AN ancient medieval game played in St Columb Major has become a world record breaker.

St Columb Major Hurling has received a place in the Guinness World Records 2027 for having the largest ball-game field.

The book states: “Twice a year in the Parish of St Columb Major, Cornwall, a game called hurling (not to be confused with the Irish game) is played on a ‘pitch’, which consists of the entire parish, approximately 25 square miles 64.7km2.”

Cornish Hurling, or Hyrlîan in Cornish, is considered Cornwall's national sport alongside Cornish wrestling.

It has been described a full-contact "mob football" style game. The exact origins of Cornish Hurling are unknown, but it is believed to date back at least 1,000 years.

Hurling is a contest between "Town" and "Country,” that is to say, men residing in the town are matched against men residing in the rural parts of the parish.

There is no limit as to numbers on either side, but both sides muster in as great strength as possible.

The game is played annually, on Shrove Tuesday, and is continued and brought to a close on the following Saturday week.

The combatants assemble at a certain spot in the centre of the town, where, after three cheers have been given and a short interval has been subsequently allowed, the ball is thrown up in the air.

This ball is of apple-wood with a thick coating of silver, and weighs twelve ounces.

From the spot where the ball is thrown up, the two “goals" are each a mile distant, and are thus two miles apart.

One is designated the "Town goal" and the other the "Country goal," and the object of each party is to get the ball to its particular goal.

The side that succeeds in doing this becomes the winner, and the individual who touches the goal with the ball is entitled to keep the silver trophy in his possession until the next "hurling day," when it will be his privilege to throw it up," and thus to commence another year's game.

Historians believe the game has roots in pagan fertility rites marking the passing of winter and the coming of spring. The highly polished silver ball is thought to traditionally symbolize the sun or the moon.

An ancient belief dictates that anyone who touches the ball is blessed with good health and fertility for the coming year. To this day, players will deliberately pause the rough gameplay if a member of the public, an elder, or a young child wishes to hold the silver ball.