Strathspey Camanachd
Not to be confused with the women's shinty team, Badenoch & Strathspey Ladies Shinty Club
| 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 | Keith Callum | ||
| League | North Division Three | ||
| 2013 | 7th | ||
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Strathspey Camanachd is a shinty club based in the area around Grantown-on-Spey, Strathspey, Scotland. The club was formed in 2011 and admitted into North Division Three in 2012.
Shinty History in Strathspey
In the late 1800's there were 12 shinty clubs across the Badenoch and Strathspey area which would indicate the large part the sport played in the communities at the time. Grantown-on-Spey formed the 1st shinty club in Strathspey in 1892. Over the next few years clubs began appearing all over the district with clubs forming in Nethy Bridge (1893), Boat of Garten (1893), Carrbridge (1893), Dulnain Bridge (1894) and Aviemore (1900).
Player numbers dwindled over the passing years and decades for each of these clubs for a number of reasons, this meant that a number of the clubs often went in and out of abstinence.
Shinty remained much stronger in nearby Badenoch where Kingussie Camanachd Club and Newtonmore Camanachd Club were beginning to gather steam. With a much greater interest in the sport came more players wanting to play and inevitably, came great success. Both of these clubs remain amoungst the best in the sport at the moment as success continues.
Success was less profound in Strathspey area but not totally absent, with Carrbridge winning the Strathdearn Cup in 1914 followed by Grantown Camanachd Club, or the Grantown Butchers as they were known, winning the same trophy in 1921, beating Glenurquhart Shinty Club 7-1 in the final. The popularity of the sport fell in the area accompanied by the increase in popularity of football and the outbreak of war in 1939 meant there were no shinty clubs left in the Strath by the 1940's.
Players in the area would have to travel to play for Kincraig Camanachd or Boleskine Camanachd.
Strath Cam
In 2011, a group of local enthusiasts established a senior club in the area with the intention of entering the Shinty league. In the same year, the club entered the Camanachd Association-sanctioned Development League North. They played their first match as a club against Ardnamurchan Camanachd on the 12th of February 2011.. Strathspey had a run of friendlies and came first in the Development League but succumbed to a final game defeat against Kinlochbervie Camanachd Club.
The club applied for and gained entry to Marine Harvest North Division Three for season 2012. This was to mark the first competitive shinty to be played in the area in over 60 years. The club's first ever competitive game was a 3-1 defeat by Strathglass Shinty Club on the 3rd of March 2012. The club then went onto record 5 victories and 2 draws, including an entertaining 6-6 home draw against Lewis Camanachd, in their 1st season and managed to finish in 7th place.
The 2013 season saw the club enter the Sir William Sutherland Cup for the 1st time, where they were defeated by Glengarry Shinty Club. In the league they were just edged out of 6th place on goal difference by Lochbroom Camanachd to again finish in 7th place.
On the 19th of October 2013, "Strath Cam" partook in its first ever under 17 match against Kingussie Camanachd on The Dell (Kingussie). This marked the 1st time in history an age grade team has represent a club from Strathspey. On the 26th of October the club fielded an under 17 team in the WJ Cameron Trophy development trophy against Inverness Shinty Club, Ballachulish Camanachd Club and Ardnamurchan Camanachd, eventually finishing in 3rd place.
Ground
In late 2011 the club secured a ground, Freuchie Park, in the vicinity of Castle Grant - named so as it stood on the site of the original village which became Grantown, at that time called 'Castleton of Freuchie.'
There was controversy surrounding the club in December 2011 as the Press and Journal erroneously reported that they had been given their ground by Craig Whyte, then chairman of Rangers F.C., who owns Castle Grant. This was untrue as use of the park was actually granted by a local farmer. The club used this ground for their homes games for the 2012 and 2013 season.
On 6th of January 2014 is was announced that Strathspey would be moving away from Freuchie Park and instead be playing all of their home matches at Grantown Grammar School.
External links
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