Space-age Hurl?

[GaillimhIarthair]

Space-age Hurl

There might not have been too much of note in O'Moore Park on Sunday as Offaly dished out a 16-points defeat to Laois, but the game did mark one significant event.

Offaly wing-back Diarmuid Horan - whose father Padraig skippered them to their first All-Ireland in 1981 and heralded a glorious new era for hurling - made his championship debut.

However, what was noteworthy was that the 20-year old did not use a hurl made from ash. Instead, Horan used a graphite stick of synthetic materials which has been produced by an Offaly company following almost six years of research.

A number of alternatives to the ash hurl have been tried over the years but the acid test was always going to be when a player felt comfortable bringing it into the heat of senior championship hurling. A Ferbane-based company called Cultec, headed up by businessmen John Grehan and Tom Wright, has spent six years developing the product.

Grehan points out that every other sport in the world has moved away from timber - such tennis rackets, golf clubs, badminton rackets, fishing rods, baseball bats and snooker cues - and that it was only a matter of time before hurling did.

The fact that the Cultec hurls rarely break made them appealing to underage teams - they can be handed down - but Horan's use in senior championship hurling is probably the most significant step forward in the sport in a long time.

The player himself says that he finds it better than the ash stick, pointing out that there is a cleaner and marginally longer strike.

We have all seen the advances in the likes of tennis and golf as science makes a bigger contribution to the rackets and clubs used.

It will be interesting to see the progress which will be made in hurling but there is no doubt, Diarmuid Horan's use of a non-ash hurl in Portlaoise on Sunday represents a milestone for the sport.

[AZOffaly]

I know the two lads who are making these hurls. They are supposed to be lovely to hurl with, nice balance. They're both from my club at home, so I hope they do really well. Johnny Grehan is the father of Gerry Grehan, who is currently breaking into the Offaly Senior football team.

[BenDover]

Is there any more details on these hurls lads, like how much do they cost? any pics out there?

[AZOffaly]

http://www.cultec.ie Is the website. don't be put off by the funny colours, they are only available for kids hurls, so they can be cool

The 'ash' one is available at all sizes, and looks nice.

PS. I'm not affiliated in any way with these lads, other than the same home town, so I'm not 'spamming'

[thejuice]

Would be nice to give one a try, I remember using one of the old fibre-glass ones, was a terrible hurl. But if players are taking these to I-C level then they must have some worth. Will we be seeing hurls flashier than the boots in the near future 

[Gnevin]

Would be nice to give one a try, I remember using one of the old fibre-glass ones, was a terrible hurl. But if players are taking these to I-C level then they must have some worth. Will we be seeing hurls flashier than the boots in the near future 

Wasn't the problem with the fibre-glass one was they where breaking arms and legs instead on breaking in half ? How do these over come this?