Fran Marsh Shatterproof Hurls - novel idea, poor execution

murty01

If anyone's thinking of buying one of these hurls I just got one from Fran Marsh in Broadford, Clare through the purchase.ie website.
Have to say it's one of the worst hurls i've ever held. Never bought a hurl online and knew it would be a 50-50 thing if I got a brilliant one delivered out to me but couldn't believe the board that was delivered. Now fair play to Fran for coming up with a novel idea that I don't think was ever done before but the actual design of the hurl is a step to far. It's too bulky on the shaft , not pared down to the proper angle that lets the fingers relax around it. The bas is way too big and adds an awful lot of weight down that end that would make a solo run more difficult than the traditional hurl people'd used to. As far as i can tell it's definetly ash and the grain is good. I'd be advising Fran Marsh to get his hands on a few differnt hurls from makers around the country and finding a design that works with his new idea.

As a matter of interest, what sort of options does the site offer in terms of the weight, shape and design of the hurley? Or was it just the size?

I couldn't imagine buying a hurley without having it in my hand beforehand. I'd always rummage through a new batch, testing each one out for feel, weight etc. I'd train with a few for a while before making a definitive decision.

I would imagine if I ordered one online, I would invariably be disappointed.

murty01

You're right. I'm just a sucker for buying in to a new idea. the website does give size as you'd expect but nothing else bout bas type or hurl weight. I'll tell ya what I did do. I brought it out to the back shed and traced out the template of a kilkenny bas hurl on to it and pared and sanded it back and i'll tell ya it's not too bad now. Looks grand anyway with a nice weight distribution and grip.