History
The Old Statistical Accounts contain many references to shinty in the area embracing the vast expanse of Strathglass, Kiltarlity and Beauly. How and when shinty was initially introduced to these areas must remain a matter of speculation, but the Statistical Account of Kilmorack in 1841 states, with respect to the inhabitants of Beauly, “their favourite amusements are shinty matches and dancing”.
The Third Statistical Account (1951) has references to play at Groam of Annat in September 1849 while ‘Inverness Courier’ and the ‘Northern Chronicle’ from the years 1850-1890 regularly reported on shinty games between Kilmorack and teams from Kiltarlity, Kirkhill and Strathglass. The Northern Chronicle of 16/1/1884 reported that on 10th January Beauly and Strathglass combined to play Lochcarron and Union in a 16-a-side contest at Lochcarron where Lochcarron won 2-0 in presence of 200 spectators. It is interesting to note that a letter dated 21/1/1884 to the same paper denied the presence of any Strathglass men in the team at Lochcarron. Throughout this time it would appear that games were not regularly played except on Christmas and New Year’s days and playing fields depended on where the best arrangements could be had. In this connection shinty games were played at Balblair, Dunballoch, Teawig, Wellhouse and Groam. The years 1883-87 appear to have been years when interest in the game was on the wane and the game of football had come to the fore and although a Cricket Pitch had been laid out a Ferry Park in the late 1870’s it appears that it had little effect in the way of local interest and was not the cause of the apathy in the shinty sphere at this time.
In 1887 there appears to have been a Revival of the game of Shinty at Beauly. The Inverness Courier of 4/3/1887 reports that “In the forenoon Beauly beat Strathglass and in the afternoon played Dingwall at Taechnuick, where Beauly played Lochcarron a few years ago. Also local schoolboys under Sgt. Instructor Wm. Cameron played Knockbain schoolboys under Mr Hunter, Schoolmaster and won 4-0”. There can be no doubt but that by 1887 there was a distinctive Beauly team in existence albeit that it had not yet attained to the stature of a Club. Again the Inverness Courier reports on another game between Beauly and Dingwall on 8/3/1887 and lists the teams while the issue of 29/3/1887 reports on a friendly between Beauly and Strathglass where the teams were 12-a-side. “There were no ‘hails’ but Beauly won by 5 Minor Points” (possibly corners). At this stage it would seem that Beauly was in the formation of a distinctive Beauly team and by late autumn of 1892, had attained to the stature of a Club, presumably with its own President and Secretary. The following year 1893 the Camanachd Association was established and it as a governing body set about its task of affiliating all the Clubs to itself and rationalising the game and rules to establish what eventually became uniformity with respect to the playing of the game of Shinty. By 1894 Beauly was a member of the Camanachd Association.
The years 1894/95/96 found the Beauly Shinty Club playing games against teams from Strathpeffer to Skye. These years seem to evidence keen rivalry between the Beauly and Lovat Clubs, insomuch that the Inverness Courier of 4/1/18895 comments that Beauly drew with Lovat but Beauly spectators have not yet improved their manners and J. R. Pollock in his “Guide to Beauly and District” relates that the existing rivalry was so keen that “a cold stream ran between them”.
Participation in the newly fostered Camanachd Cup appears to have been the ambition of all the Clubs. In April 1896 Beauly was beaten by Kingussie in the semi-final of the Camanachd at Kingussie and for this game Beauly wore Green and Kingussie wore Red and Black. The green colours of Beauly have been maintained by the Club since. The following year, in February, Beauly beat Inverness 7-0 leading on to playing Glasgow Cowal in the semi-final. The final which was played at the Haugh Park, Inverness was a great event. Over 3000 people turned up to see Beauly in Green line up against Brae Lochaber who had knocked out Kingussie in the semi-finals. According to an observer “The Beauly players were slim, quick, agile and alert”. Their style to play was “so different – scientific, I would say – compared to the old style, that the game is no longer one for giants, but for the swift and wiry. It has become a pastime in which fleetness of foot, mobility of body, dodging, feinting and general trickiness, combined of course with accurate hitting and unselfish passing of the ball, are the winning factors.” Beauly won 6-0.
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