10 Years Of Camanachd Cup History

10 Years of Camanachd Cup History – A Decade in Sticks

By Alan MacPherson

In 2015, I made a decision that changed my path, I stepped away from playing shinty to focus full-time on making camans. That same year, Lovat won the Camanachd Cup final.

To mark the occasion, I handcrafted a couple of camans and had them signed by the winning team. One was donated to the Lovat Shinty Club auction, where it sold for £600, helping to raise vital funds for the club. It was a small gesture, but one that sparked an idea.

I thought, Why not do this every year?

And so began a personal project:
Two signed camans, every year, for ten years.
One donated back to the club. One kept for my own collection.

Each stick captures a moment in time, a hard-fought win, a celebration, a chapter in the ever-evolving story of the Camanachd Cup. But alongside this tradition, it’s also become a way to document the evolution of caman craftsmanship itself, the small improvements, the shifts in design, the feel of the wood, the balance of the stick. A living timeline in timber.

Here’s how the past decade has shaped up:

Camanachd Cup Winners – Signed Camans Collection

• 2015 – Lovat Shinty Club
• 2016 – Newtonmore Camanachd Club
• 2017 – Newtonmore Camanachd Club
• 2018 – Newtonmore Camanachd Club
• 2019 – Newtonmore Camanachd Club
• 2020 – Cancelled due to COVID-19
• 2021 – Kinlochshiel Shinty Club
• 2022 – Kingussie Camanachd Club
• 2023 – Kingussie Camanachd Club
• 2024 – Kingussie Camanachd Club

Each signed caman tells a story, not just of the match itself, but of the club, the players, and the community that surrounds it.

For me, this has never just been about sticks. It’s about giving back, preserving shinty heritage, and honouring the sport that shaped so much of my life.

Here’s to the next decade and whatever stories the camans will tell.