Scotland Head Coach Drew McNeil has put his support behind the continuation of the Marine Harvest Shinty / Hurling international double-header against Ireland.

What happens next with the international series is one of the topics contained within the current Competitions Review being carried out by the Camanachd Association.  A paper issued to clubs said,

“Recently the Senior Shinty Hurling International has been played on a home and away basis, although both the Under 21’s and Women's team have only had one match. Should we expand this to enable all three teams to have annual home and away fixtures or should we revert to just one fixture per team each year?”

McNeil is in no doubt of the benefits of the home and away format and he said, “There are a lot of hidden benefits from participation in these games. The players get a lot out of it. They get feedback on their performances before, during and after the internationals. After each game we go over what went right and what went wrong. That’s the hidden stuff that we do. Clubs like Glenurquhart, Kinlochshiel and Lovat have had a number of players involved in the international scene over the last few years. These clubs did very well last season and I’d like to think that their players’ participation in the Shinty / Hurling fixture has helped improve their performance which has had a knock-on benefit for their clubs.”

The Scotland Head Coach also believes that commitment to the fixture is key. He added, “The home and away fixture shows a commitment to the event and it shows that both countries are serious about their involvement. The brand is there and that gives scope for even bigger sponsorship. In fact, I would like to see us extend what we do just now and have an all-year-long Shinty / Hurling panel where players can have a specific training programme and have get-togethers all over Scotland throughout the year. We currently work from March to November on the international series. That is an awful lot of work for just one match.”

2012 Shinty / Hurling / Camogie Programme

Saturday 20 October 2012 - Scotland v Ireland

The first Shinty / Hurling test between the Scotland and Ireland senior teams takes place at the Bught Park, Inverness at Saturday 20 October 2012. Throw-in is at 1.15pm. Admission is £10 for Adults, £5 for concessions and under 12s go free. Bring your Camanachd Association membership card and get a 20% discount! 

Friday 26 October 2012 - Ireland U21 v Scotland U21

The Ireland U21 and Scotland U21 sides meet under the floodlights at St. Josephs Doora Barefield, Ennis on Friday 26 October 2012 with a 7pm throw-in. Admission is free.

Saturday 27 October – Clare v Scotland

The Scotland Womens squad meet a Clare Camogie select at the Father McNamara Camogie Field, County Clare on Saturday 27 October. Throw-in is at 11am and admission is free.

Saturday 27 October 2012 – Ireland v Scotland

The second Shinty / Hurling test between the Ireland and Scotland senior teams takes place at Cusack Park, Ennis on Saturday 27 October 2012 with a 2.05pm start. Admission is free.

Photograph courtesy of www.neilgpaterson.com