Caithness Shinty Club
| Caithness Shinty Club | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Full name | Caithness Shinty Club | |
| Gaelic name | Comann Camanachd Ghaillibh | |
| Nickname | The Wolves, The Panthers | |
| Founded | 2014 | |
| Ground | Viewfirth Park Thurso |
|
| Manager | Alan MacDonald | |
| League | non-league | |
|
||
Caithness Shinty Club is a shinty team from Caithness, Scotland. They are the most northerly club in Scotland, based primarily in Thurso but pulling players from across the county.
Whilst there was a shinty team for players working at Dounreay in the 1960s, Caithness had very little competitive shinty tradition since the early 20th century.
In the 2000s, efforts were made to develop shinty. Youth teams from Wick and Thurso competed in the Far North League established in 2007. Some players from Caithness team who competed in 2008 but this first attempt at national competition was highly unsuccessful.
The success of the Mod Cup at the Caithness Mod in 2010, where a Caithness select defeated Sutherland 3–1 sparked hopes that Naver, or a different Caithness club might be resurrected. However, shinty activity took a backseat as an instrumental founder of the Naver side, Kenny "Nostie" Macleod, who was also a minister in the Free Church of Scotland, died in April 2012.
However, the passing of Reverend MacLeod did result in the establishment of an annual match in his memory, which has led to the founding of a proper Caithness club. This annual fixture, first played in 2012 saw a Caithness side defeat Sutherland 5–4.
The trophy was then played for again in 2013 with Caithness losing on penalties to Sutherland.
In 2014, Caithness Shinty Club entered the St. Andrews 6-a-side shinty tournament for the first time, reaching the semi-finals on a run that included a win against local rivals Kinlochbervie Camanachd Club and a memorable 1–0 victory over league side and top seeds, Col-Glen Shinty Club. Caithness also played Cornwall Shinty Club in the inaugural Natural Retreats Shinty Challenge Cup, succumbing 2–1 to the duchy side.
Caithness Shinty Club entered the Inverness 6's for the first time in 2014,and despite being overpowered by some strong league sides, they managed to leave with their heads held high and far better for the experience. A second Natural Retreats Shinty Challenge Cup match was held versus Cornwall Shinty Club, with Caithness going down 2–1 again to an experienced Cornwall side.
...
Wikipedia