Panel stitched by:
Susie Finlayson
Linda Jobson
Stitched in:
Eskbank, Dalkeith
In addition to golf and, arguably, rugby, Scotland has given two other distinctive games to the world. Shinty is a robust form of hockey, with its most recognisable descendant probably being ice hockey. Unlike the genteel English version, shinty involves shoulder-charge tackling, tackling with the stick or caman, playing the ball in the air (the source of a few head injuries) and other moves only occasionally recognised in the rule book. Now it is played mostly in the Highlands where famous teams like Kingussie, Newtonmore and Fort William have dominated. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the game was popular in England, especially in Lancashire and Nottinghamshire. Some modern players have suggested that, for her Harry Potter books, J. K. Rowling was inspired by shinty to invent quidditch. Curling is more international and the game is firmly established in Canada, the USA, Switzerland, Sweden and elsewhere. It is also an Olympic sport. With immense precision, curling stones are slid down a long rectangular rink of ice to settle in a circular target zone or to knock a rival’s stone out of contention. Made from granite, much of it quarried from Ailsa Craig in the Firth of Clyde, the stones make a noise when sliding down the rink. This has given rise to the phrase ‘the roaring game’. In a hard Scottish winter, when lochs and rivers freeze, many very occasional curlers dust off ancient stones and take to the ice and they often roar.
Panel stitched by:
Susie Finlayson
Linda Jobson
Stitched in:
Eskbank, Dalkeith