The present invention relates to a hurley stick, and to a method for manufacturing a hurley stick.

A hurley stick is a ball striking club, which is used in a game of hurling. A hurley stick comprises an elongated shaft which defines a longitudinally extending shaft axis and terminates in a ball striking boss. A hurley stick for an adult, in general, is of overall length from a proximal end of the hurley stick to the distal end thereof in the order of 800 to 900mm. The hurley stick is used for striking a ball, normally referred to as a sliotar, in the game of hurling which is of a substantially similar size to that of a conventional tennis ball.

Hurling is a traditional Irish game which is played by two teams of players opposing each other, each team comprising fifteen players including a goalkeeper. Each player including the goalkeeper is provided with a hurley stick, which is used for striking the ball (sliotar) for passing the ball from one player to another and for scoring a goal or a point. A goal is scored by striking the ball past the goalkeeper into a net which is supported between a pair of upstanding goalposts and an upper crossbar extending between the goalposts. A point is scored by striking the ball over the upper crossbar between the upstanding goalposts.

Hurley sticks traditionally have been made from ash wood with the ash wood oriented so that the grain of the ash wood extends substantially parallel with the

1 shaft of the hurley stick, and curves around into the ball striking boss. Ash wood is chosen because of the grain structure of ash wood, and in particular, the resilience of ash wood. Ideally, hurley sticks are formed from a lower portion of the trunk of an ash tree and a part of the root of the ash tree adjacent the lower end of the trunk thereof. Due to the grain structure of the ash tree between the lower portion of the trunk and the root, the grain of the trunk curves outwardly towards the lower end of the trunk and into the root. The hurley stick is formed from the lower portion of the trunk and the adjacent portion of the root, so that the grain of the ash wood extends longitudinally along the shaft and curves into the boss. This construction of a hurley stick provides a robust hurley stick which can withstand significant ball striking forces. As mentioned above, the resilience of ash wood is such that the shaft and indeed the boss is capable of absorbing significant impacts and ball striking forces without any damage to the shaft or the boss of the hurley stick. However, due to the present demand for hurley sticks, a problem has arisen in that the availability of suitable ash trees at reasonable cost for the production of hurley sticks is insufficient to meet the current demand. An additional and a more important problem relates to the modern ball and the relatively oversize boss of modern hurley sticks. 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. There is therefore a need for a hurley stick which addresses this problem, and there is also a need for a method for manufacturing a hurley stick which addresses this problem.

5 The present invention is directed towards a hurley stick and a method for

manufacturing a hurley stick which addresses the problem of the shortage of suitable ash wood.

According to the invention there is provided a hurley stick comprising an elongated 10 shaft defining a longitudinally extending shaft axis and terminating in a ball striking boss adjacent a distal end thereof, the shaft and the ball striking boss being formed from a single piece of laminated material, the piece of laminated material comprising at least two lamina laminated together, each lamina having a resilient bending characteristic along a first axis superior to a resilient bending characteristic along a 15 second axis extending transversely of the first axis, the lamina being configured in the piece of the laminated material with the first axis of one of the lamina extending at an angle greater than zero to the first axis of another one of the lamina, and the first axis of at least one of the lamina extending relative to the shaft axis at an angle not greater than 45°.

—20

In one aspect of the invention the first axis of at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material extends relative to the shaft axis at an angle not greater than 30°. Preferably, the first axis of at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material extends relative to the shaft axis at an angle not greater than 15°.

3 Advantageously, the first axis of at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material extends substantially parallel to the shaft axis.

In another aspect of the invention the angle at which the first axis of one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material extends relative to the first axis of another one of the lamina thereof is at least 30°.

In a further aspect of the invention the angle at which the first axis of one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material extends relative to the first axis of another one of the lamina thereof is at least 45°. Preferably, the angle at which the first axis of one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material extends relative to the first axis of another one of the lamina thereof is at least 60°. Advantageously, the angle at which the first axis of one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material extends relative to the first axis of another one of the lamina thereof is at least 75°. Ideally, the angle at which the first axis of one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material extends relative to the first axis of another one of the lamina thereof is approximately 90°.

In one aspect of the invention the piece of the laminated material comprises three lamina, two lamina being respective outer lamina, and the other one of the three lamina being a central lamina located between the two outer lamina. Preferably, the first axes of the two outer lamina of the piece of the laminated material extend substantially parallel to each other. Advantageously, the first axes of the two outer lamina of the piece of the laminated material extend substantially parallel to the shaft

4 axis of the hurley stick.

In another aspect of the invention the lamina of the piece of the laminated material are bonded together. Preferably, the lamina of the piece of the laminated material are bonded together by an adhesive. Advantageously, the lamina of the piece of the laminated material are bonded together by a waterproof adhesive.

In another aspect of the invention at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material comprises a plurality of elongated members extending substantially parallel to the first axis thereof, adjacent ones of the elongated members being bonded together to form the lamina. Preferably, the elongated members of the at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material are arranged side by side to define the lamina. In another aspect of the invention each elongated member of the at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material is of one of square transverse cross- section and rectangular transverse cross-section.

In another aspect of the invention the elongated members of rectangular transverse cross-section of the at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material define respective opposite spaced apart major surfaces joined by respective opposite spaced apart minor surfaces, the major surfaces of the elongated members of the lamina defining respective opposite major surfaces of the lamina. Preferably, the elongated members of rectangular transverse cross-section of the at least one of

5 the lamina of the piece of the laminated material are joined together along their respective minor surfaces.

Preferably, the elongated members of the at least one lamina of the piece of the laminated material are bonded together by an adhesive. Advantageously, the elongated members of the at least one lamina of the piece of the laminated material are bonded together by a waterproof adhesive.

In one aspect of the invention each of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material comprises the elongated members.

In a further aspect of the invention at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material comprises a fibrous material with the fibres of the fibrous material oriented and extending substantially parallel to the first axis of the corresponding lamina. Preferably, the elongated members of the corresponding lamina of the piece of the laminated material comprise the fibrous material.

In one aspect of the invention the fibrous material comprises bamboo material. In another aspect of the invention all of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material comprise the fibrous material.

Alternatively, at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material comprises wood material, and the grain of the wood material is oriented substantially

6 parallel to the first axis of the corresponding lamina.

In another aspect of the invention at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material comprises the bamboo material, and another one of the lamina thereof comprises the wood material.

In a further aspect of the invention all of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material comprise the wood material. Additionally, the invention provides a method for manufacturing a hurley stick comprising an elongated shaft defining a longitudinally extending shaft axis and terminating in a ball striking boss adjacent a distal end thereof, the method comprises providing a single piece of laminated material, comprising at least two lamina, each lamina having a resilient bending characteristic along a first axis superior to a resilient bending characteristic along a second axis extending transversely of the first axis, the lamina being configured in the piece of the laminated material with the first axis of one of the lamina extending at an angle greater than zero to the first axis of another one of the lamina, and forming the hurley stick from the piece of the laminated material with the first axis of at least one of the lamina thereof extending relative to the shaft axis at an angle not greater than 45°.

In one aspect of the invention the hurley stick is formed with the first axis of at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material extending relative to the

7 shaft axis at an angle not greater than 30°. Preferably, the hurley stick is formed with the first axis of at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material extending relative to the shaft axis at an angle not greater than 15°. Advantageously, the hurley stick is formed with the first axis of at least one of the lamina of the piece of the laminated material extending substantially parallel to the shaft axis.

In another aspect of the invention a blank of the hurley stick is initially formed from the piece of the laminated material with the blank defining the shaft axis of the hurley stick.

In another aspect of the invention the blank is cut from the piece of the laminated material.

In a further aspect of the invention the hurley stick is formed from the blank.

In another aspect of the invention the hurley stick is formed from the blank by machining.

The advantages of the invention are many. A particularly important advantage of the invention is that it has been found that hurley sticks according to the invention, and hurley sticks produced according to the method according to the invention, are robust, and have particularly good resilience characteristics. Indeed, it has been

8 found that the resilience characteristics of the hurley sticks according to the invention corresponds with and in some cases exceeds that of hurley sticks manufactured from ash wood and manufactured according to conventional methods. A particularly important advantage is achieved when the piece of the laminated material from which the hurley stick is formed comprises lamina in which the first axis of at least one of the lamina extends at an angle greater than zero to the first axis of another one of the lamina, and in particular, when the first axes of at least two of the lamina extend substantially perpendicularly to each other. A particular important advantage of the invention is achieved when the material from which each lamina is formed is of a fibrous material, and in particular, bamboo material. A particularly important advantage of the invention is achieved when each lamina is formed from a plurality of elongated members of square shape cross-section from bamboo material and the elongated members are bonded together side by side to form each of the lamina. It has been found that bamboo material has particularly good resilient characteristics, and by providing the first axis of at least one of the lamina formed from the bamboo material to extend substantially parallel with the shaft axis of the hurley stick provides a hurley stick with excellent resilience suitable for absorbing the force of significant ball strikes with the boss of the hurley stick without any damage to the hurley stick. By providing the outer lamina of the piece of the laminated material which form the outer major surfaces of the hurley stick with the first axes of the outer lamina of the piece of the laminated material extending substantially parallel to the shaft axis of the shaft of the hurley stick, and by providing the central or central ones of the lamina configured with the first axis or axes thereof extending at an angle of approximately 90° relative to the first axis of the two outer lamina of the piece of the laminated material, a hurley stick of excellent strength and resilience is provided. Indeed it has been found that because of the superior resilient characteristics of the laminated material when formed from bamboo material that the hurley sticks according to the invention have vibration characteristics similar to traditional ash wood hurley sticks.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof which is given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a hurley stick according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a rear end elevational view of the hurley stick of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the hurley stick of Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 4 is an underneath plan view of the hurley stick of Fig. 1 , Fig. 5 is a plan view of a sheet of laminated material from which a blank is cut for forming the hurley stick of Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view of the sheet of laminated material of Fig. 5,

10 Fig. 7 is a plan view of a lamina of the sheet of laminated material of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 8 is an end view of the lamina of Fig. 7. Referring to the drawings there is illustrated a hurley stick according to the invention indicated generally by the reference numeral 1 for use in a game of hurling. The hurley stick 1 comprises an elongated shaft 2 extending from a proximal end 4 to a distal end 5 and defining a shaft axis 6 extending longitudinally along the shaft 2, and terminating at its distal end 5 in a ball striking boss 7. The shaft 2 defines an upper handle portion 8 which terminates adjacent the proximal end 4 in a stop end 9 formed by a rearwardly projecting portion 10. The shape of a hurley stick will be well known to those skilled in the art, and it is not intended to describe the hurley stick itself in further detail. However, it is important that the shaft 2 has good resilient bendable characteristics along the shaft axis 6 from the proximal end 4 to the distal end 5 of the shaft 2, and in particular, between the upper handle portion 8 of the shaft 2 and the boss 7 in order to absorb the impact of a strike of a ball by the boss 7 without fracturing of the shaft 2 or the boss 7.

The hurley stick 1 is formed from a blank 11 , which is cut from a single piece 12 of laminated material in the form of a sheet. The piece 12 of the laminated material comprises at least two lamina 14, and in this embodiment of the invention three lamina 14, namely, a pair of outer lamina 14a which substantially form outer major surfaces 15 of the hurley stick 1 , and a central lamina 14b sandwiched between the two outer lamina 14a. The lamina 14 of the piece 12 of the laminated material are bonded together by a waterproof adhesive.

The lamina 14 are manufactured from a fibrous material, which in this embodiment of the invention is derived from a bamboo material. Each lamina 14 comprises a plurality of elongated members 17 of substantially square transverse cross-section formed from the fibrous bamboo material, with the fibres of the bamboo material oriented in a general longitudinal direction parallel to the corresponding elongated member 17. The members 17 are arranged side by side extending parallel to each other in each lamina 14, and adjacent ones of the members 17 of each lamina 14 are bonded together by a waterproof adhesive to form the corresponding lamina 14. Due to the construction of the lamina 14 each from a plurality of the elongated members 17 of the bamboo material, each lamina 14 has a resilient bending characteristic along a first axis 19 which extends parallel to the elongated members 17 which is superior to a resilient bending characteristic of that lamina 14 along a second axis 20 extending transversely of the first axis 19.

In this embodiment of the invention the first axes 19 of the two outer lamina 14a of the piece 12 of the laminated material extend parallel to each other, while the central lamina 14b of the piece 12 of the laminated material is oriented relative to the two outer lamina 14a with the first axis 19 of the central lamina 14b extending transversely, in other words, at approximately 90° relative to the first axes 9 of the two outer lamina 14a.

The blank 11 is cut from the piece 12 of the laminated material with the first axes 19

12 defined by the two outer lamina 14a extending substantially parallel to a portion 21 of the blank 11 which is to form the shaft 2, so that the shaft axis 6 of the finished hurley stick 1 lies substantially parallel to the first axes 19 of the two outer lamina 14a, see Fig. 5. Thus, in this embodiment of the invention the hurley stick 1 is provided with a resilient bending characteristic along the shaft axis 6 which is superior to the resilient bending characteristic of the shaft 2 transversely across the shaft 2. However, by virtue of the fact that the first axis 19 of the central lamina 14b extends transversely of the shaft axis 6, and therefore transversely across the shaft 2 and the boss 7 of the hurley stick 1 , the hurley stick 1 is also provided with a reasonably good resilient bending characteristic transversely across the shaft 2, and in particular, transversely across the boss 7 to avoid any danger of a forward portion 22 of the boss 7 fracturing from the remainder of the boss 7 in the event of a ball strike of the boss 7 adjacent the forward portion 22 thereof. Once the blank 11 has been cut from the laminated sheet of material 12, final machining of the blank 11 is carried out in order to achieve the desired curvatures of the outer major surfaces 15 of the shaft 2 and the boss 7 of the hurley stick 1 , and also to achieve the desired curvature of the minor outer surfaces 23 of the hurley stick 1. Thereafter, the hurley stick 1 may or may not, as desired, be treated with a protective surface coating or with a protective oil, and the hurley stick 1 is ready for use.

While the hurley stick has been described as being formed from a blank cut from a single piece of laminated material which comprises three lamina, it will be readily

13 apparent to those skilled in the art that the number of lamina may be greater than or less than three in the laminated material. Additionally, it will be appreciated that while each lamina has been described as being formed from a plurality of elongated members arranged side by side and extending parallel to each other, each lamina may be formed in any desired manner, and in certain cases may be formed by a single integral sheet of material.

It will also be appreciated that while the lamina of the blank have been described as comprising fibrous material which has been derived from a bamboo material, any other suitable fibrous material may be used. Further, it will be appreciated that instead of the use of bamboo material, wood materials may be used, and in which case, the grain of the wood material would extend parallel to the first axis of the lamina. In cases where each lamina is formed from wood material, each lamina may be formed from a single integral sheet of the wood material, or a composite sheet constructed from a plurality of elongated members arranged side by side with adjacent members bonded to each other.

It will also be appreciated that while the first axes of the two outer lamina of the blank have been described as extending parallel to the shaft axis of the hurley stick, in certain cases, it is envisaged that the first axis of the central lamina of the blank may extend parallel to the shaft axis of the hurley stick, and the first axes of the outer lamina would extend transversely relative to the shaft axis of the hurley stick.

It is also envisaged that the blank may be cut from the piece of the laminated

14 material with the first axes 19 of the two outer lamina 14a extending at an angle greater than zero to the shaft axis 6 of the hurley stick, for example, at an angle of 45° to the shaft axis 6, and in which case the first axis 19 of the central lamina 14b would extend at a complementary angle to the shaft axis 6.

It will also be appreciated that while the blank has been described as being cut from a laminated material with the lamina orientated relative to each other such that the first axes of the outer lamina extend transversely, namely, at substantially 90° to the first axis of the central lamina, in certain cases, the first axes of some of the lamina may extend at angles other than 90° to the first axes of other ones of the lamina of the laminated material. For example, it is envisaged that the lamina may be arranged relative to each other such that the first axis of one of the lamina extends at an angle less than 90°, and typically between 30° and 60° relative to the first axis of another or an adjacent lamina of the laminated material.

It is also envisaged that in some embodiments of the invention the laminated material may comprise respective lamina of wood material and bamboo material. For example, in some embodiments of the invention each alternate one of the lamina of the laminated material may be of wood material, while each other alternative one of the lamina of the laminated material may be of bamboo material.

It is also envisaged that the wood material may be of a hardwood or a softwood.

It is also envisaged that the elongated members from which lamina of the laminated

15 material may be formed, may be of transverse cross-section of shape other than square cross-section, for example, it is envisaged that the elongated members may be of rectangular transverse cross-section, and in which case, it is envisaged that each elongated member would define a pair of spaced apart opposite major surfaces, joined by a pair of spaced apart opposite minor surfaces, and typically, the minor surfaces of adjacent ones of the elongated members would be bonded together to form the corresponding lamina. Alternatively, it is envisaged that the adjacent elongated members of rectangular transverse cross-section may be bonded together by their respective major surfaces to form a corresponding lamina.

While the elongated members have been described as being of bamboo material, it is envisaged that the elongated members may be of any suitable material, for example, wood material. It will also be appreciated that the lamina of the laminated material may be of different materials, for example, one lamina may be of bamboo material and another one or ones of the lamina may be of wood or other suitable fibrous material.