Lewis Camanachd

Infobox shinty club
clubname = Lewis


fullname = Lewis Camanachd
gaelicname = Comann Camanachd Leòdhais
nickname = Na Leòdhasaich
founded = 2006
ground = Groundshare with Lochbroom
manager = Paul Duke
league = Cups Only
season = 2008
position = First Round Sutherland Cup
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Lewis Camanachd AKA Comann Camanachd Leòdhais in Scots Gaelic, is the senior shinty team from the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. The club does not compete in any senior league but competes in the Sutherland and Strathdearn Cups as well as in several local cups.

History

Lewis Camanachd is the amalgamation of several teams based around the Stornoway area of Lewis. Although the Western Isles are one of the last bastions of Scottish Gaelic, shinty is not particularly common due to a steady decline in play from the beginning of the 20th century onwards and due to the growth in popularity of football is very popular.

In the club's first senior game, they lost to Uist Camanachd in the 2005 Mod Cup Final.

The club was reconstituted in 2006 and entered cup competitions in 2007. The club was drawn in its first competitive fixture with Glasgow Mid Argyll in the Sutherland Cup and Fort William in the Strathdearn Cup. The club did not progress beyond these fixtures.

The Club has training facilities at the Stornoway Primary School in Stornoway but has no permanent base at present, the club using Acres Playing field for fixtures until Bayhead Pitches are ready for play in 2008. Competitive home games are played on Lochbroom Camanachd's ground in Ullapool.

The club has two annual fixtures that it arranges or is involved in. the Cuach a' Chuain Sgith trophy with Lochbroom and the Hebcelt Trophy which is played for at the time of the Hebridean Celtic Festival. [http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/sport/Heb-Celt-Shinty-match-pitches.3940008.jp] Lewis won this trophy against a Hebrides All-star Select in July 2007.

On February 16th 2008, Lewis lost the Cuach a' Chuain Sgith to Lochbroom, the final score was 4-2. They lost heavily to Kingussie in the 2008 Sutherland Cup but won theHeb Celt Cup 6-4 on aggregate against Uist. They lost 9-0 to Lochcarron on the 17th of May in Ullapool in the Strathdearn Cup.

In 2008, the club had three players selected to represent Alba at shinty/hurling.

External links

* [http://www.camanachdleodhais.com Official Website]
* [http://www.lewiscamanachd.com/ Unofficial Website]
* [http://www.freewebs.com/overthehillsandfaraway/lewiscamanachd.htm The Fro's site]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A22080241 BBC 606]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/islandblogging/blogs/005132/archive/2007/05.shtml Island Blog on Lewis Camanachd]
* [http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/sport/Shinty-stars-face-ultimate-test.3908178.jp Stornoway Gazette Report]
* [http://sport.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=410&id=695852007 Scotsman Report]