeated by Inverness-shire Camanachd. The Scots continue to enter competitions as of 2018, although they withdrew from the Bullough Cup in the second round giving a walkover to Kyles, having defeated Aberdour in the first round. They took part in the Blue Flash Challenge against Caberfeidh in a friendly match.


References


External links


Official WebsiteMOD article on Highlanders' success
{{Shinty teams Shinty teams Royal Regiment of Scotland Sport in the British Army Organisations based in East Lothian 1994 establishments in Scotland Sports clubs established in 1994 Sport in East Lothian