Cammag

The 2009 Cammag match in St John's

Cammag (Manx pronunciation: [kʰamag]) is a team sport originating on the Isle of Man. It is closely related to the Scottish game of shinty and is similar to the Irish hurling. Once the most widespread sport on Man, it ceased to be played around 1900 after the introduction of association football, though it has experienced a revival in the 21st century.

Equipment involves a stick (Manx: camman, meaning "little curved thing") and a ball (crick or crig) with anything between four and two hundred players. Sometimes whole towns and villages took part, or even played each other. The cammag can be any stick with a bent end, and is similar in design to the caman in shinty, both unlike the Irish camán, having no blade. A gorse wood cammag, if of suitable size and shape, was a very much treasured possession. The crick can be made from cork or wood, and varied from circular to egg-shaped, sized from approximately two inches in circumference to the size of a fist. Old accounts tell that the crick was sometimes covered in cloth or leather.

The Manx word Cammag, as in modern Scottish Gaelic and Irish camán, is derived from the Gaelic root word cam, meaning bent.

Cammag season started on Hunt the Wren Day (26 December) and was only played by men (of all ages) during the winter. Corris's Close (now Athol Street) was the chief playing-ground in the town of Peel.

In modern times, an annual match of cammag is played in St John's.

Recent matches

An open Cammag match is played on Boxing Day/Hunt the Wren Day (26th December) on the Tynwald field at St John's. Matches are held between the North and the South of the island. Research by David Fisher in the archives of Manx National Heritage clarified that the Northern line historically ran from the Grand Island Hotel to Niarbyl, south of Peel. The game usually starts at 2 p.m., and is played over three 20-minute "halves".

Teams are informal and unregulated, often numbering more than 50 people (both males and females) on the field - historic commentary cites matches played with anywhere between four and two hundred players. In recent years, the match has been refereed by local radio presenter John Kaneen. Playing equipment is supposed to consist of a bent stick, though there are many variations on the design. The game is a physically demanding contact sport, and protective equipment is advised.

The game usually revolves around a central pack, where a large number of players are confined in a small space, and the ball cannot move large distances. Breakout attacks down the open wings occasionally take place, though the large number of players in the centre of the field makes it difficult to attack the staked-out goals from outside positions.

The 2005 St John's match resulted in a 4-2 win for the North, despite being heavily outnumbered by a Southern side that included Peel for the second time. The North managed to control the game by holding the ball in the centre pack (where a relatively small number of players have access to the ball), and playing a solid defensive game. Scorers for the North were David Fisher(2), Ean Radcliffe and Roy Kennaugh.

The 2006 St John's match resulted in a 4-4 draw, the outnumbered North coming back from a 4-2 deficit at the end of the second period to draw the match level. Referee John Kaneen decided that the South should hold the cup until the 2007 match.

Numbers again proved the key in the 2007 match, the North being outnumbered 2 to 1, leading to a 5-1 loss in the face of overwhelming odds.

The 2008 match resulted in a 5-4 win for the North, despite being outnumbered by a large Southern side. The North closed a 4-1 deficit in the final third of the match to draw level at full time, then scored in the sudden death period to win the match. Scorers for the North included Ean Radcliffe (pushover goal), Rob Teare, Paul Rogers and Jole Fisher (2 goals).

The 2009 match resulted in a 4-3 win for the North. The South led by 2-0 at the end of the first period, but failed to hold on to their lead. At the end of the final period, the match was drawn at 3-3, and went to extra time. The North scored to win the match 4-3. The match was an intensely physical game that included many ground mauls.

The 2010 match was refereed by David Fisher, John Kaneen and Stewart Bennett. The match was dominated by a much larger southern side, including four goalkeepers at one point, but the North held on for a 2-2 draw at the end of the third half. Scorers for the North were Jole Fisher and Ean Radcliffe, whilst well known player John "Dog" Collister kept goal. The match went to sudden death, which was won by the South who massed for a pushover goal against the outnumbered North.

The 2011 match was again a game of numbers, a very much larger southern side making it an unbalanced game against the few northern players. The southern side held the majority of possession, and the south's much larger numbers meant that the northern side was on the defensive for much of the match. Although the south were judged to be the winners, the goal tally was disputed as some of the southern goals were disallowed for kicking of the ball across the line, which the referee judged to be against the spirit of the game. The substantial imbalance in teams meant that the gameplay was considerably different this year, with fewer ground mauls and frequent breakouts from the central pack, the north hard-pressed to provide enough players to counter southern attacks.

• 2005 : North 4 - 2 South
• 2006 : North 4 - 4 South
• 2007 : North 1 - 5 South
• 2008 : North 5 - 4 South
• 2009 : North 4 - 3 South
• 2010 : North 2 - 2 South
• 2011 : South 3 - 0 North

References

Sources

• Gill, W. Walter (1934), Manx Dialect Words and Phrases, Bristol: J. W. Arrowsmith, http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/md1933/index.htm 
• Moore, Arthur William; Morrison, Sophia (1924) (preview), A Vocabulary of the Anglo-Manx Dialect, 1924], http://books.google.co.jp/books?id=t9o4AQAAIAAJ 
  • Isle of Man.com