Shinty

Introduction

Shinty is a team sport played using sticks called “caman” to hit a ball into the goal. It is mainly a sport of Scottish Highlands, but was formerly played in England and other areas in the world where Scottish Highlanders migrated. The sport was derived from the Irish game of Hurling and Welsh game of Bando but has its unique rules. The game was traditionally played during winters usually at the New Year’s Day but is now played in the summer season. The world governing body of shinty is the Camanachd Association and was formed in 1893.

Objective

To score more goals (points) than the opponent team by driving the small ball legally into the opponent’s goal called “hail.”

History of Shinty

Hurling, an Irish side interest for something like 2,000 years like shinty, is derived itself from the common diversion to both public. Shinty/Hurling shows up conspicuously in the legend of Cúchulainn, the Celtic folklore hero. A comparable amusement is played on the Isle of Man known as cammag, a name related to camanachd. The old type of hurling played in the northern portion of Ireland, called "commons", looked like shinty more intently than the traditional type of hurling today. Like shinty, it was usually known as camánacht and was customarily played in winter. It is as yet played routinely on St Stephen's Day in St John's.

The roots of the name shinty are questionable. There is a hypothesis that the name was gotten from the cries utilised in the amusement; shin ye, shin you and shin t'ye, other tongue names were shinnins, shinnack and shinnup, or as Hugh Dan MacLennan proposes from the Scottish Gaelic sìnteag. However, there was never one sweeping name for the diversion, as it held distinctive names from glen to glen, including cluich-bhall (play-ball in English) and in the Scottish Lowlands, where it was once in the past alluded to as Hailes, normal/cammon (caman), cammock (from Scottish Gaelic camag), knotty and different names, just as the terms still used to allude to it in present-day Gaelic, camanachd or iomain.

Shinty was at one time a well-known diversion in swamp Scotland, as appeared by its name Shintie, a term which took that structure around 1700, uprooting the prior Shinnie - of which there is a composed record around 100 years sooner. Shinnie may likewise get from "shin" in English, with the suffix"ie", a typical end to the name of numerous diversions in Scotland.

Events

The two types of events that take place are for -

Men’s​

Women’s

Participants

Two teams of twelve players (men) or ten players (women) each including the goalkeeper compete against each other to win the match. Maximum three substitutions are allowed per game.

Equipment

Shinty - Goal Post

It is a metal crossbar through which a net is attached.The goal is said to be scored when the ball passes through the goalpost.

Shinty - Ball

The shinty ball consists of a cork core covered with two pieces of leather that are stitched together. These balls have a circumference of around 7.5-8 inches and weigh between 2.5-3 ounces.

Caman(Stick)

The wooden stick used to play shinty is called Caman which is usually around 3.5 ft long with a wedge shaped head which must be able to pass through a ring having a diameter of 2.5 inches. 

Shinty - Shin Guards

It is a protective gear worn by the players to protect their shin bone from any injury caused by hitting of the ball or any other object. These are not compulsory to wear.

Headgear

Plastic helmets with or without chin guards are used for protection against injuries.

Shinty - Shoes

Studded or cleated shoes are worn by players to have a good grip on the surface. These shoes sometimes have an extra padding on the toes and insteps to help kick the ball.

Shinty - Clothing

Shinty players wear T-shirts and shorts made of synthetic material. The goalkeeper wears a different colored T-shirt from the rest of the team.

Playing Area

Shinty is played on a rectangular field which is 128-155m long and 64-73m wide. The field is marked with distinctive lines, the long edge being called the sideline and the short edge is called the byelines. The corners of the field are marked with quarter circles of 1.8m radius and a flag is placed at each corner. A center spot is marked at the center of the field surrounded by a circle of 5m radius.

The goals are placed at the center of each byeline measure 10 feet high and 12 feet wide. A 10-yard area is marked around each goal and a penalty spot which is a semi-circle of 5m radius is marked at each end of the field, 18m from the mid-point of the goal line.

Techniques

In shinty, unlike other similar sports, players may use both sides of the caman to hit the ball and are allowed to play the ball in the air. But only the goalkeeper is allowed to use his hands to control or stop the ball.

Officials

Referee

Referee is the overall controller of the match and enforces the rules of play and is assisted by goal judges and linesmen.

Goal Judges

Two goal judges observe goal scoring and indicate when the ball is out of play over the bye-line, indicates whether a corner or bye-hit should be awarded and when an attacker is off-side.

Linesmen

Four linesmen each present at one half of a sideline indicate when the ball is out of play, when it crosses the sideline and which side is entitled to the hit-in.