Shinty is an outdoor team game played in Scotland. It is also called camanachd. There are 12 players to a side. The game is similar to field hockey and hurling. The players use a curved stick called a caman. The teams play on a field 140 to 170 yards (128 to 155 meters) long and 70 to 80 yards (64 to 73 meters) wide. Each side aims to score by putting the ball through a hail (goal) 12 feet (3.66 meters) wide and 10 feet (3.05 meters) high. A game is divided into halves of 45 minutes. Players may hit the ball with either side of the caman, whether the ball is in the air or on the ground. Shinty is faster and more violent than hockey.
The Aberdeen University Shinty Club was the first documented shinty club, dating back to 1861, the same year as the first shinty rules of play were published. The main competition is for the Camanachd Association Challenge Cup, which has served as a national championship of the sport since 1896. The Camanachd Association, established in 1893, governs the sport.
