1954 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

1954 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

Championship details
Dates	11 April – 5 September 1954
Teams	14
All-Ireland champions
Winning team	Cork (19th win)
Captain	Christy Ring
All-Ireland Finalists
Losing team	Wexford
Captain	Padge Kehoe
Provincial champions
Munster	Cork
Leinster	Wexford
Ulster	Not Played
Connacht	Not Played
Championship statistics
No. matches played	14
Goals total	87 (6.2 per game)
Points total	183 (13.0 per game)
Top Scorer	Nicky Rackard (12-19)
All-Star Team	See here
← 1953 1955 →

The 1954 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 68th staging of the All-Ireland hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The championship began on 11 April 1954 and ended on 5 September 1954.

Cork were the defending champions and retained their title following a 1-9 to 1-6 victory over Wexford in the final. ^[1]

Teams

A total of fourteen teams contested the championship, an increase of one on the previous championship. Antrim, who last participated at this level in 1949, re-entered the championship in spite of facing no competition in the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship.

Team summaries

Team	Colours	Most recent success
		All-Ireland	Provincial	League
Antrim	Saffron and white		1946
Clare	Saffron and blue	1914	1932	1945-46
Cork	Red and white	1953	1953	1952-53
Dublin	Blue and navy	1938	1952	1938-39
Galway	Maroon and white	1923		1950-51
Kilkenny	Black and amber	1947	1953	1932-33
Laois	Blue and white	1915	1949
Limerick	Green and white	1940	1940	1946-47
Meath	Green and gold
Offaly	Green, white and gold
Tipperary	Blue and gold	1951	1951	1953-54
Waterford	White and blue	1948	1948
Westmeath	Maroon and white
Wexford	Purple and gold	1910	1951

Provincial championships

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

First round

Offaly v Westmeath

11 April 1954First round	Offaly	6-08 - 1-03	Westmeath	O'Connor Park, Tullamore
	Furlong 2-1, Errity 1-3, J Spain 1-1, J Landy 1-0, Loughnane 1-0, Mitchell 0-2, Walsh 0-1.		Farrell 1-0, Carey 0-1, McGrath 0-1, Aylward 0-1.

Laois v Meath

11 April 1954First round	Laois	1-09 - 1-10	Meath	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
	N McDonnell 0-1, Hogan 1-3, Styles 0-2, Harding 0-1, O'Hanrahan 0-1, Kelly 0-1.		B Smyth 1-7, J O'Meara 0-1, Foran 0-1.	Referee: P Connell (Offaly)

Second round

Meath v Offaly

9 May 1954Second round	Meath	2-08 - 3-05	Offaly	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
	F Foran 1-1, A Foran 1-1, B Smyth 0-3, J O'Meara 0-2, S O'Brien 0-1.		M Furlong 1-1, J Landy 1-1, W Pyke 1-0, T Errity 0-3,	Referee: J Mulcahy (Kilkenny)

Meath v Offaly

30 May 1954Second round replay	Meath	3-06 - 3-04	Offaly	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
	B Smyth 1-1, F Foran 1-1, Rispin 1-0, A O'Halloran 0-2, S O'Brien 0-1, M Regan 0-1.		Dooley 2-2, M Furlong 1-1, E O'Brien 1-0, T Errity 0-1.	Referee: J Howard

Semi-finals

Wexford v Kilkenny

6 June 1954Semi-final	Wexford	5-11 - 0-07	Kilkenny	Croke Park, Dublin
	T Flood 2-3, N Rackard 0-5, Padge Kehoe 1-1, D Ahearne 1-1, J Morrissey 1-0, N Wheeler 0-1.		D Carroll 0-6, J Carroll 0-1.	Attendance: 17,785 Referee: P Connell (Offaly)

Dublin v Meath

20 June 1954Semi-final	Dublin	3-08 - 2-04	Meath	Croke Park, Dublin
	Daly 2-0, N Allen 1-2, Herbert 0-4, Ryan 0-2,		Rispin 2-0, Smyth 0-2, O'Halloran 0-1, O'Meara 0-1.	Attendance: 8,839 Referee: J Mulcahy (Kilkenny)

Final

Wexford v Dublin

18 July 1954Final	Wexford	8-05 - 1-04	Dublin	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
	N Rackard 5-4, Padge Kehoe 1-0, T Flood 1-0, B Donovan 1-0, S Hearne 0-1.		P Shanahan 1-0, Herbert 0-2, N Allen 0-1, S Daly 0-1.	Attendance: 28,592

	First round					Second round					Semi-finals					Leinster final
											Wexford		5-11
											Kilkenny		0-7
																Wexford		8-5
	Meath		1-10													Dublin		1-4
	Laois		1-9			Meath (R)		2-8 3-6
	Offaly		6-8			Offaly (R)		3-5 3-4
	Westmeath		1-3								Dublin		3-8
											Meath		2-4

Munster Senior Hurling Championship

First round

Waterford v Limerick

13 June 1954First round	Waterford	4-03 - 0-01	Limerick	Thurles Sportsfield
	Doyle 2-0, S Power 1-1, D Whelan 1-1, M Flannelly 0-1.		S Leonard 0-1.	Attendance: 14,000 Referee: C Conway

Semi-finals

Tipperary v Clare

20 June 1954Semi-final	Tipperary	5-06 - 3-03	Clare	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	N Ryan 2-2, P Kenny 1-3, S Bannon 1-1, M Seymour 1-0.		J Smyth 1-3, N Jordan 1-0, J Greene 1-0.	Attendance: 15,000 Referee: W O'Donoghue (Limerick)

Cork v Waterford

27 June 1954Semi-final	Cork	7-08 - 4-05	Waterford	Thurles Sportsfield, Thurles
	C Ring 1-4, P Barry 2-0, J Clifford 1-1, WJ Daly 1-0, J Hartnett 1-0, É Goulding 0-2.		S Power 4-2, Own scores 1-1, P Doyle 1-0, M Flannelly 0-3.	Attendance: 19,883 Referee: W O'Donoghue (Limerick)

Final

Cork v Tipperary

18 July 1954Final	Cork	2-08 - 1-08	Tipperary	Gaelic Grounds
	C Ring 1-5, P Barry 1-0, J Clifford 0-3.		P Kenny 0-5, Seymour 1-0, Bannon 0-1, Ryan 0-1, Hough 0-1.	Attendance: 50,071 Referee: W O'Donoghue (Limerick)

	Quarter-final					Semi-finals					Munster final
						Tipperary		5-6
						Clare		3-3
											Tipperary		1-8
											Cork		2-8
						Cork		7-8
	Limerick		0-1			Waterford		4-5
	Waterford		4-3

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

All-Ireland semi-finals

Wexford v Antrim

8 August 1954Semi-final	Wexford	12-17 - 2-03	Antrim	Croke Park, Dublin
	N Rackard 7-7, T Flood 3-0, Paddy Kehoe 1-2, Padge Kehoe 1-3, O'Donovan 0-2, J Morrissey 0-2, S Hearne 0-1.		P McManus 1-0, S Mulholland 1-0, B McDonald 0-2, C Lynn 0-1.	Attendance: 35,744 Referee: J Langton (Kilkenny)

Cork v Galway

8 August 1954Semi-final	Cork	4-13 - 2-01	Galway	Croke Park, Dublin
	WJ Daly 1-3, J Hartnett 1-2, É Goulding 1-1, C Ring 0-4, J Clifford 1-0, P Barry 0-1, G Murphy 0-1, W Moore 0-1.		M McInerney 1-0, E Monaghan 1-0, P Duggan 0-1.	Attendance: 35,744 Referee: J Mulcahy (Kilkenny)

All-Ireland final

Cork v Wexford

5 September 1954Final	Cork	1-09 - 1-06	Wexford	Croke Park, Dublin
	C Ring 0-5, J Clifford 1-0, É Goulding 0-1, WJ Daly 0-1, V Twomey 0-1, J Hartnett 0-1.		T Ryan 1-0, N Rackard 0-3, T Flood, 0-2, P Kehoe 0-1.	Attendance: 84,856 Referee: J Mulcahy (Kilkenny)

Main article: 1954 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final

Championship statistics

Top scorers

Top scorers overall

Rank	Player	Club	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Nicky Rackard	Wexford	12-19	55	4	13.75
2	Christy Ring	Cork	2-18	24	4	6.00
3	Tim Flood	Wexford	6-05	23	4	5.75
4	Brian Smyth	Meath	2-13	19	4	4.75
5	Séamus Power	Waterford	5-03	18	2	9.00
6	Mickey Furlong	Offaly	4-03	15	3	5.00
7	Padge Kehoe	Wexford	3-05	14	4	3.50
8	Johnny Clifford	Cork	3-04	13	4	3.75
9	Paddy Kenny	Tipperary	1-08	11	2	5.50
10	Paddy Barry	Cork	3-01	10	4	2.50
	Willie John Daly	Cork	2-04	10	4	2.50
	Tommy Errity	Offaly	1-07	10	3	3.33

Top scorers in a single game

Rank	Player	Club	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Nicky Rackard	Wexford	7-07	28	Antrim
2	Nicky Rackard	Wexford	5-04	19	Dublin
3	Séamus Power	Waterford	4-02	14	Cork
4	Brian Smyth	Meath	1-07	10	Laois
5	Tim Flood	Wexford	3-00	9	Antrim
	Tim Flood	Wexford	2-03	9	Kilkenny
6	Ned Ryan	Tipperary	2-02	8	Clare
	Tom Dooley	Offaly	2-02	8	Meath
	Christy Ring	Cork	1-05	8	Tipperary
7	Mickey Furlong	Offaly	2-01	7	Westmeath
	Christy Ring	Cork	1-04	7	Waterford

Scoring

• Widest winning margin: 44 points
  • Wexford 12-17 : 2-3 Antrim (All-Ireland semi-final)
• Most goals in a match: 14
  • Wexford 12-17 : 2-3 Antrim (All-Ireland semi-final)
• Most points in a match: 20
  • Wexford 12-17 : 2-3 Antrim (All-Ireland semi-final)
• Most goals by one team in a match: 12
  • Wexford 12-17 : 2-3 Antrim (All-Ireland semi-final)
• Most goals scored by a losing team: 4
  • Waterford 4-5 : 7-8 Cork (Munster semi-final)
• Most points scored by a losing team: 9
  • Laois 1-9 : 1-10 Meath (Leinster first round)

Miscellaneous

• Meath qualified for the Leinster semi-finals for the first time in the history of the championship.
• Antrim took part in the All-Ireland semi-finals for the first time since 1949. It was their last game at this stage of the championship until re-entering the championship in 1984.
• Wexford's Nicky Rackard scores 7-7 in their All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Antrim. It is believed to be a record score for an All-Ireland semi-final.
• Cork's Christy Ring wins a record-breaking eighth All-Ireland medal as Cork claim a third successive championship for the third time in their history.

Roll of Honour

• Cork - 19 (1954)
• Tipperary - 16 (1951)
• Kilkenny - 13 (1947)
• Limerick - 6 (1940)
• Dublin - 6 (1938)
• Waterford - 1 (1948)
• Galway - 1 (1923)
• Laois - 1 (1915)
• Clare - 1 (1914)
• Wexford - 1 (1910)
• London - 1 (1901)
• Kerry - 1 (1891)

Player facts

Debutantes

The following players made their début in the 1954 championship:

Player	Team	Date	Opposition	Game
Peter Darby	Meath	April 11	Laois	Leinster first round
Mick Cashman	Cork	June 27	Waterford	Munster semi-final
Johnny Clifford	Cork	June 27	Waterford	Munster semi-final
Éamonn Goulding	Cork	June 27	Waterford	Munster semi-final

Retirees

The following players played their last game in the 1954 championship:

Player	Team	Last Game	Date	Opposition	Début
Tom O'Sullivan	Cork	Munster final	July 18	Tipperary	1953

Sources

• Corry, Eoghan, The GAA Book of Lists (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005).
• Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).
• Horgan, Tim, Christy Ring: Hurling's Greatest (The Collins Press, 2007).
• Nolan, Pat, Flashbacks: A Half Century of Cork Hurling (The Collins Press, 2000).
• Sweeney, Éamonn, Munster HUrling Legends (The O'Brien Press, 2002).

References

1. "As Kilkenny aim for a historic five-in-a-row, the records show how hard it is to keep winning". Irish Independent. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2013.