It is a great time of year in Ireland right now. Our national sport hurling is in championship mode. Ireland is divided up by counties. Every year each county competes in its province. If they win their province then they get through to the All Ireland championship. The county I live in is called Tipperary. It is one of the best counties in Ireland at hurling. The top 4 at the moment are Limerick (Current Champions young and relentless) Tipperary (skillful,strong with a good attack) Kilkenny (the Barcelona of hurling), Galway (had a bad championship and are knocked but still one of the best). Cork and Wexford deserve a mention also) So to the @sportstalkssocial family what is hurling?
Its the second fastest ball game on the planet. Bloomberg once described hurling as
a cross between hockey and murder.
Hurling is played with wooden ash sticks which are also great weapons to have in the room in case of intruders. The pitch is around the size of a rugby pitch and like in football a goal is a goal. Over the goal (like in rugby ) you can score what we call a point. A goal is the equivalent of 3 points. So when you are watching you will be able to see the score on the top left. For example:
Cork 1-11 Tipperary 2-7
If you calculate the scores it is 14 points to 13 points to Cork.
Lets take a look.
Now after watching that you will think there are no rules. The main rule is that you cannot run with the sliotar (hard tennis ball that could knock you out) in your hand for more than two-three steps. You have to run with the ball on the hurley or flake the ball up the pitch to a forward. Now hurling is fast and I played it all my life. You have to think quick or you get a big elephant of a man coming in walloping you square in the thigh with his hurley. At that stage the adrenaline is in full swing and you continue on regardless only to wake up the next day with a bruise the size of Calcutta on your arse. This game is dangerous. It is compulsory to wear a helmet for obvious reasons. The most common injury is the broken fingers from a hurl coming down on you while you catch a sliotar in the air.
Sky Sports have bought the rights to hurling now as they can see its potential. And now alot of people from the UK are hooked.
I will leave you with the last ten minutes of the 2014 All Ireland Final between the two best team that year which were Tipperary and Kilkenny and it was a neck and neck until the final whistle. So this Sunday is the quarter finals of the Ireland. Tune into skysports for the live action. You will not be sorry.