About the Scottish Sport of Shinty
Shinty is called camanachd iomain in Scottish. It is a 12-a-side team sport resembling field hockey, played with long curved sticks and a small ball which is hit through tall goalposts. This sport is usually played in the Scottish Highlands. This sport is actually older than the recorded history of Scotland. It was believed to have come with the Gaels from Ireland, and derived from the Irish game of Hurling.
Shinty is played by teams with 12 members each, substitutes are allowed. The aim of the game is to put a small ball into a goal, or what they call “hail,” on a 140-170-yard-long pitch. The sport is usually played on a grass.
The ball, called a sliotar, is smaller than of a tennis ball, and it is made of a cork core covered by two pieced of leather which is stitched together.
The shinty ball, called a sliotar, is made of a cork core covered by leatherPlayers use a stick called a caman which is about 3 ½ feet long. The player can play the ball in the air, and they can also use both side of the stick. The stick can also be used to tackle or block the opposing team.
Similar Sports
- Shinty-Hurling — a composite sport created to facilitate competitions between Shinty and Hurling players.
- Hurling — a Gaelic outdoor team sport where players use a wooden stick to hit a ball between the opposing team’s goalposts.
- Camogie — the female version of hurling
- Cammag — a stick and a ball sport played with hundreds of players.
Related Pages
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports
- Sport in Scotland
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