Cork Senior Hurling Championship

Beginnings

Civil unrest following the burning of Cork during the War of Independence lead to the 1921 championship being cancelled.

Following the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1884, new rules for Gaelic football and hurling were drawn up and published in the United Irishman newspaper. In 1886, county committees were established, with the Cork County Board affiliating on 19 December 1886. The inaugural championship was played during the summer of 1887, however, the final stages ended in disarray with no final being played. In spite of this, Cork Nationals were subsequently declared the champions.^[1] Since then the championship title has been awarded every year except on two occasions. A delay in the 1904 championship meant that the 1905 championship never took place. Civil unrest following the burning of Cork at the height of the War of Independence resulted in the 1921 championship being cancelled.

Team dominance

Since the beginning the championship has been dominated by Blackrock, St. Finbarr's and Glen Rovers who are collectively known as the "big three".^[2][3] They have won a combined total of 84 championship titles. Blackrock dominated the first thirty years of the championship, winning 15 titles between 1887 and 1920. It was during this time that the county championship earned the nickname of the "little All-Ireland" due to its competitive nature. St. Finbarr's, after making a breakthrough in the early years of the 20th century, were the team of the decade for the 1920s before regularly claiming championship titles in each of the decades that followed. Glen Rovers made their own breakthrough with a first championship in 1934 and were the dominant club from then until the 1960s. Between 1971 and 1982, the "big three" shared every available championship title. Their rivalry reached its peak in 1977 when a record attendance of 34,151 saw St. Finbarr's defeat Glen Rovers in the championship decider.^[4]

Since that zenith the "big three" have only claimed two titles in each of the decades from 1990 to 2017 as the power base of Cork hurling has moved from the city to the county with several clubs making significant breakthroughs and impacts on the championship.^[5] In 1983 Midleton broke the decade-long hegemony and went on to claim five championships over a thirty-year period to 2013. In 1990 Na Piarsaigh became the first city club outside of the "big three" since Redmonds in 1917 to claim the championship. They added two more titles in 1995 and 2004. Erin's Own also added their name to the roll of honour in 1992 before winning further titles in 2006 and 2007. The mid nineties saw the rise of the divisional sides, with Carbery, Avondhu and Imokilly claiming four championship titles between 1994 and 1998. The success of Newtownshandrum between 2000 and 2009 also highlighted the changing demographics of Cork hurling as the tiny parish of 800 people won four championships during that decade. Sarsfields, although close in proximity to the city but based in the East Cork division, ended a 51-year famine in 2008 by claiming their third championship title ever. Between 2008 and 2015 they appeared in seven finals and won four titles. The East Cork village of Carrigtwohill ended a 93-wait for their second championship title in 2011.

In recent decades many rural and city-based clubs have also contested championship deciders without making a successful breakthrough. These include Ballyhea, Cloyne, Bride Rovers and Bishopstown. Educational institutions like University College Cork and Cork Institute of Technology have also appeared in finals.

Formats used

22 teams entered the inaugural championship in 1887 and a single elimination format was used. Each team was afforded only one defeat before being eliminated from the championship. The creation of the divisions in the 1920s added a new dimension to the championship. These divisional teams, which were composed of junior and intermediate players, competed in a preliminary section with the two winning teams advancing to the championship proper which retained its single elimination format. The introduction of a "back door" system at inter-county level in the All-Ireland Championship in 1997 lead to the idea of introducing a second chance for defeated teams at county level. In the twenty-year period from the late 1990s to 2017, the championship underwent a number of format changes. The provision of a second chance for defeated teams was later expanded to allow teams the opportunity of being defeated twice and still remain in the championship. The splitting of the intermediate grade in two resulted in the introduction of relegation in 2006, with Delaney Rovers becoming the first team to be relegated that year. Prior to this teams were allowed to decide for themselves if they wanted to regrade or retain their senior status. In 2015 the championship once again reverted to a double elimination format.

Overview

The Cork County Championship is a double elimination tournament. Each team is afforded two defeats before being eliminated from the championship. Pairings for matches are drawn at random and there is no seeding.

Each match is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn there is a period of extra time, however, if both sides are still level at the end of extra time a replay takes place and so on until a winner is found.

Format

Participating teams

Early rounds

Since 2017 the county final has been held at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, on the site of the previous stadium which hosted it from 1976 to 2014.

Fixtures in the opening rounds 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, Brinny Sportsfield, Coachford Pitch and Clonmult Memorial Park. All games from Round 4 onward are played at either Páirc Uí Rinn or Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Final

The final has been played at the rebuilt Páirc Uí Chaoimh since it opened in 2017. The rebuilding process meant that the finals of 2015 and 2016 were hosted at Páirc Uí Rinn. Prior to rebuilding, the final was hosted by the original Páirc Uí Chaoimh since it opened in 1976. The final was played at the Mardyke in 1974 and 1975, while in the 70 years prior to the development of Páirc Uí Chaoimh the final was usually played at the Cork Athletic Grounds. From the inaugural championship in 1887 up to the turn of the 20th century, the final was held at Cork Park.

Final

Teams

Top scorers

The Double

Three teams have won the Cork Senior Hurling Championship and the Cork Senior Football Championship in a single year as part of a hurling-Gaelic football double. Glen Rovers and their sister club, St. Nicholas', became the first teams to win the double in 1938 before claiming two further doubles in 1941 and 1954. University College Cork won their only double in 1963. St. Finbarr's hold the distinction of being the only single entity club team to have won the double. They achieved this in 1980 and 1982.

Divisional sides Avondhu, Carbery and Imokilly and club team Midleton also hold the distinction of being dual county senior championship-winning teams, however, these were not achieved in a single calendar season.