Cork Senior A Hurling Championship

Last updated

Cork Senior A Hurling Championship
Current season or competition:
Current event clock.svg 2024 Cork Senior A Hurling Championship
Irish Craobh Iomána Sinsearach A Chorcaí
Code Hurling
Founded2020;4 years ago (2020)
Region Colours of Cork.svg Cork (GAA)
TrophyJim Forbes Cup
No. of teams12
Title holders Flag of Furnes, Belgium.svg Glen Rovers (1st title)
Most titles Multiple teams (1 titles)
Sponsors Co-Op Superstores
Official website Cork GAA

The Cork Senior A Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Senior A Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork SAHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Associationfrom 2020 for the lower-ranking senior hurling teams in the county of Cork in Ireland. It is the second tier overall in the entire Cork hurling championship system.

Contents

In its current format, the Cork Senior A Championship begins in early autumn. The 12 participating club teams are drawn into three groups of four teams and play each other in a round-robin system. The three group winners and the three runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The winning team is presented with the Jim Forbes Cup.

Glen Rovers are the reigning champions, having beaten Blarney by 3-17 to 1-13 in the 2024 final.

History

Development

On 26 March 2019, three championship proposals were circulated to Cork club delegates after an expensive review process of the entire Cork championship system. A core element running through all three proposals, put together by the Cork GAA games workgroup, was that there be a group stage of 12 teams, as well as straight relegation and promotion. [1] On 2 April 2019, a majority of 136 club delegates voted for Option A which provided for one round of games played in April and two more in August – all with inter-county players available. [2] The decision meant that, for the first time since 1887, the top tier of Cork football was going to be split in two into the Cork Premier Senior Championship and the Cork Senior A Championship.

Beginnings

The inaugural championship was scheduled to begin in April 2020, however, it was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic in Ireland. [3] When the championship resumed, time constraints led to a revision of the format, with the play-offs for the second best and third best third placed teams being abolished. The knockout stage was further reduced, with the two best-ranking teams from the group stage receiving byes to the semi-finals and the other four qualifying teams contesting two lone quarter-finals. The very first match eventually took place on 31 July 2020, with Fr. O'Neill's claiming a 3-16 to 0-18 victory over Kilworth. Declan Dalton scored the very first championship point before Billy Dunne scored the championship's first ever goal. [4] Kilworth became the first team to be relegated when they lost the 2020 relegation playoff to Killeagh. [5]

Regular format

Group stage

The 12 teams are divided into three groups of four. Over the course of the group stage, which features one game in April and two games in August, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed at least three games. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record. The top two teams in each group qualify for the knock-out stage.

Knockout stage

Following the completion of the group stage, the top two teams from each group are ranked (1-6) in terms of points accumulated and scoring difference. The two top-ranking teams receive byes to separate semi-finals.

Promotion and relegation

At the end of the championship, the winning team is automatically promoted to the Cork Premier Senior Championship for the following season. The three bottom-placed teams from the group stage take part in a series of play-offs, with the losing team being relegated to the Cork Premier Intermediate Championship.

Teams

2025 Teams

The 12 teams competing in the 2025 Cork Senior A Hurling Championship are:

TeamLocationDivisionColoursPosition in 2024 In championship sinceChampionship titles (PSHC)Last championship title (PSHC)
Colours of Sligo.svg Ballyhea Ballyhea Avondhu Black and whiteGroup stage 2021 1 1896
Colours of Galway.svg Bishopstown Bishopstown Seandún Maroon and whiteGroup stage (Cork PSHC) 2025 0—
Colours of Cork.svg Blarney Blarney Muskerry Red and whiteRunners-up 2021 0—
Colours of Offaly.svg Bride Rovers Rathcormac Imokilly Green, white and yellowSemi-finals 2020 0—
Colours of Clare.svg Carrigtwohill Carrigtwohill Imokilly Blue and goldRelegation playoff winners 2022 2 2011
Colours of Kerry.svg Castlelyons Castlelyons Imokilly Green and goldSemi-finals 2024 0—
Colours of Cork.svg Courcey Rovers Ballinspittle, Ballinadee Carrigdhoun Red and whiteGroup stage 2022 0—
Colours of Kilkenny.svg Fermoy Fermoy Avondhu Black and yellowGroup stage 2020 0—
Colours of Laois.svg Inniscarra Inniscarra Muskerry Blue and whiteGroup stage 2023 0—
Colours of Limerick.svg Killeagh Killeagh Imokilly Green and whiteQuarter-finals 2020 0—
Colours of Kilkenny.svg Na Piarsaigh Fair Hill Seandún Black and amberQuarter-finals 2023 3 2004
Colours of Cork.svg Watergrasshill Watergrasshill Imokilly Red and whiteChampions (Cork PIHC) 2025 0—

Sponsorship

Co-Op Superstores were unveiled as the title sponsor for all of Cork GAA's hurling championships in July 2020. [6]

Venues

Group stage

The inaugural final was played at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in 2020. Pairc Ui Chaoimh.jpg
The inaugural final was played at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 2020.

Fixtures in the group stage of the championship are usually played at a neutral venue that is deemed halfway between the participating teams. Some of the more common venues include Mallow GAA Complex, Páirc Uí Chonaill, Ballincollig Sportsfield and Coachford Pitch.

Final

The inaugural final in 2020 was played at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Managers

Managers in the Cork Senior A Championship are involved in the day-to-day running of the team, including the training, team selection, and sourcing of players. Their influence varies from club-to-club and is related to the individual club committees. The manager is assisted by a team of two or three selectors and a backroom team consisting of various coaches.

Winning managers
Manager(s)TeamWinsWinning years
Claude Gough Charleville 1 2020
Tom Walsh Kanturk 1 2021
Dave Colbert
Bryan Sweeney		 Fr O'Neill's 1 2022
Charlie Wilson Newcestown 1 2023
Tomás Mulcahy Glen Rovers 1 2024

Trophy and medals

The Jim Forbes Cup is the current prize for winning the championship. It was commissioned to honour Jim Forbes who served in a number of administrative roles with the Cork County Board, including as chairman from 2003 to 2005. [7] The cup was presented to the County Board by the Carrigdhoun division shortly before the 2020 final. [8]

In accordance with GAA rules, the County Board awards a set of gold medals to the championship winners. The medals depict a stylised version of the Cork GAA crest.

List of Finals

YearWinnersRunners-upWinning Captain(s)Venue#
ClubScoreClubScore
2024 Glen Rovers 3-17 Blarney 1-16 Dean Brosnan SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh [9]
2023 Newcestown 3-17 Blarney 0-24Eoghan Collins Páirc Uí Chaoimh [10]
2022 Fr. O'Neill's 0-20 Courcey Rovers 2-12Kevin O'Sullivan
Robert Cullinane		 Páirc Uí Chaoimh [11]
2021 Kanturk 3-17 Fr. O'Neill's 2-13 Darren Browne Páirc Uí Chaoimh [12]
2020 Charleville 1-23 Fr. O'Neill's 4-13Alan Dennehy Páirc Uí Chaoimh [13]

Notes

Roll of honour

By club

#ClubTitlesRunners-upWinning yearsLosing years
1 Colours of Mayo.svg Fr. O'Neill's 12 2022 2020, 2021
Colours of Cork.svg Charleville 10 2020 —
Colours of Limerick.svg Kanturk 10 2021 —
Flag of Naples.svg Newcestown 10 2023 —
Flag of Furnes, Belgium.svg Glen Rovers 10 2024 —
6 Colours of Cork.svg Courcey Rovers 01— 2022
Colours of Cork.svg Blarney 02— 2023, 2024

By division

DivisionTitlesRunners-upTotal
Colours of Cork.svg Imokilly 123
Colours of Kilkenny.svg Avondhu 101
Colours of Wexford.svg Carbery 101
Duhallow.png Duhallow 101
Colours of Cork.svg Seandun 101
Colours of Limerick.svg Muskerry 022
Colours of Kilkenny.svg Carrigdhoun 011

Records and statistics

Seasons in championship

The number of years that each county has played in the Senior A Championship between 2020 and 2024. A total of 20 clubs have competed in at least one season of the championship. 4 clubs have participated in the most seasons. The clubs in bold participate in the 2024 Cork Senior A Hurling Championship.

YearsClubs
5 Bride Rovers, Cloyne, Fermoy, Killeagh
4 Ballyhea, Blarney, Mallow, Newcestown
3 Ballymartle, Carrigtwohill, Courcey Rovers, Fr. O'Neill's
2 Bandon, Inniscarra, Kanturk, Na Piarsaigh
1 Castlelyons, Charleville, Glen Rovers, Kilworth

Top scorers

All time

As of match played 20 October 2024.
RankPlayerClubTallyTotalMatchesAverage
1 Declan Dalton Fr O'Neill's 11-1151481311.38
2 Shane Barrett Blarney 2-125137206.85
3Pa O'Callaghan Ballyhea 6-100118129.07
4 Eoghan Keniry Killeagh 4-96108147.71
5Brian O'Shea Cloyne 3-93102176.00
6Eddie Kenneally Newcestown 6-83101166.31
7Richard Sweetnam Courcey Rovers 0-9595127.91
8 Mark Coleman Blarney 2-8894185.22
9Seán Walsh Carrigtwohill 6-7189118.09
10Adam Walsh Bride Rovers 2-7480126.66
11William Finnegan Bride Rovers 0-7979155.26
12 Darren McCarthy Ballymartle 4-6274107.40
13Billy Dunne Fr. O'Neill's 11-3669144.92

By year

YearTop scorerTeamScoreTotal
2020 Darragh Fitzgibbon Charleville 2-5157
2021 Mark Coleman Blarney 1-3841
2022 Declan Dalton Fr. O'Neill's 1-5053
2023 Shane Barrett Blarney 1-6972
2024 Alan Fenton Castlelyons 2-4652

In a single game

YearTop scorerTeamScoreTotal
2020 Eoghan Keniry Killeagh 1-1215
2021 Declan Dalton Fr. O'Neill's 1-1417
2022 Pa O'Callaghan Ballyhea 2-1016
2023 Pa O'Callaghan Ballyhea 1-1417
2024 Patrick Horgan Glen Rovers 2-0915

In finals

YearTop scorerTeamScoreTotal
2020 Darragh Fitzgibbon Charleville 1-0811
2021 Colin Walsh Kanturk 3-0110
2022 Declan Dalton Fr. O'Neill's 0-077
2023 Eddie Kenneally Newcestown 1-069
Shane Barrett Blarney 0-099
2024 Patrick Horgan Glen Rovers 2-0612

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ Cormican, Eoghan (26 March 2019). "Here's a breakdown of the proposals to restructure the Cork county championships". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  2. ↑ "Cork clubs vote down radical restructuring proposals". RTÉ Sport. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  3. ↑ "Cork GAA Statement 18/03/2020". Cork GAA website. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  4. ↑ O'Callaghan, Therese (31 July 2020). "Cork hurling: Fr O'Neill's big guns fire against Kilworth despite a red card". The Echo. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  5. ↑ Bohane, John (27 September 2020). "Killeagh preserve senior status to send Kilworth down". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  6. ↑ O'Connor, Colm (27 July 2020). "Cork GAA ink hurling sponsorship deal with Dairygold Co-Op Superstores". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  7. ↑ Leen, Tony (16 September 2016). "OBITUARY: Former chairman of Cork GAA, and PRO for Cork and Munster GAA Jim Forbes". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  8. ↑ "Jim Forbes Cup". Cork GAA. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  9. ↑ Coleman, John (20 October 2024). "Glen Rovers overcome Blarney to make swift return to top-tier of Cork hurling". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  10. ↑ Mangan, Dylan (28 October 2023). "Newcestown win Senior A hurling championship". The Southern Star. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "Fr O'Neills heading for Premier Senior after win over Courcey Rovers".
  12. ↑ "Colin Walsh fires Kanturk to county senior A hurling glory with hat-trick". Echo Live. 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  13. ↑ O'Callaghan, Therese (4 October 2020). "Epic turnaround takes Charleville back to top tier". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  14. ↑ Hurley, Denis (22 October 2023). "SAHC final: Padraig Power's late leveller earns draw for Blarney against Newcestown". Echo Live. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
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