Hurling the Silver Ball is one of Cornwall’s most ancient and wild traditions, played in St Columb Major on Shrove Tuesday and again 11 days later. The game has survived for over 500 years with rules that have barely changed.
Two teams - Townsmen and Countrymen - compete to carry a small silver-coated apple-wood ball to goals set two miles apart, making it the world’s largest ball-game pitch. Hundreds of players chase the ball through streets, gardens, fields, and streams in a contest that sits somewhere between rugby, football, and organised chaos.
The winner is chaired back to the Market Square, where “silver beer” is shared from a gallon jug. The ball itself is a prized object, made of apple wood coated in sterling silver.
A rare surviving Cornish folk sport and one of the most extraordinary spectacles in the county’s calendar. Free to watch - though standing too close to the action is not recommended.
Note: The game takes place on Shrove Tuesday (16 February 2027) with a second match 11 days later (27 February 2027).