St Andrews University Shinty Club
| St Andrews University | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | St Andrews University Shinty Club | ||
| Gaelic name | Comann Camanachd Chill Rimhinn | ||
| Nickname | Saints | ||
| Founded | 1967 | ||
| Ground | University Playing Fields, St Andrews | ||
| League | University Leagues | ||
| |||
St Andrews University Shinty Club is a shinty club from the town of St Andrews in Fife. Representing the St Andrews University, the club now plays in the University Shinty league but had a long history of competition in the South Leagues.
History
The University of St Andrews Shinty Club was first established in the early fourteenth century but was eventually banned by the university in 1831 for disorderly conduct involving a flagpole and a goat. Many members continued to play in secret for most of the next century until the club was officially reinstated in the late 1960’s by a group of medical students. Since then, the sport has been opened up to females and continues to be one of the leading causes of character-building in the Northern Hemisphere.
The club enjoyed a more fruitful late 2000s, finishing above Edinburgh and equalled with Aberdeen in the 2007 Littlejohn, winning the St Andrews Sixes tournament and beating London Camanachd. The club has also benefited from players playing for both the Aberdour Shinty Club and Shinty in the United States, gaining valuable experience.
The club has achieved great success off the pitch, with a membership which far outstrips most shinty clubs in Scotland. The team has many secret traditions handed down from chieftain to chieftain. Notably, members refuse to wear yellow, forcing three players to sit out the 1978 Scottish Universities tour of the Republic of Ireland because of a yellow stripe in the tour kit.
The club's women's team has also been successful in recent years. The club originally played in the Women's Shinty League setup but were often overmatched. However, in the 2010s, with a large intake every year of new students, the club has managed to achieve University league success.
The club hosts the annual St. Andrew's Sixes for the Fingal Memorial Shield.
