Shinty

Watching a game of the Highland sport of shinty is an exciting experience and if you are visiting between March and September you will see matches advertised locally. It is a game deeply rooted in history and is still a thriving sport today with 43 (?) teams competing regularly throughout the country.

However it is the two villages of Newtonmore and Kingussie that are perhaps the names most associated with success.

Newtonmore hold the record of winning the Camanachd Cup [The Scottish Cup] 34 times since their foundation in the 1890s and until the 1980s were without doubt the most successful team in shinty. Then for over twenty years Kingussie enjoyed fantastic success even getting an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.

However in sport the pendulum has swung back and Newtonmore have been the Premier Division Champions since 2010 Newtonmore have once again returned to dominance over the shinty sphere. In 2019, Newtonmore won the Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup with Kingussie winning the Mowi Premiership – this great rivalry is once again on a knife edge.

As you can imagine the rivalry between the two villages is intense. If you are lucky enough to see the local derby being played, you will sense that for yourself.