2013 HebCelt Shinty - Camanachd Leodhais v Uist Camanachd | |
17 July 2013 Shinty returns to the heart of Stornoway as the now classic confrontation between Camanachd Leòdhais and Uist Camanachd for the Hebridean Celtic Festival Inter-Island Challenge Cup takes place at Bayhead on Saturday 20 July 2013. The HebCelt Cup has become a must-see part of the Festival with hundreds of shinty fans turning up at Bayhead every year to watch drama and excitement as these two island rivals battle it out. The fixture is indeed so much part of the fabric of Festival Saturday that it was given a mention in the Higher Gàidhlig Listening Exam last year. Uist Camanachd are the current holders after a tense penalty shoot-out victory over their rivals in 2012. With several players who now have mainland experience, they will put together another strong side but Marine Harvest North Division 3 side Lewis Camanachd will be more determined than usual to get their hands on the handsome trophy after losing out last year. The Festival is yet again kindly providing hospitality to both teams and Festival Director Caroline MacLennan said, “The partnership of shinty and the Hebridean Celtic Festival is a unique and exciting one, reinvigorating old traditions in a new and vital way. Shinty provides festival-goers with an intense sporting spectacle as part of the Festival Fringe and the Festival provides a magnificent opportunity for the exposure of this excellent sport in the Outer Hebrides.” This year’s Celtic aspect is accentuated with the presence of a referee from far-flung Cornwall with Matt ‘Baffi’ Mossop from Cornwall Shinty Club and English Shinty Association taking charge of the game. An alumnus of the University of St. Andrews, where he started playing shinty, the professional archaeologist and trained referee has spent his time since graduation promoting the sport in his own Celtic homeland and now there are two clubs in the county as well as regular fixtures with a couple of other sides in England. Matt said, “It’s a great honour to be asked to referee this game. I’m going to be accompanied by a few friends, including Graham Love from London Camanachd, and we hope to have a little bit of shinty play ourselves over the weekend.” The HebCelt match throws up at 2pm. Click on the following link to see photographs from last year http://www.flickr.com/photos/coinneach_murray/sets/72157630583177194/ |