It’s a grudge match, the big battle between two islands playing a sport which has its roots in ancient Gaelic history and despite dying out in the Hebrides a hundred years ago has come back with a vengeance in the last decade.
Festival Saturday sees the black and blue of Camanachd Leòdhais come up against the white and gold of Uist Camanachd as the respective teams of Lewis and Uist follow in the footsteps of their ancestors and play shinty, the sport of the Gael, as it was played for thousands of years in the Hebrides before war, emigration and the advent of football saw the game slowly peter out. The trophy on offer is the Hebridean Celtic Festival Challenge Cup and is a highly sought after possession.
Competitive opportunities to play shinty are hard to come by in the Islands and so the occasion of the two island teams coming together is always highly anticipated by players and spectators alike – you’ll see as much passion and energy on the park as you’ll see in the Big Blue tent on the Saturday night.
This is the third time the game has gone ahead with the support of the Hebridean Celtic Festival. The trophy was first played in 2007 between Camanachd Leòdhais and the Hebrides All-stars, which was a mix of fringe players and shinty players from the mainland who were enjoying the fun and games at the festival. However, it wasn’t until last year that the fixture took on its inter island nature with a two legged affair being played in Paibil and Stornoway, after a 4-2 win for the Leòdhasaich in North Uist, a glorious spectacle awaited those who came to the second leg on Festival Saturday as camans swayed and with a last minute goal the Leòdhasaich wrung out a 2-2 draw on the day and a 6-4 aggregate victory.
This year’s game will be a one off battle at the new location of Bayhead, a big step forward for the shinty in the Western Isles - gaining access to a park large enough for the sport – until now games have been played on machair, beaches and a range of football pitches, far too small for the long hitting involved in shinty!
Uist Coach Lee Thompson, a PE teaching student should have a strong bunch of fit players ready to take on Paul Duke’s Lewis squad, battle hardened by several tough cup games against mainland opposition.
However, players on both sides really look forward to the game each year win, lose or draw as they are able to enjoy the hospitality of the festival on Saturday night afterwards together, leaving the day’s strife and struggles on the park behind them.
Organiser Eoghan Stewart is looking forward to this year’s spectacle. “Shinty is taking off big time in the Hebrides and this is really the pinnacle of the year, both Uist and Lewis have to travel away for competitive action. There are now dozens of kids playing the sport throughout the Western Isles and the sport can only go from strength to strength.”
Neither club will be able to get their hands on the best “ringer” there could possibly be however, Box Club accordionist and Scotland shinty international Gary Innes, “It’s also great having Gary at the Festival, who has been really great at raising the profile of the sport outside the traditional areas with his appearance on the Runrig album cover and performing the song “Clash of the Ash” live. He’s so dedicated to shinty, however, he’ll be away on the early ferry on Saturday to play for Fort William, so he’ll miss the game. Also, thanks go to Caroline MacLennan and all at the festival for their great support for shinty, it’s a tremendous showcasing opportunity,”
The fixture will be preceded by a minutes silence for Camanachd Leòdhais player Craig Morrison of Back, who tragically passed away aged just 20 only last week. Camanachd Leòdhais are looking at a way to create a more lasting memorial to Craig in the future.
Lewis president Conor Macdonald paid tribute to Craig, “He was the most dedicated player and trainer, he will be a massive loss to our club and we will always honour his memory. Our thoughts are with his family.”
The action gets under way at Bayhead Pitches at 2PM and all are welcome. If scores are even at full time there will be no extra-time, the game will go straight to a penalty shootout.
Hebcelt Cup, Lewis Camanachd v Uist Camanachd, Saturday 18 July 2009, Bayhead, Stornoway, Throw up 2pm