Before the founding of the Gaelic Athletic Association (G.A.A.) in 1884, hurling was played openly in fields and byways. The boy in the gap was the goalkeeper or the last defender in a game where one parish would take on a rival parish. If the ball went past him, his job was to retrieve it and whack it as far as possible into the territory of the opposing team, which might number more than a hundred. These sports contests more often than not turned into ferocious faction fights.

 D2- | D2 FA decB | AG Bd cAGE | DDFA decB |
 A/B/c GC EDDC | DD FA de cB | AG Bd cA GE | DD FA de cB |
 A/B/c GC ED-Df || fe fg fe df | eA fA ef ^cB | AB ^cd edcd |
 eaag eage | fe fg fe df | eA fA ef ^cB | AB ^cd ed cA |
 AB GA EFGA || df fe dffe | ^ce e/f/e cege | df fe de fg |
 aA B/^c/d edag | fd ef d^c AF | Gd BG EB GE | DDFA decB |
 AB GA EA GE || DD FA decB | AG Bd cA GE | D2 FA decB |
 AB GC EDDC | DD FA de cB | AG Bd cA GE | D2 FA de cB |
 Ac GC EDDf || fe fg fe df | eA fA ef ^cB | AB ^cd ed cd |
 eaag eage | fe fg fe df | eA fA ef ^cB | AB ^cd ed cB |
 AB GA EF GA || dffe dffe | ^ce e/f/e cege | df fe de fg |
 aA B/^c/d edag | fd ef/e/ d^c AF | Gd BG EB GE | DDFA decB |
 AB GA EA GE | D8 |