With Bristol gaining ground, five teams head into the SW Shinty League Finals this Saturday at Cunningham Park in Mabe, writes Matt Mossop.

Falmouth look set for a historic first win to ruin Bristol’s chances of four in a row though Mabe are flying and another superb performance by the Miners might let any of them back into the race on Finals Day.

Rest assured sticks will fly as the Hanaf Kernow returns to Mabe.

With free entry for spectators and new players, light refreshments (cash only), kit and coaching available all day, matches from 10am to 5pm, a give it a go session 1-2pm, beat the keeper, and a photography contest, its set to be a great day out and a cracking opportunity to see one of Cornwall’s oldest sports in action.

The New Inn in Mabe are kindly supporting the event, additionally providing a meal for two for the winning photography or film footage entry received by 7.30pm by Cornwall Shinty Club Facebook page.

If you would like any more information, please message Cornwall Shinty Club Facebook page or drop them a line cornwallshintyclub@gmail.

Shinty is a full-bloodied team sport testing speed, strength, courage and skill with common roots to the ancient sport of hurling, played for hundreds of years here in Cornwall.

Many still remember playing shinty at school in Cornwall and across the Tamar. Lumps of coal liberated from the truck were apparently used as shinty balls in the streets of Penryn, but by the 1980s, the sport was largely in decline outside Scotland.

Cornwall Shinty Club was established in Mabe in 2012 to foster the regeneration of the ancient sport, with Mabe and the Combined Universities of Cornwall Shinty Clubs its first constituent clubs. The SWSL was formed the next year, with Devon (2017) and Bristol (2019) and Falmouth (2022) joining the mix.

The Hanaf Kernow was fashioned by Anthony Rice, on a substantial block of Teak, brought back from Indo-China on the back of a motorbike in the 1960s.

The two handled hanaf (cup) or quaich is a sharing cup, a symbol of togetherness, community and friendship so central to the sport. The Caman D’Or on top is awarded to top-scorer in the SWSL each year.

Anthony sadly passed away a couple of years after presenting us with the ‘Hanaf Kernow’, so it is played in his memory. The SWSL continues to provide a fantastic opportunity to experience competitive mixed ‘6’s shinty at a level appropriate for beginners upwards from age 16 to 60s and beyond.