St Columb Hurling

St Columb Hurling An online archive of Hurling photos, stories and newspaper clippings

Rare Hurling memorabilia Has anyone got one of these? It’s enamelled silver. This one came up on EBay recently
23/04/2026

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

Hurling Ball from 1920sWon by Frank RoweNow in Truro museum
11/04/2026

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

🏆 HURLING COMMITTEE: EMERGENCY SILVER RECLAMATION 🏆Subject: Sustainability and the price of Silver CrisisAs many of you ...
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

More photos from Pippa Rowe
29/03/2026

More photos from Pippa Rowe

1949
28/03/2026

1949

3 photo from the 1940s Thanks to Pippa Rowe for sharing
28/03/2026

3 photo from the 1940s
Thanks to Pippa Rowe for sharing

St Columb Saturday Hurling 2026.Under much better weather conditions than Shrove Tuesday, a large crowd gathered for the...
11/03/2026

St Columb Saturday Hurling 2026.

Under much better weather conditions than Shrove Tuesday, a large crowd gathered for the St Columb Saturday Hurling match in 2026.

Following the 4:30 PM throw-up and the traditional cry - "Town and Country do your best, for in this parish I must rest" - the game moved through the main streets in a spirited mix of scrumming and passing. In keeping with local custom, play was occasionally paused to allow onlookers of all ages to handle the silver ball.
The match intensified as the one-hour mark approached. Countryman William Ellery made a determined break down Bank Street toward the Country goal, but he was intercepted on New Road by a Townsman. The resulting scramble allowed the rest of the field to catch up and stall the momentum. Eventually, the ball was worked back through the churchyard to the Recreation Ground, where 38-year-old Kaylup Johns gained possession. Johns took the ball via Halveor Lane and ran unchallenged to the Mawgan Parish boundary at Carnanton Woods to secure the win.
By keeping the ball in the town for the full hour, Johns collected a £50 reward offered by 1994 Town winner Mark Windebank. This victory makes Johns a dual-winner, having previously won for the Country in 2019. He will remain the custodian of the ball until next Shrove Tuesday on February 9, 2027.

Former Town winner, Mark Windebank throws up the ball.

Thanks to Claire Biscard for this 1950s photo. It came from her Grandmother, Lily Stevenson who is in the photo somewher...
09/03/2026

Thanks to Claire Biscard for this 1950s photo.
It came from her Grandmother, Lily Stevenson who is in the photo somewhere.

Newquay Voice did a variation of my write up.It’s good to get the info out to our neighbouring communities. I’m not sure...
27/02/2026

Newquay Voice did a variation of my write up.
It’s good to get the info out to our neighbouring communities. I’m not sure they fully understand! 😉

Saturday Hurl 28th Feb 2026. St Columb Major.Traffic should avoid Driving or Parking anywhere along the Main Street, (be...
27/02/2026

Saturday Hurl 28th Feb 2026. St Columb Major.
Traffic should avoid Driving or Parking anywhere along the Main Street, (between The Silver Ball and the Ring O Bells) from 4.30pm and 5.30pm.

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