Lads, I was just watching some cricket on sky this evening and was wondering would'nt hurlers make great cricket batsmen. Some of the balls they were missing seemed easy compared to the speed hurling is played at, considering it is the fastest field sport in the world?? Ireland's hurlers for the next world cup then??

soitis5 (Down) - Posts: 27 - 23/02/2010 21:59:20    571513

What about the other way round?! I saw Kevin O'Brien hit a couple of huge shots when Ireland played the West Indies a couple of summers ago in Clontarf. And Eoin Morgan's got a bit of oomph behind him. Maybe he could tog out for the London hurlers when not playing for Middlesex!!

Tongo (UK) - Posts: 1795 - 24/02/2010 08:08:17    571523

had a pal who won a Harty Cup medal at centre forward went to Uni over here and one dasy Uni cricket team were short and asked him to help out, ended up smashingteh ball all over teh place, only problem he said was with the spin, dealing with the fast bowlers was easy he said.

Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 2099 - 24/02/2010 09:02:08    571547

Ball travels at higher speed in cricket and its over shorter distance so it is not as easy as it looks!

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 24/02/2010 09:38:13    571567

Historically they would have been very close. Notice how the top hurling counties are the counties where there would have been a large number of wealthy Landlords promoting Cricket. Not every county of course but Tipp, Cork and Kilkenny would have been areas with good land that would have attracted bigger farms and gentry.

This all change dof course in the years after 1884 when many of the cricketers took up hurling.

I would say hurlers would be very good at cri cket and visa versa and of course we know that both make fsantastic golfers.

thykingdomcome (Kerry) - Posts: 1206 - 24/02/2010 09:54:58    571574

dealing with spin bowlers would be the only problem i can say and some bouncers but overall most top quality hurlers should be up to county class in england

meath1234 (Meath) - Posts: 203 - 24/02/2010 10:06:18    571584

Most top class sportsmen could excel at a range of sports, once they have a good eye, steady nerve and good co-ordination. Most hurlers can take to Golf like a duck to water despite the reversal of the grip. I have no doubt that with training they could be equally adept at games like cricket or baseball.

corkcelt (Cork) - Posts: 4388 - 24/02/2010 10:12:11    571591

23/02/2010 21:59:20
soitis5
County: Down
Posts: 1

571513 Lads, I was just watching some cricket on sky this evening and was wondering would'nt hurlers make great cricket batsmen. Some of the balls they were missing seemed easy compared to the speed hurling is played at, considering it is the fastest field sport in the world?? Ireland's hurlers for the next world cup then?? .

Not so sure about your comment regarding missing easy balls. A cricket ball is starting its journey from 22 yards away. Its hard enough to get a stick to a 21 yard free yet alone hit it back accurately ensuring that it is either airborne for 80 odd yards or else goes straight to ground to ensure no catch.

Also a cricketer has to worry about the height of bounce, spin and angle that the seam hits the ground - If they knew the ball was coming at full toss its much easier.

ruanua (Donegal) - Posts: 4966 - 24/02/2010 10:18:32    571597

I'd say 'yes'. My village represented Galway v Tipp (Thurles) in the first All-Ireland hurling final in 1888. It seems cricket was very popular back then. This is an extract from the match programme of the commererative centenery game played in 1988:

"It took years for the Irish nation to recover after the famine. During this period the only games played in Ireland were English games such as soccer, cricket, croquet, polo and tennis. These were played by the English soldiers, the gentry and the Royal Irish Constabulary (R.I.C). A new generation of Irish people had grown up who had played no games but who were beginning to take an interest in English games. Cricket had become widespread and there were cricket pitches in many parishes. Three of the Meelick team who played in the first All-Ireland Hurling final were excellent cricket players, while one of these, Pat Mannion of Tiernascragh, was regarded as a world-class prospect. One of the finest cricket pitches of that era can be seen behind Gibson Stoddart's house in front of Longford Castle in Tiernascragh, a few miles from Meelick. It is a beautifully round field; a credit to its designers."


Eoin Morgan (from Wicklow I think) hurled and was man of the match playing England's cricket team last week.

Milic1888 (Galway) - Posts: 132 - 24/02/2010 10:21:33    571602

I read somewhere a while back that the Cricket stronghold of Ireland prior 20th Century were the current strong hurling counties such as KK, Tipp, Limerick and Cork. The local landlords formed teams and they maybe even some suggestion of remuneration. So obviously the transferability of skills is very high. I'll have a look and see if I can find the piece and post it.

gaillimh73 (Galway) - Posts: 669 - 24/02/2010 10:23:06    571603

The only surviving direct connection between GAA and cricket is in north county Dublin where there is or was a big crossover between members of the Man o' War GAA club and The Hills cricket club but Man o' War are football only and hurling is only reviving in north county.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 24/02/2010 10:36:32    571612

gaillimh 73 You are 100% correct. In the 1860's there were over 50 cricket clubs in Tipperary alone. There were landlords forming teams amongst their estate workers playing other landlord's teams and playing the military. The land wars and of course the founding of the GAA and the subsequent ban on "Foreign Games " led to the demise of this cricketing tradition.

corkcelt (Cork) - Posts: 4388 - 24/02/2010 10:45:10    571617

I remember reading somewhere before that initially the landlords organised hurling matches between their pesant farmers but this practise was frowned on after a while and the organised criket matches instead hence the link between criket and hurling??

That dublin lad that plays for england morgan i think his name is, i remember someone telling me he used to hurl. Fact or fiction?

Hag_and_Cheese (Tipperary) - Posts: 6103 - 24/02/2010 12:26:07    571735

Morgan played hurling in primary school. Ed Joyce, another Dub who transferred to England went to Presentation in Bray which i don't think has hurling.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 24/02/2010 13:44:53    571830

gaillimh73 hurling and cricket have no connection read your history son..

richiescats (USA) - Posts: 420 - 24/02/2010 16:35:38    572086

richiescats, that was a bit of a random post! Have you read through this thread at all?

Milic1888 (Galway) - Posts: 132 - 24/02/2010 16:44:31    572095

There is a young bangladeshi who is 12 allegedly playing club hurling in Kilkenny. Now when I say allegedly 12, I think there may be doubts over his age. He is a fantastic hurler and is also on the county Kilkenny cricket team. He can actually throw the ball the length of the under age hurling pitches and is about a foot taller than all his peers. They reckon he is county standard at hurling if he keeps it up. i think both sports have complimentary skills and most decent hurlers are handy at most other sports.

Puddersthecat (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1692 - 24/02/2010 16:50:34    572102

There were over 200 cricket Clubs in Kilkenny at one time or another, there were over 50 cricket Clubs in Tipperary in 1860. There is a book written on the History of " Kilkenny Cricket The Forgotten Game".

corkcelt (Cork) - Posts: 4388 - 24/02/2010 17:01:17    572118

And there remains a large number of cricket clubs in cork which along with Dublin is the bastion of cricket in Ireland.

Puddersthecat (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1692 - 24/02/2010 17:21:23    572148

is there anyone for cricket on the Fair Green?, w/e 9th March

Published Date: 07 March 2007
NO this writer hasn't lost the run of himself. Before hurling or soccer were played by John Lockes or Callan United, the Fair Green was the main cricket ground in the area and cricket was the biggest sport in the locality.
In recent times cricket has again captured the imagination of many people in Ireland who had never previously shown an interest in the sport.
This is mainly due to the Irish crickets team's qualification for this year's World Cup which starts next wADVERTISEMENT

eek in Jamaica.
Many of us we look on the game as very pedestrian - we tend to prefer the cut and thrust of games such as hurling, Gaelic football and rugby. But countries such as Australia and New Zealand, better known for rugby, are also huge followers of the gentle game which still features tea breaks.
History tells us that cricket was the most popular sport played in Ireland throughout the 1800s. In County Kilkenny alone there were over 200 cricket teams actively playing. This is an amazing number of teams considering there are only a little over 40 GAA clubs today.
Michael O'Dwyer's excellent The History of Cricket in County Kilkenny - The Forgotten Game tells us the cricket was played by a cross section of society. It wasn't unusual for landlords to play beside their tenants.
In the Callan area there was a good number of cricket clubs. Mr O'Dwyer's book names teams from Westcourt, Mallardtown, Tullamaine, Callan Cricket Club, Callan Workers, Bauntha and Desart Court Cricket Club. All the townlands around Callan also had their own clubs, places such as Dunnamaggin, Kilmoganny, Caherlesk, Seven Houses, Burnchurch and Cuffsgrange. In the Windgap area there were clubs at Tullahought, Lamogue, Killamery and Windgap.
Games between Callan Cricket Club and Cuffsgrange were an annual affair and the game was always one of the biggest social occasions in the area. In the late 1800s cricket was so popular in Callan that hurling was no longer played in the area.
The land war and the formation of the GAA brought about the demise of cricket. Younger men found hurling faster and more exciting. Still - there is a legacy; counties that excelled at hurling were once the strong holds of cricket. Kilkenny, Tipperary, Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Wexford were the main cricketing counties and evolved into the most powerful hurling counties.
In the early 1900s there was a revival of cricket in the area which lasted into the 1930s. A report in Mr O'Dwyer's book gives details of a cricket game played in 1930 between Danesfort and Tullamaine with the Danesfort team winning. The Tullamaine team consisted of a lot of well-known surnames from the area. Hopefully some of the readers of this column could fill us in on the missing details.
The team was: T.Fanning, Sonny Baker, J.Dunne, P.Doheny,C. Charman, Jimmy Gethings, M. Thompson, M. Dermody, J. Holmes, M. Halley and E. Kennedy. Sonny Baker and his brother Jack from Tullamaine also played cricket with Kellsborough and Kellsgrange for many years after.
Jimmy Gethings of course was better known for his billiards and golf exploits.
Imagine if the GAA had not been founded back in 1884 and Callan would still be the hotbed of cricket. John Lockes players such as John Power, Adrian O'Sullivan, John Paul Corcoran and John O'Neill could well have been the stars of county cricket in Kilkenny. Imagine them dressed in their starched white shirts and trousers and breaking for tea and lunch. It could have been the case. We will never know but we could find out if we held an exhibition game on that very green as part of the Callan 800 celebrations.

gaillimh73 (Galway) - Posts: 669 - 24/02/2010 17:30:34    572174