Hurling is a little like hockey, a little like football, a little like lacrosse and even a little like cricket. There is a good deal of coordination necessary to pass, catch and score while there is a definite abundance of physical brutality required to survive. Add to this the sound of ash sticks colliding with other sticks, bones and muscles and the spectator is in for a bone-chilling adventure sprinkled with Gaelic pride and territoriality that distinguishes all Gaelic sport. The bottom line is winning, which far outweighs style points.
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With near 80,000 spectators enjoying Gaelic hurling, the betting activity is abundant. Online gaming sites offer odds on all major hurling tournaments and all prominent league matches.
Gaelic tradition is so mired in the game that in 1902, the GAA, or Gaelic Athletic Association, passed the infamous Rule 27 which clearly stated that any individual who attended or participated in English sport, such as rugby, soccer or cricket, was prohibited from participating or even viewing Gaelic sports. Although enforcement of this rule has slackened of late, true Gaelic sportsmen follow the lead.
At each end of the hurling field is a goal that has a net at the bottom and high posts above. A team scores one point for getting the ball through the high posts and three points for each shot crossing the goal line into the net. Match results might then look like Kilkenny 2 – 20 (26 points) Clare 3 – 10 (19 points).
The hurling season begins with National League play. The National League is divided into three divisions which have subdivisions. These divisions battle until it is determined which counties will have tams participating in the widely followed and heavily bet All-Ireland Club Championships. The Championship trophy is called the Mc Carthy Cup in Croke Park on the first Sunday of September. This is the supreme event in Gaelic hurling. The off-field rowdiness often resembles the on-field skirmishes.
Cork county leads in All-Ireland Championships with 28 titles but Tipperary (25 titles) and Waterford are not far behind. Kilkenny has put forth strong teams lately and now claims 27 titles. These teams are usually the favorites for the championships. This year Kilkennny is a prohibitive favorite while the Laois team is a 1000-1 shot.
Often libations enter into the hurling betting plan. Halftime and second half wagers are as popular as contest match results. Players do not migrate from county to county. This makes team strength loaded with performance history.
Many of today’s gaming sites feature Gaelic sport wagering. These sites also provide match projections, odds, lines and commentary to enable the researcher to acquire background information. Betting on hurling online may lack some of the live action enthusiasm but it sure is certainly safer than being at the match.
