JOIN SHINTY'S SUCCESS STORY - Support Scotland

Pic courtesy of Sportsfile, Dublin

As you can read elsewhere on this site, shinty is riding the crest of a wave right now.

Never has there been such a buzz right across the country around both the traditional men's game and the up-and-coming women's shinty phenomenon.

And if you would like to be involved in sponsoring the Scotland sides, now's your chance. But you'd better move fast before someone else takes your place...
 
As the dust settled this week on a hugely successful Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup Final and yet another dramatic premier league climax, the Scotland men's senior and under-21 squads have been announced - along with the women's selection - for next month's clash with Ireland.


The squads are listed below, and Shintyfan would welcome any thoughts on selections, match prospects, venues or any other aspect of the international shinty/hurling series.

The senior male squad is preparing for the first of two televised compromise rules internationals versus their hurler counterparts.

The Bught Park, Inverness will be the venue on October 20. This will be followed a week later by the second test in Ennis, County Clare. The Scots will be out to avenge last year's defeat by the Irish over the two-test series.

The male under-21s and female select teams will join the senior squad as they travel across the sea. The under-21s play on Friday October 26 at Ennis, looking to redress the balance after losing heavily to the young hurlers last season.
The women will face the Irish camogie stars on Satuday October 27 - the same day as the Scottish senior men take on the hurling select from Irela nd.

The senior manager fot this series is former Fort William supremo Drew McNeil, now with Glenurquhart, who said: "I am really pleased with this year’s squad.
"I had some difficult decisions to make during the selection process as there was a high number of talented, committed players available to chose from.  However I am confident that we have chosen players who can match the Irish and who can help us lift the International Series Trophy in Ennis."

The under-21 head coach will be Ronald Ross, who takes charge for the first time.

Captaining the senior and under-21 sides are two Newtonmore men in Norman Campbell and Rory Kennedy respectively.

The women's game is still on a high after two stunning finals at Strachur a few weeks back.
Team coach Sarah Corrigall said: "This year’s international team was difficult to select due to the high quality of players from right across Scotland.
"The team that Laura (MacKay - joint coach) and I have selected contains a lot of talented players and is a good mix of keen young players and players with several caps who are very experienced at playing shinty/camogie."

Every squad - under-21 and senior men, plus the women - needs sponsorship.

The Women's Camanachd Association can offer tailor-made packages to suit your donation simply by e-mailing womens.shinty@googlemail.com.

For the male shinty/hurling matches, the Camanachd Association offers businesses the opportunity of sponsoring individual squad players at a cost of £175 plus VAT - or £150 plus VAT for Under 21 players.
For this, sponsors will get:
2 VIP tickets to the home test shinty/hurling internationa at Bught Park,  on Saturday October 20.  This will include tickets to the match, programme, reserved seating in the stand and pre-match reception hospitality.
Sponsors will be given a replica shirt and squad photo from your player.

Your business name will also be featured in the match programme for the home test, and will be mentioned over the match tannoy.

The Camanachd Association official website, www.shinty.com, will credit your sponsorship on the weeks leading and following the internationals.

So what are you waiting for? Get in there before someone else does and sponsor either the women - remembering that they were the only successful Scottish international side last time around -  or the senior and junior male squads.

Whatever happens, excitement is guaranteed.

The Scotland squads are:

SENIORS
Kevin Bartlett, Caberfeidh
Niall MacPhee, Fort William
John Barr, Glenurquhart
Stuart MacKintosh, Glenurquhart
David Smart, Glenurquhart
Louis Munro, Kingussie
Mark MacDonald, Kinlochshiel
Finlay Macrae, Kinlochshiel
Keith Macrae, Kinlochshiel
Donald Irvine  Kyles Athletic
Roddy MacDonald, Kyles Athletic
Neil MacDonald, Lochaber
Shaun Nicolson, Lochaber
Callum Cruden, Lovat
Drew Howie, Lovat
Stuart MacDonald, Lovat
Norman Campbell, Newtonmore (captain)

Steven MacDonald, Newtonmore
Daniel  Cameron, Oban Camanachd

UNDER 21s
Conor Cormack, Beauly
David MacLean, Beauly
Paul Mackay, Fort William
Steven J Stewart, Fort William
Fraser Heath, Glenurquhart
Neale Reid, Glenurquhart
Duncan MacRae, Kinlochshiel
John Macrae, Kinlochshiel
Ben Delaney, Lochaber
Alexander Ferguson, Lochaber
Martin Johnstone, Lochaber
Craig Mainland, Lovat
Greg Matheson, Lovat
Rory Kennedy, Newtonmore (captain)
Andy MacKintosh, Newtonmore
Ackie MacRae, Newtonmore
Garry Lord, Oban Camanachd
James McMillan, Oban Camanachd
Johnathan MacLennan, Skye Camanachd
James Dunn, The SCOTS and Bute

WOMEN'S SELECT
Annie Butterworth (Glengarry) Karen Cameron (Glengarry)
Yvonne Connaughton (Tir Conaill Harps)
Orla Coughlan (Tir Conaill Harps)
Kirsty Deans (Badenoch & Strathspey)
Niamh Donnelly (Aberdour)
Katie Drain (Glasgow Mid Argyll)
Jenny Durkin (Aberdour)
Laura Gallacher (Glengarry)
Joanne Gillanders (Glengarry)
Alana Harrison (Glasgow Mid Argyll)
Lucy MacLeod (Strathglass)
Lorna Macrae (Skye)
Laura McCafferty (Glasgow Mid Argyll)
Rachel McCafferty (Glasgow Mid Argyll)
Elizabeth McGregor (Badenoch & Strathspey)
Jeanette McGregor (Badenoch & Strathspey)
Jane Nicol (Badenoch & Strathspey)
Katy Smith (Aberdour)
Elaine Wink (Glengarry)
Reserves: Jenna Beaton (Skye), Kathleen Cameron (Lochaber), Christy Doherty (Glasgow Mid Argyll), Kirsty Gray (Glasgow Mid Argyll), Geraldine Murphy (Tir Conaill Harps)