Kirk Cup


The Kirk Cup is the oldest hockey tournament in Ulster and the oldest provincial hockey trophy in Ireland. It has become a tradition since the 1966-67 season for the final to be played on Boxing Day, a date previously reserved for the Anderson Cup Final. The final attracts the largest crowd of the Ulster hockey season. The cup is named after its donor, Mr. John Kirk, J.P, who was a member of the Antrim club. Following the creation of the Irish Hockey League, the competition remained open only to Ulster Senior League members, until 2018-19, when Irish Hockey League teams from Ulster were admitted.
In the early years of the competition it was also known as the Ulster Senior Challenge Cup.

Historical format

From the introduction of the Cup in the 1897-98 season until the major re-organisation of the Ulster Senior League for the 1969-70 season, the format was that of a knockout competition. The Cup was competed for towards the end of the season.
From the 1969-70 all the teams in Senior League Section One and Two were split into four groups. The winner of each group would go forward to an open draw for semi-final matches.
From the 2000-01 until the 2008-09 season, the format of the competition was altered slightly. The eight teams in the Ulster Premier Hockey League were drawn into four groups. The top eight teams from Section One were drawn into these groups to create four groups of four teams each. The eight Section One teams were the relegated Premier League team from the previous season and the teams finishing in second to eighth places in the final league standings of the previous season.
Each club played the other teams in their Group once. The winners of each Group proceed to semi-final matches, with the ties decided via an open draw.
The Premier League reverted to ten teams for the 2009-10 season and these teams together with the top six teams in Section One were drawn into four groups of four teams. Each team played the other teams in their group once. The group winners contested the semi-final with the ties decided by an open draw. The two semi-final winners contested the final which is scheduled for Boxing Day. This format was used in 2010-11 too.

Current format

For the start of the 2011-12 season the entry was restricted to the Premier League teams. The ten Premier League teams were drawn in two pools of five teams, with each team playing the other teams in their pool once. The semi-finals saw the winner of one pool playing the runner-up of the other pool, with the winners of the semi-finals going on to contest the final. In 2016-17, the top sixteen teams in the Ulster Senior League were drawn into four groups of four, but since 2017-18 it has reverted to two groups of five.

Finals

1890s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
1897-98North Staffordshire Regiment32Antrim
1898-99Antrim31King's Own Liverpool Regiment

1900s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
1899-00North Down42Cliftonville
1900-01Antrim31Banbridge
1901-02North Down21Cliftonville
1902-03Strabane10North Down
1903-04Cliftonville10Banbridge
1904-05Antrim21Banbridgeafter extra time
1905-06Banbridge10Malone
1906-07Antrim31Downpatrick
1907-08Malone &
North Down		SHARED
1908-09Banbridge52Malone

1910s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
1909-10Banbridge30Malone
1910-11Banbridge32Queen's University
1911-12Cliftonville21North Down
1912-13Banbridge31Queen's University
1913-14Banbridge20Queen's University
1914-05Not played due to World War I----
1915-16Not played due to World War I----
1916-17Not played due to World War I----
1917-18Not played due to World War I----
1918-19Not played due to World War I----

1920s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
1919-20Banbridge41Queen's University
1920-21North Down10Banbridge
1921-22South Antrim21Banbridge
1922-23Lisnagarvey30North Down
1923-24Lisnagarvey20Cliftonville
1924-25Lisnagarvey10East Antrim
1925-26Banbridge21Antrim
1926-27Banbridge30East Antrim
1927-28Antrim10East Antrim
1928-29North Down21South Antrimafter extra time

1930s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
1929-30Cliftonville30Derry YMCA
1930-31Cliftonville41Derry YMCA
1931-32South Antrim20East Antrim
1932-33East Antrim20Banbridge
1933-34Lisnagarvey54Cliftonville
1934-35Banbridge10North Down
1935-36North Down20Wanderersafter extra time
1936-37North Down31Lisnagarveyafter extra time
1937-38Banbridge31North Downafter extra time
1938-39Lisnagarvey21Antrim

1940s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
1939-40Not Played due to World War II----
1940-41Not Played due to World War II----
1941-42Lisnagarvey21North Down
1942-43Lisnagarvey20Banbridge
1943-44North Down31Banbridgeafter two periods of extra time
1944-45Lisnagarvey21Short & Harland
1945-46Lisnagarvey21Wanderers
1946-47Portrush10Banbridge
1947-48Lisnagarvey21Belfast YMCA
1948-49Portrush31Lisnagarvey

1950s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
1949-50Banbridge20Antrim
1950-51BanbridgeParkview
1951-52
1952-53Lisnagarvey
1953-54Lisnagarvey21Mossleyafter extra time
1954-55
1955-56Parkview &
Lisnagarvey		SHARED
1956-57Banbridge
1957-58Belfast YMCABanbridge
1958-59Belfast YMCAAntrim

1960s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
1959-60Belfast YMCA10Portrush
1960-61Lisnagarvey21Banbridge
1961-62Lisnagarvey20Banbridge
1962-63Competition abandoned
due to severe winter weather		----
1963-64Lisnagarvey20Antrim
1964-65Portrush42BanbridgeAET - Replay - Game 1: 2-2
1965-66Antrim10Lisnagarvey
1966-67Parkview21Banbridge
1967-68Cliftonville30Antrim
1968-69Cliftonville10Instonians

1970s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
1969-70Portrush31Instonians
1970-71LisnagarveyCliftonvilleReplay - Game 1: 1-1
1971-72Antrim &
Instonians		SHARED2nd replay - Game 1: 2-2, Game 2:
1972-73Lisnagarvey10Friends School Old Boys
1973-74Lisnagarvey30MossleyReplay - Game 1: 1-1
1974-75Instonians21Lisnagarvey
1975-76Instonians21Cliftonville
1976-77Belfast YMCA20Instonians
1977-78Lisnagarvey20Belfast YMCA
1978-79Belfast YMCA30Antrim

1980s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
1979-80LisnagarveyInstoniansReplay - Game 1: 1-1
1980-81Instonians31Banbridge
1981-82Lisnagarvey11BanbridgeReplay - Lisnagarvey won 4-2 on
penalty strokes - Game 1: 2-2
1982-83Banbridge21Belfast YMCA
1983-84Mossley20Lisnagarvey
1984-85Belfast YMCA30Lisnagarvey
1985-86Banbridge21RUC
1986-87Banbridge20CookstownReplay - Game 1: 1-1
1987-88Banbridge21MossleyReplay - Game 1: 1-1
1988-89Cookstown10Mossley

1990s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
1989-90Lisnagarvey20Banbridge
1990-91Holywood 8721LisnagarveyReplay - Game 1: 2-2
1991-92Holywood 8710Lisnagarvey
1992-93Holywood 8720Instonians
1993-94Instonians31Banbridge
1994-95Lisnagarvey21Instonians
1995-96Lisnagarvey20Newry
1996-97Lisnagarvey32Instonians
1997-98Lisnagarvey20Annadale
1998-99Lisnagarvey21Cookstown

2000s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
1999-00Annadale11Lisnagarveyafter extra time - Annadale
won 3-1 on penalty strokes
2000-01Lisnagarvey21Annadale
2001-02Lisnagarvey21Instonians
2002-03Cookstown21Instonians
2003-04Annadale21BanbridgeAnnadale won with "Golden Goal"
in 7th minute of extra time
2004-05Instonians22LisnagarveyInstonians won 5-4 on
penalty strokes
2005-06Banbridge21Annadale
2006-07Cookstown21Lisnagarvey
2007-08Annadale32Lisnagarvey
2008-09Cookstown43Lisnagarveyafter extra time

2010s

YearWinnerRunner-upNotes
2009-10Cookstown20Banbridge
2010-11Banbridge42Cookstown
2011-12Lisnagarvey21Cookstown
2012-13Cookstown31Lisnagarvey
2013-14Annadale11Lisnagarveyafter extra time - Annadale win 4-2 on penalty strokes
2014-15Banbridge31Cookstown
2015-16Instonians82Mossley
2016-17Annadale81Cookstown
2017-18Kilkeel11MossleyKilkeel win 3–2 on penalties.
2018-19Banbridge41Annadale
2019-20Banbridge32Lisnagarvey