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|---|---|---|
| Irish | Craobh Iomána Sóisearach Chorcaí | |
| Sponsors | Evening Echo | |
| Trophy | Seán Óg Murphy Cup | |
| First played | 1887 | |
| Current Champions | Newtownshandrum (4th win) | |
| Most Wins | Blackrock (32 wins) | |
The Cork Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling clubs in the county of Cork in Ireland. It is sponsored by the Evening Echo newspaper and, therefore, it is officially known as the Evening Echo County Senior Hurling Championship.
The series of games are played during the summer and autumn months with the county final currently being played at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in October. The prize for the winning team is the Seán Óg Murphy Cup. The championship had always been played on a straight knockout basis whereby once a team loses they are eliminated from the series, however, in recent years there is a 'back door' for teams defeated in the first round.
The Cork County Championship is an integral part of the wider Munster GAA Club Hurling Championship. The winners of the Cork county final join the champions of the other four hurling counties to contest the provincial championship.
Twenty-five clubs, divisions and colleges currently participate in the Cork County Championship. The title has been won at least once by nineteen different clubs. The all-time record-holders are Blackrock, who have won the competition 32 times. The other two members of the so-called 'big three' are Glen Rovers and St. Finbarr's who have won 25 titles each.
Newtownshandrum are the current title-holders after defeating reigning champions Sarsfield's in the 2009 championship decider.
Contents |
History
The Cork Senior Club Hurling Championship is one of the most hotly-contested club hurling championships in Ireland. Such is the prestige of the competition that it has often been referred to as 'the little All-Ireland.' The first Cork Hurling Championship took place in 1887 when Tower St. were crowned the first Cork County Champions. There was no championship played in 1905 and 1921. Over the years the county final has attracted followers of the game from all over the country and has produced some legendary hurling battles. In 1977 a record-breaking 34,000 spectators watched St. Finbarr’s defeat Glen Rovers in the county final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The Cork SHC was at its strongest in the 1970s when a Cork team won the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship every year of the decade, except for 1971 and 1976. This success at club level paved the way for the Cork senior hurlers to win three All-Ireland hurling titles in-a-row between 1976 and 1978.
Blackrock, Glen Rovers and St. Finbarr's are affectionately known as "the Big Three" in Cork club hurling. Together they have won over 80 Cork County titles. While Blackrock has won the most Glen Rovers has the proud distinction of having won 8 Cork SHC titles in-a-row in the 1930s and 1940s. In recent years the dominance of these three clubs has diminished somewhat as the East Cork clubs have emerged successful. In the 2006 Cork SHC seven of the eight quarter-finalists were clubs from East Cork.
Format
The Cork County Championship is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn at random - there are no seeds.
Each match is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn there is a replay. Drawn replays are now settled with extra time, however, if both sides are still level at the end of extra time a second replay takes place and so on until a winner is found.
Twenty-five teams currently take part in the championship, however, these teams are divided into two sections:
- the club section contains 16 teams
- the divisional and college section contains 9 teams.
Club section
In 2009 the following 16 teams participated in the club section of the championship:
| *Erin's Own |
In Round 1 each team plays one game so 8 games will be played altogether. The 8 winners of these games will advance directly to the last 16 of the championship.
In Round 2 the 8 losing teams from the first round will have another chance to make it to the knock-out stages of the championship. Each team will play one game so 4 games will be played altogether. The 4 winners of these games will advance directly to the last 16 of the championship. The 4 losing teams will be eliminated from the competition and will take part in a series of relegation play-offs.
Divisional/College section
In 2009 the following 9 teams participated in the divisional and college section of the Cork SHC:
In Round 1 each team plays one game so 4 games will be played altogether. 3 of these advances directly to the last 16 of the championship.
The fourth team plays the one remaining team in a Round 2 game. The winner of this game advances directly to the last 16 of the championship. There is no second chance for a divisional or college side to make in to the knock-out stages.
Promotion/Relegation section
The four defeated teams from the losers group or Round 2 of the proper championship take part in a relegation play-off. These teams are drawn against each other and play two semi-finals. The losers of these two games participate in a relegation final. The loser of this game is relegated to the Cork Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship, while the winners of this championship gain automatic promotion to the senior ranks. Divisional and college sides cannot be relegated.
Top Winners
| Team | Winner | Winning Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackrock | 32 | 1887, 1889, 1891, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1897, 1898, 1903, 1908, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1920, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1956, 1961, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1999, 2001, 2002 |
| 2 | St.Finbarr's | 25 | 1899, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1919, 1922, 1923, 1926, 1932, 1933, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1955, 1965, 1968, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1993 |
| 2 | Glen Rovers | 25 | 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1944, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1976, 1989 |
| 4 | Midleton | 6 | 1914, 1916, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1991 |
| 5 | Redmonds | 5 | 1892, 1900, 1901, 1915, 1917 |
| 6 | Newtownshandrum | 4 | 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009 |
| 7 | Erin's Own | 3 | 1992, 2006, 2007 |
| Dungourney | 3 | 1902, 1907, 1909 | |
| Avondhu | 3 | 1952, 1966, 1996 | |
| Na Piarsaigh | 3 | 1990, 1995, 2004 | |
| Sarsfields | 3 | 1951, 1957, 2008 | |
| 12 | UCC | 2 | 1963, 1970 |
| 12 | Imokilly | 2 | 1997, 1998 |
| 14 | Tower St. | 1 | 1888 |
| 14 | Aghabullogue | 1 | 1890 |
| 14 | Ballyhea | 1 | 1896 |
| 14 | Carrigtwohill | 1 | 1918 |
| 14 | Éire Óg | 1 | 1928 |
| 14 | Carbery | 1 | 1994 |
Roll of Honour
Notes
Related articles
See also
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