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.

Tagging along

One sport which has not needed hi-tech intervention to make huge strides is rugby, with thousands around the country now participating in the annual tag rugby events.

The continued growth in tag rugby augurs well for the sport in general and given that it costs little to set-up - thankfully doesn't require Government funding - looks set to expand year on year.

They said it

'The only answer is for decent supporters, and they are in the majority, to become terrace vigilantes. A few thumps on the nose would soon stop these silly youngsters' - Alec Stock, Fulham manager in 1975, promotes an unique solution to crowd trouble.

It happened on this day

28th May 1982: Diego Maradona moved from Argentinos Juniors to Barcelona in soccer's first £5m transfer.

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