East Cork Junior A Football Championship
The East Cork Junior A Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Michael O'Connor Motor Factors East Cork Junior Football Championship) is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Imokilly Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1927 for junior Gaelic football teams in East Cork.
| East Cork Junior A Football Championship | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1927 |
| Trophy | Jim Ryan Cup |
| Title holders | Erin's Own (5th title) |
| Most titles | Glanmire (20 titles) |
| Sponsors | Michael O'Connor Motor Factors |
The series of games begin in March, with the championship culminating with the final in the autumn. The championship includes a knock-out stage and a "back door" for teams defeated in the first round.
The East Cork Junior Championship is an integral part of the wider Cork Junior Football Championship. The winners and runners-up of the East Cork championship join their counterparts from the other seven divisions to contest the county championship.
14 clubs currently participate in the East Cork Championship. The title has been won at least once by 17 different clubs. The all-time record-holders are Glanmire, who have won a total of 20 titles.
Erin's Own are the title-holders after defeating Glenbower Rovers by 3-10 to 1-5 in the 2017 championship final.
The championship
Overview
The East Cork Junior Championship is effectively a knockout tournament with pairings drawn at random — there are no seeds.
Each match is played as a single leg. If a match ends as a draw 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.
Roll of honour
| # | Team | Wins | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glanmire | 20 | 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1977 |
| 2 | Midleton | 10 | 1928, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1949, 1962, 1967, 1969, 1974, 1992 |
| 3 | Cobh | 9 | 1927, 1944, 1947, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1988 |
| 4 | Youghal | 8 | 1940, 1941, 1945, 1952, 1959, 1984, 1999, 2011 |
| 5 | Glenville | 7 | 1948, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1995 |
| 6 | Cloyne | 6 | 1976, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016 |
| Castlemartyr | 6 | 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991 | |
| 8 | Erin's Own | 5 | 1994, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2017 |
| 9 | Aghada | 4 | 1980, 1981, 1983, 1989 |
| Fr. O'Neill's | 4 | 1996, 1998, 2006, 2015 | |
| 11 | Carrigtwohill | 3 | 1993, 1997, 2000 |
| Glenbower Rovers | 3 | 2012, 2013, 2014 | |
| 13 | Bride Rovers | 2 | 2004, 2007 |
| 14 | Russell Rovers | 1 | 1931 |
| Combined Services | 1 | 1941 | |
| 19th Battalion | 1 | 1942 | |
| Carrignavar | 1 | 1975 |
Records
By decade
The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of East Cork Junior Football Championship titles, is as follows:
- 1920s: 1 each for Cobh (1927), Midleton (1928) and Glanmire (1929)
- 1930s: 6 for Glanmire (1930-32-33-34-36-37)
- 1940s: 3 each for Youghal (1940-41-45)
- 1950s: 4 each for Glanmire (1950-51-57-58) and Cobh (1953-54-55-56)
- 1960s: 5 for Glanmire (1964-64-65-66-68)
- 1970s: 4 for Glenville (1972-73-78-79)
- 1980s: 4 each for Aghada (1980-81-83-89) and Castlemartyr (1982-85-86-87)
- 1990s: 2 each for Castlemartyr (1990-91), Carrigtwohill (1993-97) and Fr. O'Neill's (1996-98)
- 2000s: 3 each for Cloyne (2001-08-09) and Erin's Own (2002-03-05)
- 2010s: 3 for Glenbower Rovers (2012-13-15)
Gaps
Top ten longest gaps between successive championship titles:
- 28 years: Cobh (1960-1988)
- 25 years: Youghal (1959-1984)
- 25 years: Cloyne (1976-2001)
- 18 years: Midleton (1974-1992)
- 17 years: Cobh (1927-1944)
- 16 years: Glenville (1979-1995)
- 15 years: Youghal (1984-1999)
- 13 years: Glenville (1948-1961)
- 13 years: Midleton (1949-1962)
- 12 years: Youghal (1999-2011)
- 12 years: Erin's Own (2005-2017)