Craig Morrison 1989-2009
Always the first name on the teamsheet whenever and wherever the Black and Blue is worn…
This section of the website is dedicated to the memory of the late Craig Morrison who was tragically taken from his family in early July 2009.
Craig’s passing was marked by an impeccable minute silence at the Hebridean Celtic Festival Challenge Cup Final the following week.
His death left a hole in the club where his enthusiasm and dedication to training was unmatched, time permitting.
Our thoughts will always be with his family and in 2010 the club created a lasting memorial to Craig and his passion for shinty in conjunction with their wishes with the establishment of the Craig Morrison Shield which is presented to the winners of the Craig Morrison Stornoway Shinty Sixes.
The first winners of the trophy were Skye Camanachd and the trophy was presented in front of Craig’s family and friends by his father Graham Morrison. A report on the first tournament can be read here.http://news.stv.tv/highlands-islands/185462-shinty-tournament-tribute-to-quad-bike-accident-player/
The 2011 tournament was played between 3 Lewis Camanachd teams. Lewis “B” were the winners.
After a year’s abeyance, the competition was reinvigorated in 2013 with a fantastic four team tournament involving Lewis “A”, Lewis “B”, Kincraig and Uist. Lewis “A” won an entertaining and skilful competition but the real winner was shinty in the islands, to which Craig was dedicated intensely. Craig’s mother and father presented the trophy and his mother said “He would have loved this.” His memory will always be cherished by those who played alongside him and future generations of Lewis players will know the role he played in the club’s early years.
The 2014 competition was held on Saturday 21 June. It was won by Will Church’s VI.
In 2015, the competition moved midweek as part of the Fichead Bliadhna Festival and was a roaring success with 5 teams, including a new ladies side, and several guests from away making the numbers swell. It was won by the Tina Turners, captained by Peter Gomez. As Craig’s mother Kareen said, “He was never prouder than when he represented Camanachd Leòdhais, and so proud myself that team are remembering him in this way .”
The 2016 running repeated the HebCelt experiment and was another success with Michael MacLeod’s Simply the Best VI winning the trophy.
The 2017 running tied into the tenth anniversary season and awards dinner of the club as a senior team, an anniversary that Craig would surely have been very proud of. The club were very happy to welcome back Stromeferry No Ferry United, but also to welcome Premiership Glenurquhart from Drumnadrochit. The Glen showed their level of shinty to take the shield back to the mainland, but it was a great day for shinty in Lewis and Harris.
In 2018, Stromeferry returned and this time the trophy was theirs. The event was held in October again to tie in with the end of season awards.
In 2019, it was a young Strathglass team managed by former Lewis player, Eòghan Stewart, a former team mate of Craig’s, who won the trophy, again held in October to bring another year of shinty in Lewis & Harris to a close.
In 2020, the COVID Pandemic obviously had ramifications, with travel for mainland clubs limited, so in order to maintain the tradition of remembering Craig, the Shield was contested by two Leòdhasach squads on the 31st of October, playing 8 a-side. Aptly, the game was 2-2 apiece at the end, and the honours were divided between the two teams. A fitting gesture for a tournament dedicated to the memory of a man who loved playing shinty no matter the result.
In 2021, the Shield was again played in Craig’s honour this time as 7-a-side intra-club match and the Reds came out victorious.
In 2022, a full season of shinty meant the tournament was run in November and also involved the first visit of a team from the Mainland since 2019. Inverness brought two very talented sides but it was won by Lewis Camanachd B, the first time a home team had lifted the trophy since 2016 and also the first time since 2013 Lewis had overcome visiting sides to keep the trophy in Lewis.
In 2023, at the end of a very successful season for the club, we played tribute to Craig yet again. it was fitting that the winning team Lewis B featured a guest appearance from Euan Gilmour of Tayforth, who learned his shinty in the Dubh is Gorm, as well as visiting side led by Al Reed, another Camanachd Leòdhais alumnus.
In the future, it is hoped the competition continues to thrive and will remain a lasting memorial for Craig.
