All About Shinty - Scotland Sport Quiz

Answer: Field Hockey

Shinty is a sport which at first observation looks a lot like field hockey, with players using a "stick" to try and hit a ball into their opponent's goal. There are a few differences though.

Answer: Camanachd Association

The Camanachd Association was formed in the village of Kingussie in 1893. The Camanachd Cup was first played in 1896, and is the most prestigious tournament in the sport. The word camanachd is simply the gaelic word for shinty.

Answer: 12

Whilst the sport of field hockey has teams of eleven players, men's shinty has one more. One of the twelve must be a goalkeeper. Women's shinty teams consist of ten players.

Answer: Caman

A caman is made of wood and has a curved end. Unlike field hockey, a shinty player can hit the ball with either side of the caman, and can hit the ball while it is in the air.

Answer: Hawick

Shinty is very much a game of the Scottish Highlands with the traditionally strongest clubs, such as Kingussie, Newtonmore and Oban Camanachd all situated in that part of the country. Hawick is a town in the Scottish Borders famous for its Rugby Union team, but you are not likely to see a shinty match there.

Answer: Cork & Leather

A traditional shinty ball is made from cork encased by two pieces of leather. The circumference of the ball must be between 19 and 20 cm (7½ to 7¾ inches), making it slightly smaller than an American baseball.

Answer: 1996

Amazingly, shinty didn't have a country-wide national league until 1996. Separate north and south leagues were formed in 1974 and it was in 1982 when the respective winners of these leagues began meeting in a play-off to decide the "national champions". The clubs eventually agreed to a single-tier nationwide top league beginning in 1996.

Answer: Sutherland Cup

The Premier League and Camanachd Cup are two tournaments which are not divided on a regional basis. The MacTavish Cup is for "north" teams and the Glasgow Celtic Society Cup is for "south" teams. The MacAulay Cup is contested by the eight highest-placed north and south teams from the previous season, with the final always taking place in Oban.

The Sutherland Cup is a competition for junior teams and is not considered to be part of the grand slam.

Answer: Kyles Athletic

Tighnabruaich is a village of around 600 people on the shoreline of the Kyles of Bute. Kyles Athletic were founded in 1896 and have had an illustrious history, winning their 21st Camanachd Cup in 2012.

Answer: Glasgow Mid Argyll

Glasgow Mid Argyll were formed in 1928 and play home games at Peterson Park in Yoker. In 1973, they shocked the shinty world by beating favourites Kingussie 4-2 in the final of the Camanachd Cup. In the early 21st century the club began fielding women's and youth teams, as well as the men's team.