History of Kingussie Camanachd Club

When the one-year-old Badenoch Shinty Club split in 1890, Kingussie Camanachd Club rose like a phoenix from the ashes, and is still rising!  Kingussie’s first match was a 7-0 win against Insh in February 1890, played at Invertromie. The Club has never looked back.

The Badenoch strips were a plain royal blue jersey with a red crest on it, so it is fitting that both Kingussie and Newtonmore still play in colours that are predominantly blue and red. The Kingussie teams have always played in red and blue hoops and the club still has the original of a team picture, taken in 1891, near Balavil House, of the presentation by CJB MacPherson of new red and blue strips with white shorts.    

In 1893, several of the Kingussie Club members were involved in the inaugural meeting of the Camanachd Association in Kingussie’s Victoria Hall, including John Campbell who became the first Camanachd Association secretary. Then, another three years later, Kingussie won the first Camanachd Cup Final in 1896 by beating Glasgow Cowal 2-0 in a match at Needlefield Park in Inverness. 

During the 1890s, the Club quickly established playing at the Dell on a pitch beside the River Spey. For a number of years the pitch was shared with the Badenoch & Rothiemurchus Highland Games, then it became the recognised home of Kingussie Camanachd Club. The Kingussie teams have played there ever since apart from one season in 1991 when the Dell pitch was being renovated. The name Dell comes from the Gaelic “Dail” meaning flat meadow land.

The pitch at the Dell was leased from Dochfour Estate until 2010 when the Club managed to purchase the land. Since the ground became the ownership of the Club, many improvements to the venue have taken place in the last few years including both player and spectator facilities. These are on-going developments and new facilities are being constructed every season.

 It is also notable that in 1996 the Club built a clubhouse and changing rooms at the Market Stance, Ruthven Road. This was a project co-ordinated by one of the Club’s great players and administrators, Donnie Grant. Funding was secured from many places including Sportscotland and from B&S District Council, with the result being a first class facility for future Kingussie teams.

The Kingussie Club has an incredible history, which even includes an attempted merger with Newtonmore in 1927 and 1928. Needless to say, the idea was short lived!

The biggest events in the history of any shinty club have been the two World Wars, and they affected every shinty club. Kingussie was no exception with the Club losing players in both wars. A particularly poignant moment occurred in November 1919 when the Club’s Chieftain, the Count de Serra Largo, presented caps to the Kingussie players who had won the 1914 Camanachd Cup. The occasion was a dinner in the Star Hotel and five of the team were missing. It was the most emotional evening in the history of the Club and family representatives of the five players accepted caps on behalf of the players who had given the ultimate sacrifice. 

The Club has enjoyed many occasions throughout its history, none more so than the 1961 Camanachd Cup Final victory (the first or Kingussie for 40 years), and the 1984 Grand Slam year.

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