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If a knockout game finishes in a draw, a replay is played. If a replay finishes in a draw, 20 minutes (10 minutes a side) extra time is played. If the game is still tied, another replay is played.
If a knockout game finishes in a draw, a replay is played. If a replay finishes in a draw, 20 minutes (10 minutes a side) extra time is played. If the game is still tied, another replay is played.


In club competitions replays are increasingly not used due to the fixture backlogs caused. Instead, extra time is played after a draw, and if the game is still level after that it will go to a replay.
In club competitions replays are increasingly not used due to the fixture backlogs caused. Instead, extra time is played after a draw, and if the game is still level after that it will go to a replay. In some counties, a [[penalty shoot-out]] or 65 m puck shoot-out is played instead of a replay. <!-- Do not remove: these have been used in Co. Kildare -->


In inter-County matches there has been a call for a dedicated time keeper, as referees can often be accused of playing enough extra time for the purpose of a draw. As draws are replayed, it consititutes a huge capital gain for the G.A.A.
In inter-County matches there has been a call for a dedicated time keeper, as referees can often be accused of playing enough extra time for the purpose of a draw. As draws are replayed, it consititutes a huge capital gain for the G.A.A.

Revision as of 16:52, 11 October 2006

For the Cornish sport, see Cornish Hurling.
File:Countieshf.GIF
The counties of Ireland, coloured by dominant sport. The blue counties are hurling's heartland, hurling and Gaelic football are equally popular in the green counties, while hurling is a minor sport in the yellow counties.

Hurling (Irish, Iománaíocht) is an outdoor team sport of Celtic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks and a ball. The game, played primarily in Ireland, is arguably the world's fastest field team sport in terms of game play (however the ball travels faster in other field games such as hockey). It resembles the games of shinty that is played primarily in Scotland, cammag on the Isle of Man and bandy that was played formerly in England and Wales. Hurling played by women is also known as camogie. One of Ireland's native sports, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, number of players, and much terminology.

Game

File:Hurlingincrokepark.jpg
Kilkenny V Wexford in Croke Park
Camán and sliotar (hurling stick and ball)

The objective of this field game is for one of two teams to score more goals and points, during a match, than the other. A team comprises 15 players, or "hurlers."

The stick, which is known as a hurley or camán, is made traditionally from the root of the Ash tree and is generally 70–100 cm (26–40 inches) in length with a flat face opposite its handle called a bas. The ball, which is known as a sliotar, is made of leather and 6.5 cm (2.5 inches) in diameter. The goalkeeper's hurley has a bas twice the size of other players' hurleys to provide some advantage for the fast moving sliotar. A good strike with a stick can propel the ball up to 150 km/h (93 mph) in speed and 100 m (305 ft) in distance.

The sliotar may be struck with the hurley from the ground, or it may be caught in the hand before being struck with the hurley or "hand-passed" (see below). Kicking the sliotar is also permitted, but the ball's small size means it can only be kicked about 10 m (11 yd).

Accidental collisions between players and equipment do occur and so a plastic protective helmet with faceguard is recommended (mandatory for players under 21).

Rules

Playing Field

The pitch is of grass and rectangular, stretching 130-150 metres long and 80–90 metres wide. There are H-shaped goalposts at each end with a net on the bottom section. The same pitch is used for Gaelic football; the GAA, which organises both sports, decided this to facilitate dual usage. Lines are marked at 13 m, 20 m and 65 m from each end-line. Shorter pitches and smaller goals are used by under-13s and younger.

Teams

Teams consist of fifteen players and they line out as below:

No. 1 Goalkeeper.

No. 2 Right Corner Back. No. 3 Full Back. No. 4 Left Corner Back.

No. 5 Right Wing Back. No. 6 Centre Back. No. 7 Left Wing Back.

No. 8 Midfield. No. 9 Midfield.

No. 10 Right Wing Forward. No.11 Centre Forward. No. 12 Left Wing Forward.

No. 13 Right Corner Forward. No.14 Full Forward. No. 15 Left Corner Forward.

The panel is made up of 24-30 players and 5 substitutions are allowed per game.

Timekeeping

Senior inter-county matches last 70 minutes (35 minutes a half). All other matches last 60 minutes (30 minutes a half). For age groups of under-13 or lower, games may be shortened to 50 minutes. Timekeeping is at the discretion of the referee who adds on stoppage time at the end of each half.

If a knockout game finishes in a draw, a replay is played. If a replay finishes in a draw, 20 minutes (10 minutes a side) extra time is played. If the game is still tied, another replay is played.

In club competitions replays are increasingly not used due to the fixture backlogs caused. Instead, extra time is played after a draw, and if the game is still level after that it will go to a replay. In some counties, a penalty shoot-out or 65 m puck shoot-out is played instead of a replay.

In inter-County matches there has been a call for a dedicated time keeper, as referees can often be accused of playing enough extra time for the purpose of a draw. As draws are replayed, it consititutes a huge capital gain for the G.A.A.

Technical Fouls

The following are considered technical fouls ("fouling the ball"):

  • Picking the ball directly off the ground
  • Throwing the ball
  • Going five steps with the ball in the hand. It may be bounced or carried on the hurley though.
  • Catching the ball three times in a row without it touching the ground (touching the hurley does not count)
  • Putting the ball from one hand to the other
  • Handpassing a goal or point
  • Throwing the hurley
  • Square ball, an often controversial rule: If, at the moment the ball is played towards the goal, there is already an attacking player inside the small rectangle, a free out is awarded.

Scoring

Scoring is achieved by sending the sliotar (ball) between the opposition's goal posts. The posts, which are at each end of the field, are "H" posts as in rugby football but with a net under the crossbar as in soccer. The posts are seven yards (6.37 m) apart and the crossbar is seven feet (2.12 m) above the ground.

If the ball goes over the crossbar, a point is scored and a white flag is raised by an umpire. If the ball goes below the crossbar, a goal, worth three points, is scored, and a green flag is raised by an umpire. The goal is guarded by a goalkeeper. Scores are recorded in the format {goal total} - {point total}. For example, the 1995 All-Ireland final finished: Clare 1-13 Offaly 2-8. Thus Clare won "one thirteen to two eight" (16 to 14). 0-11 is referred to as "eleven points", never "zero eleven". 2-0 is referred to as "two goals", never "two zero". 0-0 is said "no score".

Tackling

Players may be tackled but not struck by a one handed slash of the stick; exceptions are two handed jabs and strikes. Jersey-pulling, wrestling, pushing and tripping are all forbidden. There are several forms of acceptable tackling, the most popular being:

  • the block, where one player attempts to smother an opposing players strike by trapping the ball between his hurley and the opponent's swinging hurley;
  • the hook, where a player approaches another player from a rear angle and attempts to catch the opponent's hurley with his own at the top of the swing; and
  • the side pull, where two players running together for the sliotar will collide at the shoulders and swing together to win the tackle.

Restarting play

  • The match begins with the referee throwing the sliotar in between the four midfielders on the halfway line.
  • After an attacker has scored or put the ball wide of the goals, the goalkeeper may take a puckout from the hand at the edge of the small square. All players must be beyond the 20 m line.
  • After a defender has put the ball wide of the goals, an attacker may take a "65" from the 65 m line level with where the ball went wide. It must be taken by lifting and striking.
  • After a player has put the ball over the sideline, the other team may take a sideline puck at the point where the ball left the pitch. It must be taken from the ground.
  • After a player has committed a foul, the other team may take a free at the point where the foul was committed. It must be taken by lifting and striking.
  • After a defender has committed a foul inside the large rectangle, the other team may take a penalty from the ground from the centre of the 20 m line. Only the goalkeeper and two defenders may guard the goals. It must be taken by lifting and striking.
  • If many players are struggling for the ball and it is not clear who was fouled first, the referee may choose to throw the ball in between two opposing players.

Officials

A hurling match is watched over by 8 officials:

  • The referee
  • Two linesmen
  • Sideline Official/Standby Linesman (inter-county games only)
  • Four umpires (two at each end)

The referee is responsible for starting and stopping play, recording the score, awarding frees and booking and sending off players.
Linesmen are responsible for indicating the direction of line balls to the referee.
The fourth official is responsible for overseeing substitutions, and also indicating the amount of stoppage time (signalled to him by the referee) and the players substituted using an electronic board.
The umpires are responsible for judging the scoring. They indicate to the referee whether a shot was: wide (spread both arms), a 65 m puck (raise one arm), a point (wave white flag), or a goal (wave green flag).
All officials are also supposed to indicate to the referee anything he may have missed, although this is a rare occurrence. The referee can over-rule any decision by a linesman or umpire.

Positions

Further information: Gaelic football and Hurling positions

History

Fragments of law predating the Brehon Laws refer to hurling and may have been written before AD 400.

12th century

The tale of the Táin Bó Cuailgne (drawing on earlier legends) describes the hero Cúchulainn playing hurling at Eoghain Macha.

Meallbreatha describes punishments for injuring a player in several games, most of which resemble hurling.

The Seanchás Mór commentaries on the Brehon Law state that the son of a rí (local king) could have his hurley hooped in bronze, while others could only use copper. It was illegal to confiscate a hurley.

13th century

Statute of Kilkenny forbids hurling due to excessive violence.

16th century

1527: Statute recorded in Galway City: "At no time to use ne occupy ye hurling of ye litill balle with the hookie sticks or staves, nor use no hand balle to play without the walls, but only the great foot balle."

1587: Lord Chancellor William Gerrarde complains that English settlers of the Munster Plantation are speaking Irish and playing hurling.

19th century

The GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) is formed in 1884 in Thurles, Tipperary.

20th century

The 20th century saw greater organisation in Hurling and Gaelic Football. The all-Ireland Hurling championship came into existence along with the provincial championships. Cork, Kilkenny and Tipperary dominated hurling in the 20th century with each of these counties winning more than 20 All-Ireland titles each. Wexford, Waterford, Clare, Limerick, Offaly, Dublin, and Galway were also strong hurling counties during the 20th century.

21st century

As hurling entered the new millennium, it remains Ireland's second most popular sport. An extended qualifier system resulted in a longer All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, but Cork and Kilkenny have come to dominate the championship (they have won six of the seven All-Irelands so far played) and some argue that the All-Ireland has become less competitive. Pay-for-play remains controversial and the Gaelic Players Association continues to grow in strength. The inauguration of the Christy Ring Cup and Nicky Rackard Cup gave new championships and an opportunity to play in Croke Park to the weaker county teams.

National and international

Although many hurling clubs exist worldwide, only Ireland has a national team. It and the Scotland shinty team have played for many years with modified match rules (as with Gaelic football and Australian rules football). The match is the only such international competition. However, competition at club level is growing in Europe with teams in several countries. In June 2006, the first ever European County Hurling team played Donegal Senior Panelists (from Setanta Hurling Club, Killygordon) in Brussels with plans to compete in the 2007 Nicky Rackard Cup.

Outside of the traditional American GAA cities of New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, clubs are springing up in places like Purdue, Indiana, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Denver, Colorado, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon. These clubs are different from older clubs in that they consist of predominantly American-born players who bring a new dimension to the game and actively seek to promote it as a mainstream sport.

Major hurling competitions

Famous former players

Famous present players

References

External links

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