SCOTS Camanachd is the only

shinty Shinty () is a team sport played with sticks and a ball. It is played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and among Highland migrants to the major cities of Scotland. The sport was formerly more widespread in Scotland and even played in Northern ...

team in the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...

History

It was established in 1994 by Fraser MacKenzie and the club originally played under the name of the Queen's Own Highlanders. They continued as the Highlanders Shinty Club representing the Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) regiment which in 2006 was amalgamated into the

Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only current Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry Regiment#British Army, regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (form ...

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. 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 () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

. 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

. 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 died in a tragic accident whilst on leave on 20 July 2009. The club undertook a tour of the

Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...

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), 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 players of the SCOTS had the opportunity to watch the Camanachd Cup Final broadcast live across the World on their bases. The Scots played the Irish Defence Force 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

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 and teams established in 1994 Sport in East Lothian