Cornwall Guide

At first glance St Columb Major appears to be a sleepy Cornish village where not a lot happens but twice a year this small town boards up all its windows and shops then battens down the hatches ready for the ancient Cornish game of hurling.

A team from outside of the village is assembled to do battle with the team from St Columb and the game begins to the cry of "Town and country do your best. But in this parish I must rest".

A silver ball the size of a cricket ball is thrown into the crowd and the two teams then battle for possession of the ball, unlike the Irish game of hurling the teams don't use sticks. This usually then turns into a chase all around the town and even in to the neighbouring countryside as the two teams battle it out. Cornish Hurling has no rules and no referee, on occasions the two teams have even carried the game into private houses, shops and pubs

Each team can be made up of a hundred or more people and the aim of the game is to get the silver ball to two goals set roughly two miles apart or to get the ball over the parish boundary. The whole spectacle usually lasts all day and celebrations for the winner all evening as the victorious team parade the silver ball through the village pubs dunking it in gallon jugs of beer which are then shared out amongst the team.

When
Hurling the Silver Ball in St Columb is held each year on Shrove Tuesday at 4:30 pm and then again on the second Saturday after (11 days later), if you're in Cornwall at the time it's great fun, something to tell your friends about and not to be missed!

The Origins of Hurling the Silver Ball
The origins of Cornish hurling date back to Celtic times and was once considered to be Cornwall's national sport, the game is unique to Cornwall and has some similarities to rugby or football. Some historians believe that at one time hurling was linked to an ancient fertility ritual which was then turned into a game after the onset of Christianity.

The ball itself can be any size but is usually around the size of a cricket ball and weighs about a pound, the ball is wooden inside and coated with thick silver, the ball used at St Columb is made locally from apple wood and sterling silver.

A hundred years ago the hurling was common all across Cornwall but sadly today it only survives in two towns; St Columb Major and St Ives. In Cornish it is known as hyrlîan.