Sport
| No one can say whether it is the climate that means you can spend more time out doors or the physical, competitive nature of the people of Cornwall, but sport is not just a pass-time round here. Rugby is huge in Cornwall, a game of heart and head, courage, strength and speed. It takes much from the ancient Cornish game of hurling and is now an interwoven into the tapestry of Cornish life. The Cornish also excel at cricket and golf but it is their own sports that best capture the imagination - and the character - of the people. New sports like surf life-saving reflect older and more traditional ones. Both are competitive derivatives of vital jobs in Cornwall - the saving of lives on beaches and the more traditional rowing of pilots out to ships to guide them into shore. The pilot gig (a long rowing boat of six oars) was also used as a lifeboat when required in days gone by. Both the above are very physical sports, but none matches Cornish wrasslin, a martial art as complex as judo but harder on the joints. As far as the Cornish are concerned, to paraphrase a great football manager: "Sport isn't life and death. It's more important than that." | ||||||||||||
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