Cork hurlers recruit Ian Jones, Torpey apply to patent hurley stick

Ian Jones will join the Cork hurlers as their new strength and conditioning coach while Torpey hurley manufacturer apply to patent their hurley stick comprising of bamboo wood material. 

DISAGREEMENT: The GAA and a leading hurley manufacturer are in disagreement over a non-ash hurley patent. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Cork senior hurlers have recruited highly-respected Ian Jones as their new strength and conditioning coach.

Head of athletic development with Setanta College, Bishopstown man Jones he was head of physical performance with USA Rugby women’s team between 2018 and ’20 and S&C head for the Cork minor footballers for the 2011 season.

Jones was seasonal S&C coach with NFL outfit Cleveland Browns for a brief period in 2016 before moving to Houston Texans for a year. He has also worked with the University of New Orleans, Wagner College, Penn State University, London Welsh Rugby and Hockey Ireland.

Head of athletic development in his club, former Cork footballer Jones takes over from Stephen Casey who had first come on board with Kieran Kingston for the 2021 season.

Meanwhile, the GAA and a leading hurley manufacturer are in disagreement over a non-ash hurley patent.

Renowned Clare hurley makers Torpey in 2018 made an application to patent a hurley stick comprising bamboo wood materials or “any other suitable fibrous material”, which was granted in Ireland in July last year.

Partly in response to the ash dieback crisis, Torpey spent €300,000 developing their “Bambú” hurley, which was tested in Loughborough University in England. Several leading hurlers use with stick. Limerick’s Gearóid Hegarty has previously used one as has team-mate Seán Finn who misses Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC final through injury. Clare’s John Conlon and David Reidy have also played with one.

It is understood the GAA are querying the patent as a possible infringement of their intellectual property. Contacted by the Irish Examiner, neither Torpey nor members of the GAA’s sliotar and hurley regulation work group were available for comment.

A motion passed at Congress this year as recommended by the sliotar and hurley body stated: “Hurleys shall only be approved for use based on compliance with standards and tests as set out by Central Council.” 

In recent years, GAA director of games development and research Pat Daly has spoken on a number of occasions about the possibility of introducing hybrid, part-wood, part-synthetic hurleys to curb the diminishing amount of ash available due to the dieback disease.

In their patent claim, Torpey also explained that “due to the size of the boss of the modern hurley stick, in general, it is not possible to obtain ash wood which provides a modern hurley stick with the grain curving into the boss and curving with the boss. With the harder modern ball and oversize boss, it has been found that modern hurley sticks shatter on excessive impact with the ball.” 

The GAA recently introduced new maximum bas sizes to reflect how the game had outstepped its previous regulations.