The Cork Senior A Hurling Championship 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
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
Play-off: The second best and third best third placed teams from the group stage play off for last quarter-final place. Quarter-finals: The play-off winner and the seven top-ranking teams from the group stage contest this round. The four winners from these four games advance to the semi-finals. Semi-finals: The four quarter-final winners contest this round. The two winners from these four games advance to the semi-finals. 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.
Participating teams
Team
Location
Colours
Bandon
Bandon
Yellow and white
Ballymartle
Riverstick
Green and yellow
Bride Rovers
Rathcormac
Green, white and yellow
Charleville
Charleville
Red and white
Cloyne
Cloyne
Red and black
Fermoy
Fermoy
Black and yellow
Fr. O'Neill's
Ballymacoda/Ladysbridge
Green and red
Kanturk
Kanturk
Green and yellow
Killeagh
Killeagh
Green and white
Kilworth
Kilworth
Red and white
Mallow
Mallow
Red and yellow
Newcestown
Newcestown
Red and yellow
Sponsorship
were unveiled as the title sponsor for all of Cork GAA's hurling championships in July 2020.
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.
