Composite rules shinty–hurling

Composite rules shinty–hurling

Highest governing body	Camanachd Association/Gaelic Athletic Association
First played	19th century
Clubs	none
Characteristics
Contact	Yes
Team members	14 per side
Mixed gender	Yes, though women's form known as shinty/camogie
Categorization	Hybrid sport, team sport
Equipment	Sliotar or shinty ball
Venue	Anywhere
Country or region	Worldwide

Composite rules shinty–hurling (Irish: Rialacha chomhréiteach sinteag-iomáint)—sometimes known simply as shinty–hurling—is a hybrid sport which was developed to facilitate international matches between shinty players and hurling players.

Shinty–hurling is one of few team sports in the world without any dedicated clubs or leagues. It is currently played by both men's and women's teams only in tournaments or once-off internationals. The women's form of the game is called shinty/camogie.

Ireland are a leading team in the sport, claiming the Hurling/Shinty International Series for a fourth consecutive year in 2012.

Rules

The rules of the composite sport are designed to allow for neither side to gain an advantage, eliminating or imposing certain restrictions. The goals are those used in hurling, with 3 points for a goal (in the net under the crossbar) and 1 point for a shot over the crossbar. A stationary ball taken straight from the ground and shot over the crossbar scores 2 points. For the 2012 International Series, a goal became worth 5 points in an effort to increase the number of goals. Whether this rule will be adopted full time remains to be seen.

Players may not catch the ball unless they are the goalkeeper (or a defender on the line for a penalty) and this must be released within three steps. Players may not kick the ball, but can drag the ball with their foot.

Although there is a statutory size for the ball to be used in the games, there is often a custom of using a sliotar in one half and a shinty ball in the other. Each half lasts 35 minutes.

History

The first ever games played were challenge matches between London Camanachd and London GAA in 1896 and Glasgow Cowal and Dublin Celtic in 1897 and 1898, with the first game played at Celtic Park. However, there was then a hiatus until Scottish representative teams and Irish sides took place in the 1920s. Following intermittent international games between Scotland and an all-Ireland team before the Second World War, controversy arose as the British Government put pressure upon the Camanachd Association to cease from cooperating with the Gaelic Athletic Association, disapproving of their perceived anti-British viewpoint

However, universities in both countries kept the link going after the war and this led to a resumption of international fixtures between the two codes in the 1970s.

After a long run of Irish successes, Scotland won four fixtures in a row from 2005 until Ireland reclaimed the title in 2009. Scotland's successes have been marred by a lack of interest from an Irish perspective. Unlike the international rules football tests between Australia and Ireland, few players from the top flight counties participate in the event—often players from what would be deemed as weaker counties form the Irish team to give Scotland a sporting chance.

2007 also saw the use of compromise rules as a way of developing the Gaelic languages in Ireland and Scotland by the Columba Initiative. A team called Alba, made up of Scottish Gaelic speakers, played Micheál Breathnach GAA, from Inverin, Galway. The project was repeated in 2008. The Gaelic speakers international was played for a 3rd time in 2010 in Portree in the Isle of Skye on 13 February 2010.

There are also Scottish/Irish women's and under-21s sides which have competed against one another.

In 2009, the first full shinty/hurling match in the United States took place between Skye Camanachd and the San Francisco Rovers.

In 2010, the fixture was played at Croke Park before the international rules football game and then a return leg was played at the Bught Park two weeks later.

The 28 April 2012 sees the inaugural match between the teams of Irish Defence Forces and the British Army at Bught Park, played in aid of PoppyScotland.

Latest Senior Results

Tournament	Date	Host nation	Result	Venue	Attendance
2003	25 October	Scotland	Ireland 5–9 Scotland 1–13	Inverness	3,000
2004	16 October	Ireland	Ireland 3–10 Scotland 4–7	Ratoath, County Meath
2005	8 October 2005	Scotland	Scotland 4–8 Ireland 2–11	Bught Park, Inverness
2006	5 November 2006	Ireland	Scotland 2–13 Ireland 2–5	Croke Park, Dublin
2007	13 October	Scotland	Scotland 4–10 Ireland 0–11	An Aird, Fort William
2008	18 October	Ireland	Scotland 1–10 Ireland 1–9	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny	1,000
2009	31 October	Scotland	Ireland 2–8 Scotland 1–8	Bught Park, Inverness	1,500
2010	30 October	Ireland	Ireland 2-15 Scotland 2-16	Croke Park, Dublin (first leg)
	13 November	Scotland	Ireland 5-6 Scotland 3-7 Ireland win 7-21 to 5-23 on aggregate	Bught Park, Inverness (second leg)
2011	22 October	Ireland	Ireland 1-16 Scotland 2-8	Geraldine Park, Athy
	29 October	Scotland	Scotland 1-11 Ireland 2-9	Bught Park, Inverness
2012	__ October	Ireland	Ireland ?-? Scotland ?-?	____

Camogie Shinty International

• 2003 Oct 25 Ireland 5–9 Scotland 1–13 Inverness
• 2004 Oct 16 Ireland 3–10 Scotland 4–7 Ratoath
• 2005 Oct 8 Scotland 4–8 Ireland 2–11 Bught Park, Inverness
• 2006 Nov 9 Scotland 2–13 Ireland 2–5 Croke Park,
• 2007 Oct 13 Scotland 4–10 Ireland 0–11 An Aird, Fort William
• 2008 Oct 18 Scotland 1–10 Ireland 1–9 Nowlan Park,
• 2009 Oct 31 Ireland 2-2 Scotland 0-0 Bught Park, Inverness
• 2010 Oct 30 Ireland 6-9 Scotland 2-2 Ratoath

Records

Country	Series won	Matches won	Total scores
Scotland	4	4	22-91 (157)
Ireland	3	4	22-84 (150)

See also

• International rules football

External links

• Scotsman report on 2007 fixture
• Composite rules
• BBC report previewing 2009 fixture