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Ref: Field Hockey international match played at Celtic Park
Period: 2 March 1907 (link)
Field Hockey
FYI: For Non-UK readers: In the UK & Ireland (as well as various others countries), ‘hockey’ refers primarily to ‘Field Hockey’, whilst in North America, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe it refers to ‘Ice Hockey’. This article when it refers to ‘hockey’ is referring to Field Hockey.
When Celtic played Aberdeen away on 2nd March 1907, Sunny Jim Young was playing for the Scottish League at Ibrox against the English League in a low attended match with the general public mostly apathetic about the fixture. This meant that Celtic Park was vacant for the day.
To fill the gap, Celtic Park hosted an international Hockey game (Field Hockey) between Ireland & Scotland, this being the men’s teams competing. This was possible as it was in the days when hockey was played on grass pitches unlike the modern day when it is played on artificial grass or plastic pitches.
Scotland earned a surprise draw v Ireland, which the Glasgow Herald reported that it was a great deal as “the Irish play is the embodiment of the highest ideals of the science” and it was expected that the Irish “would gain a substantial victory“.
Additionally, the report stated (likely with some hyperbole due to the surprise result):
“The game will rank not only as the finest yet played in Scotland, but as one of the most thrilling Internationals ever played“.
If any consolation to Irish hockey fans, the Irish ladies hockey team had won their game v Scotland’s ladies side two days beforehand.
Herald 4 Mar 1907
