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Cork Senior A Hurling Championship

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Cork Senior A Hurling Championship
Current season or competition:
2023 Cork Senior A Hurling Championship
IrishCraobh Iomána Sinsearach A Chorcaí
CodeHurling
Founded2020; 5 years ago (2020)
Region Cork (GAA)
TrophyJim Forbes Cup
No. of teams12
Title holders Fr. O'Neill's (1st title)
SponsorsCo-Op Superstores
Official websiteCork 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 second tier hurling teams in the county of Cork in Ireland.

The series of games are played between the spring and autumn months, including a summer break, with the county final being played at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in October. The championship includes a round robin followed by a knockout stage.

Fr. O'Neill's are the reigning champions, having beaten Courcey Rovers by 0-20 to 2-12 in the 2022 final.[1]

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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] Kilworth became the first team to be relegated when they lost the 2020 relegation playoff to Killeagh.[6]

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.

  • Quarter-finals: Teams designated 3-6 contest this round. The two winners from these two games advance to the semi-finals.
  • Semi-finals: The two quarter-final winners and teams designated 1-2 contest this round. The two winners from these two games advance to the final.
  • Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.

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.

2023 Teams

Team Location Division Colours In Championship since Cork SHC Titles Last SHC Title
Ballyhea Ballyhea Avondhu Black and white 2021 1 1896
Blarney Blarney Muskerry Red and white 2021 0 -
Bride Rovers Rathcormac Imokilly Green, white and yellow 2020 0 -
Carrigtwohill Carrigtwohill Imokilly Blue and gold 2022 2 2011
Cloyne Cloyne Imokilly Red and black 2020 0 -
Courcey Rovers Ballinspittle, Ballinadee Carrigdhoun Red and white 2022 0 -
Fermoy Fermoy Avondhu Black and yellow 2020 0 -
Inniscarra Inniscarra Muskerry Blue and white 2023 0 -
Killeagh Killeagh Imokilly Green and white 2020 0 -
Mallow Mallow Avondhu Red and yellow 2020 0 -
Na Piarsaigh Fair Hill Seandun Black and amber 2023 3 2004
Newcestown Newcestown Carbery Red and yellow 2020 0 -

2024 Teams

Team Location Division Colours In Championship since Cork SHC Titles Last SHC Title
Ballyhea Ballyhea Avondhu Black and white 2021 1 1896
Bride Rovers Rathcormac Imokilly Green, white and yellow 2020 0 —
Carrigtwohill Carrigtwohill Imokilly Blue and gold 2022 2 2011
Castlelyons Castlelyons Imokilly Green and gold 2024 0 —
Cloyne Cloyne Imokilly Red and black 2020 0 —
Courcey Rovers Ballinspittle, Ballinadee Carrigdhoun Red and white 2022 0 —
Fermoy Fermoy Avondhu Black and yellow 2020 0 —
Glen Rovers Blackpool Seandun Green, black and gold 2024 27 2016
Inniscarra Inniscarra Muskerry Blue and white 2023 0 —
Killeagh Killeagh Imokilly Green and white 2020 0 —
Na Piarsaigh Fair Hill Seandun Black and amber 2023 3 2004
2023 runners-up 0 —

Sponsorship

Co-Op Superstores were unveiled as the title sponsor for all of Cork GAA's hurling championships in July 2020.[7]

Venues

Group stage

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) Team Wins Winning years
Claude Gough Charleville 1 2020
Tom Walsh Kanturk 1 2021
Dave Colbert
Bryan Sweeney 		Fr. O'Neill's 1 2022

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.[8] The cup was presented to the County Board by the Carrigdhoun division shortly before the 2020 final.[9]

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

Year Winners Runners-up Winning Captain(s) Venue #
Club Score Club Score
2023 Newcestown 0-19 Blarney 1-16 Replay on 28th of October 2023 Páirc Uí Chaoimh
2022 Fr. O'Neill's 0-20 Courcey Rovers 2-12 Kevin O'Sullivan
Robert Cullinane 		Páirc Uí Chaoimh [10]
2021 Kanturk 3-17 Fr. O'Neill's 2-13 Darren Browne Páirc Uí Chaoimh [11]
2020 Charleville 1-23 Fr. O'Neill's 4-13 Alan Dennehy Páirc Uí Chaoimh [12]

Roll of honour

# Club Title(s) Runners-up Years won Years runner-up
1 Fr. O'Neill's 1 2 2022 2020, 2021
Charleville 1 0 2020 —
Kanturk 1 0 2021 —
Newcestown 1 0 2023 —
4 Courcey Rovers 0 1 — 2022
Blarney 0 1 — 2023

By Division

Division Titles Runners-up Total
Border Imokilly 1 2 3
Border Avondhu 1 0 1
Border Carbery 1 0 1
Border Duhallow 1 0 1
Border Carrigdhoun 0 1 1
Border Muskerry 0 1 1

Records and statistics

Seasons in championship

The number of years that each county has played in the Senior A Championship between 2020 and 2023. A total of 18 clubs have competed in at least one season of the championship. 6 clubs have participated in the most seasons. The clubs in bold participate in the 2023 Cork Senior A Hurling Championship.

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

Top scorers

All time

As of match played 12 August 2023.
Rank Player Club Tally Total Matches Average
1 Declan Dalton Fr. O'Neill's 11-115 148 13 11.38
2 Pa O'Callaghan Ballyhea 5-92 107 10 10.70
Eoghan Keniry Killeagh 4-95 107 14 7.64
4 Brian O'Shea Cloyne 3-93 102 15 6.80
5 William Finnegan Bride Rovers 0-79 79 15 5.26
6 Darren McCarthy Ballymartle 4-62 74 10 7.40
7 Mark Coleman Blarney 1-70 73 9 8.11
8 Billy Dunne Fr. O'Neill's 11-36 69 14 4.92
9 Eddie Kenneally Newcestown 3-52 61 12 5.08
Richard Sweetnam Courcey Rovers 0-61 61 9 6.77

By year

Year Top scorer Team Score Total
2020 Darragh Fitzgibbon Charleville 2-51 57
2021 Mark Coleman Blarney 1-38 41
2022 Declan Dalton Fr. O'Neill's 1-50 53

In a single game

Year Top scorer Team Score Total
2020 Eoghan Keniry Killeagh 1-12 15
2021 Declan Dalton Fr. O'Neill's 1-14 17
2022 Pa O'Callaghan Ballyhea 2-10 16

In finals

Year Top scorer Team Score Total
2020 Darragh Fitzgibbon Charleville 1-08 11
2021 Colin Walsh Kanturk 3-01 10
2022 Declan Dalton Fr. O'Neill's 0-07 7

References

  1. ^ Hurley, Denis (9 October 2022). "Fr O'Neills heading for Premier Senior after win over Courcey Rovers". Echo Live. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  2. ^ Cormican, Eoghan (26 March 2019). "Here's a breakdown of the proposals to restructure the Cork county championships". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Cork clubs vote down radical restructuring proposals". RTÉ Sport. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Cork GAA Statement 18/03/2020". Cork GAA website. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Bohane, John (27 September 2020). "Killeagh preserve senior status to send Kilworth down". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  7. ^ O'Connor, Colm (27 July 2020). "Cork GAA ink hurling sponsorship deal with Dairygold Co-Op Superstores". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Jim Forbes Cup". Cork GAA. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Fr O'Neills heading for Premier Senior after win over Courcey Rovers".
  11. ^ "Colin Walsh fires Kanturk to county senior A hurling glory with hat-trick". Echo Live. 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  12. ^ O'Callaghan, Therese (4 October 2020). "Epic turnaround takes Charleville back to top tier". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
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