Congratulations to Johnny Grehan and Tom Wright on their inter county senior hurling debuts last Sunday It's great to see a small company like that spotting a niche in the market, and hopefully they go on and build from it. I've heard good things about the hurleys themselves, and maybe they'll cut down a bit on the expense involved in buying hurls for underage, as well as senior players.
For those of you who haven't a clue what I'm on about .....
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.
Shane Gavin. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
I've used one of these hurls recently and I think they're only mighty!!!
Lighter than any other type of ash hurl which allows to get a quick swing/whip away. The stick is just beautiful too, very crisp and smooth. The thing I love amount them as that there are no shocks running up through your arms when trying to give it a long strike. Also, you'd expect the ball to fly off the hurl with plastic sliotars nowadays but no, it hits it fairly dead.
The only thing I not so sure about is the boss. I know they come in various lenghts, but I'd like to see them come in various widths and dimensions on the lower part of the hurl.
I think the blue and red colours are only for underage. The 34'' and 36'' (I think) hurls only come in 'ash' like what Diarmuid Horan was using in Portlaoise. One thing is for certain, they are not the same Wavin hurleys that were on the go about 25 years ago. Them yokes would have your arms ringing after every clash, or even just striking the ball.
Shane Gavin. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
Great to See a company done well Johnny is a nice fellow and deserves it . I thought Diarmuids hurl looked a little different the boss seemed smaller but didnt affect the lenght of his stricking
That's a thought actually. It'd be in the company's best interests to have nice, crisp hurlers like Diarmuid Horan and James Rigney etc using the hurls, and staying away from bad strikers, until they get established
Shane Gavin. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
I don't like the sound of graphite hurls.
Is there anything in the rulebook about this. Do the hurls have to be made from any particular material or percentage of wood?
Down the line I can see synthetic hurls having a detrimental effect on the game similar to graphite rackets in tennis for example.
How much do they charge? Do they break easily?
They are dearer than Ash hurls some one told me a 27'' was €25, which is very expensive but i think its good that this company saw a niche in the market place for this hurl. I dont know if the break easily or can be repaired easily but the quality of ash hurls recently are a disgrace.After reading other websites it next to near impossible to get an Ash hurl from a good supplier like Stars Hurls in Kilkenny.
azoffaly wrote: One thing is for certain, they are not the same Wavin hurleys that were on the go about 25 years ago. Them yokes would have your arms ringing after every clash, or even just striking the ball.
Oh jaysus, I remember them The were durable white plastic hurls that vibrated violently when hit. Designed to populate the underage ranks and be everlasting,... absolutely unplayable they were.
I reckon these cultec hurls could be the solution. The only drawback is the one style bas they have. If you look around at modern ash hurls, there are at least 2 main styles used. It's time for these to take their place on the big stage and for a local company to do well.
Fair play!
It's great to see a small company like that spotting a niche in the market, and hopefully they go on and build from it. I've heard good things about the hurleys themselves, and maybe they'll cut down a bit on the expense involved in buying hurls for underage, as well as senior players.
The were durable white plastic hurls that vibrated violently when hit. Designed to populate the underage ranks and be everlasting,... absolutely unplayable they were. 