Munster Junior Club Hurling Championship
The Munster Junior Club Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the AIB Munster GAA Hurling Junior Club Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association and contested by the five champion junior clubs and one champion intermediate club in the province of Munster in Ireland. It is the most prestigious competition for junior clubs in Munster hurling.
| Munster Junior Club Hurling Championship | |
|---|---|
Current season or competition: | |
| Irish | Craobh Iomána Clubanna Sóisearach na Mumhan |
| Code | Hurling |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Region | Munster (GAA) |
| Trophy | Rody Nealon Cup |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Title holders |  |
| Sponsors | Allied Irish Bank |
| Motto | The toughest of them all |
| Official website | Official website |
The Munster Intermediate Club Championship was introduced in 2001. In its current format, the championship begins in late October or early November and is usually played over a four-week period. The six participating club teams compete in a straight knockout competition that culminates with the Munster final for the two remaining teams. The winner of the Munster Intermediate Championship, as well as being presented with the Rody Nealon Cup, qualifies for the subsequent All-Ireland Club Championship.
The competition has been won by 19 teams, however, no team has ever won the championship on more than one occasion. Cork clubs have accumulated the highest number of victories with 13 wins. Russell Rovers are the reigning champions, having beaten St. Mary'st by 2-13 to 0-10 in the 2019 final.[1]
The championship
Overview
The Munster Championship is a single elimination tournament. Each team is afforded only one defeat 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.
Qualification
| County | Championship | Qualifying team |
|---|---|---|
| Clare | Clare Junior Hurling Championship | Champions |
| Cork | Cork Junior Hurling Championship | Champions |
| Kerry | Kerry Intermediate Hurling Championship | Champions |
| Limerick | Limerick Junior Hurling Championship | Champions |
| Tipperary | Tipperary Junior A Hurling Championship | Champions |
| Waterford | Waterford Junior Hurling Championship | Champions |
Format
Quarter-final: Four teams contest this round. The two winning teams advances directly to the semi-final stage. The two losing teams are eliminated from the championship.
Semi-finals: Four teams contest this round. The two winning teams advance directly to the final. The two losing teams are eliminated from the championship.
Final: The final is contested by the two semi-final winners.
Trophy and medals
At the end of the Munster final, the winning team is presented with a trophy. The Rody Nealon Cup is held by the winning team until the following year's final. Traditionally, the presentation is made at a special rostrum in the stand where GAA and other dignitaries and special guests view the match.
The cup is decorated with ribbons in the colours of the winning team. During the game the cup actually has both teams' sets of ribbons attached and the runners-up ribbons are removed before the presentation. The winning captain accepts the cup on behalf of his team before giving a short speech. Individual members of the winning team then have an opportunity to come to the rostrum to lift the cup.
The cup is named after Rody Nealon. He was an All-Ireland medal winner with Tipperary in 1925 before later serving as chairman and secretary of the Burgess club at different times, while he was also a member of the Tipperary County Board and the Munster Council.
In accordance with GAA rules, the Munster Council awards a set of 24 gold medals to the winners of the Munster final.
Sponsorship
Since 2001, the Munster Championship has been sponsored. The sponsor has usually been able to determine the championship's sponsorship name.
| Period | Sponsor | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2001-present |  |
The AIB Munster Junior Club Hurling Championship |
Roll of honour
General performance
Performance by county
| County | Winners | Runners-Up | Winning Clubs | Runner-Up Clubs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Cork | 13 | 4 | Russell Rovers, Cloughduv, Mayfield, Dungourney, Kildorrery, Charleville, Meelin, Dripsey, Kilworth, Fr. O'Neill's, Ballygarvan, Ballinhassig, Courcey Rovers | Castlemartyr, Fermoy, Barryroe, Dromina |
 |
Waterford | 3 | 6 | Ardmore, Ballysaggart, Modeligo | St. Mary's, Ballyduff Lower, Fenor, Tramore, Ardmore, Ballinameela |
 |
Tipperary | 1 | 5 | Moyle Rovers | Knockshegowna (2), Ballybacon-Grange, St. Patrick's, Ballinahinch |
 |
Limerick | 1 | 3 | Blackrock | Cappamore, Feenagh-Kilmeedy, St. Kieran's |
 |
Clare | 1 | Newmarket-on-Fergus | ||
Records and statistics
County representatives
| Year | Clare | Cork | Kerry | Limerick | Tipperary | Waterford |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Ennistymon | Dungourney | Dr. Crokes | Dromcollogher/Broadford | Ballylooby-Castlegrace | Fenor |
| 2016 | Bodyke | Mayfield | Kilgarvan | St. Patrick's | Ballybacon-Grange | Ballyduff Lower |
| 2017 | Bodyke | St. Catherine's | Kenmare Shamrocks | St. Patrick's | Ballybacon-Grange | Ardmore |
| 2018 | Éire Óg | Cloughduv | Kilgarvan | Tournafulla | Boherlahan-Dualla | Ballinameela |
| 2019 | n/a | Russell Rovers | Kilgarvan | Castletown/Ballyagran | Carrick Davins | St. Mary's |
Biggest wins
The most one sided Munster finals:
- 24 points – 2010: Meelin 5-18 (33) – (9) 0-09 St. Patrick's
- 18 points – 2006: Kilworth 4-16 (28) – (10) 1-07 Knockshegowna
- 13 points – 2014: Modeligo 5-12 (27) – (14) 0-14 Castlemartyr
- 12 points – 2017: Dungourney 1-17 (20) – (8) 0-08 Fenor
- 11 points – 2008: Dripsey 2-11 (17) – (6) 1-03 Kilgarvan
Top scorers
Single game
| Year | Top scorer | Team | Opposition | Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Shane Duggan | Mayfield | St. Patrick's | 2-06 | 12 |
| 2017 | Séamus Prendergast | Ardmore | Bodyke | 2-06 | 12 |
| Séamus Prendergast | Ardmore | St. Patrick's | 1-09 | ||
| 2018 | Anthony Hartnett | Tournafulla | Kilgarvan | 0-14 | 14 |
| 2019 | Josh Beausang | Russell Rovers | St. Mary's | 1-08 | 11 |
| Josh Beausang | Russell Rovers | Kilgarvan | 0-11 |
Overall
| Year | Top scorer | Team | Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Nicky Kelly | Mayfield | 0-27 | 27 |
| 2017 | Séamus Prendergast | Ardmore | 5-20 | 35 |
| 2018 | Anthony Hartnett | Tournafulla | 0-24 | 24 |
| 2019 | Eoin Kearns | St. Mary's | 1-21 | 24 |
Finals
| Final | Top scorer | Team | Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Liam Dillon | Ballygarvan | 0-07 | 7 |
| 2005 | Ger O'Leary | Fr. O'Neill's | 0-06 | 6 |
| 2006 | Paudie Lynch | Kilworth | 1-08 | 11 |
| 2007 | Barry Whelan | Moyle Rovers | 2-01 | 7 |
| 2008 | Mark O'Sullivan | Dripsey | 2-00 | 6 |
| 2009 | Brian O'Sullivan | Fermoy | 0-09 | 9 |
| 2010 | Éamonn Brosnan | Meelin | 1-07 | 10 |
| 2011 | James O'Brien | Charleville | 1-05 | 8 |
| 2012 | Peter O'Brien | Kildorrery | 1-06 | 9 |
| 2013 | Stephen Bennett | Ballysaggart | 1-07 | 10 |
| 2014 | Barry Lawton | Castlemartyr | 0-10 | 10 |
| 2015 | Ryan Denny | Dungourney | 0-11 | 11 |
| 2016 | Nicky Kelly | Mayfield | 0-10 | 10 |
| 2017 | Séamus Prendergast | Ardmore | 2-05 | 11 |
| 2018 | Brian Verling | Cloughduv | 0-09 | 9 |
| 2019 | Josh Beausang | Russell Rovers | 1-08 | 11 |
References
- O'Callaghan, Therese (8 December 2019). "Cork champions Russell Rovers overcome St Mary's to collect Munster Junior title". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- "Ballygarvan take Munster title". Hogan Stand. 13 December 2004. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- "Fr O'Neill capture first Munster crown". Hogan Stand. 5 December 2005. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- O'Flynn, Diarmuid (18 December 2006). "Kilworth cut loose in final quarter". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- Ellard, Michael (17 December 2007). "Moyle Rovers cruise to historic title victory". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- "O'Sullivan double inspires Dripsey". Hogan Stand. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- "Moloney nicks it for Blackrock". Irish Independent. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- "Meelin power to title". Hogan Stand. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- "Classy Charleville secure title". Hogan Stand. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- Hurley, Denis (10 December 2012). "Awesome O'Brien the hero again for Kildorrery". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- Fogarty, John (9 December 2013). "Meagher shares out Ballysaggart plaudits". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
- "Devine intervenes for Modeligo". Irish Examiner. 8 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- Moynihan, Michael (7 December 2015). "Jack Griffin goal proves spark as Dungourney catch fire". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- "Kelly on song for Mayfield". Irish Independent. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- Moynihan, Michael (3 December 2017). "Ardmore overcome Ballybacon-Grange in Munster club JHC final". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- O'Callaghan, Therese (2 December 2018). "Cloughduv come out on top in Munster junior hurling decider". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
- "'Four years ago the club was nearly going to fold': Perfect end to Russell Rovers' remarkable 2019". Irish Examiner. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.