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St Columb Hurling

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An online archive of Hurling photos, stories and newspaper clippings

03/10/2026

Silver B**r and Silver Cocoa 1951
Any names please

14/09/2026

St Columb Hurling get 2 mentions in the Guinness book of World Records. One for the Largest sports pitch and also in the category for the longest running ball sports fixture. Under the classification of 'Medieval Football'

13/07/2026

The second hurl at St Columb, as reported in the Cornish Guardian on March 1, 1956, proved to be a notably brief affair, ultimately resulting in a victory for the Countrymen over the Townsmen. The proceedings were marked by the participation of Mr. Jack Robertson, the Middlesex and England cricketer, who was invited to "throw up" the silver ball to begin the match.
Mr. Robertson expressed that he considered it a great honour to be asked to officiate, particularly as a newcomer to the county. In a lighthearted comment, he joked that he was thankful such expensive balls were not used in the sport of cricket, remarking that the game would quickly face bankruptcy if clubs were required to pay between £20 and £30 for every new ball.
The logistics of the event followed a precise schedule, with the ball being "called up" by Mr. Tony Hawkey in Market Square at 4:15 p.m., followed by the official start of the game at 4:30 p.m. Mr. Hawkey, a young Townsman who had previously successfully "goaled" the ball on Shrove Tuesday, was also responsible for extending the invitation to Mr. Robertson to preside over the final hurl of the event.
(Cornish Guardian, Thursday 01 March 1956, page 3)

17/06/2026

Did anyone else watch Antiques Roadshow last Sunday? They showed some great old footage of the Scottish Borders Ba' game and featured these traditional leather balls

Couldn't help thinking how incredibly similar the Ba' game setup and spirit are to St Columb Hurling! It’s brilliant to see these ancient community traditions getting some national TV spotlight.

23/04/2026

Rare Hurling memorabilia
Has anyone got one of these?
It’s enamelled silver.
This one came up on EBay recently

11/04/2026

Hurling Ball from 1920s
Won by Frank Rowe
Now in Truro museum

01/04/2026

🏆 HURLING COMMITTEE: EMERGENCY SILVER RECLAMATION 🏆
Subject: Sustainability and the price of Silver Crisis

As many of you are aware, the soaring cost of raw silver has hit our equipment budget hard. With raw material costs now exceeding £600 per ball, the Committee has made three executive decisions to ensure the next years hurl can proceed with the quality of silver the town expects.

1. THE "RECLAIM THE GLORY" INITIATIVE 🥈

We are making a direct appeal to past winners and families holding multiple trophies from previous years.

While we understand the pride in owning a winning ball, we currently have dozens of balls sitting on mantelpieces across the parish while our current stock is depleted. If you are fortunate enough to own more than one ball, we strongly urge you to consider "donating" a retired ball back to the Committee for professional buffing or recasting.

“A ball in a glass case is a memory; a ball in the street is a tradition.”

2. SCRAP COLLECTION: HALLMARKED ONLY 🔍

To supplement our melt-down stock, we are accepting donations of household silver. However, to maintain the structural integrity of the ball during high-impact play, we have strict purity standards.

We can ONLY accept items with a clear British Hallmark (Lion Passant):

Solid Silver Only: Trays, heavy cutlery, and trophies.

Strictly NO Plate: We cannot accept EPNS or silver-plated items. The base metals (copper/nickel) create "soft spots" which cause the ball to deform or crack when hitting granite.

3 ⚠️ PROPOSED SPECIFICATION CHANGE: THE "3/4 BALL" ⚪️

If our silver reclamation goals are not met by the end of the month, the Committee will be forced to commission 3/4 size balls for next year’s matches.

While we recognize this is a departure from centuries of tradition, a reduced diameter would allow us to maintain the use of genuine silver while cutting material volume by approximately 40%. The Committee is currently reviewing the impact this may have on throwing distances and "scrum visibility."

"We would rather play with a smaller silver ball than a full-sized copper one."

📍 HOW TO HELP

The "Winner’s Return": Previous winners wishing to return a ball for the good of the game can do so anonymously via the Town Hall.

Testing: A Committee member will be present this Saturday with a testing kit to verify hallmarked donations.

The Committee would rather not resort to playing with copper-plated alternatives, but without your support, the 2027 season may look very different.

Signed,
The Hurling Equipment & Heritage Subcommittee

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Saint Columb

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